Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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AndyFish
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Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by AndyFish »

Just got access to on sale date references from the distributor of National Comics in the 60s-- so I was curious if I were a kid in January of 1966 what Batman Comics would I see on the stands?

In finer drugstores everywhere the night the show debuted;
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All of these hit the stands in December so how many copies were still available by Jan 12th who knows, but these were the pickings.

The biggest surprise for me is these are smack dab in the middle of the campy version of comic book Batman and they PREDATE the show. So everyone who blames Adam West for Batman's campy turn should look instead to Julie Schwartz (who was too busy starting his version of the #metoo movement in the 60s to really care).
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AndyFish
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by AndyFish »

And how about when the show ended?
Glad you asked...these were available on the stands March 14th 1968 when the last episode aired. I'd argue, having read all of these, that they were BETTER than the show was at that point.

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SprangFan
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by SprangFan »

The "newstand" feature over at the Mike's Amazing World of Comics site is a great resource for figuring out what was on sale, when, as well: http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/ ... sort=alpha

I confess I may not have read any of those Jan '66 issues except for the Brave and the Bold, so I can't say how "campy" they were, but in fairness B&B was written by Bob Haney, whose writing could most charitably be described as "offbeat," long before the show and well into the 1970s. Folks might label it camp in retrospect, but for my money it was just good old fashioned bonkers.

Great month for covers, though, with Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Curt Swan and Mike Sekowsky on board!

I'm much more familiar with the 1968 period. Once Frank Robbins was writing and Irv Novick and Bob Brown showed up to draw, things started getting awesome. Then came Adams and Aparo and Batman hit a peak he's never equaled since, IMHO.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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clavierankh
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by clavierankh »

Cool site!! Thanks!
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AndyFish
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by AndyFish »

Just spot checked a few of Mike's dates and he matches what I have so whatever resource he's using is the same as mine.
Great site Sprang!
elmrgraham
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by elmrgraham »

Holy Excellent.
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

If you read the stories in Detective from 1965, the shift to Batman and Robin involved in more..well...detective stories (leaving the silly / terrible stories of the 50s / early 60s Batman comics behind). I would say the pre TV series period was not as "off-message" as the series would be as time moved forward.
Beneath Wayne Manor
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AndyFish
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by AndyFish »

I agree there was a shift in 1964 in both his main titles but I'd always thought the slide back towards campiness came about with the popularity of the show-- looking at the blurbs used on the covers I can definitely hear Desmond Doomday's narration-- and these were made BEFORE anyone had seen the show.

Dozier was doing a much more literal adaption than most of us gave him credit for.
I'm planning on posting links to a few PDFs of these comics from the period so that we can all read them again (or for the first time).
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TP-6597
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by TP-6597 »

SprangFan wrote: Thu May 31, 2018 9:51 am The "newstand" feature over at the Mike's Amazing World of Comics site is a great resource for figuring out what was on sale, when, as well: http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/ ... sort=alpha
Man, that’s a cool site. I use Cover Browser a lot too. http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/batman
“What's important is that the world know that all visitors to these teeming shores are safe, be they peasant or king.”
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Therin of Andor
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Re: Batman Comics on Sale when the Show Launched

Post by Therin of Andor »

I also recall the comic strip we got in the Sunday comics supplement of one of our big newspapers in Australia: a b/w version of the introduction of "Batgirl" that essentially parallel her arrival in the show Down Under. Similar opening premise to the one in the regular comic book, with Barbara heading to a costume ball in her adaptation of a Batman outfit.

(We were 18 months behind getting "Batman" in TV in the first place.)
"Holy nostalgia, Batman!"
Therin of Andor

(aka Ian McLean, from Sydney, Australia)
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