Soon to be an action figure from McFarlane Toys! Coolest thing I’ve seen coming out of San Diego Comic-Con so far? McFarlane Toys’ upcoming red 1966 Batman action figure, which will lead a wave that includes a Joker with a Total Dehydrator; a Batgirl variant with a color palette from Batman: The Animated Series; and a Wonder Woman loosely based on Lynda Carter’s TV version (the costume is spot on, but it’s a generic WW face evidently due to rights issues). But why is Batman red? Is this repaintmania run amok? No. It’s because Italian posters for the 1966 Batman movie featured the Caped Crusader in bright red, with a black cowl and cape, just like the action figure shows. But, again, why red to begin with? Well, there’s historical precedent: In the Italian comics of the 1950s and early 1960s, red was Batman’s primary color instead of gray. The reasons for this differ: One school of thought has it that it started as a mistake and just stuck. Another is that publisher Mondadori felt that a gray Batman would frighten children but a red one wouldn’t. (The art itself was generally lifted or tweaked from American covers with art by folks like Dick Sprang, Curt Swan, Sheldon Moldoff and Carmine Infantino.) Whatever the actual truth — or whether it’s a combination of those ideas or perhaps because they simply thought red would look better — a generation of Italian kids was weaned on Red Batman. His exploits were originally published in Mondadori’s Albi del Falco, which was headlined by Nembo Kid — aka that guy we call Superman. Batman would pop up in his classic colors on occasion but it was only when he got his own title in December 1966 — about two months after the movie came out in Italy — that he was shown steadily in gray. (The film premiered in the U.S. at the end of July.) So how about 13 COVERS starring Red Batman? Yes, let’s do that: — MORE — BATMAN and SUPERMAN’s Greatest Italian Comics Mysteries! Click here. — ARGOMAN and the 1960s ITALIAN SUPERHERO FRENZY. Click...