It’s the Caped Crusader’s 86th anniversary! By CHRIS FRANKLIN Batman. The Caped Crusader. The Darknight Detective. The creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger has conquered all media, from the original comics to comic strips, movie serials, TV series, animation, and of course theatrical films. But perhaps the biggest testament to his eternal staying power is his ability to move merchandise. From the boom of his epoch-making TV series debut in 1966, the Masked Manhunter has rarely been absent from toy shelves. Bruce Wayne’s own in-universe proclivity for bat-branding makes his alter ego the perfect choice for licensees to produce untold products bearing his likeness, and all his wonderful toys. It’s Batman’s 86th anniversary — Detective Comics #27 came out March 30, 1939 — and since we celebrated his crimefighting partner Robin in similar fashion, it’s only fitting that we shine the Batsignal on 13 fun examples of Batman in figural form over the course of his storied legend. Some are instantly recognizable, and others more obscure, but they capture the ever-evolving essence of one of fiction’s greatest and most enduring creations. — Hand Puppet (Ideal, 1966). While not as colorful as the accompanying Robin model, Ideal’s Batman hand puppet still captures the Silver Age Caped Crusader well. There’s the slightest hint of Adam West to the sculpt too, which just makes it pitch-perfect for the era. — Ceramic Bank (Lego, 1966). This bank from Lego (not that one) has Batman in a more traditional stance than his partner, with the Cowled Crimebuster triumphantly posing with hands on hips. Note the circular bat-symbol on his chest, before it evolved into the more recognizable oval. — Captain Action (Ideal 1966). Perhaps THE piece of ’60s Batmania merchandise, two years after Hasbro introduced the world to the first action figure G.I. Joe, Ideal countered with the first superhero in that toy genre, Captain Action. Outfit and equipment sets were offered to change the somewhat militaristic Captain into popular comic, TV and comic strip heroes, but the best-seller by far was Batman. It was 1966, after all! While Ideal made some strange choices with the suit, such as the odd printed diagonal black stripes and blue utility belt, kids of the 1960s didn’t care. They could act out their favorite adventures with this pioneering figure/outfit combo. — World’s Greatest Super Heroes/Pocket Super...
A BIRTHDAY APPRECIATION of the late, great actor, who was born 94 years ago… — UPDATED 3/26/25: Leonard Nimoy was born 94 years ago, on March 26, 1931. This first ran in slightly different form when Nimoy died in 2015 but it still very much resonates today. William Shatner turned 94 earlier this week. For 13 GREAT CAPTAIN KIRK MOMENTS, click here. — Dan — I came to Star Trek relatively late. While it had been a syndication staple for almost two decades, I didn’t really discover the show until my college years in the mid-’80s. I’d seen a couple of the movies but they were primarily diversions. The show, I thought, was a bore, something my father put on TV while I played with my Batman Megos over on the floor. But something clicked in that summer of 1986, when I would stay up late every night watching Star Trek on Channel 11 in New York. By the time I was back at school that fall, I might as well have been at Starfleet Academy, such was my devotion. I was, and remain, a Kirk guy. His decisiveness, combined with a certain recklessness, appealed to me. Besides, I’m a connoisseur of cheeze, and William Shatner is a master of the form. On my very best days, Kirk is who I am, or at least I like to think so. And despite many attempts, Spock is who I could never be — cooler, smarter, more dignified. To this day, in my 50s, I’m amused whenever I counsel someone else to let cooler heads prevail. “I never thought,” I’ll say to myself, “that I’d ever find myself being Mr. Spock.” Leonard Nimoy died today. I knew it was coming but I put it out of my head. And when I learned of it, it was a gut punch — far more painful than I would have thought, when you consider that we never met. But as my friend Cliff put it to me today, in essence: I never knew Leonard Nimoy. But I knew Spock. Spock was a great friend. He was the angel on your shoulder who urged you to do the right thing when you didn’t always want to. The guy who did his best to watch your back and keep you out of trouble. The guy who you...
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