A two-fer of Batman ’66 merch is out this week…
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For the DIAMOND BATMAN ’66 INDEX of stories, click here.
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Well, it’s been a heckuva run for Diamond Select Toys’ line of Batman ’66 resin minibusts and now we’ve got another two to add to the mix: Catwoman, as portrayed by Eartha Kitt, and Roddy McDowall’s Bookworm.
These may well be the last two of the series: All but one of the costumed characters in the master license — Cliff Robertson’s Shame — have been produced to date. Time will tell whether DST goes back to the Bat-well for more of these, but none have been solicited, as of now. (We still have the Shakespeare bust and Robin statue to look forward to, and perhaps more statues, too.)
With that in mind, let’s take a look at these fine additions, which like all the others, list for about $60:
Bookworm and Eartha Kitt Catwoman, flanked by the previously released Batman and Julie Newmar Catwoman mini-busts.
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BOOKWORM
I’ve noted this elsewhere, but I’m not a huge Bookworm fan and I never have been. Nevertheless, taking this on its own merits, designer Barry Bradfield and sculptor Jean St. Jean have nailed this one.
He looks like McDowall underneath those finely crafted specs and “leather” fedora with its fine stitching. I also like his devious posture, complete with magnifying glass and aged text.
If you’re a Bookworm aficionado like Batcave Podcast host John S. Drew, this is a must-get. For me, it’s a matter of completism. But that’s not the bust’s fault because this one’s primo. I would definitely put it in the top half of the Diamond series.
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CATWOMAN
On the other hand, this one’s special.
In part because of Julie Newmar’s enormous popularity as Catwoman, Eartha Kitt, who took on the role in Season 3, hasn’t been seen much in this modern Golden Age of Batman ’66 merchandise: Of all the officially licensed Batswag, only a HeroClix miniature has been released to date.
Now we have this supurrrrb mini-bust with its startlingly evocative image of the late Miss Kitt.
Notice the delicate braiding of her hair and the style of Catmask that only she used. Diamond used the same body as Newmar’s minibust but they integrated the head and neck seamlessly into the torso so she feels unique.
Great, great work and one of my favorites of the line. If this is the last Batman ’66 mini-bust we see — and I’m still rooting for more — Diamond is going out on top.
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For the DIAMOND BATMAN ’66 INDEX of stories, click here.
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June 22, 2017
Man, I dig both those Catwomen.
And I really like the detail of the book page on the Bookworm. I liked Roddy and Nelson Riddle wrote a cool theme for him.
June 23, 2017
I can’t wait to add these two to my collection. Glad to see Eartha Catwoman bust. Hoping that Joan Collins Siren gets a bust along with a Milton Berle Louie the laliac bust
June 23, 2017
It is amazing detail … I want all of them
June 25, 2017
Not to beat a dead horse, but since you mentioned it. It has been exactly one year and one week since I pre-ordered the Shakespeare bust. And counting!!