Mike Allred is doing the covers for DC’s Batman ’66 comic. Here are his Top 5 Bat-Episodes!
Allred’s one of my favorite modern-day artists. I love his winking, Silver Age-y style and DC was very shrewd in bringing him aboard for this project. After all, check out his Batusi Batman from DC’s “Solo,” a collection of work from a variety of artistic impresarios.
He’s certainly the guy to help bring to 21st century audiences the campy cultural touchstone that was so emblematic of the Swingin’ Sixties. Here, Allred gives us his five favorite Bat-eps!
5. “Fine Feathered Finks/The Penguin’s a Jinx.” Burgess Meredith as the Penguin was the perfect Batman villain. I dig ’em all, but no one jumped from the comics to real life as perfectly as the Penguin.
4. “Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin” is big fun. Lots of beautiful women made their way through “Batman” and Yvonne Craig was no exception.
3. “A Piece of the Action/Batman’s Satisfaction.” The Green Hornet and Kato, kiddies! Bruce Lee! Need I say more?
2. “The Purr-fect Crime/Better Luck Next Time,” simply because it’s the first Julie Newmar Catwoman episode. She’s easily one of the most gorgeous women to ever be on a TV screen. And still incredibly lovely in person.
1. “Hi Diddle Riddle/Smack in the Middle.” The first two-parter has left the biggest impression. That weird hollow elephant … the Riddler’s girl, Molly (Jill St. John), actually falling to her death in the Batcave. That was pretty dark. As goofy as the show can be – (Ed.: This is where the Batusi came from!) — I’m still able to watch it now through the filter of my “little kid brain” and re-experience the thrills again and again.
A version of this story first ran at Parallel Worlds.
