Batman '66/Green Hornet Review: The Dynamic Duo's Terrific Team-Up

Who doesn't love the old Adam West Batman series? On top of that, who doesn't love a crossover?

When I heard that this series was coming out, I was there with bells on to pick these books up when they came out. Seeing Batman and the Green Hornet teaming up in a continuation of their television meet-up back in the swinging sixties was a prospect too tantalizing to pass up. Surprisingly, it's met with almost all of my expectations.

Written by the indefatigable Kevin Smith with Ralph Garman and with artist Ty Templeton handling the visuals, it's been a pretty excellent package. Frankly, the covers by Alex Ross have just been a cherry on top of the miniseries to this point. It's also worth noting that it's always nice to see comic publishers cooperating to make things like this happen. In this case, it's DC Comics' Batman appearing with the Green Hornet who is currently being published by Dynamite Comics, though the interior credit to David Grace at Green Hornet Inc. suggests that Dynamite may not have been the sole decision maker on their side of this venture.

At any rate, I don't plan on spoiling this comic here. A lot of the enjoyment comes from the clever twists and jokes which would be ruined if I went through them here. So, without further ado, let's get to the spoiler-free breakdown…

The Good:
The thing that stands out most on this miniseries is the writing. When I saw that Kevin Smith was attached to this project, I was at once intrigued and somewhat skeptical. I was slightly concerned that Smith's own style of comedy and authorial voice might overshadow the tone and style of the Batman '66 world to its detriment. However, that has not been the case at all. Smith and Ralph Garman have come together to perfectly capture the spirit of Batman '66 along with its off-kilter logic, comedy, and screwball twists. Each issue so far has even ended on a cliffhanger that makes the reader anxious to pick up the next issue. Of course we know that our heroes will be alright but we want to see how, and to the miniseries' credit the answers have been thoroughly satisfying so far. Also in the spirit of Batman '66, the narrator's interjections are a hoot!

Like I said, I don't want to spoil anything here so I'll just say that all the jokes and quips land perfectly. This book is legitimately clever and serves as an exciting and entertaining romp all the way through. The primary villain of the piece is General Gumm, a promoted and pastier version of the Colonel Gumm that Batman and the Green Hornet faced in the television series. He provides an excellent (if somewhat Paste-Pot Pete-y) foil to the heroes and his logic in carrying out a heist of fossils is both completely logical and thoroughly screwball at the same time. If you haven't read the solicits for future issues, then you might not know who Gumm ends up teaming up with in the second issue. I won't give it away but it's wonderful to see this villain get in on the action and his introduction works beautifully. I can't wait to see what these paragons of pilfering prowess will get up to next.

The covers on this series are superb. In my honest opinion, this is Alex Ross at his best. He is perfectly capturing the spirit of the book as well as the likenesses of the various characters. These covers are just beautiful and really sell the series. Considering that these are characters that were portrayed on television by real people, Ross' photorealism is perfectly suited to this task.

Turning to Ty Templeton's interior art, I cannot praise it quite as much as the other elements of the book. Still, it is perfectly serviceable and Templeton captures likenesses very well most of the time. His art, combined with colors from Tony Aviña, does a perfectly serviceable job of bringing across both the comedy and the action of this series. Faces are expressive for the most part, panel layouts are nicely varied while not veering too far from traditional paneling as this is a retro-style story after all, and he provides a great level of detail. Still, I think it's time to turn to…

The Bad:
In this case, "bad" might be too strong a term. "Less good" might be more appropriate. Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks to Templeton's art that I feel are worth addressing. Frankly, I might not even have mentioned these concerns had I not recently seen some of Templeton's pin-up/commission work which demonstrated the level of polish and panache of which he is capable. Here though, I'm not seeing that level of execution.

I don't think that there is a single page or panel here that is flawed in conception. Rather, it is in putting idea to paper where the art is let down. One issue is that at times figures feel too static. There are moments when a character is moving but Templeton has not fully conveyed that motion. In particular in one fight scene, Batman is striking out with both fists and punching two goons in front of him. The problem is that there is no sense of action and it appears as though he might just be waiting for double fist-bumps. Similarly, Kato is depicted performing a flying kick but with no forward momentum injected into his pose, he might be simply hanging in midair.

Beyond the problem of motion, it's hard to say precisely what is amiss in some areas. Perhaps it is a lack of sureness and crispness to Templeton's linework. Perhaps it's that details sometimes appear only sketchily defined. Perhaps it's that lacking a stronger and more distinct visual identity, I'm left judging this art strictly on its realism. Whatever the precise problem, I cannot call the art a complete success. Again, having seen some of Templeton's other art, I know that he can do better.

The Questionable:
Where we talk about things that are neither good not necessarily bad, but at least are a little head-scratching.

I've got nothing to say here. The only head-scratching stuff in this miniseries is purposely so. I will say that with the choice of villains, there is an awful lot of pink on some of these pages which can be odd when you notice it but certainly not problematic.

In Conclusion:
Read this miniseries. Just read it. It's Batman and the Green Hornet in one story. On top of that, it's a fun Batman. Even if you have no nostalgia for the Adam West series, this is a clever and enjoyable romp that is well-deserving of your time and attention. The art might not be perfect but as a total package, these comics are truly excellent. So tune in next month – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel for another issue of this terrific team-up.