Batman '66 Vol. 5

Batman '66 #5

by Jeff Parker, Ray Fawkes, Gabe Soria

Zounds! The questions abound for Batman! All will be revealed in BATMAN '66, VOL. 5—the adventure series inspired by the classic Batman television series. WHO is to blame for raising Solomon Grundy from a Gotham cemetery, or forming a mega-malleable monstrosity like Clayface? WHAT latest emerald enchantment allows Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, to control the minds of men—not to mention Robin, the Boy Wonder? WHERE will the Dynamic Duo find Poison Ivy as she plants her sinister seeds of sedition? Hopefully, not inside the maw of her topiary terror, the Jupiter Flytrap! WHEN will the Joker-inspired villainess known as the Harlequin unleash her master plan of mayhem on Gotham? Could it happen before temp employee Barbara Gordon assists the city's top ad agency in improving the image of its newest clients, including the Penguin?! HOW will Batman, Robin, and Batgirl wrestle with the backbreaking brutality of the lethal luchador Bane, or his managerial prince of puzzles, the Riddler? WHY does one chemical concoction grip the Cowled Crime-fighters with fear for the Scarecrow, while another transforms a two-bit enforcer into the jaw-snapping Killer Croc? Collecting BATMAN '66 #23-30, these Bat-tastic battles of heroism are inscribed by JEFF PARKER, RAY FAWKES, GABE SORIA, LEE ALLRED and artistically articulated by BRENT SCHOONOVER, GIANCARLO CARACUZZO, JON BOGDANOVE, JESSE HAMM, LUKAS KETNER, TY TEMPLETON, SCOTT KOWALCHUK, DEAN HASPIEL and MICHAEL ALLRED!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume brings back the fun of the original old-school TV serial. Plenty of action, cleverness, and heroism is to be found here. The content is a bit edgier than some may expect; a few usages of "gosh" pop up, and one of the villainesses wears a rather buxom outfit. Still, you can't go wrong with the classics...especially the classic Caped Crusader!

EDIT: After watching the Adam West TV show recently, I actually understand these comics more...which makes them even better!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume brings in the rest of Batman's Rogues Gallery into the Batman '66 universe. False Face morphs into Clayface, Louie the Lilac got his flowers from Poison Ivy, Waylon Jones is a transformed King Tut henchman, etc. I like how Jeff Parker changed their origins to bring them into the kitsch. The best story in the book though is the first one. A tale of a brother and sister who dress up as the Dynamic Duo for Halloween and have to go after some candy thieves.

[Eric Cone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crime spree! Volume 5 may bring the #Batman66 comic series-proper to its close, but the villainy and madness running amok in Gotham City has never tested the Dynamic Duo like this! New diabolical baddies, such as Poison Ivy, Bane, Clayface and Scarecrow join the Rogues Gallery in all their 'could've been' 1966-69 glory; while those fiendish felons Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler and Ma Parker return for more mayhem, as well.

But, the absolute best was saved until last. With Lee Allred writing, and Michael and Laura Allred doing cover, interior art and coloring, 'Main Title' is (in my opinion) the best issue out of the entire #Batman66 comic book series! It's clever, it's funny, it's filled to Penguin's top hat with Easter eggs and tropes--that are iconic to the TV series; and every time I read it, I find something that I had missed before. This issue is a standout, because you can feel the love and admiration that the Allred's share for these characters and that beloved television show coming out of every panel. It's everything I loved about the show all-rolled-into one amazing episode--er, issue. 'Main Title' is so brilliant in how it plays-out on the page, that you can damn-near hear the opening music playing in your head as you read along.

One thing I always say: no matter how good the story is, if the art is crap, it will taint the entire issue. In 'Main Title' the art is fantastic; and it's a beautiful way to bring this highly-acclaimed series to the end: full circle. And, that cover--Holy product placement, Batman! The cover alone was well-worth the purchase price. Bravo!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic humor and action that you expect from the series, slightly degraded by lower production values from earlier volumes - no covers or any other extra material.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun kitchen sink volume with some clever call backs to the show.

[Alex Sarll]

The end of the only modern Batman series I could bear, precisely because it so resolutely refused to be modern and pseudo-serious. Presumably knowing their issues were numbered, the creators (including the likes of Dean Haspiel, Ty Templeton and the Allreds) go on a real spree in terms of introducing Adam West-appropriate versions of villains who never made it to the TV series - everyone from Clayface and Solomon Grundy to 'the Harlequin' (who complains that people don't spell her name so good). There's even chance to rerun Knightfall as farce, with a luchador Bane trying to break the Bat's back in the wrestling ring. I can see why they didn't want the ongoing series to get stale - and thankfully a number of crossover miniseries have followed - but I'll still miss it.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I admit that part of the five star rating is because I love the show so much. But that is what makes Jeff Parker's fifth volume of Batman '66 work so well; each story could have been an episode, but he also adapts characters and plots from after that back into the world of West's and Ward's portrayal of the Caped Crusaders.

Favorites include the Halloween story and the origin of Solomon Grundy.

Find it! Buy it! Read it!

[SB Senpai Manga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this whole series! perfect for fans of the 1966 series or Batman fans in general.
I recommend it to anyone of any age. It makes great use of introducing famous villains that never made it to the show such as Clayface, Solomon Grundy, Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy and does so in clever ways that fit the show perfectly.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains more great and enjoyable stories which continue the great and enjoyable "Batman" television series. This time around, the author delves mostly into characters that probably couldn't have been in the television series at the time.

[Andrew Beet · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it great finish to the batman 66 comic series liked all the stories in this volume especially the last story titled Main title will definitely read this again

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same great art!
Same great stories!

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses a lot on characters that were not actually part of the show (Clayface, Solomon Grundy, Harley Quinn). This volume was especially hilarious.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman '66, Vol. 4 picks up where the previous trade paperback left off. It collects the last six issues (23–28) or sixteen digital issues (58–73) of the on-going 2013 series.

Batman '66, Vol. 4 contains twelve different stories or adventures and is arranged like an anthology rather than by chapter. Stories range in length from one to two digital chapters. The stories are as followed:

"The Groovy Grave of Solomon Grundy" is a one-shot story that has the Dynamic Duo battling the newly resurrected Solomon Grundy. In "The Final Form", is a one-shot story that deals with the Dynamic Duo trying to stop Clayface. "Diamond Disaster" is a two-part story that has the Dynamic Duo tackling Marsha, Queen of Diamonds using hypnosis to steal money. In "Night of the Harlequin" is a one-shot that has the Dynamic Duo going undercover to capture Harley Quinn. "Bad Men" has the Penguin, Catwoman, Joker, and the Riddler trying to change their image and the only person who can stop him is Barbara Gordon – not Batgirl. In "Poison Ivy's Deadly Kiss" is a two-part story involving the apparent death of Louie the Lilac and having the Dynamic Duo encountering Poison Ivy.

The Riddler teaming up with Bane takes on the Terrific Trio as they go to Mexico to stop them in the two-part story in "Bane Enters the Ring". In "Scarecrow Comes to Town" has the Dynamic Duo taking on the Scarecrow in this one-shot. In "Hunt the Croc Down" has the Dynamic Duel taking on the Killer Croc in this one-shot story. "Parker Breaks Out" is a one-shot that has Ma Parker and her gang break up and it is up to the Dynamic Duo to take care of them. "Catwoman Comes About" is another one-shot that has Batman and Catwoman teaming up to rescue Batgirl and Robin who was captured by a gang of super villains. Finally, in "Main Title" has the Terrific Trio inadvertently recreating the original intro to the Batman series song and all the criminals that showed up in this two-part story.

With the exception of three stories, Jeff Parker penned the entire trade paperback. Guest writers Ray Fawkes penned, "Diamond Disaster" while Gabe Soria penned "Bad Men" and Lee Allred penned "Main Title". For the most part, it was written rather well. It captured the sixties series rather well, without being over the top in campiness, but retained the spirit of the series. It introduced many villains that was not in the main show, but rather popular in the modern Batman mythos.

Batman '66, Vol. 5 has eleven different pencilers. Dean Haspiel penciled two stories "Hunt the Croc Down" and "Parker Breaks Out", while Brent Schoonover, Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Jon Bogdanove, Lukas Ketner, Ty Templeton, Jesse Hamm, Scott Kowalchuk, Lukas Ketner, Jonathan Case, and Michael Allred penciled one story each as listed in the order listed above. Surprisingly, with so many perncilers contributing to one trade paperback, the penciling style rather complements with each other and the artistic flow was incredibly smooth.

Overall, I quite enjoyed reading the series. Batman '66 kept the campiness of the show, while provided a slightly dark undertone that was not present in the series. I really liked getting know the minor villains that I have never heard of given some space and I quite enjoyed seeing villains that never been in the series to have the sixties twist to them. While advertised as the continuing adventures of the Terrific Trio – it was not like a season four and onward, but addition adventures that the television series did not cover, which was also a pleasant surprise.

All in all, Batman '66, Vol. 5 is a rather wonderful conclusion for the series and while it's sad to see it go, I'm glad that I was able to read it and thankful that it was created.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always bittersweet when a good series comes to an end. Despite having no overarching story across all five volumes and instead using the episodic nature of the tv series, so many of these episodes were fantastic extensions of the show that were not constrained by budget concerns. For example, in this volume we see Batman and Robin face off against Clay Face—a villain who almost certainly could not have been adapted in the 1966 tv series. This volume packs in and introduces a BUNCH of members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery: Solomon Grundy, Bane, Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, and others. Overall, the story is well paced with one story involving Ma Parker and her family that was a little dull. The final story was meant to function as the climactic finale where every single Batman villain teams up to take down the Dynamic Duo, but the catalyst behind the villain team-up and their overall plan were not very clear and so the story didn’t make much sense. Well done series from Jeff Parker! I want to watch episodes of the show now.

[Michael Emond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall - very fun and this series finished on a strong note. Especially the last story in this volume drawn by Mike Allred and written by Lee Allred. Not only is Mike's art perfect for this series (I wish he could have drawn more of them) but Lett captured what I love most about this series - a call back to the old 1966 Batman TV show while still telling a fun new story.

The other stories are fun too - Jeff Parker is always an amazing writer - but I will say some of them started to drift into "let's drop modern characters into the old 66 TV show" and it lost the nostalgia of the 66 show and, IMO, lost the point of making this series. It should look like it fits into an episode on the old show. When you have Harley Quinn in the story you lose that. Even when you have Poison Ivy growing her plants to fight Batman - you lose that.

Overall a great series for a fun read. And this volume was a great way to go out.

[Rex Libris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Batman '66 series are new stories inspired by the old Adam West Batman tv show. In this volume we get a number of "creation" stories giving back stories of some villians, many which were never on th show itself.

The two best segments in this edition are:

A take-off of Madmen where Joker, Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman take over an ad agency in an attempt to make over their image and gain popularity. As luck would have it, they do the take over on the same day a new temp named Barbara Gordon starts in the office.

The Penguin, Joker, and Catwoman host a trade show for bad guys. The show is attended by all the criminals in Gotham City. The best part of this segment is it uses the art from the title sequences of the show. Specifically, the Batmobile driving through the streets and the crowd scenes where all the criminals converge on Batman and get beat up.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Batman ‘66 series is an interesting creation. It tells stories very much in the same corny vein of the TV show it emulates, but it often deviates from the show’s strict formula, and tells tales that would have required a budget far beyond the means of the show. The tales never advance the characters or any meta-narrative, just as the show did. So for lovers of the new and old, this series somehow manages to feel right at home, at once both aware of its source and trying to both advance it and preserve it. For the most part, each episode is a fun if frivolous read, but the artwork does vary considerably in quality. All told, Batman ‘66 is a fun dive into nostalgia, but ultimately, it is a strange effort that seeks to recreate something that didn’t *really* need recreating, and is as easily passed over as it is consumed.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Batman '66 series wraps up with another fun collection of Batman stories told in the style of the 1966 Adam West television series. It's a nice mixture of zany and square, with Batman offering a good jab alongside Scoutmaster style advice to Gotham's citizens.

The villains here include Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, Clayface, Bane and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds(?). The whole rogue's gallery gets a fun appearance during a "convention for crime," one the ends in a flurry of punches and cameos. Batman and Catwoman also get an enjoyable flirtation going, with both the Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar versions making an appearance.

The series as a whole is silly and gimmicky, but writer Jeff Parker and a roster of collaborating artists do as good a job with the material as they could. It's a fun read, but in reaching its end in this volume, it also seems like it had run its course.

[Hernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman '66 is great way to continue the adventures of Adam West and Burt Ward's masked manhunters. This volume really showed what it can do when it introduced the Scarecrow for the first time. Not only did they make his story humorous, they found a way to make the fear gas work in a campy setting.

While many don't exactly see West's portrayal as a serious character, knowing he also had the crime alley origin story adds a lot to the type of Bruce Wayne West played. Unlike future iterations of the Batman, '66 Batman is an aspirational figure. Instead of wallowing in sadness and vengeance, West's Batman is a force of hope and good.

It's a refreshing take on the caped crusader in years when the Batman's stories only seem to get darker.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final, and best, installment of "Batman '66" takes the loony premise all the way to the finish line. The off-brand Rogue's Gallery of the TV show is gradually joined by, and then replaced by, Swinging Sixties versions of the twenty-first century Rogue's Gallery, complete with an Ann-Margret Poison Ivy and a luchador Bane. Yes, Batman dances and wrestles and does it all with his trademark lava-lamp era charisma.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

En pleano recuerdo de Adam West termino el último volumen de este experimento, que me recordó que no hay que tomarse las cosas tan en serio y que el recuerdo de la infancia siempre es el mejor. El arte no me movió tanto, pero la excencia de las historias de los sesenta se podía sentir y siempre saco de mi alguna que otra sonrisa.

[Jon Shanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final fun outing to the world of the 1960s Batman TV series with more Batman villains being re-imagined as if they appeared in the show, including Solomon Grundy, Clayface, Harley Quinn, Bane, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Killer Croc, alongside TV regulars like Joker, Penguin Riddler, Catwoman, Ma Parker & Marsha, Queen of Diamonds.

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume we’re introduced to some rogues who never made it to the TV series, including Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Clayface, Bane, and Scarecrow. Overall, it’s not as funny as the previous volume but it’s still entertaining. The final story is a nice conclusion to the series, telling a story that mirrors the main titles of the TV show.

[Zachary King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book mainly introduces villains who never appeared in the tv show - Bane, Poison Ivy, and Clayface among them. In the last story, the Allreds craft a yarn around the iconic images of the classic tv title sequence. Strong finish to what has been a very fun series.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this one. I love anthology's so this read like one. I loved the mixture of characters. I loved the stories. Of the '66 Batman I have read to date this one is probably one of my favorites. Of course, there are stronger stories than others. Still a fun read!

[William Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing adaptation of modern comic mythos to the '66 ethos, and some great nods to things they simply couldn't afford in the show due to budget.

[Stasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO CORNY, I LOVE IT!! 😂😂😂😂

[Matt town · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one brought in a ton of new characters to the 66' batman-verse! Clayface, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Killer Croc and more! A nice finale to the run!

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories as a whole seemed shorter than usual, last one sees the dynamic duo fighting 300 villains!

[laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall fun but i don't think i can say that I expected batman to defeat clayface by giving him an existential crisis.