Batman ’66 #5

By: Jeff Parker (story), Rubén Procopio & Colleen Coover (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Batman’s going to get a good rest, even if he has to fight crime to do it!

The Review: This title has got itself in a permanent bind. Because it features a gentler, kindlier world of Batman, it can never reach past a limited boundary of appropriate violence, pathos, and complexity. At the same time, subsisting on a regular diet of mercenary, buffoonish villains is bound to get old. Somehow, within this narrow framework, Parker’s got to find new ways to challenge Batman without overstepping his bounds.

So far, Parker has impressed by giving the revolving door of villains fairly clever plans that fit the campy tone of the series, but still feel as if they have some brains behind them. Our latest rogue, the Sandman (not of Justice Society fame), makes good use of his sleeping powder and its hypnotic side-effects, a fire truck, and Gotham’s emergency broadcast system to purloin the city en masse, but also to discover Batman’s secrets. It’s not glamorous, but at least it’s original.

True to form, however, it falls apart in fairly amusing fashion. Distracted by his henchmen (who wear sleeping caps, complete with that little puff-ball at the end), the Sandman constantly loses his temper and breaks the patter he’s using to keep Batman suggestible. But his failure isn’t entirely his fault; even the cheesiest Batman comes equipped with incredible self-mastery, able to regain his lucidity even in a dream (“There’s increased activity in his parietal lobes!” exclaims Sandman) and take control of his physical body while unconscious.

So yes, it’s all fun and games as always, but you can’t help wishing Sandman would exert a little more imagination in his villainous motivations. I mean, he does have Batman himself completely in his grasp. I imagine this doesn’t happen very often in this zany world either. So why is it, when one of his assistants sensibly asks if he’s going to pull off Batman’s mask and discover the hero’s identity, Sandman refuses? His excuse is pretty flimsy: “Even if he’s a popular athlete, why would I care about such trivia? He only matters because he’s Batman.” But even a kid can see through the short-termism of that argument. After all, knowing who Batman really is would be a major weapon, no matter the outcome of his current plan. But that’s the logic of a sixties TV show for you!

I had high expectations for Batgirl’s first appearance in this universe, and unfortunately, Parker let me down from the beginning by relegating her to the issue’s secondary feature. This seems a tad mean, given the fact that the character originated on the Batman show, but at least Parker gives the whole feature to herself, which is far more than what she ever got on TV. Her tussle with Catwoman is about as lively and enjoyable as anything you’ve seen on the series, though it does reduce her detective skills to little more than seeing through the cat thief’s thin disguise.

This time around, it’s the second feature that boasts the superior art. Coover’s work doesn’t have the level of detail that Jonathan Case has brought to the series, but it’s clean, open, and full of charm and good humor. Her depiction of the Eartha Kitt version of Catwoman is pitch-perfect, too, right down to the high cheekbones and slightly cougar-ish looks (which is fitting, as Catwoman uses “Madame Kugar” as her pseudonym when infiltrating the Museum of Science). Procopio’s art isn’t bad, either, but it’s just a little too exaggerated and lanky, even for Batman ’66; it’s as if an animator for Scooby-Doo had drawn the issue, to be honest.

Conclusion: Always enjoyable, though dampened by one obvious plot hole and the artistic efforts aren’t quite as impressive as before.

Grade: B

- Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: - I rather enjoy the fact that Nurse Aurora finds Batman and Robin’s sleeping habits such a turn-on: “Both have perfect sleeping respiratory function—neither snores. Sigh.”

- Ooh—we get a mention of Lord Death Man. Please tell me that a Japan-based issue is coming up soon.

- I don’t think I will ever find Batman’s squareness on this series not funny: “I usually decry the use of stimulants, but caffeine will aid us today.”