Hav e you noticed that the old Batman television show from the 1960s is suddenly a hot commodity these days?

It all started last year when DC launched the ongoing series Batman ’66. It’s not intended to be part of DC’s superhero canon (pre or post “New 52”), but rather a comic book adaptation of the show that starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. It’s written by Jeff Parker with cover art by Mike Allred and interiors by a rotating staff of artists. The characters are all depicted as the actors looked on the show at the time. In fact, it’s the only comic book adaptation specific to that TV show ever made.

The success of that series lead to the latest Kevin Smith Batman comic: Batman ’66 Meets The Green Hornet. Smith has written for the Green Hornet character for Dynamite Comics in the past, and he’s a major Batman fan, so it’s not surprising he would be behind a Batman/Green Hornet crossover (even if it’s the TV versions of those characters). It’s no secret that Smith hosts a podcast aptly titled “Fatman on Batman” wherein he interviews someone who has worked on the character over the years; usually comic book artists and writers, but occasionally actors such as Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy and Adam West among others. His friend and co-writer on the series, Ralph Garmin, is also known as a major Batman geek, and the two have discussed their fandom repeatedly on various podcasts on Smith’s “SModcast Internet Radio” network for years. Their six-issue mini-series is set for a compiled release next April.

And of course, the pièce de résistance of the 1960s-era Batman craze is the long-awaited release of the Batman television show on DVD and Blu-ray. This might just be the most-demanded and eagerly-anticipated release of an old TV show ever. The reason it took so long is due to a ridiculously complex legal situation over copyright ownership, royalties, and distribution rights (this article on wired.com explains it pretty well).

Looking at the so-called “limited edition” packaging of both the DVDs and Blu-rays, it certainly appears to be an impressive feat. Quite a lot of time, effort, and money have gone into restoring those old episodes to their crisp, colorful, original look as you can see here:

This is a package for the serious Batman fan, as it’s the entire series – all three seasons and 120 episodes – in a single box set. It’s not cheap, though, as the DVD set costs $134.99 and the Blu-ray runs $174.99. However, there is a deluge of extras, which I’m sure will satisfy anyone that purchases this set.

I have only vague recollections of watching the show in syndication as a child and I don’t remember being all that enamored with it. I was just too young to understand the artistic style, the pop culture references, the celebrity cameos, or the deliberately campy humor and atmosphere of the show. It’s something I just never took an interest in, and as I became a fan of Batman comics, I began to despise the TV show since that seemed to be the point of reference for all non-comic people whenever Batman was brought up. I actually remember getting quite angry at times when I tried to tell friends and family how great something like The Dark Knight Returns was, only to have them respond with something to the extent of, “Ooh, did Batman run out shark repellant or something?”

Thanks to the success of the 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton, Batman was finally depicted as the dark character in the dark universe he really is, which may have come as a bit of a shock to people who still associated the character with the 60s-era TV show (though the Joel Schumacher movies did a great job of undoing all that, grrrr….).

With all this Batman ’66 material available, I’m very tempted to give it a try. The comics are actually the most appealing to me since they’re entirely original works (and they look gorgeous, too). It’ll be interesting to see how these writers and artists, who may not have been there for the original craze at the time, will handle these characters.

As for the show, well, that Blu-ray set definitely has me drooling because it looks so well done. However, I will not be adding it to my shopping cart just yet. Like I said, I was never a fan of the show, so it really has no sentimental value to me. I would like to watch it to appreciate it for what it was intended to be, as well as its place in pop culture. But I’d rather be able to catch it on Netflix once in a while, rather than commit to spending a bunch of cash on a collectible set (NOTE: yes, I’m aware that it’s shown on the Independent Film Channel, but it’s not in HD and you still have to wade through commercials as well as watch it on their schedule rather than on your own if it were available on-demand). I’ve put it on my Amazon.com wish list, so if anyone wants to get it for me for Christmas that’d be nice. If not, I’ll wait until I can get a used edition at half the price sometime in the future.

1. Were you a fan of the original Batman television series (either during its original run or in syndication)? What are your memories of it?

2. Did you approach it as an action/mystery show or as a campy, zany comedy?

3. Have you read any of these Batman ’66 comics that have been released recently – if so, how did you like them?

4. Will you be buying the DVD or Blu-ray sets of the TV show?