Batman (1966) – Zelda the Great, and A Death Worse Than Fate

Zelda the Great is the first episode of the Batman series to introduce a female villain, but Catwoman does get name-checked here. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr, and featuring William Dozier’s fantastic narration, this episode first debuted on 9 February, 1966. While Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and his young ward, Dick Grayson (Burt Ward) are…

Batman (1966) – Instant Freeze, and Rats Like Cheese

Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) have their work cut out for them when Dr. Shivel (George Sanders) aka Mr. Freeze returns to Gotham in Instant Freeze. Written by Max Hodge, this episode first debuted on 2 February, 1966. Batman is a little bothered by Freeze’s return to Gotham, not only because of the…

Batman (1966) – The Joker is Wild, and Batman is Riled

Robert Dozier pens this week’s episode that introduced Joker (Cesar Romero) to viewers on 26 January, 1966. Joker literally springs himself from Gotham Prison and is intent on turning to his life of crime forthwith, unfortunately, he didn’t count (again) on the alter egos of Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and Dick Grayson (Burt Ward)… Batman…

Batman (1966) – Fine Feathered Finks, and The Penguin’s a Jinx

It’s that bat-time, and I’ve got that bat-channel, so it’s time to dig into another pair of episodes of the classic Batman series from 1966. My love for the first two episodes is apparently not a one-off, because I absolutely enjoyed episodes three and four, which combine to form one full story featuring that cagey…

Batman (1966) – Hi Diddle Riddle, and Smack in the Middle

I have never seen the original Batman television series. I did see the movie that was released between seasons at a Saturday matinee when I was a kid and it inspired hours of play, but I’d never dug into the 120 episodes that comprised the series. I’m determined to fix that, so here we go…

Hill Street Blues (1983) – Midway to What?, and Honk If You’re a Goose

There are some interesting things going on in Midway to What? written by Jeffrey Lewis, Michael Wagner, Karen Hall and Mark Frost, from a story by Lewis and David Milch. First airing on 1 December, 1983 the episode shows Belker (Bruce Weitz) interacting with a wheelchair-bound man, Gerry (Gary Frank) after Gerry spray paints Belker’s…

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013) – Jay Oliva

The second installment of The Dark Knight Returns continues the adaptation of the iconic 80s graphic novel. Redefining Batman for a whole new generation, and putting the dark in Dark Knight, the story continues its exploration of an older (now no longer retired) Batman/Bruce Wayne (Peter Weller – who still can’t separate his Batman and…

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012) – Jay Oliva

The Dark Knight Returns is an iconic graphic novel, a story that redefined Batman in the 80s, and was, perhaps, the one adaptation that I was looking forward to most. I liked that the creative team knew to tell the story properly, they had to take their time with it, setting everything up, which meant…