Adam West proving how lame he is...

[Spiffy]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a104612/adam-west-i-could-play-batmans-dad.html


Adam West: 'I could play Batman's dad'

Friday, June 27 2008, 08:59 BST

By Beth Hilton, Entertainment Reporter
Adam West: 'I could play Batman's dad'

Adam West has revealed that he would love to star in a Batman movie.

The actor, who played the caped crusader in the '60s TV series, suggested that he could play the dad of current incarnation Christian Bale.

He told the Den Of Geek website: "Well I’d love to. I like Christian Bale. I’ve heard he’s a big fan of mine, but I certainly reciprocate.

"I think he’s really very good. I’d love to play his father. The older Batman comes out of the woodwork, when times get really tough…maybe a few tips here and there."

West, 79, currently voices an alternative version of himself in animated comedy show Family Guy.

Um. Right. Have you actually ever READ a Batman comic book, Adam?

[Joe Rice]

Dude is, and always was, a talented, funny guy. Way better than reading a Batman comic.

[The Batman]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a104612/adam-west-i-could-play-batmans-dad.html


Um. Right. Have you actually ever READ a Batman comic book, Adam?

Hmmm, let's see.

Hold on a sec . . . just let me . . . . Yup, that's it. That's yer problem right there. Yer sense of humour is all shot to hell. You're gonna need to get a new one there.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Why is this being treated as serious and West getting frowny faces ? The era West did Batman , it was all sillyness and light hearted campy type stories . He's thinking of his era and its sweet.

Guy is awesome in Family Guy.

[Sean Whitmore]

You're goddamn KIDDING me with this thread, right?






...I mean, if you are, well done.


SEAN

[juggling man]

Are the planets oddly aligned or something? I see the weirdest threads in a bunch of forums I frequent.

[Young Avenger]

Adam West lame? Does not compute

[Sean Whitmore]

Adam West lame? Does not compute

Feeding it into the computer...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y245/whitmore_sean/BATCOMPUTERBATMANMERCHANDISEBATMANC.jpg


(I swear on my father that I don't usually do "fail" jokes)


SEAN

[The Batman]

No, it doesn't compute. It doesn't compute at all.

And this is why:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1256/1468816451_134f685f9b.jpg

Lame? That man is teh awesome.

[Nick Soapdish]

Was he joking or is he not aware that the father of Christian Bale's Batman is dead and was never Batman?

[juggling man]

Was he joking or is he not aware that the father of Christian Bale's Batman is dead and was never Batman?

Dude, who the hell doesn't know Bruce Wayne's parents are dead? Of course he was joking!

[The Joker]

Was he joking or is he not aware that the father of Christian Bale's Batman is dead and was never Batman?
Just like everyone else, West is very aware of what happened with Bruce Wayne's parents. He even wrote about it in his "Back to the Batcave" book years ago.

[boshobosho]

Adam West is as awesome as Bill Shatner.

[Sean Whitmore]

Adam West is as awesome as Bill Shatner.

For a second, I read that as "Adam West was awesome as Bill Shatner".

Like the second man never existed, it was just Adam playing a part. :smile:


SEAN

[John Lynch]

Dude, who the hell doesn't know Bruce Wayne's parents are dead?Grant Morrison?

[Bat-Reader]

No, it doesn't compute. It doesn't compute at all.

And this is why:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1256/1468816451_134f685f9b.jpg

Lame? That man is teh awesome.

....... :biggrin:

[End of Time]

Was he joking or is he not aware that the father of Christian Bale's Batman is dead and was never Batman?

"out of the woodwork" is a dead giveaway that he's joking...

He's asked about playing Batman's dad... and he makes a comment about the guy coming out of the woodwork now and then...

get it... woodwork... coffin... six feet under...

[metalhead_dave743]

Remember that article of how Adam West doesn't approve of the Dark Knight because he "misses the old days?" It's all a joke, West is just having fun.

West is a parody, plain and simple. But he was a pretty damn good and entertaining parody.

Plus I'll give West's show all the credit in the world for turning Batman, his supporting cast, and his villains into icons(then again, I wasn't around before the sixties so I don't know if the Joker and Commissioner Gordon were known names to people before the show.)

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

He's easy to mock and laugh at, but Adam West was the first Batman I ever knew. I can't say anything bad about him.

[Sizzle]

In retrospect, the campy Batman was bad for the character even though it generated a lot of money and attention at the time.

Adam is flat out awesome on Family Guy though. His incoherently rambling Mayor always brings laughs.

[metalhead_dave743]

In retrospect, the campy Batman was bad for the character even though it generated a lot of money and attention at the time.


Oh I'll admit that... but it still turned Batman into an icon. And I'll give Burton all the credit in the world for steering the perception of Batman AWAY from the campy element, despite my mixed at best feelings for Batman 89.

[carabas]

In retrospect, the campy Batman was bad for the character even though it generated a lot of money and attention at the time.On the other hand, without his camp period, Batman might have joined such well-known heroes as The Spyder and The Laughing Mask. With the Comics Code at its worst, the message was get jolly or get lost.

[hYPE]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a104612/adam-west-i-could-play-batmans-dad.html


Um. Right. Have you actually ever READ a Batman comic book, Adam?

hahaha! Oh Adam West! This dude is hilarious!

[Nefarius]

Plus I'll give West's show all the credit in the world for turning Batman, his supporting cast, and his villains into icons(then again, I wasn't around before the sixties so I don't know if the Joker and Commissioner Gordon were known names to people before the show.)

Without Adam West,Batman and his world wouldn't have the icon status they have today.I mean West is the first Batman i've ever watch and Romero was the factor that i've become a Joker fan.Yeah,the show is silly and campy but that's the show that put Batman on the map worldwide.

[The Batman]

Seriously, when is the Adam West show ever going to come out on DVD?

http://www.jeffpidgeon.com/uploaded_images/west_dkr_9-790341.jpg

[Slam_Bradley]

In retrospect, the campy Batman was bad for the character even though it generated a lot of money and attention at the time.



No. Actually it wasn't. It gave the character a ton of exposure and publicity at a time when comic sales in general and sales of Batman comics in particular were falling dramatically. There is an entire generation of Batman fans that are fans largely because of that TV show.

[Captain Jim]

I'll give West's show all the credit in the world for turning Batman, his supporting cast, and his villains into icons (then again, I wasn't around before the sixties so I don't know if the Joker and Commissioner Gordon were known names to people before the show.)

I was born in 1950, and I'd say no, they weren't. Batman's only other exposure outside of comics prior to that time was in the movie serials back in the 1940's. I'm not sure how much exposure those ever had, but they were pretty much forgotten by the 1960's.

[Captain Jim]

Without Adam West,Batman and his world wouldn't have the icon status they have today.I mean West is the first Batman i've ever watch and Romero was the factor that i've become a Joker fan.Yeah,the show is silly and campy but that's the show that put Batman on the map worldwide.

It gave the character a ton of exposure and publicity at a time when comic sales in general and sales of Batman comics in particular were falling dramatically. There is an entire generation of Batman fans that are fans largely because of that TV show.

Very true. Batman comic sales were so bad in the early 1960's, the book was almost cancelled. It was Julie Schwartz's reworking of the character in 1964 that started to turn things around (the stories currently being reprinted in the Showcase volumes). And it was those stories that caught the eye of the people who later did the TV show. The two forces, taken together, saved the character.

Nor can it be overstated the impact the Batman TV show had on comics in general at the time. Publishers like Dell, Harvey, Archie, Charlton and Tower began producing super-hero comics in response to Batman's popularity. In addition DC itself, and the fledgling Marvel super-heroes all got a big shot in the arm. So if you enjoy any of the characters who had their beginnings at one of those companies in the 1960's, thank the Batman TV show!

[Captain Jim]

it still turned Batman into an icon. And I'll give Burton all the credit in the world for steering the perception of Batman AWAY from the campy element, despite my mixed at best feelings for Batman 89.

Indeed, Burton gets a lot of credit here. The campy image remained to the public at large until Batman 89.

[Captain Jim]

Grant Morrison?

LOL ! :biggrin:

[Michael P]

Big deal. Ten years ago he was going on about playing "Uncle Batman."

[Maestro]

He looks like the Ventriloquist to me

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Events/4513/AdamWest_Grant_7894112_400.jpg

[Super Buddies Forever]

Watching cable reruns of West's Batman as a kid was what got me into the character in the first place, which eventually led me to the comics and the greater DC Universe. Trust me, I didn't even know the show was a parody or what "camp" was at that age. All I knew was that Batman was put in a giant snow cone and that made him automatically awesome.

That's why I always roll my eyes at the more passionate diehards who demand that all takes on the character be a certain way and deride West or Burton's Batman. In my mind they're all valid, entertaining takes on the mythos, and this extends to the comics with Miller's All-Star or any other slightly skewed take we're given from time to time.

The only Batman media that deserves the crap it gets is the Schumacher fiasco, and that's only because it turned an established franchise into something radically different. Plus, it couldn't deliver the camp nearly as good as West did, which was almost deadpan as opposed to over-the-top.

And for the record, even West's Batman had his parents murdered, but it was only mentioned once in the entire run of the show.

For kicks, I recommend watching Nolan's franchise and pretending it's actually the prequel to the Adam West show.

[Dorsai]

Adam West and the TV show actually did quite a bit for comics. As a kid, I really enjoyed the show. As an adult, I was always surprised by some of the things I later realized (such as Merideth as the Penguin and the Batmobile was a Cadillac).

If a show like that was produced today, I would hate it. But for a kids show, it was really kind of fun.

As an individual, I have always gotten a kick out of Adam West. He always seemed to know exactly how he is percieved by the general public and plays off of that pretty well. Even at his age, I'm not sure the guy takes himself all that seriously.

[Jimmykitty]

I would like to see Adam West get some kinda cameo role in a Bat film sometime before he dies.
Lou Ferrigno was cool and fun in the recent Hulk movie, Stan Lee always gets a part, so why not spread the love?

As Heath's Joker says, "Why so serious?"

[Alan2099]

I would like to see Adam West get some kinda cameo role in a Bat film sometime before he dies.
Well, if nothing else we have the BTAS episode with the Gray Ghost, where Adam West voices the character that Batman sees as his childhood hero and inspiration.

[metalhead_dave743]

Watching cable reruns of West's Batman as a kid was what got me into the character in the first place, which eventually led me to the comics and the greater DC Universe. Trust me, I didn't even know the show was a parody or what "camp" was at that age. All I knew was that Batman was put in a giant snow cone and that made him automatically awesome.

Sums me up pretty well.

[Perry Holley]

Like the second man never existed, it was just Adam playing a part. :smile: You mean, you didn't know...?



On second thought, forget I said anything.

[Sean Walsh]

Adam West has been saying "I could play Batman's dad!" for years...as far back as BATMAN & ROBIN.

[The Batman]

Adam West and Bill Shatner the same person? Then how do you explain THIS! (http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/2006/10/kirk_and_batman_go_greek_1.html)

[Damiean Dark]

West demands respect for being the first well known batman. The 60s show was pretty camp but West was great in the role and when it came to batman sitting there deducting a crime i would say he was one of the best to do it watch the episodes the puzzler is coming/the duo is slumbing (season 2,episode 31,32).

Wether he is kidding or not doesnt matter to me it has no bearing on TDK or any other batfilm thats going to be made any time soon.

[Lunal]

The "campy" Batman, ala Adam West, was still a pretty serious character. Just because the actors were having a good time doesn't mean that the 1960s show doesn't represent Batman's comic history more than any other Batman run. Its really more in the vein of the character to be less Dark Knightish and more Batmanish.

Batman these days is often almost an anti-hero, and thats really sad.

[COMIC GEEK]

Dude is, and always was, a talented, funny guy. Way better than reading a Batman comic.

Hmmm, let's see.

Hold on a sec . . . just let me . . . . Yup, that's it. That's yer problem right there. Yer sense of humour is all shot to hell. You're gonna need to get a new one there.

Why is this being treated as serious and West getting frowny faces ? The era West did Batman , it was all sillyness and light hearted campy type stories . He's thinking of his era and its sweet.

Guy is awesome in Family Guy.

You're goddamn KIDDING me with this thread, right?






...I mean, if you are, well done.


SEAN

Are the planets oddly aligned or something? I see the weirdest threads in a bunch of forums I frequent.

Adam West lame? Does not compute

Dude, who the hell doesn't know Bruce Wayne's parents are dead? Of course he was joking!

Just like everyone else, West is very aware of what happened with Bruce Wayne's parents. He even wrote about it in his "Back to the Batcave" book years ago.

Adam West is as awesome as Bill Shatner.

"out of the woodwork" is a dead giveaway that he's joking...

He's asked about playing Batman's dad... and he makes a comment about the guy coming out of the woodwork now and then...

get it... woodwork... coffin... six feet under...

Remember that article of how Adam West doesn't approve of the Dark Knight because he "misses the old days?" It's all a joke, West is just having fun.

West is a parody, plain and simple. But he was a pretty damn good and entertaining parody.

Plus I'll give West's show all the credit in the world for turning Batman, his supporting cast, and his villains into icons(then again, I wasn't around before the sixties so I don't know if the Joker and Commissioner Gordon were known names to people before the show.)

He's easy to mock and laugh at, but Adam West was the first Batman I ever knew. I can't say anything bad about him.

hahaha! Oh Adam West! This dude is hilarious!

Without Adam West,Batman and his world wouldn't have the icon status they have today.I mean West is the first Batman i've ever watch and Romero was the factor that i've become a Joker fan.Yeah,the show is silly and campy but that's the show that put Batman on the map worldwide.

Adam West and the TV show actually did quite a bit for comics. As a kid, I really enjoyed the show. As an adult, I was always surprised by some of the things I later realized (such as Merideth as the Penguin and the Batmobile was a Cadillac).

If a show like that was produced today, I would hate it. But for a kids show, it was really kind of fun.

As an individual, I have always gotten a kick out of Adam West. He always seemed to know exactly how he is percieved by the general public and plays off of that pretty well. Even at his age, I'm not sure the guy takes himself all that seriously.

I would like to see Adam West get some kinda cameo role in a Bat film sometime before he dies.
Lou Ferrigno was cool and fun in the recent Hulk movie, Stan Lee always gets a part, so why not spread the love?

As Heath's Joker says, "Why so serious?"

Adam West has been saying "I could play Batman's dad!" for years...as far back as BATMAN & ROBIN.

West demands respect for being the first well known batman. The 60s show was pretty camp but West was great in the role and when it came to batman sitting there deducting a crime i would say he was one of the best to do it watch the episodes the puzzler is coming/the duo is slumbing (season 2,episode 31,32).

Wether he is kidding or not doesnt matter to me it has no bearing on TDK or any other batfilm thats going to be made any time soon.

The "campy" Batman, ala Adam West, was still a pretty serious character. Just because the actors were having a good time doesn't mean that the 1960s show doesn't represent Batman's comic history more than any other Batman run. Its really more in the vein of the character to be less Dark Knightish and more Batmanish.

Batman these days is often almost an anti-hero, and thats really sad.

http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/the_more_you_know775718.jpg

[Holacik]

http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/the_more_you_know775718.jpg

Geez dude you quoted the whole thread!

[metalhead_dave743]

Adam West and Bill Shatner the same person? Then how do you explain THIS! (http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/2006/10/kirk_and_batman_go_greek_1.html)

Um... Trick Photography?:wink:

[Tetsuo_man]

I would like to see Adam West get some kinda cameo role in a Bat film sometime before he dies.
Lou Ferrigno was cool and fun in the recent Hulk movie, Stan Lee always gets a part, so why not spread the love?

As Heath's Joker says, "Why so serious?"

It would be cool if the grey ghost got incorperated into the movies and west could play pretty much the guy he played in the animated series.

[Holacik]

It would be cool if the grey ghost got incorperated into the movies and west could play pretty much the guy he played in the animated series.

One of the best episodes ever.

[DeadXMan]

One of the best episodes ever.

best use of not wanting to acquire rights to Zorro, ever.

[COMIC GEEK]

Geez dude you quoted the whole thread!


actually no I didnt just the ones I felt should be quoted were. :smile:

[Sean Whitmore]

Adam West and Bill Shatner the same person? Then how do you explain THIS! (http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/2006/10/kirk_and_batman_go_greek_1.html)

That depends. Does "awesomesauce" count as one word or two?


SEAN

[Spiffy]

West demands respect for being the first well known batman. The 60s show was pretty camp but West was great in the role and when it came to batman sitting there deducting a crime i would say he was one of the best to do it watch the episodes the puzzler is coming/the duo is slumbing (season 2,episode 31,32).

Wether he is kidding or not doesnt matter to me it has no bearing on TDK or any other batfilm thats going to be made any time soon.
I guess the key there is "well known", since Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowery, Stacy Harris, and a few others did indeed come before.

And was West kidding? I dunno. I guess it doesn't matter in the larger scheme of things, but he IS getting kind of old (80, right?). Assuming his Biography wasn't simply ghostwritten, I guess he DID know Bruce Wayne's backstory at one point. I'm not sure that means he STILL does, but if people say he's joked about this before, I guess there's no reason to doubt them.

Personally I've never held him in any kind of awe. I'm in that minority that read the comic book for a few years before ever stumbling into repeats of the TV show. I got the "joke" of the series, but never saw it as anything that deserved cultural endurance. It was a nice relic of the 60s, like Laugh-In or I Spy. Fun, but more of a curiosity than something important. It might mean more to someone else, but that's just what its been to me.

[JCAll]

In retrospect, the campy Batman was bad for the character even though it generated a lot of money and attention at the time.

How so? It was a good show that's fondly remembered, as well as making a ridiculous amount of cash and bringing people into Batman that never would have given it a look before.

Honestly, has there even been one negative long term effect from the Adam West Batman? Sure, the Riddler can never be a truly malicious character, due in no small part to him channeling Frank Gorshin for the past 50 years, but that's hardly a negative.

[Spiffy]

How so? It was a good show that's fondly remembered, as well as making a ridiculous amount of cash and bringing people into Batman that never would have given it a look before.

Honestly, has there even been one negative long term effect from the Adam West Batman? Sure, the Riddler can never be a truly malicious character, due in no small part to him channeling Frank Gorshin for the past 50 years, but that's hardly a negative.
Have I been wrong in assuming that one of the main villains in Trinity is our old pal Edward Nygma, wearing a stupid misleading "half mask"? And he's being posed as Batman's ultimate nemesis, if I'm following the story correctly.

[Sean Whitmore]

Have I been wrong in assuming that one of the main villains in Trinity is our old pal Edward Nygma, wearing a stupid misleading "half mask"? And he's being posed as Batman's ultimate nemesis, if I'm following the story correctly.

That would be interesting, but I think of all people, Busiek and Niceiza wouldn't want to step on Dini's toes like that.


SEAN

[Spiffy]

That would be interesting, but I think of all people, Busiek and Niceiza wouldn't want to step on Dini's toes like that.


SEAN
Well, the main theory I've seen mentioned is Two-Face, and that's still kind of toe-steppy, I'd think. Riddler doesn't seem any more out there OR toe-steppy than Mr. Dent.

Of course the whole Duela Dent/Riddler's Daughter connection to the first Enigma (Duela = Joker's Daughter = Riddler's Daughter = Enigma I, right?) confuses things between these two possibilities even more.

Back to Adam West, I guess. Dude's old, right? :biggrin: Holy eight decades, Batman!

[carabas]

Well, the main theory I've seen mentioned is Two-Face, and that's still kind of toe-steppy, I'd think. Riddler doesn't seem any more out there OR toe-steppy than Mr. Dent.How so? Dini is right now using the Riddler as a reformed character trying his hand at crime-solving. Nobody is doing anything at all with Two-Face as far as I know.

[Adam West]

I'm disappointed with this thread :(

[metalhead_dave743]

I'm disappointed with this thread :(

Why? Most of the posters here are defending you.:wink:

[NotSuper]

Why? Most of the posters here are defending you.:wink:
As they should.

It boggles the mind that someone would get upset by a throwaway comment from Adam West. It's a little nuts, actually.

[Alan2099]

As they should.

It boggles the mind that someone would get upset by a throwaway comment from Adam West. It's a little nuts, actually.

I know. Crazy right? Or that there are people here (or at least one person) that DOESN'T see the Adam West series a major important element in the history of Batman.

[COMIC GEEK]

As they should.

It boggles the mind that someone would get upset by a throwaway comment from Adam West. It's a little nuts, actually.


maybe he took it personally LOL or the poster just doesnt know that adam west knows the history of batman.

Not like the man played the character, voiced the animated version for years either..

yeah damn you adam west :rolleyes:

adam west is da man!

[Spiffy]

As they should.

It boggles the mind that someone would get upset by a throwaway comment from Adam West. It's a little nuts, actually.
"Upset"?

I think a bit too much has been read into a simple attempt to get a conversation started. To be "upset" I would have to have taken West's statement personally. The whole "how dare you viscously attack Adam West" tude, as if he's some kind of sacred cow, has been a bit much, over-reaction-wise to a single use of the word "lame".

[The Batman]

Dude, that's a lame way to explain away not getting the joke.

[Spiffy]

Dude, that's a lame way to explain away not getting the joke.
Yes, obviously it merited dozens of man hours from people venting their spleen!

And really, the fact that the original article treats the statement as if he's being serious, and that I've DARED to not read his biography (which face it, he might not have written anyway), obviously means I must hate his guts and have an agenda to ruin his good name!

But because gang bang jumping on sessions are SO in vogue these days, I'm going to overlook it... just this one time.

[The Batman]

Well now, let's not overreact to a single use of the word "lame" here.

I think if you go back through the thread you'll find that most of it isn't about you not getting a pretty easy to get joke. It's about how goofy awesome Adam West is and how influential/not influential his Batman was.

[Spiffy]

Well I compared the influence of the 60s Batman to "Laugh In" before. As strange as the comparison seems, I think it fits. It made a general impression on the culture that wasn't very deep, but was very broad. Does that make it influentual? I honestly don't know--it depends on how you calculate influence.

As for the 60s Batman as a character, to me he's in some ways stranded on an Island with Gilligan, The Fonz, Rerun, and a gaggle of other similar somewhat goofy 60s and 70s TV personages (yeah, I think another sacred cow--the Fonz--is slightly goofy). He doesn't even feel vaguely like the comic book Batman to me, even being inclusive of the many different interpretations the comic has had. He's kind of a cousin of the Superfriends era Batman, but even still there's a gap. Its not that I don't like those old Batman shows, I kind of do, but it just feels like something "completely other" to me in a way that most of the other movie and TV adaptions don't.

West, himself, is kind of a Shatner Minus to me. Not intentionally, or through any kind of negative, he just fills the same cultural space, but a bit less completely. Maybe for his own sense of identity that's not a bad thing.

[Tetsuo_man]

best use of not wanting to acquire rights to Zorro, ever.

Correction best use of not having the rights to the shadow. The episode was inspired by a comic in the seventies in which it was revealed that bruce was inspired by the shadow. This was back when dc still had the rights to publish the shadow.

[Major Danger]

Adam West rocks....hard.

[Alan2099]

He doesn't even feel vaguely like the comic book Batman to me, even being inclusive of the many different interpretations the comic has had.
Which is odd, becausehe's dead on for quite a few incarnations of Batman. Maybe you're just not as familiar with the character as you'd like to think.

[Sizzle]

How so? It was a good show that's fondly remembered, as well as making a ridiculous amount of cash and bringing people into Batman that never would have given it a look before.

Honestly, has there even been one negative long term effect from the Adam West Batman? Sure, the Riddler can never be a truly malicious character, due in no small part to him channeling Frank Gorshin for the past 50 years, but that's hardly a negative.

"Holy missed points Batman!" Need I say more? I think it delayed comics being seen as a serious form. Until Batman '89 came along and changed all that, comcis were not taken serious. Now just look at comics influence. Look at all of the movies coming out since based on comics. Dark Knight and Iron man are set to be the two biggest movies of the year. Hulk, Wanted, even Hancock (not based on a comic, but a super hero movie) etc.

[Adam West]

Why? Most of the posters here are defending you.:wink:

*read the thread*

Oh they did, didn't they. I feel a whole lot better now.

[JCAll]

"Holy missed points Batman!" Need I say more? I think it delayed comics being seen as a serious form. Until Batman '89 came along and changed all that, comcis were not taken serious. Now just look at comics influence. Look at all of the movies coming out since based on comics. Dark Knight and Iron man are set to be the two biggest movies of the year. Hulk, Wanted, even Hancock (not based on a comic, but a super hero movie) etc.

Comics still aren't seen as a serious form by many. Comics back then specifically weren't serious.
We certainly can't shoulder Adam West with that.

[Sean Whitmore]

I think it delayed comics being seen as a serious form. Until Batman '89 came along and changed all that, comcis were not taken serious.

Without the 60s Batman show, there's every chance in the world that the Batman comic wouldn't have last long enough to be turned into a movie in 1989.


SEAN

[Spiffy]

Comics still aren't seen as a serious form by many. Comics back then specifically weren't serious.
We certainly can't shoulder Adam West with that.
Has it really been suggested that we should?

Without the 60s Batman show, there's every chance in the world that the Batman comic wouldn't have last long enough to be turned into a movie in 1989.


SEAN
While that can't be proven, its probably not an unreasonable conclusion. At the same time, I don't think that gives it any kind of "holy" status, where nobody "dares" criticize it.

[Sean Whitmore]

While that can't be proven, its probably not an unreasonable conclusion. At the same time, I don't think that gives it any kind of "holy" status, where nobody "dares" criticize it.

Well, no, I think simply being good defends it from criticism. :smile:

I'm just shooting down the "it hurt the character/it hurt comics" theories.


SEAN

[carabas]

"Holy missed points Batman!" Need I say more? I think it delayed comics being seen as a serious form. Until Batman '89 came along and changed all that, comcis were not taken serious.I'd say that the total dominance of a rather childish genre in the medium has a lot more to do with comics not being taken seriously than some 60s comedy show.

[The Batman]

While that can't be proven, its probably not an unreasonable conclusion. At the same time, I don't think that gives it any kind of "holy" status, where nobody "dares" criticize it.


Well okay, but we need to remember to criticize it in terms of when it was and what it was and what it tried to be, and not what we'd have liked it to be.

Sure Adam West isn't Michael Keaton or Chris Bale, but he's at least every bit the Batman that they were and maybe more. If nothing else, he didn't need a rubber suit to be Batman, that was 100 percent pure West.


http://www.timemachinetoys.com/toypics/batman8x10.JPG

[The Batman]

I'd say that the total dominance of a rather childish genre in the medium has a lot more to do with comics not being taken seriously than some 60s comedy show.


Pretty much. Sure the West show might've given the mainstream a succinct shorthand for their low opinion of superheroes - "Biff!" "Pow!" "Zing!" - but it's hard to imagine it was responsible for that opinion.

[Cam63]

I like The West.

...That is all.

[sparta28090]

"Holy Tribute, Batman!" hehehe. While I didn't read all of the the replies to this thread, the title made me think that I would have to rise to Adam West's defense....but heck no! that is so far from the case. Mr West did an awesome job for the era and the job he was hired to do, A less-known fact about Adam is that his portrayl of Batman "pigeon-holed" him and Hollywood would not touch him for other roles. He was forced to wear a Batman costume and lecture the Bad Guys (villians) of various wrestling shows to make any money. The pay was lousy and he became depressed and an alcoholic. Now, he is a lecturer, a main stay at conventions, an author, a popular voice actor of himself in Family Guy. He is now making a comfortable living, abstaining from alcohol and an advocate in Children's Charities. If that is lame, I wished the hell I was half as lame as him. So kudo's to all of the posters that can't find a bad thing to say about Adam.....to those that be hatin, well watch ya back!


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n269/FUNTASTIC4BATMAN/th3x1703gn.gif

[Utility Belt]

Sure Adam West isn't Michael Keaton or Chris Bale, but he's at least every bit the Batman that they were and maybe more. If nothing else, he didn't need a rubber suit to be Batman, that was 100 percent pure West.[/IMG]

Damn right on that one! I also thought I would have to post in Adam West's defense and I'm glad to see the support he already has among bat-fans.
Adam West lame? Hell no! And while I'm at it, Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig are not lame either!

[Seraku]

how can you call Adam West lame? habe you ever seen family guy?

[Hypestyle]

I still want the 60's show in season sets on dvd.. Fox and Warner Bros., stop being babies and put this out for people to buy!!

[DonC]

I still want the 60's show in season sets on dvd.. Fox and Warner Bros., stop being babies and put this out for people to buy!!


It's more than that. Someone else also owns all the music used on the show. Sadly, I think there are too many pies that will need to be cut up for this show to make it to DVD.

[Spiffy]

how can you call Adam West lame? habe you ever seen family guy?
I don't recall saying Family Guy, or even Adam ON Family Guy was lame.

Then again, apparently I somehow "forgot" that my one sentence initial post also apparently somehow indicted the whole Batman TV series.

Was the comment he made about playing Batman's Dad lame, supposing he wasn't joking? Yes. But apparently, per people who read his autobiography, he was.

I'm not going to claim any deep reverence for the man (and in fact have made that clear elsewhere), but apparently it seems I have to regularly reiterate what I've already said for those who haven't read anything other than the topic title.

[Captain Jim]

He doesn't even feel vaguely like the comic book Batman to me, even being inclusive of the many different interpretations the comic has had.

Really? I don't find him all that removed from the 1960's comics on which the show was based, the healthy dose of "tongue in cheek" notwithstanding.

I'll tell you this, from a first-hand perspective. I was 15 years old when Batman debuted in January, 1966, and even though the show wasn't exactly what I would have hoped for, I was still ecstatic to see a comics character on TV. We hadn't seen anything like that since the Superman show ceased production in 1957.

[pariah-1972]

I can't believe people are fighting over this.

[JCAll]

I can't believe people are fighting over this.

We're comic book fans. We'll fight over significantly less than this :tongue:

[pariah-1972]

We're comic book fans. We'll fight over significantly less than this :tongue:That maybe true but that doesn't make it any less sadder.
If Adam West didn't actually know his father has dies it's not some complete mortal sin.

As far as the Batman tv show it was alright but it got kind of repetitive after awhile.

A lot of the Villains were well cast especially Joker and Penguin.