Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Comics Are One Method

      Jason Sacks
      June 19, 2011
      Columns, Mission Professional
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Why Critics Matter: On The Omega Men, Animal Man, and Trusting a Creator

      Jason Sacks
      January 27, 2016
      Big Two, Big Two Reviews, Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox, DC Comics
    Recent
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • Collecting Profile: Jack O’ Lantern

      nguyen ly
      October 31, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 4.2

      Review: Hearts For Sale Sold Me With Its Complex Cuteness

      Jason Sacks
      August 28, 2019
      Indie
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 5.0

      X-23 #14

      Jason Sacks
      September 9, 2011
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Alex Zalben: A Power Packed Trip Through Asgard

      Jason Sacks
      March 30, 2010
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Frank Miller's Ronin Pt. 4: Eyes in the Darkness

      Jason Sacks
      August 5, 2016
      Classic Comics, Classic Comics Cavalcade
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "1602 Witch Hunter Angela" #2

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2015
      Previews
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary' by Bill Schelly

      Jason Sacks
      July 20, 2016
      Books, Classic Comics, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
  • Collecting Profile: Transformers
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Gotham City 14 Miles

Jason Sacks
November 3, 2010
Reviews


The ’60s Batman TV show has a thoroughly complicated legacy. On one hand, the show is highly beloved, iconic and has thoroughly stuck in the minds of the non-comics-reading, public. On the other hand, the show immediately became a stereotype for the seemingly mind-numbing stupidity of comics that is still often perceived by the general public. To a certain extent, all of us as comic fans live with the legacy of this show, for better or for worse.

Whenever we see a page headlined something like “Bang! Pow! Comics are cool now!” we’re simultaneously seeing comics iconography embraced by the media, and comics being insulted by the assertion that they really are just for kids, no matter what we retarded geeks might think. The Batman TV show popularized that iconography, and it’s stuck with comics readers for over 40 years.

But then again, what’s wrong with remembering a TV show that premiered in 1966? There are precious few shows from that era that are remembered by even a bare minority of even the most devoted TV watchers, but somehow Batman has managed to never leave the public’s memory, despite – or maybe because of – it’s complicated and mixed legacy.

I know I feel that way myself about the show. Watching reruns of it now on The Hub TV channel, I love and appreciate the bold, bright and fun style of the series while often cringing at the campy humor and stilted style of the show.

That’s why I was so excited to read Jim Beard’s new book from Sequart, Gotham City 14 Miles. This fun new book presents 14 essays that analyze and discuss different aspects of the show, from the history of the show to its depiction of women to its difficult campy aspects to its often direct adaptations of comic book episodes.

Writers on the book include such well-known writers and comics professionals as Chuck Dixon, Paul Kupperberg, Robert Greenberger and Will Murray, along with pop-culture writers such as Jennifer Stuller, Joseph Bereneto, Michael Hamersky and of course Beard himself.

Together these 14 writers present a very full view of the TV series, giving readers a fascinating and diverse set of essays that serve to put the series in a very interesting perspective.

One of my favorite articles in the book is Robert Greenberger’s article about the proliferation of Batmania during the first season of the show. Greenberger lays out the history of the era in fascinating and entertaining depth, explaining succinctly and intelligently why the Batman TV show caught the imagination of Americans so thoroughly.

It turns out the show was a perfect fit for the times. It was a series that kids could enjoy as straight entertainment and that parents could enjoy as pure humor. In that unimaginable era when there were only five channels on TV and everybody in the family watched TV together, a show like Batman was pure bliss. Because of its huge popularity, the series became a massive merchandising machine, and Greenberger goes into loving detail describing the often schlocky and silly products that were released as tie-ins for the show.

But not all stories have happy endings, as Will Murray discusses in his wonderful article “Jumping the Bat-Shark.” Yes, there really was an episode of Batman where Batman pretty much jumps a shark, which should give you a good idea of how far the former ratings juggernaut had fallen. Murray does a great job of discussing the declining days of the series, talking with great passion about the long list of misfires and poor judgments that led to the demise of the show.

Budgets were cut, poorly considered characters were introduced, plots got stupider, and the humor of the show became much less fresh as the series reached its conclusion. In many ways that’s a story that’s typical of lots of TV shows, then and now, but it’s sad to read how the show became a pathetic shadow of its former self during its third season.

Peter Sanderson delivers a great article about how several episodes of the TV show were closely based on actual comic stories. It’s kind of heartwarming to read about how the comics, recently rejuvenated at that time under the stewardship of legendary editor Julius Schwartz, were good source material for the TV show during its excellent first year. Sanderson digs deep in his analysis of the show, which makes for a really thoughtful and interesting article.

Editor Jim Beard delivers a nice piece that delves into his hypothesis that the series isn’t a radical departure from the norms of Batman but rather just a slightly different interpretation of the character. I didn’t totally buy Jim’s hypothesis, but he presents it in an entertaining and thoughtful way – which should be no surprise, given the great writing he’s done for Comics Bulletin over the years.

Other articles are also a lot of fun. Timothy Callahan delivers 28 notes on camp, an essential article that goes into great depth on the philosophy of camp and its satiric value. Bill Walko has a fun article on the visual iconography of the show – all the BANG! POW!s is strongly influenced by pop art, and Walko does a great job of discussing that without doing too much Art History 101.

Maybe my favorite article is by longtime Batman writer Chuck Dixon, who gets into the villains of the show, digging deep to discuss his favorites and why they mean so much to him. Dixon is a real pro and obviously loves the Batman villains, especially his great love for the work of Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, a performance that stands out as a great among the greats.

We also get articles that discuss the guest stars, the shows wacky gadgetry, the crazy 1966 Batman movie (“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”), the Batdance, the complex diversity of female roles on the show, and a great article by Michael Hamersky that discusses the weird youth politics of the show.

While there are some stories about the show that are repeated more than once (I got a bit tired of hearing about the show’s creator’s cross-country plane flight while reading Batman comics), this book is a really solid and thoroughly entertaining collection of thoughtful, fun and often really delightful set of essays. It does exactly what Jim Beard wanted the book to do: put the classic Batman TV show into perspective. It definitely does that, instantly becoming one of the best resources available on a much-maligned show with a complex legacy.

Holy essays, Batman, this book is a BIFF! POW! hit!

Jason SacksJim BeardSequartVarious

Share On:
Tweet
The Walking Dead 1.01 Slugfest
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #38

About The Author

Jason Sacks
Jason Sacks
Publisher Emeritus
Google+

Jason Sacks has been obsessed with pop culture for longer than he'd like to remember. Jason has been writing for Comics Bulletin for nearly a decade, producing over a million words of content about comics, films and other media. He has also been published in a number of publications, including the late, lamented Amazing Heroes, The Flash Companion and The American Comic Book Chronicles: the 1970s,1980s and 1990s. Find him on Facebook and Twitter. Jason is the Publisher Emeritus of Comics Bulletin.

Related Posts

  • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

    Mark Stack
    January 2, 2019
  • Top 10 Thoughts About Jack Kirby

    Jason Sacks
    August 28, 2017

Latest Reviews

  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
  • 4.5

    Micro Review: Commanders in Crisis #1

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    October 12, 2020
  • 3.0

    Review: GHOST WRITER Fights the Spectre of Unevenness

    Daniel Gehen
    September 3, 2020
  • 3.5

    Review: Strange Skies Over East Berlin

    Yavi Mohan
    August 11, 2020
  • DRAWING BLOOD: A Hyper-Stylized, Fictional Autobiography

    Ben Bishop, Brittany Peer, David Avallone, Drawing Blood, Kevin Eastman, Tomi Varga
    August 9, 2020
  • 3.0

    Alien: The Original Script #1 – This One’s For The Fans

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    August 7, 2020
  • Singles Going Steady: Why? Lettering!

    Daniel Gehen
    July 28, 2020
  • 4.5

    X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #4 is a Finale of Moral Questions

    Daniel Gehen
    July 22, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders