- Cover by Mike & Laura Allred
- Script by Gabriel Soria
- Art by Dean Haspiel
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BEWARE OF SPOILERS
This week ’66 wraps up the Fred Fillips storyline with a couple of twists and an Emmy award for The Dark Knight.
Following the style of previous issues and based on the format of the TV series this part two story – ‘The Bat Host with the Most’ – wraps everything up in a neat little bow allowing the dynamic duo to move on with their lives to the next issue.
With issue #37 (review HERE) I spoke about Soria taking the story to original territory by inventing a villainous character in Fillips, this issue does back peddle a little on that but nobody can argue that Fillips was an original character in the ’66 universe and he brought a little fresh air to the franchise.
The reveal of his true identity – which I won’t reveal here – at least is not one of the big four (Penguin, Riddler, Joker, Catwoman) so Soria gets points for going down a road less travelled with his choice of villain.
In most of the part two stories in this series the dialogue takes somewhat of a backseat against the action of the big fight but here there’s more of a balance between the pre/post fight scenes and the fight itself. There’s time for Fillips to reveal his identity to the citizens of Gotham and for Bruce and Dick to chill out and watch some TV in Wayne Manor after it’s all over.
One thing I’d like to see in this comic is a little more deviation from the formula of the TV series and more of a foray into mainstream comic fare. I understand it’s unlikely to happen given that this is a direct follow-up/throwback but I can’t help but be curious about how innovative ’66 can become with the licence if it takes a few more risks.
As with last week the script is strong throughout and the artwork by Haspiel compliments the playful nature of the setting and script neatly. Once again there’s no boundaries being pushed but as a comfortable, consistent read this series never fails to succeed.
The animation is not put to use well in this issue, in fact I would call it lazy. There’s little of flare seen in previous issues and as I have previously discussed I wonder if this is the consequence of the technology not taking off outside of the DC universe. I do favour the Marvel technology of hiding behind-the-scenes videos in the panels until scanned with a smartphone camera and would welcome this kind of information on any of the Batman titles.
A solid part two.
3 stars.
