Batman ’66 #4 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (story), Jonathan Case (art), Sandy Jarrell (art), Tony Aviña (colors)

The Story: Batman and Robin, guaranteeing that villains get off their high hat.

The Review: It’s not surprising superhero comics tend to stagnate over time, given their penchant for having the same heroes fight the same villains, always in the same setting. As traditional as it is to see Batman battle evil in Gotham, there are times I wonder if part of the reason why he can never lighten up is because he’s always trapped in that hole of urban crime.  Maybe if he gets out once in a while, he’d have more perspective.

So kudos to Parker for taking advantage of the sixties’ romance for exotic lands to take Batman, Robin, and Alfred to England.  It doesn’t matter that they just end up doing their usual crime-fighting thing anyway.  What matters is the breath of fresh air that comes from a change in pace.  Even if the differences are mostly superficial (Parker goes as far as to include a British Batmobile and a Commissioner Gordon facsimile in the form of his cousin, Scotland Yard’s Detective Inspector Gordon), at least they beat the done-and-done Gotham hijinks.