Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #1 Review

Written by: Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman
Art by: Ty Templeton
Cover Price: $1.99
Release Date: May 21, 2014

Starting on the Wrong Track

I am a huge fan of the Batman '66 television series and thus am also a fan of the comic.  I have read and reviewed a bunch of issues and expressed my fear that while the series has been great, it's starting to feel stale.  Enter Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman and Britt Reid to spice things up.  Yep, the Green Hornet is in the house and he brought along his valet, Kato.

Ralph Garman may be the biggest Batman '66 fan there is and Kevin Smith is...well, Kevin Smith.  So, when I heard these two would be doing a Batman/Green Hornet '66 crossover, I figured it was a sure thing. Throw is Ty Templeton on art duties and I figured it was a surerer thing.



While Dick Grayson goes off on a date, Bruce Wayne is keeping his eye on a fossil exhibit being transported by train to Gotham.  It just so happens that Britt Reid and his valet, Kato, are doing the same.  The two have a drink and some verbal sparring about the prowess of their alter egos.  That's when the train suddenly stops. What's going on?  Well, it looks like someone has "gummed" up the works.  Fans of the Green Hornet should know who is responsible, even if he has had a promotion since the sixties.

Well, after reading this issue I came away a bit disapointed.  Maybe I expected more, but this issue didn't have the usual spark of the series.  Smith and Garman connected all the dots, but what ended up on the page just wasn't that much fun.  Kato does get off a great line, but the dialogue was pretty vanilla overall which is a surprise from anything with Kevin Smith involved.  This is a longer arc than the usual Batman '66 story, so maybe that's what's going on here.  I hope because my enthusiasm has taking a blow to the chin.

I liked Ty Templeton's art, but he didn't get a real chance to flex his muscles here.  There isn't much action and no caped or masked crusaders to speak of.  Alex Ross' cover is incredible and the highlight of the issue.

Bits and Pieces:

Batman '66 meets Green Hornet #1 is a great concept with two great writers and a great artist. Unfortunatley, it just isn't much fun.  Maybe it needs more time to get going, but right now I have to say I'm pretty disappointed.

6.0/10