From the return of the cold and calculating Mr. Freeze to the interesting Easter eggs and homages peppered throughout, this was a massively entertaining episode.Who would have thought that anyone would crave Mr. Freeze's curse? But I suppose some would rather live forever than enjoy the life they have. Kind of funny given urban legends that it was a Walt Disney look-alike who wanted to cryogenically freeze himself. The portrayal of Freeze was once again solid. Yes, he is a villain, but only so far as his actions would help save his wife.
Sometimes it felt like a Batman show, but sometimes it felt like Batman was included in episodes as an obligation. The best example of this was the two-part episode set half on an alien planet with a talking, flying robot. By the end of the series run, it felt like the show had become a full-on Batman parody. While I won't say the New Batman Adventures reached the lows of Super Friends, it was close, and the New Adventures definitely fell short of the original Adventures of Batman a decade earlier.
Interestingly, this episode picked up right where the last left off causing me to wonder if the show runners weren't planning on changing the name of the series to the Bat-Mite and Friends Show. But alas, this was the series swan song (Do swans really sing?).
Noticing this was a double length, two-parter, I settled in for something epic and was a bit let down. The first thing I noticed was that the evil Zarbor had relatively normal ears. Bat-Mite's cowl always made me think he had dog ears, but no. Which begs the question, why does his cowl look like that? Next, it was interesting that Zarbor classified Catwoman, Joker, Clayface, and Penguin as Earth's vilest villains. Not only that, but Penguin and Clayface were even given distinction over the other two. All I am saying is that if Penguin is Earth's vilest, we aren't doing too bad.
Well look who decided to show up. The Penguin. Quack Quack! True to form, Pengy-Poo made this a terrible episode as he taught a bunch of would be criminals in his School of Crime. At one point, Penguin stranded Batman and Robin at the South Pole, and I really have to sympathize with Robin. Having no pants would certainly make enduring the arctic chill even worse.
Enter Sweet Tooth, an original creation inspired perhaps by Willy Wonka, whose evil plot was to turn Gotham's water supply into flowing chocolate. Seriously. Luckily he had a weakness - cookies. Seriously again.
Old Professor "Once-ler" invented the Loraxian Thneed maker, a machine that converted garbage into any fabric you wanted, including fur. Catwoman not only stole the device but used it to quickly knit a Batgirl costume and wig, framing the innocent lass. Too bad she didn't make herself a new Catwoman getup since the orange design in this series was perhaps the characters worst onscreen design to date.
Who is the mysterious and lame Moonman? Maybe the only other character introduced in the episode for no other possible reason. Lets hope he doesn't show up again any time soon.
I never heard of this show growing up and when I first learned about it a few years ago, I was really perplexed. Bat-Mite seemed such an odd element for inclusion, even when compared to characters like Gleek and Wonder Dog. He isn't that bad of a character and he was much less annoying than Super Marv. Besides, "He was just trying to help." The problem is that Batman and Robin were so mean to Bat-Mite making them look a bit like bullies.
After the explosion of DC Filmation animation in the late 60's, the studio took a bit of a break from the superhero gig before returning to the well in 1977. The New Adventures of Batman was aired in blocks with Tarzan and the Super 7 which included The Freedom Force and imitation heroes Manta and Moray, Web Woman, and Superstretch and Microwoman. Although there were some similarities between these "New" adventures and Filmation's original 1960's adventures, there were also some striking differences beginning with a fellow named Bat-Mite.
At the same time that Batman and the Super Friends were challenging the Legion of Doom, Batman and his teen sidekicks were teamed up with an extradimensional being fighting masked vigilantes in Gotham on another network in The New Adventures of Batman.
That intro sure outwears its welcome after a couple episodes.
The series was a semi sequel to the live-action 60's series, though obviously this was animated and had an alien main character. The voices, however, were provided by none other than Adam West and Burt Ward and were just as over the top as ever.
The series lasted a single 16 episode season, but many of the staple villains were squeezed in. Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Clayface, and Mr. Freeze all showed up, but even though he appeared in the credits, Riddler (clad in red) could not appear as he was licensed to the Legion of Doom series instead (same for Scarecrow).
The real identifiable aspect of this series was the Bat-Mite character. He called himself Batman's biggest fan and always tagged along. But Batman wasn't very nice to the little dude. The truth is Bat-Mite did mess a lot of stuff up, but he usually fixed things too, after all he seemed to have limitless magical abilities. I really don't understand what the point of making him a main character was. I guess to appeal to kids, but he just seems so out of place.
I admit one or two episodes are kind of fun, but after that you realize how many better versions of Batman there are that you could be watching instead. And besides, all of the cost saving animation featuring still heads and moving mouths gets pretty dull. See what I mean:
And so it goes. In preparation for the upcoming Retrospective 1979 that you all must surely be anticipating, I became aware of some neglected and bizarre nuggets from 1977 and 1978. The respective entries have been updated, but in fairness to the creators of these fine shows, they are getting their own spotlight in this post. Trust me, you don't want to skip this.
The New Adventures of Batman
Along with the titular Batman, The New Adventures of Batman featured Robin the Boy Wonder, Batgirl and Bat-Mite, a a well meaning imp from another dimension called Ergo, who considers himself Batman's biggest fan. Hmm. Sure why not. Seems like a logical addition to Batman's universe, maybe the next Batman movie can be called Bat-Mite Returns... Some will consider this one of the Dark Knight's darkest hours. It was the Joker's inclusion in this series which kept him from appearing in the Challenge of the Super Friends series that ran during the same time frame. Likewise, Riddler and Scarecrow's membership in the Legion of Doom precluded them from appearing here.
The series was paired up with a Tarzan animated series in 1977 which expanded into a series titled either Tarzan and the Super 7 or Batman and the Super 7 in subsequent years. Stay tuned for the rest of the Super 7 to debut in 1978.
Space Sentinels
Also arriving in 1977 was the series The Young Sentinels which although it only lasted one 13 episode season was renamed midway through its run to Space Sentinels. The racially diverse cast has earned the series a footnote in the annals of history.
In this series, the Roman mythological figures Hercules and Mercury are joined by Astrea, a character created specifically for the series, to form a superhero team to protect mankind. As the series intro described:
Many centuries ago, three carefully selected young Earthlings were transported from their native lands to my faraway world. Here they were granted astounding powers, and eternal youth, then returned to Earth. Their mission: to watch over the human race, helping the good in it to survive and flourish. In the course of history, their names have become legend: Hercules, empowered with the strength of a hundred men. Astrea, able to assume any living form. Mercury, the amazing athlete who can match the speed of light. Working together with me, Sentinel One, and my maintenance robot, Mo, these teenage guardians form the greatest team the world has ever known: The Space Sentinels.
The heroes would continue in 1978s The Freedom Force.
In 1978, existing shows Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle and The New Adventures of Batman were repackaged with 5 new shows to create Tarzan and the Super 7. These included a live action segment, Jason of Star Command and four Superhero themed shows: The Freedom Force, Manta and Moray, Superstretch and Microwoman, and Web Woman. I don't remember watching these as a kid, but honestly, I am amazed these things even got made. They look pretty terrible.
* The Freedom Force
The Freedom Force showcased took Isis from the live-action The Secrets of Isis series of the time and added Merline, Sinbad, Super Samurai, and Hercules from 1977's Space Sentinels
* Superstretch and Microwoman
Superstretch and Microwoman can kind of be described a Plastic Man and the Atom get married. The show featured Chris and Christy Cross, your average suburban African-American couple. Chris could take virtually any shape (such as a plane, a robot, a rubber ball, a perfect double of a villain, etc.) while Christy could shrink to microscopic size. A match made in heaven. Frequently tagging along on their adventures was their little dog, Trouble with whom they battled Granny Candy, the Toymaker, and evil counterparts from another dimension, Superstarch and Magnawoman.
* Manta and Moray
You know what hero is cool? Aquaman. Manta and Moray, a pair of amphibious superheroes hoped to win over some of that rabid Aquaman fanbase. Manta (Monarch of the Deep) was the last survivor of the ancient civilization of Mu, which was destroyed by a terrible explosion, but Manta was engulfed by a wave of unknown radiation, and placed into a form of suspended animation deep beneath the waves. He was discovered and awoken by Moray, a human woman, whom he subsequently married. He was amphibious, but could not be away from water for too long or he would weaken and die. Like Aquaman he could communicate with sealife, but he could talk to land animals as well. Moray was raised by dolphins after the plane her parents had been flying in crashed into the sea. , she learned to live in the ocean. Together with Whiskers the sea lion and Guppy the whale they protected the sea.
* Web Woman
Web Woman was the alias of Kelly Webster. She was originally going to be called Spider-Woman but Marvel getting wind of the plan invented their own Spider-Woman to assure the copyright which would debut in her own series in 1979.
Kelly saved the life of an alien insectoid who was swept into a raging river during a thunderstorm. In gratitude, the alien gave her with a mysterious ring, which gave her the powers of the entire insect kingdom. Her transformation into Web Woman was brought on by a vocal command combined with the power of the ring that spoken like this:
"Insects of the world...small creatures of the cosmos...lend me your powers...NOW!"
She has a variety of weapons, such as a webline from her utility belt, and the ring could produce sleeping gas and an energy beam that solidified into webbing. She was aided in her missions by a furry little insectoid-like alien named Spinner. She traveled in a spider-shaped, 8-legged flying saucer called Webtrac. Sounds pretty cool.
Bat-Mite first appeared in the pages of Detective Comics in 1959 as the Batman writers answer to Superman's pesky villain Mister Mxyzptlk. Bat-Mite isn't a real enemy of Batman, he is more of an overzealous fan of the Dark Knight. The imp from the fifth dimensions appears to have near limitless magical abilities which he uses to see his idol in action.
Bat-Mite was a regular in the 1977 series The New Adventures of Batman He tried to help Batman, but usually ended up making things more complicated at which time his whiny catchphrase, "All I wanna do is help!" would be uttered.
Some postulate that this incarnation of the Mite was the inspiration for Orko in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Bat-Mite next appeared as a cameo in the 1994 episode of Batman: The Animated Series, "Deep Freeze" as an annoying toy.
Though the mighty Mite himself did not appear in the Teen Titans series, he was a clear inspiration for "Robin's biggest fan"Nosyarg Kcid" who appeared in the 2004 episode "Fractured."
Most recently, the Dark-Mite returned in 2009's "Legends of the Dark-Mite," an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
The episode played homage to Batman's rich history even including some meta-discussion involving a comic con parody discussing the appropriateness of Batman fighting Easter Bunnies.
Whether we like him or not, Bat-Mite is part of Batman's history, and has been around for 60 years. It doesn't look like he is going away anytime soon. Hopefully we will just be treated to small doses of the imp rather that recurring guest status. And hopefully, he wont be crashing into the live-action continuity any time soon.
The Amazing Spider-Man was old Web-Head's 15 episode live-action TV series made between 1977-1979. Although the series had reasonable ratings, fans critical of the series for the changes made to the comic book and because there were not any real "supervillains". The only characters adapted from the comic book were Peter Parker / Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May and one appearance by Robbie Robertson. Stan Lee, creator of Spidey and more, was vocal about his disliked for the show.
I don't remember seeing this as a kid, but it sure doesn't look too slick. Having said that, how awesome would it be to have a Spider-Man weekly TV show? Instead, we have Heroes.
The Electric Company
Spidey was busy in the 70s. In addition to his own series, he was also a guest on The Electric Company from 1974 until 1977. Strangely, DC comics Blue Beetle (or more likely a knock off of him) also appeared.
Spidey would drop in from 3 minute segments featuring word fun, though he himself only spoke with speech balloons. Maybe not the best use of the iconic hero, but kids loved it.
The Incredible Hulk
A two-part pilot movie kicked off the popular Incredible Hulk series. To "ground" the series in reality, the main character's name was changed from Bruce to David to avoid a double "B." The comic book supporting characters were also replaced with more realistic regular folk. One of the biggest changes affected the origin. Rather than getting gamma ray exposure after making a rescue on an atom bomb test field, "David" got zapped in a lab mishap. Also, TV Hulk no speak, just growl.
This show made a huge impact on me, giving me years worth of Hulk Smash nightmares as a child. Thanks Hulk. Secrets of Isis
I am don't think she was a comic book heroine at the time, Isis was basically an Egyptian version of Mary Marvel. Since then, Isis has joined the Captain Marvel comics as Black Adam's wife.
The live action Secrets of Isis, running from 1975-1977, centered on Andrea Thomas, a high school science teacher who found an ancient mystical amulet on an archaeological dig in Egypt. The amulet belonged to Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian Queen and it gave the wearer the powers of Isis. Andrea, by virtue of being able to open the casing in which the amulet rested, was recognized as an heir to Isis's secrets. Whenever Isis was needed, Andrea would reveal the amulet and incite an incantation ("Oh, mighty Isis!") and she would be transformed into the goddess Isis. Isis had super strength, the ability to move inanimate objects, the ability to fly, and super speed. To invoke her powers, she intoned rhythmic rhyming chants, such as
Three episodes of the series featured crossover appearances by Captain Marvel of the show's companion series, Shazam!
Shazam!
Shazam! made by the same folks as Isis ran from 1974 to 1977. It featured Captain Marvel, who is actually not named Shazam, and is not owned by Marvel, but Marvel owns the trademark for the name Captain Marvel who is one of their characters, but is unrelated to the "Shazam!" guy. I know, its confusing. From what I understand, the show was pretty campy. Who would have guessed?
The All New Superfriends Hour
Wonder Twin powers, activate! The original Super Friends, with non-powered sidekicks Wendy and Marvin, was canceled in 1974. The show, in constant reruns over the next few years, gained enough of a following to earn a greenlight for a new Superfriends show.
This time around, the hour-long show featured four mini-stories that spotlighted different characters. The first story featured a team up between two of the Super Friends. The second story featured the now infamous Wonder Twins and their space monkey Gleek. The third story featured the whole team. The fourth featured a guest star such as Green Lantern, Black Vulcan, or the Atom. The popularity of this show led to 1978's classic Challenge of the Superfriends series, a personal childhood favorite.
Wonder Woman
Running from 1975-1979, Wonder Woman's got her biggest exposure to mass audiences through this live-action television series. The first season was set during World War II, but season 2 took place 35 years later in the "modern" 1970s. Steve Trevor was replaced by his lookalike son Steve Trevor Jr. (ah, clever) as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman spun her way against evil.
Speaking of her patented spin move, enjoy:
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1977 was actually a really amazing year for superhero shows on television. Spider-Man, Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel all having their own live-action series, is some serious saturation. Not only where there a lot of shows, but these were big guns too and they did it with small budgets and 1970s effects. Wow. I don't expect to see anything like that on the small screen again. And without the DVR yet in place, my superhero show addiction would have been a real challenge to manage. It turns out 1977 was a pretty good year to be born.
Update:
The New Adventures of Batman
Along with the titular Batman, The New Adventures of Batman featured Robin the Boy Wonder, Batgirl and Bat-Mite, a a well meaning imp from another dimension called Ergo, who considers himself Batman's biggest fan. Hmm. Sure why not, though some will consider this one of the Dark Knight's darkest hours. It was the Joker's inclusion in this series which kept him from appearing in the Challenge of the Super Friends series that ran during the same time frame. Likewise, Riddler and Scarecrow's membership in the Legion of Doom precluded them from appearing here.
The series was paired up with a Tarzan animated series in 1977 which expanded into a series titled either Tarzan and the Super 7 or Batman and the Super 7 in subsequent years. Stay tuned for the rest of the Super 7 to debut in 1978.
Space Sentinels
Also arriving in 1977 was the series The Young Sentinels which although it only lasted one 13 episode season was renamed midway through its run to Space Sentinels. The racially diverse cast has earned the series a footnote in the annals of history.
In this series, the Roman mythological figures Hercules and Mercury are joined by Astrea, a character created specifically for the series, to form a superhero team to protect mankind. As the series intro described:
Many centuries ago, three carefully selected young Earthlings were transported from their native lands to my faraway world. Here they were granted astounding powers, and eternal youth, then returned to Earth. Their mission: to watch over the human race, helping the good in it to survive and flourish. In the course of history, their names have become legend: Hercules, empowered with the strength of a hundred men. Astrea, able to assume any living form. Mercury, the amazing athlete who can match the speed of light. Working together with me, Sentinel One, and my maintenance robot, Mo, these teenage guardians form the greatest team the world has ever known: The Space Sentinels.
The heroes would continue in 1978s The Freedom Force.
