It’s time to check out another Batman’66 volume! We are approaching the end of the series as volume 5 is the last one to have come out before the series ended. It’s been a good run and these stories have definitely been a blast. It’s no exaggeration to say that volume 4 is the best one yet and elevates the series to the next level. Seriously, the 5 star writing is pretty rare to find nowadays and the comic is handled just about perfectly.

There are 8 stories here so lets take a look at them. The first story may very well be the weakest. The main villain believes that he is actually a pharaoh so he decides to start robbing people. Batman and Robin make quick work of this guy while proving to the world that you can never count a hero out. They will always be watching and waiting! It’s a fun enough story, but there really isn’t a whole lot to it. You could substitute the villain in for anyone and the comic wouldn’t change at all. It’s like watching Batman and Robin stop a nameless gangster.

The next story was a little better. A guy with good flute skills decided to test his wits against the likes of Batman and Robin. That would prove to be his final mistake and as Batman pointed out, the good guys will always win in the end. This villain just didn’t think things through. The art was better in this issue than in the first one and while the villain was no threat either, the story was just more interesting. It’s a start and the catchy dialogue is what will keep you intrigued regardless.

The next adventure starred Batgirl as Batman and Robin actually didn’t need to appear this time. A guy who likes books a lot decided to enter a library. Unfortunately, he let two monsters loose by mistake since he forgot to heed the library’s warnings. Luckily, Batgirl realizes that every problem has an easy solution and she quickly learns how to seal the monsters while also ensuring that the bookworm will never return. It’s a rather tragic ending for him although Batgirl is very quick to justify her actions. Batman wasn’t around to state the moral of the day so I suppose she’ll get away with it this time. This was definitely a very quick story and I did miss Batman, but it was solid.

Things got more serious in the next story as Ffog made his debut. Yes, that is no typo, his name just happens to have a silent f. With his troop of girl scouts supporting the villain, Batman and Robin were quickly overwhelmed in round 1. After all, Robin refuses to hit a lady. Batman doesn’t abide by the same principles as he always states that justice does not discern by gender, unfortunately he was quickly taken down as well. Regardless, this story probably had the best art by this point in the collection and Batman had a lot of good one liners as always. Ffog made for a decent villain as well.

Next up saw the return of the Joker. This was probably hyped as a big story since such a legendary villain was involved. It was fun as the story used the classic trope of Joker pretending to be a good guy and fooling everyone aside from Batman. Batman even lost his cool at one point which is incredibly rare for him, but he apologized in the same panel and went on to remind Robin why justice is so good. Batman really loves to rub the morals in the face of his enemies. He does a good job of it that’s for sure. This was definitely one of the better stories.

Now, it’s time to look at the best story in the entire collection and I dare say the whole series. Lord Death Man has returned and Robin has been put out of commission as he fell on his head and is now very dizzy. Batman is forced to call on Batgirl while also criticizing the fact that a pink bat signal is used for her. He doesn’t partake in gender stereotypes after all. There is little time to discuss this though as the heroes are quickly thrown into a cavern and Batgirl is seemingly murdered. Batman is close to cracking, but ultimately reminds the villain that heroes don’t murder and lets Death Man destroy himself instead. There was a little plot hax here as Batgirl randomly got lost, but it happens I suppose. The story was hype and Batman’s a good role model for all heroes who end up making questionable choices through the years. This guy is one who will never stray from the straight and narrow.

Going back to the norm was the next issue as the Penguin jumped into the fray. I can’t take him quite as seriously as some of the other villains, but he’s all right I suppose. Nothing really stood out about this story and Batman really holds it together with his limitless wit and one liners that he uses to humiliate the villains. He even thinks one step ahead of the Penguin by setting a trap within a trap. It was most impressive! Robin tried to help out, but he didn’t do too well this time.

Finally, we had the lost episode story. This one nearly made it into the TV show and was finally brought back after all these years. Two Face is on the loose and Batman has to stop him before anyone is hurt. It also serves as a bit of an introduction to Two Face as Batman explains how his face was disfigured and why he uses a coin to decide what he will do next. This story definitely looked a lot different from the others as the art made it appear to be more of a New 52 title rather than 66. It definitely looks sharp and looks like what I’d expect Batman’66 to be if it wasn’t always trying to look super retro. This collection even brings the issue twice as it also contains the original black and white version. Batman reminds Two Face that there is always a chance and once a cure is found, he’ll be there.

As mentioned quite a bit already, Batman really steals the show here. This is the usual Adam West Batman, but to a more extreme degree. After all, the comics are very self aware so the characters are almost parodies of themselves. They’re incredibly exaggerated, but not in a Teen Titans Go way. They’re still likable characters here after all. Still, Batman is even more heroic than ever. He’s constantly lecturing someone about something and he’s never wrong about anything. Once in a while he’ll be so caught up in his sense of justice that he will miss obvious clues though. One example of this is when a few shady looking fellows walk into a bank. (I believe it was a bank) Batman goes on a tangent about how great it is that Gotham is a place where all cultures and religions can live in harmony while Robin is the only one to realize that these guys didn’t come here for rest and relaxation. Batman’s taken off guard by their sudden attack and the same thing happened in the past as well. Batman’s one weakness is ironically, his greatest strength. His sense of friendship and camaraderie with the rest of the characters.

Naturally, Robin is also affected by this self aware title. He is even more helpless than ever and always manages to say the wrong things so that Batman can correct him. He has absolutely no self confidence anymore and constantly says things like “You’re always right Batman” Of course, even that isn’t safe as Batman reminds him that nobody is always right. Seriously, Robin gets scolded in literally every panel that he is in and manages to lose all of his big fights as well. Robin is pretty accepting of this though and seems like a nice kid. Maybe he’ll be the one dishing out the morals someday…maybe.

The art is decent. The final comic is sharp and the Death Man adventure definitely looked pretty good. Sometimes the art can be very disproportionate though. It is noticeable when someone yells or you’ll just catch moments of this during the adventures. Batman’s costume also seems to have a white bit on his nose that is usually there, but vanishes sometimes. In the end I’d say that the art is good, but definitely not great like DC’s usual products. I suppose that it’ll help people relate to the classic days though.

Overall, This is a solid way for Batman’66 to start heading to the final volume. It has a lot of momentum riding with it at this point and hopefully the final volume will be just as good. If you’ve ever wanted to see the most exaggeratedly heroic character ever, then this is the comic for you. Even Superman would have a tough time trying to compete with this guy. It’d be great if we could ever see this version of Batman pop up in the regular comics someday. Who knows, a Batman’66 and Batman crossover could come out someday. The contrast between the two would definitely make for a great dynamic.

Overall 8/10