Holy digital comics, Batman! The adventures of the 1960’s television show continue in this week’s installment of Batman ’66. Check out the latest DCN review!
This week’s installment of Batman ’66 features a change of pace to the multi-chapter format that has been the series’ status quo. Bruce Wayne gets a solo adventure in this done-in-one story that is the zaniest installment to date. This issue also features the welcome return of Jonathan Case on art duties, as he’s given a script by Jeff Parker that allows him to stretch his muscles.
Positives
Jeff Parker is making it difficult to express how much I enjoy his writing. The way he is able to set up the villain this time, especially considering it isn’t a member of the Rogues Gallery, is great to watch unfold. Some of the action that later unfolds is so crazy that it would make Grant Morrison jealous. And Perhaps it’s just the way I’m wired, but I will never tire of Batman saying campy lines such as “I’m so sorry, citizens” before punching an Average Joe in the face.
My goodness, Jonathan Case is a tour de force on this title. Even without the DC2 panel transitions, his art shines in all its pop-infused goodness. The highlight of the issue is Batman’s hallucinogenic nightmare as he fights through demons, leprechauns, and surfing to take down his foe. It’s stylized. It’s detailed. It’s close to perfect.
Negatives
I understand that the majority of this issue is supposed to be inside a jazz club, but Jonathan Case really goes overboard with the color red to the point where it is distracting at parts. Also, there are a couple pages where the texture of the art is drastically different from the rest of the issue. I understand the intention behind this stylistic choice, but I don’t think its execution is as smooth as intended.
Verdict 
(4/5)
For a series that relies just as much on the art as the writing, Batman ’66 #6 is a welcome return to form with Jonathan Case on art duties. In a done-in-one story, Parker and Case test the creative limitations of digital-first comics in an entertaining manner while laying seeds for what may become a bigger, overreaching story arc. Batman ’66 continues to be a great read.
