Robert Garcia

Being a coffee-table format homage to the jokey sixties TV superhero spoof. The book is very well-done, with lots of illustrations, often of behind-the-scenes stuff, and tells the story of how the show's creators and actors developed the show's tone (respect to Adam West for rejecting two potentially disastrous concepts--a 'groovy' Batman and a Joe Fridayish Batman). The book is such a treasure that one hates to quibble, but it does do a far better job on the stars, the villains, and even their henchmen than on the program's adept supporting cast; you'll not learn here, for example, that Neil Hamilton was a major leading man in the silent era, and he's mentioned more than the others. For the most part people are more interested in actors than techies, and this book pretty much reverses that emphasis; I'm sure the makeup and effects people were very good at their jobs, but how interesting are they? And the episode guide is extremely weak; mere plot summaries when you want cast and director credits--was this show really about plot? But don't miss this; it's a browser's delight and an education for the serious enthusiast.… (más)