Lastdaysofrain

I have to disagree about Brave and the Bold, there were certainly some more kid centric episodes, but overall the series was great and holds up well against things like BTAS and is certainly FAR better than stuff like "The Batman". The episode with the Doom Patrol and the episode where the Spectre and The Phantom Stranger make a bet about Batman's actions were excellent and could have easily been episodes of Batman the Animated Series.

Spottedfeather

Batman The Animated Series is FAR better than Brave And The Bold. BATB doesn't even come close. I'm not saying it's bad or anything other than badly animated, but it just doesn't compare.

Lastdaysofrain

I agree, but there are several episodes of Brave and the Bold that could have easily been Batman the Animated Series episodes (specifically those episodes that were written by Paul Dini) and they have a very similar creative team.

PhantomStranger

There will never be a legitimate release of Batman on DVD, it is that cut and dried. Several parties want a huge financial interest in it which make the cost for the set unfeasible, while certain other parties involved think it would hurt existing product they market and sell today. Fox home video has tried and tried, but even when the DVD market was booming, there was little hope all parties would come to an amicable agreement to release it. Go out and buy a bootleg if you must have the show on DVD.

Warner's theatrical division, from the time of Burton's Batman to the success of Nolan's Batman films, has always believed the series truly hurts the brand identity and value of Batman as a movie character. They are not going to fool around with partial home video rights to possibly hurt or destroy a billion-dollar movie franchise, at least in their way of thinking. DC Comics has done everything possible to distance itself from the show, though I have heard they are not a real obstacle to the home video release. These issues do not even begin to address the problems with the production company or William Dozier's estate.

resinrats

With all the love BTAS gets, have people actually watched it recently? I've been going through them recently. While they don't suck, it sure isnt' the best show. Animation is really crappy in many of them. A lot of stupid plot points. There are some good episodes but most are OK. It seems this is one of those series that people saw years ago & have memories of it being better then it is.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

What animation?

resinrats

The show's animation. Its like they had multiple companies doing the show & the quality varies between episodes. Some episodes look great but then there are others that are horrible. Then there are the strange episodes where most of the episode is blah but a small segment looks great. My friends & I say they blew the budget on the scene & have to scrape by for the rest. Its not just BTAS but many series around that time did the same. Some great looking eps but many average looking ones. Don't know what happened but it seems that in the past 10 years, shows have had consistant animation the whole series.

Lastdaysofrain

Overall Justice League (including Unlimited) was a more consistent and better series than BTAS, but since it was the first, and so different, BTAS still gets the glory. I do re-watch it frequently there there are some inconsistent episodes, but it really is a good show.

I actually really enjoy the Superman animated series from the same team, I think it's easily the single best interpretation of Superman in any non-comic media.

Mike86

I've re-watched most of the series again within the past couple years or so and throw on the odd episode now and then. Still is really good to me in the looks/story department for a show that aired almost 20 years ago . Stupid plot points for a show based on a comic character? Never . Not saying every episode is perfect but I think most of them have stood the test of time. I don't really think it's a case of people misremembering how the series really was either as it still seems to have a large number of fans and was a decent enough seller to get the entire series on DVD.

TheNightFlier

I had picked up the Superman series when an FYE was going out of business near me. It was sitting in my unwatched pile up until about a month ago. I forgot just how good it was.

BTAS is great, but I think the Superman series still doesn't get the praise it deserves.

I'd love to see the 60s series come out, but I don't think it will ever happen.

Mike86

It was a good show from my memory but I honestly haven't watched it in a long, long time. I really should get the sets one of these days and re-watch it. I seem to remember never liking it quite as much as Batman though. Admittedly though I've never been as much a fan of Superman as a character though.

smirnoffski

It seems the 60s Batman appeal is due to childhood nostalgia of many as the show has not been seen for a while. Once it is released, people will realize how low the quality is and many will deem it better relegated to childhood memories.

For example, I recall being quite starved for the show "Small Wonder" and immediately purchased the first season on DVD upon release. I watched the first few episodes and realized what a craptacular show it was and tainted my fond childhood memories of the show. Thus, I have no interest in buying subsequent seasons. But, had the show been released as a complete series, I probably would have been suckered into buying the damn thing.

That being said, if 60s Batman is released, it should capitalize on how starved some people are for the show and give them their "fix." It should be released as a complete series and be reasonably priced. If released in volumes, I can see the first volume selling really well and subsequent volumes selling significantly worse as many would get their 60s Batman "fix" with the initial volume and be sated.

davidh777

Wouldn't the movie give people a pretty respectable fix? I haven't seen it in years, but I seem to recall it was a good representation.

rw2516

The show's been on tv enough that people have seen it as an adult and know what it is like. I think the 60's Batman is better as an adult. The humor, which goes over any kid's head, is the show's strong point. It was extremely well done in that regard. Just as Looney Tunes, Three Stooges, Bullwinkle and MAD magazine can only be fully appreciated by adults.

Regulus

But when they hear there was a TV Show as well as the Movie, they want MORE!

Part of me finds it funny that the only way one can get copies of this show is from the Bootleggers. but, it also makes me mad as a certain Infernal Reason, because of the Corporate Greed that prevents a legitamate release.

rmw650

I loved the old Batman 1966 movie as I heard they made that in between season one and two and until the Dozier estate and everyone else associated with this show will be content on how they split up the money in a fair and equitable manner, can't see this or even The Green Hornet being released anytime soon.

Dogg

I would enjoy this as well. It would be a great collection and could conceivably include the three seasons of the show and the movie.

Lastdaysofrain

the great thing about DC characters that has always been missing from Marvel characters is that they hold up so well to different interpretations. People can process there being wildy different takes on Batman without them thinking one must negate the other. Continuity and history aren't as important as the basiscs and from there you can really go in so many directions and have different takes and interpretations on the characters. So the campy 60s Batman is interesting and just as valid as the razor blade gargling Dark Knight, and one doesn't take anything away from the other.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Eh, I don't see it that way. Marvel is the same way and both sides have the ones that don't work.

Tim Tucker

I've been watching the show on The Hub, and I think it holds up very well. And the more you know about the conventions of Silver Age comic book writing, you realize that they didn't have to exaggerate all that much.

will travel

Batman: The Brave and The Bold is "AWESOMESUACE".
Glad it returns on March 25th with Superman as the Guest Hero.

The 60's show was my first exposure to Batman and for that I am forever gratefull.
First Season was the Best. Goes downhill after that.
But Yvonne Craig as Batgirl, HUBBA-HUBBA!!!

shadokitty

I haven't watched it yet, but I recently purchased the complete series of Superman TAS from Amazon for $20

davidh777

and Julie Newmar!

ScarfacePacino

I agree and not some stupid box that makes it sell for like $200+ like Lands Of The Giants.I like to get the Lands Of The Giants set but the price is ridiculous the box would probably get damaged in mail also.

Travis McClain

Late to the party, but I loved both the '66 show and BTAS, and I'm not guilty of believing they were better than they are. It happens that, instead I honestly just enjoy them that much. The '66 show had plenty of weak episodes (I never cared for the Archer, Puzzler, Louie the Lilac, Zelda the Great, the three-parter in "Londinium," for instance). But on the whole, I dig it. Frank Gorshin's Riddler remains one of my favorite TV roles/performances of all time. Every episode with Julie Newmar as Catwoman was delightful. I loved Vincent Price as Egghead, Burgess Meredith as Penguin, even Victor Buono as King Tut. It doesn't bother me that the show doesn't spend all its time brooding to show us how serious and dark Batman is. There are plenty of other incarnations of the mythology that do that.

As for the animated realm, I have not watched a single episode of The Batman. I tried to have an open mind about it, I really did, but I just couldn't get past seeing it as having killed BTAS (a perception magnified by the fact that DC Comics canceled Batman Adventures vol. 2 to introduce The Batman Strikes!). I want to get around to seeing it so I can have an informed opinion; just haven't yet. I have only seen a few episodes of The Brave and the Bold, but I dig it. I thought it was the right tone to strike, what with the Nolan films being nearly self-important. It reminds me in some ways of the '66 series, but it's my understanding that they've done some episodes that weren't lighthearted and were great.

Regarding a DVD release schedule for the '66 series, I would expect four volumes (one each for the first and third seasons, and split the second season into two volumes). I've caught some of the episodes on HUB recently and they looked fine to me as is. I can't imagine it being terribly expensive to produce discs from those masters (meaning, I don't see an obvious need for an elaborate remastering process).

I'd just like someone to come forward and actually claim responsibility for being the hold-up. I've heard countless theories, all couched in kernels of hearsay and speculation, but so far there doesn't appear to be a single party willing to actually define what the problem truly is. That's the most infuriating part, because we don't know where to direct our anger!