It's not too much to say that I'm here now typing this because of the delightful work of Adam West. When Adam West and other fine talents attempted to bring the four-color excitement of comic books to the recently full color small screen with the Batman TV show, it was a true-blue spectacle.
West and his co-stars were elevated to iconic status and the actor who had developed a perfectly okay career to that point was transformed into many young men's personal hero. He came to represent that which is good and that which stands for right even when it seems painfully corny. Despite the irony which dripped from each episode there was a core charm of forthrightness which helped define the series and its that central integrity which makes it still one of the most entertaining TV shows of all time.
The wild success of that show helped salvage an industry which lived close to the rocks at all times. I came to comic books because of the TV shows which were inspired by them at that moment in time, and that adoration of the comic has persisted throughout my life.
So to Adam West I say thank you, bon voyage and farewell.
Rest in Peace Good Knight.
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Ahhh, to be 6 years old again and encountering that 1966 Pow-Zap-Wham Fest for the first time…I wouldn’t have been a comic book fan without this show…Thank you Mr. West…Rest in Peace…
ReplyDeleteI'm a wee bit older, but I agree. This show saved comics and made fans of many of us. West was a grand spokesman for the hobby, even though in some respects he had to loathe the character which made him famous. He seemed content with his lot in life in the end though.
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