Batman's "Lost Episode" Surfaces as a Comic Book
The Batman nostalgia continues. A week after the classic 1966-68 TV series starring Adam West made its (very) long-awaited debut on DVD and Blu-ray, another gem from the Batcave has surfaced. On Wednesday, DC Comics will publish the so-called "Lost Episode" from the series, a comic-book adaptation of a never-produced story.
The comic is based on an outline by legendary science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, and is being adapted as an extension of DC's popular Batman '66 series. It features what would have been the show's introduction of the villain Two-Face (aka Harvey Dent, who coincidentally makes his debut on Fox's Gotham this week).
Iconic comic writer Len Wein scripted the adaptation, with art by José Luis García-López and Joe Prado. Wein, who created the comic characters Swamp Thing and Human Target, was recommended for the gig by his good friend Ellison. "I had to write a story that would satisfy Harlan's high standards, DC's need to stay true to the TV versions of all those wonderful characters, and my own need to tell as entertaining a story as possible within the rigors of the form," Wein says. "If I did a poor job, I was going to hear about it from Harlan for the rest of our lives!"
As to why, more than four decades later, West's not-so-Dark-Knight is still so popular, Wein believes "there's something in this version that appeals to the kid in all of us, that 10-year-old who raced to the store every week to pick up the latest issue of the original Batman comic. There was something comforting there, something familiar. It's always nice to be able to go home again, and that's the opportunity the Batman TV show offers us."
Batman '66: The Lost Episode features a 30-page story plus 40-pages of additional content (García-López's original pencil art and Ellison's original outline). The issue goes on sale Wednesday, Nov. 19 in both print and digital formats. Digital users can download the book at readdcentertainment.com and via the DC Comics app, the iBookstore, Nook Store and Kindle Store.
Below is acclaimed artist Alex Ross's cover for the issue. For a preview of some of the pages, click here.
