Adam

Batman has died.

In reality, Adam West, the actor most associated with the role, has passed away following “a short but brave battle with leukemia” at the age of 88.

But that’s not how it felt to me.  To me, Batman has died.

Despite the show being originally aired from 1966 to 1968, I grew up with the show Batman.  It ran in syndication in my childhood and, from what I’ve gathered from people who lived through that time, I experienced it almost the same way they did.  The format of the show (the first and second seasons, anyway) saw a two-part episode air every week in the afternoons to catch the after school crowd.  The first part (Wednesdays) would always end in a cliffhanger with Batman and Robin in dire straits.  “Will the Dynamic Duo escape certain doom?  Tune in tomorrow!  Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!” Thursday’s episode would open with Batman and Robin quickly escaping the trap or otherwise dangerous state in which they found themselves and the villain of the week would be defeated within the half-hour.

The series entered syndication sometime in the late-80s or early-90s, most probably to capitalize on the recent release of the two Tim Burton-directed Batman movies.  And the airings in syndication followed that same format.  I can vividly recall coming home from school to catch whatever the newest (hey, it was new to me) adventure awaited Batman and Robin.  My Aunt Karen would record my favorite episodes for me on VHS tapes so I could watch them when none were on television.  I loved this character before I even have memories of loving the character.  

I was two-years-old.  No one has memories of that age.  But I knew I loved Batman.

That is all thanks to Adam West.  His take on the character wasn’t the first on film.  There were two film serials shortly after Batman was created (one in ’43 and one in ’49), but it was the 60’s series that gave Batman the (literally) worldwide fan base he has today.  In fact, National Periodical Publications (what we now know as DC Comics) had plans to cancel Detective Comics, the book starring Batman.  It was the explosion of popularity caused by the Adam West-led show that turned it all around for Batman.

The character would eventually take the dark turn that most fans are accustomed to, but Adam West’s optimistic, almost whimsical Batman inspired (literal) generations of fans.  But beyond the campiness of the show, there were lessons to be taught and things to be learned.  Every line of dialogue, no matter how comedic it may have been intended to be, was delivered with earnestness.  This was, after all, a show for children.  Through his interactions with Robin, we’re treated to these gems of wisdom:

Robin: "You can't get away from Batman that easy!"

Batman: "Easily."

Robin: "Easily."

Batman: "Good grammar is essential, Robin."

Robin: "Thank you."

Batman: "You're welcome."

Robin: "I guess you can never trust a woman."

Batman: "You've made a hasty generalization, Robin. It's a bad habit to get into."

Batman: "That's life, Robin, full of ups and downs. It ill befits any of us to become too confident."

Robin: "Venus seemed like a nice girl in that costume."

Batman: "I suspect she is a nice girl down deep, but she's fallen in with bad companions. And who knows what her home life was like."

Batman (about to cross the street): "Remember Robin, always look both ways."

Atomic batteries to power.  Turbines to speed.  Hearts to broken.

It should come as little surprise that Batman is ingrained in my life.  I’ve often said that I even relate the people in my life to the characters in the Batman mythos (don’t get me started on the various Catwomen and Robins over the years).  West is the first really significant loss of this kind.  He’s the first Batman to go.  My best friend said when she heard the news, her first thought was “Josh is going to be devastated!”  And I was.  I am.

A piece of my childhood is gone.  But in times like these, in a world full of hatred and mistrust, in a country that is so often divided against itself, I cling tighter to what this version of the Dark Knight stood for.  To be optimistic.  To try to better each other instead of tearing each other down.  To stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves.  That’s what he represented.  That’s the world he wanted.

Adam West was the Batman we deserve and the one we need, particularly right now. Because he is a hero. He was a wise man.  A crusader for good.  The Bright Knight.

-Josh

BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (s14) © 1966-1968, 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.  © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.  All rights reserved.