Batman 66

Batman's movie and TV adaptations have had varying degrees of success over the years, but one aspect of the DC Comics franchise that has been almost universally good for the past five decades or so has been the music. As if to prove it, the Piano Guys -- a duo consisting of a pianist and a cellist (shouldn't they be the Piano and Electric Cello Guys?) -- have taken three iconic Batman themes, arranged them for their own instruments, and mashed them up in a really creative and compelling way. Not only that, they put it all in an absolutely beautifully shot video.

If you haven't been keeping up with Batman '66, DC Comics' digital-first series based on the classic Adam West/Burt Ward television show, rest assured that it has continued to be awesome. Recent issues have seen a terrifying team-up with the Joker and Catwoman, a sinister plot to create a television adaptation of Batman's adventures, and -- perhaps most awesome of all -- the debut of a giant robot version of Batman that fought crime with the power of jet boots and rocket fists. It's... It's pretty great, y'all. But one of the more interesting things about the last few episodes -- er, issues is that they've thrown the spotlight on some of the more obscure villains from the show who never made it in the comics, like the Minstrel and Bookworm, and this week, it's the harrowing, haunting return of the Black Widow! Not to be confused with Marvel's Natasha Romanoff or Scarlett Johansson.

A great comic book cover is an advertisement, a work of art, a statement, and an invitation. A great comic book cover is a glimpse of another world through a canvas no bigger than a window pane. In Best Comic Book Covers Ever (This Month), we look back over some of the most eye-catching, original and exceptional covers of the past month. August offers a feast of shape and color, with striking covers by Scott Fischer, Victor Santos, Chrystin Garland, and Tula Lotay, some bold juxtaposition, and a quirky take on a pulp archetype or two -- including a Nazi airship and some poor sap being held in a giant hand. It's a classic!

If you've been paying attention to our deep and abiding love for both the concept of superhero selfies and the new Batgirl costume from the upcoming team of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr, then you may have already seen our fully official pitch stupid tweet about Batgirl and Robin engaging in an Interdimensional Selfie War. Inspired by Joe Quinones's amazing cover for an upcoming issue of Batman '66, our own editor Andy Khouri suggested that this could be the start of the 1966 version of Dick Grayson sending pix to 2014's Batgirl, with each trying to one-up the other. Now, it is happening -- at least in the world of fan art. Today, Quinones posted another great piece, this time of the Batgirl of Burnside receiving the picture from Robin -- which, in case you forgot, he actually took with A ROTARY TELEPHONE -- kicking off the Crisis On Infinite Selfies for real. And not only that, but it seems like the Joker from Batman '89 -- or at least his satin-jacketed henchmen -- are getting involved too.

Each weekday, ComicsAlliance brings you a carefully selected variety of links from around the web about comics and comics-related media, including movies, video games, toys, and whatever else might be worth noting. Quite frankly, these are items you may just need to know about to have a productive day. Take a look at today's hand-picked links after the jump.

If you follow the ComicsAlliance Instagram account, then you already know that we are pretty passionate about selfies. It's one of the reasons that we're actually so excited about seeing all the covers for DC's upcoming Selfie Month, in which the heroes of the DC Universe snap pictures of themselves while they're going about their heroic duty. It's a fun way to inject some much needed levity back into these most colorful characters, and one that fans respond to in enormously positive ways if the reaction to Cameron Stewart's Batgirl is any indication -- and that wasn't even part of the Selfie Month promotion. This week, one such cover was unveiled that has risen above all the others as possibly the single greatest superhero selfie of all time: Joe Quinones' cover to Batman '66 #14, where Robin the Boy Wonder can be seen snapping a photo of himself with the rotary Bat-Phone.

Arguably the most anticipated home video release, like, maybe ever, Batman '66 has finally been remastered and slated for release this November. The television show is both a classic interpretation of the Dark Knight but also an influential and beloved pop culture phenomenon in its own right, but arcane rights issues kept the complete series from the home video market for decades. As announced earlier this week, Batman: The Complete Television Series will be available November 11 on Blu-ray, DVD, digital, and, of course, a super expensive collector’s edition that comes with all sorts of groovy stuff, including a selection of photos from star Adam West’s personal archives (when you’re as mature and sophisticated as West, you get to have “personal archives”). In observance of the news, series stars Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar sat for a press conference at Comic-Con International in San Diego over the weekend, and ComicsAlliance's Chris Sims was there to document the event for your immense pleasure.

After decades of waiting, fans of the beloved Batman television show of the 1960s -- or Batman '66 as it is known -- will finally be able to own all 120 episodes on home video, and in high definition. After protracted litigation with series owner Fox, DC Comics' parent company Warner Bros. has set November 11 as the on-sale date for the completely remastered Batman '66, which will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, digital, and, of course, a super expensive collector's edition that comes with all sorts of groovy stuff, including a selection of photos from star Adam West's personal archives (when you're as mature and sophisticated as West, you get to have "personal archives").

The hits keep coming out of DC Comics' west coast digital comics division, whose senior editor Jim Chadwick announced at Comic-Con International that the next release from his Batman '66 line will be The Lost Episode. What makes this a big is twofold: the lost episode is indeed a lost episode of the classic 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, and it was written by none other than Harlan Ellison; award-winning television, writer, novelist, comics scribe, and notorious litigant. Secondly, the special issue will be drawn by José Luis García-López, one of the best comic book artists of all time. Adapting the script for comics will be Len Wein, a legendary comics figure in his own right. DC hasn't released clean images from the project yet, but we know that Ellison's unproduced script would have introduced Harvey "Two-Face" Dent into the television series.

Each weekday, ComicsAlliance brings you a carefully selected variety of links from around the web about comics and comics-related media, including movies, video games, toys, and whatever else might be worth noting. Quite frankly, these are items you may just need to know about to have a productive day. Take a look at today's hand-picked links after the jump.