Yvonne Craig

Q: It's the 50th Anniversary of Batman '66! Can you rank the best episodes? -- @TheKize A: I wrote a fair bit about Batman on Tuesday to mark the actual day that it made its debut back in 1966 --- and, you know, I've written a whole bunch about it in general --- but you know what? You're right. The 50th anniversary of what is arguably the single greatest superhero show ever produced is something that's worth celebrating for a while yet. But ranking the best episodes? That's a tough one. It's not that I don't have my favorites, you understand, but with 120 episodes produced over three seasons, mostly divided into the two-part adventures punctuated by a deathtrap that would serve as the show's trademark, there's just too much to choose from. Even at its worst, the show was still fun, and with that many great performances and ludicrous plots, narrowing it all down to a top five is a pretty difficult task. Difficult... but far from impossible.

The resurgence of Batman '66 has led to a number of collectibles celebrating the classic TV series. While there have been numerous Adam West Batman figures and Batmobile models, there haven't been nearly enough Batgirl options for longtime fans. Part of that has to do with actress Yvonne Craig being the last member of the show to agree to license her likeness with Warner Bros. (she did so in 2013). As such, many companies worked on the line without including any Batgirl goods. The other part has to do with the reluctance of some companies to produce items centered on women in what are traditionally considered "boys'" lines, which is why the long awaited Batgirl figure in Mattel's Batman '66 line is an SDCC exclusive this year.

Wednesday's links await, after the cut.

If you asked a bunch of comic fans what the greatest Joker story of all time was, I imagine you'd get a variety of answers. Some would probably point to Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke, which raised the bar for the Joker's criminal madness...

The original Batgirl costume worn by Yvonne Craig is being auctioned off, and it seems that the genuine Hollywood treasure may yet sell for a surprisingly affordable amount. Bidding opened at $2,000 for the one-of-a-kind outfit, worn by Ms...

I tend to keep the TV on for background noise while I'm working late, and last night, I looked up from what I was writing to see something so monumentally odd that until I got a friend to turn it on and verify that it was actually happening, I was convinced that I'd either fallen asleep or accidentally eaten a healthy amount of peyote with dinner...