So, recently I was lucky enough to find a few issues of Batman from the 1960s for a good price at a flea market (specifically issues #166, #170, #180 and #184).  Now honestly, the 60s weren’t the best era for well-written Batman stories, but as I’ve discovered it was a great era for Batman being a completely awesome dude. In fact, I’d go so far as to call 60s Batman downright swingin’.

What made 60s Batman so far-out? Well…

We’ve all got out of a one-way deathtrap or two, but a two-way deathtrap? That takes 60s Batman.

The Guy Was A S–tty Joke Machine

Today when you think “superhero who never stops with the terrible jokes”, you generally think Spider-Man, but Spidey has never had anything on 60s Batman. It’s rare that 60s Batman utters a sentence that isn’t a belabored pun or one-liner. Care for a few samples?

“Death-Man — why don’t you go back to where you “came” from — the cemetery?!”

“Let’s play merry-go-round — I’ll go around while you be merry.” [Says Batman as he twirls around punching guys].

Now just imagine 90% of the word balloons containing similar sort-of, but not-quite jokes, and you have an idea of what 60s Batman was like. It takes a real man to be so consistently, shamelessly unfunny.

The Guy Slept on a Bed of “International Beauties”

Pretty much every panel in which Bruce Wayne appears out of his Batsuit he’s surrounded by a bevy of “international beauties”, often in bikinis, telling him how great he is. Also, all the guys spend all their time commenting on how awesome Bruce Wayne and his coterie of cuties are as well.

There’s no particular indication Bruce Wayne is just keeping these girls around for show either. Basically the impression you get is that Bruce Wayne slips out of his Bat-trunks and into a straight-up orgy pretty much every night.

Spoiler — Boning is going to happen.