Warner Bros has issued a press release (which I won't reprint here) stating that they will soon be licensing the hell out of the original 60's Batman television show through all kinds of toys, collectible and other merchandise.
Since the show went off the air in the 1968 it had been mired in multiple licensing disagreement making merchandising almost impossible. But many of those issues have finally been resolved and Warner Bros has emerged as the final license holder for the property.
So far, this is what has been announced as upcoming merchandise for the show--
NECA - 18" figures
Mattel - Barbie & Ken figures (as Catwoman & Batman), 6" action figures
Funko - art figures and plush
Mezco - "detailed" vinyl figures (which I assume will be like their Thundercats figures)
Sideshow, Kotobukiya, Medicom - all unannounced at this time
Hot Toys - 1/6 scale Batmobile (and possibly figures)
Personally, I have very mixed feelings about this show.
As a kid, I loved it. I mean, it was Batman-- on TV!
But, as an [adult] comic book artist, I see the horrible damage that this show did for so many years to people's perception of comic books. "They are just goofy kid's stuff." Sure, some are, but many are not.
Comic books are like any other entertainment medium, some are for kids and some are for adults. You could say the same about books, television, movies, etc. I've read comics that are so brilliant, cerebral and engaging that 95% of movies and television shows couldn't come close to what those comics have achieved.
But, anyway, I'm not going to get too far off on my rant. After all, I think there's been some major redemption with the insane success of comic book adaptations at the box office in the past decade, but it's sad that comic books will always be looked at as kids stuff by most people in the US.
Actually, worldwide, the "comic book" format is a highly respected form of art and literature, especially in Europe and Japan.
No comments:
Post a Comment