Announced via USA Today, DC and Dynamite are planning a new crossover to hit digital stands biweekly in late May, with a physical release in early June. Entitled “Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet,” the book sees Kevin Smith teaming up with Ralph Garman to co-write what happens when do out of date superheroes meet up and decide, “Hey, we’re both wearing tights. Why not?”
The book will feature artist Ty Templeton, and Smith remarks that the book will be a mix of the “straight crime drama” that was Green Hornet as well as the “inherent camp and twisted sensibility of Batman. The book is also being viewed as a “lost sequel” to the 1967 episodes of Batman, “A Piece of the Action” and “Batman’s Satisfaction,” a two-parter that teamed up Green Hornet and Kato (Van Williams and Bruce Lee, respectively) with West and Ward’s Batman and Robin, and will feature the return of Colonel Gumm, now a General.
In what is easily the most honest quote in the entire interview, though, Kevin Smith basically relents that the audience for the book is incredibly niche:
“Let’s be honest,” he says. “The core audience is adults like us, people who loved that show and grew up watching it and always dreamed of, ‘Oh, imagine if they had done one more season, there might have been another crossover with the Green Hornet and Kato.’ And so we got to do that.”
And as we all know, it’s important to make new comics that will appeal only old readers by attempting to exploit fond memories of their childhood rather than use prominent figures to tell new adventures of classic archetypes to appeal to a brand new generation of readers. Nailed it!
“Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet” Part 1 of 12 hits digital platforms May 21st, and comic shops June 4th.
