So Long, Old Chum: RIP Batman’s Adam West

Adam West’s Batman was my first exposure to superheroes, as he was for so many others. There were a lot flaws in West’s version of the Dark Knight — his Shatner-esque acting (or was Shatner’s Westian?); his astonishingly high shorts; his general lack of musculature. But because he was first, he holds an important place in my memory.

But it wasn’t just the superhero aspect of Batman that hooked me. Everything about the show and West’s campy Caped Crusader was iconic. The theme song. The pop art graphics. The off-kilter camera angles. The guest star villains. Robin’s “Holy _____, Batman!” exclamations. The Batusi. The cliffhanger sign-off at the end of each episode.

Not surprisingly, the impression West had on me has been passed down to my son, seen here singing the praises of his first, favorite superhero.

And so, in tribute, I couldn’t do just one lunch note. Even three seems not enough to capture West’s larger-than-life (especially to a kid) impact. But considering Batman has been the most-doodled lunch note chracter — and was also the first — this trio will have to do.

Epilogue: I’d had this post ready to publish for several days, but kept getting distracted or busy. So it was rather serendipitous that on Father’s Day, Papa suggested we all go to Awesome Con. There, on the outer edges of the marketplace, was a tribute wall to Adam West. We all took a turn signing it, which afforded me and Jon the opportunity to once again reminisce about our first superhero love, all those (or just a few) years ago.