Review: BATMAN ’66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET #6

WARNING: SPOILERS.

Summary:

Batman and the Green Hornet have formed a tense alliance in order to rescue their sidekicks from the Joker/General Gumm Green Hornet 2alliance. Meanwhile Robin and Kato are pretending to fight to the death for their captors’ amusement. Batman and the Hornet burst into the hideout through the skylight. After facing the best the villains can throw at them (A net. A net.) the Joker and General Gumm flee by boat, leaving our heroes to release their partners. Both duos part ways and try to figure out the Joker/Gumm alliance’s next target by themselves.

Positives:

There are a few things to like about this issue. The fact that the Joker has a switch labelled “USE IN CASE OF UNWANTED INTRUDERS”. (As opposed to “wanted intruders”?) Batman and the Green Hornet’s dynamic entrance into the Joker/Gumm hideout is also quite visually arresting. Sadly nothing in particular pops out in this issue. This is disappointing considering how we’ve been building to this confrontation with these two superfiends for some time.

Negatives:

The Dynamic Duo still don’t know about the Green Hornet and Kato’s identities as crimefighters. Instead of working together in harmony, Batman puts down the Green Hornet whenever possible.

The Batcave scene where Batman and Robin work to figure out the Joker and General Gumm’s next location brings to mind a similar scene in the previous issue. Unfortunately this doesn’t have the same humor and cleverness that scene had. The inevitable comparison makes the scene seem much more dull and wordier.

There’s also not much clevernesss in Batman and the Green Hornet’s defeat of the Joker/Gumm alliance. Compare the inventive traintop escape in issue #3 with “Joker and General Gumm decide to flee after our heroes pose at them menacingly”.

Verdict:

BATMAN ’66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET #6 is passable. Not good, not bad, just set-up for issue #7.

Rating:

rating2outof5