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How are you doing you wonderful nerds?
Have you seen the Lego Batman movie yet?
I haven't because I'm filming this in advance
but it looks to be a ton of fun.
Plus it seems to be doing at least a little better
than the last couple films we've seen
the caped crusader in and most Batman movies in general.
At least for now, we'll see how it goes moving forward.
But why is it that audiences are reacting
to Lego Batman with an overwhelmingly positive response?
Why does this seem to work better than this?
I have a theory.
The goofy silly wacky Lego Batman
is just a modern version of the goofy silly wacky
Adam West Batman from the 1960's.
- Holy, here we go again Batman.
- As you may know, there was a strange period
in the 1940's and '50s where the public
was losing interest in superheroes.
Comics were selling great during the war
but now the war was over and people didn't want
to subject themselves to more stories where characters,
sometimes literal soldiers, put on a uniform
to fight bad guys.
The American people wanted a break from that.
Publishers started transitioning to non-superhero comics,
like Teen Romance and horror, plus the comics code authority
was put in place during this time, heavily censoring
the kinds of tales that writers could publish.
Batman and Robin survived through this changing industry
but just barely.
There was even talk that DC would even cancel their stories
if sales continued to underperform.
They dynamic duo would find their footing once again
but not in the form of comic books, at least not yet.
During the 1960's, television networks
were on the hunt for family shows,
programs that could be both enjoyed
by children and adults together.
Typically featuring fantastical characters.
And this format led to shows like the Addams Family
and the Munsters.
ABC executives reached into what I imagine
was a discarded barrel of properties companies left out
on their front lawn and came out with Batman.
They sent it over to 20th Century Fox
to produce the show, who in turn handed it over
to William Dozier, a man who had never read
a comic book in his entire life up to that point.
In fact, legend has it that he started reading Batman comics
on the plane ride to his first meeting.
He would later become the announcer of the series,
delivering that famous line.
- [Announcer] Same bat-time, same bat-channel.
- But at the time when the show was first being crafted,
Dozier had no idea what to do with a Batman TV series
until he eventually thought up one plan.
Quote, the idea was to overdo it.
If you overdid it, I thought it would be funny to adults
and yet it would be stimulating to kids.
But you had to appeal to both levels,
or you just didn't have a chance, end quote.
Aided by screenings of the old Batman serials
that had been making rounds during the mid 1960's,
home audiences embraced this new show
and it became a pop culture sensation
practically overnight.
- I don't know who he is behind that mask of his
but I do know when we need him.
And we need him now.
- The series accomplished the network's goal
of being something both children and adults
could watch together.
As the star Adam West explained, quote,
I think of our Batman as the Bright Knight.
The kids loved it and we were funny for the adults.
And that was our intention.
If you play it that way the show stays fresh
and always kind of spinning around out there
in its own little world, end quote.
And while we might live in a culture
that is used to Batman being dark and gritty,
the 1960's show was bright and vibrant
with an eccentric style.
It was intended to be a video representation
of the very comic books it was pulling inspiration from.
With it's loud and saturated color pallette.
- When you look at Batman you see all those primary colors
that were kind of borrowed from the earlier comic books.
- And yes the series did massively increase comic sales
but it also set the dynamic duo on a course
for store shelves at a breakneck pace
that reportedly surpassed Superman
at the height of his popularity.
West again recalled, quote, anywhere you looked
on the set, there was a bat-prop that I could use
or a set dressing or something.
We had props up the wazoo.
So immediately, the merchandising departments
got into the act, end quote.
When you look at these three facets of the 1960's show,
you can start to appreciate just how similar
the Lego Batman movie is.
Made for kids and adults, yep,
there are elements of the comedy and storytelling
that make it appealing to audiences
across multiple demographics.
Like, butt jokes and obscure pop culture references.
Bright and colorful, definitely.
Compared to the dull and gray vigilante
that we're used to seeing on film, Lego Batman
is an explosion of stylized and saturated colors.
As for whether it will result in merchandise sales,
it's a movie where everything is made from literal toys.
After the first Lego movie had come out,
Lego became the number one toy maker in the world,
outselling and surpassing Barbie.
Sales are guaranteed to spike again thanks to this film.
Lego Batman checks all of the same boxes
as the '60s Batman series but we can't overlook
the fallout from the show.
Once Adam West and Burt Ward went off the air
as the caped crusader and the boy wonder,
the sales of Batman comics were back in the gutter.
In fact, Batman was almost in a worst state than before.
He now had this campy reputation that DC wanted to shake.
Then in 1986, Frank Miller created his take
on the caped crusader in the gritty and violent comic,
The Dark Knight Returns.
Along with Watchmen, another brutal book
that was said to be the exception to the industry,
comics started to reinvent themselves as more mature.
This change ushered in the dark age of comics.
Where heroes were more complicated
and stories weren't as clear cut as right and wrong.
It was a hard turn away from the goofiness
of Adam West's Batman.
It was what the industry needed at the time.
Though perhaps since then things have reversed.
Maybe after so many darker interpretations of the hero,
audiences are eager to accept a sillier take.
And maybe as the DCEU is getting their own Batman movie
set up, this Lego one will allow us to take a breath.
Cleanse our pallettes, to give us a break
from the constant serious interpretations
of the character and hopefully allow the next time
we see Batfleck suit up to be a little more special.
Or maybe Justice League and the Batman movie
are doomed either way, what do I know?
What do you think?
Does the Lego Batman movie resemble
a modern Adam West Batman, at least in practice,
if not in style.
Do you think that the Lego Batman movie
could in its own way get DCEU back on track?
I know that's a weird question but I would love
to know your thoughts.
If you want to talk about the Lego Batman movie
in the comments, please make sure to warn people
of spoilers before posting anything.
Not for my sake, I mean you guys know,
I don't really care about spoilers at all.
It's just for everyone else who wants
to jump in on the conversation but might not
want to chance it.
And in case you didn't know, we have a newsletter
that gets sent out every other week,
it's called the Sunday Syncup,
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If you want to watch more Batman videos,
which let's face it, who doesn't?
We've got an entire series on the famous story
The Killing Joke, of which I am very proud
so please do check that out.
Or here's another video that you might like.
Thank you so much for watching,
my name is Scott reminding you to read between
the panels and grow smarter through comics.
See ya.