It's Oswald Cobblepot time once again and this time it's the one I've been impatiently waiting, in actual fact, for decades; Burgess Meredith as the Penguin in Batman TV series! And no, this isn't a double post; while Meredith's Penguin was featured in 2009, then we were talking about the feature film. However, now, after a way-too-long wait, Batman: Complete Television Series has finally arrived on home video – and in BluRay form, no less. And it is beyond fantastic!
In the show Meredith's the Penguin is very close to the original comic book roots. He has his wacky weaponized umbrellas and masked henchmen, but also a penguin artefact collection so awesome it puts mine to shame. From his décor to gadgets, everything's a penguin! It's one of those moments I'm kind-of glad I'm not a rich person, because if I were, my fortunes would be wasted trying to track all these screen-used props!
The show is every bit as brilliant as I remember. It doesn't matter what age you are; the kids will be sucked into the surreal, colourful and cartoony world while adults will be laughing so hard it hurts, as the things get so camp and surreal you can't help but to love it! The beauty of Batman, to me, has always been that you can do pretty much any genre with the character, from edgy action and horror to camp comedy. And when it comes to comedy, Adam West and Burt Ward never fail to bring a wide smile on my face!
While the BluRay set is rather expensive, it's well worth it. Not only is the entire show featured in a pristinely remastered form, but there are tons of extras, both on discs and as separate goodies. On disc there's three hours worth of documentaries and retrospectives, while the box also contains a full episode guide, a printed version of Adam West's scrap book with his notes, a collectible Hot Wheels Batmobile replica and a re-print deck of collectible cards. As a fan of Batman, the Penguin and classic comic book art, these cards especially were a real treat.
And the icing on the cake? The freaking box plays the Batman theme – as if it wasn't stuck in your head already!
