Welcome back to The Overlooked Dark Knight, the show where Andrew Leyland and Michael Bailey shine a light on Batman stories people tend to...overlook.

It's right there in the name.

This time out Andy and Mike look at Detective Comics #400, which, in addition to being the 400th issue of Detective Comics, was also the first appearance of Man-Bat. See, Mike thought it would be a great idea to take a look at Man-Bat because he didn't have much experience with the character and Andy went along with this because that's how this show operates. What follows is a fun conversation looking at a story that is part super-hero story, part Hammer Horror type story, and part Neal Adams showcase. The conversation is not all that serious, but is a lot of fun and includes commentary on how anniversary issues used to not be the celebrations they eventually became, how Mike is completely wrong about Man-Bat being a Marvel type character, the previously mentioned Neal Adams art and how modern printings don't look as good as the originals, and Man-Bat as a character. They also look at the backup story, which despite being billed as the first team-up between Batgirl and Robin does not feature a team-up between Batgirl and Robin.

It may not seem like it, but Andy and Mike do like feedback even if they are crap at getting to it. The most direct way to do this is to email them, which you can do by directing your thoughts to overlookeddarkknight@gmail.com. You can also leave a comment over on their Facebook page. You can also leave a comment at the new web home of the show, The Bailey Planet.

Next Time: The Man-Bat coverage continues with Andy and Mike taking a very unserious look at the first issue of the ongoing Man-Bat series.

The Overlooked Dark Knight presents another Bat-Flashback!

Recently Andy and Mike have been looking at the original team-ups between Superman and Spider-Man because there are new team-ups between those heroes. Because of this, Mike thought it might be a good idea to re-release the time the guys talked about Batman meeting and, improbably, fighting the Incredible Hulk.

Originally presented as episode 61 of the show (released on January 18, 2022) Andy and Mike talked about "The Monster and the Madman". Written by Len Wein with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dick Giordano, the story was initially presented in DC Special Series #27 and was released (according to Mike's Amazing World of Comics) on September 24, 1981. The story has Batman and the Hulk joining forces to deal with their most well known and arch foes. In Batman's case this meant The Joker. For Hulk, this meant...the Shaper of Worlds?

Yeah, Andy and Mike were confused about that as well. It's one of the things they talk about. They also discuss the art, the fact that the Bruce Banner in the story was played somewhat like his live action television counterpart, wha the term "donkey work" means, what other Hulk villains could have been used and more. The episode is presented just as it was when it was first unleased on the world, so no recent intros and outros will be included.

Below are the front and back cover to this treasury sized special.

It may not seem like it, but Andy and Mike do like feedback even if they are crap at getting to it. The most direct way to do this is to email them, which you can do by directing your thoughts to overlookeddarkknight@gmail.com. You can also leave a comment over on their Facebook page. You can also leave a comment at the new web home of the show, The Bailey Planet.

Next Time: The regular episodes resume with Mike and Andy starting a two-part look at one of the most off-beat Batman villains ever…Man-Bat!

It is not hyperbole to say that without the 1966 Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward that this podcast wouldn't be a thing. That series is foundational to both Andy and Mike in terms of them being Batman fans. This year, Batman '66, as it has become more commonly known these days, is turning 60 and the guys thought that they should mark the occasion with an episode devoted to the show.

Then they thought they could make the celebration a little bigger by re-releasing two of their older episodes that were about the show since they are no longer available on the old feed.

And thus was born…Batman '66 at 60!

In this third and final part Andy and Mike talk about (as opposed to talking over) one of the three part episodes from the second season of Batman '66. The Zodiac Crimes (original air date January 11, 1967), The Joker's Hard Times (original air date January 12, 1967), and The Penguin Declines (original air date January 18, 1967) were Andy's choices and could very easily have been made into a second Batman film. This one has it all when it comes to Batman '66. A team-up between The Joker and The Penguin? Check. A beautiful sidekick for the villains that definitely wanted to try a little bit of Batman on? Check. Death traps? Double check. Andy and Mike talk about all of that and more as the finish their celebration of the Batman show that made them.

It may not seem like it, but Andy and Mike do like feedback even if they are crap at getting to it. The most direct way to do this is to email them, which you can do by directing your thoughts to overlookeddarkknight@gmail.com. You can also leave a comment over on their Facebook page. You can also leave a comment at the new web home of the show, The Bailey Planet.

Next Time: Mike and Andy start a two-part look at one of the most off-beat Batman villains ever...Man-Bat!