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!

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 second part, Andy and Mike do another audio commentary! Originally this was the 50th episode of the show and they wanted to do something big. The Bookworm, played by Roddy McDowell, was one of the villains created for the live action series. He's also one of the most dangerous of the bad guys that Adam West and Burt Ward went up against. Andy and Mike yak over the two episodes, The Bookworm Turns and While Gotham City Burns, and talk about the show, McDowell, how creepy Bookworm is, and more!

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: Batman '66 at 60 concludes with a brand new episode where Andy and Mike talk about one of the rare three part episodes, this one featuring The Joker and The Penguin!

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!

For this first part, enjoy the re-release of Andy and Mike's commentary for the Batman: The Movie! This is actually a two-for-one type thing because this movie is also celebrating its 60th anniversary. The conversation is a mix of talking about the show and the movie in general and talking about what is happening on the screen at the moment. The guys talk about the cast, the fun dynamic between the villains, the action, and how much fun this movie really is. This episode is designed so that it can be listened to while watching the movie or on its own.

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: Batman '66 at 60 continues with another "classic" commentary! This time Andy and Mike talk about the Bookworm two parter.

The Road to Episode 100 ends with...EPISODE 100!

(It's shocking. We know.)

Anyway, Andy and Mike devote this landmark episode, which will no doubt go down in podcasting history as, "A show where two guys in their fifties talk about Batman!", to talking about the three stories from Batman #47 from 1948. First up is a Catwoman story titled, "Fashions in Crime!" Catwoman finds that her fashion is no longer in style after her most recent stay in prison, so she does what any rational person would do...start a fashion magazine! The guys talk about the giant props, the ludicrous plot, and how this one would have made a great episode of the Adam West series. This is followed by "The Chain Gang Crimes!", where Batman goes undercover in chain gang to expose corruption! If that plot sounds like one that would be at home on an episode of a show produced by Stephen J. Cannell or an episode of the nineties animated series, well, Andy and Mike agree with you.

Finally, they discuss "The Origin of Batman!" While this story might not exactly be "overlooked" the guys felt like this one would be a great story to celebrate the 100th episode. This one has been reprinted numerous times and even adapted in animated form on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The story of Batman confronting the man that was responsible for the death of his parents is a powerful one and the guys tackle it from all sides. From the story itself to the slight retcon of how Martha died to Bill Finger's writing to how a scene in this story reminded Mike of an episode of Everybody Hates Chris.

Deciding to use "the whole Buffalo" with this comic, the guys also talk about the ads, which were mostly about shoes. The late forties was a weird time.

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: Despite not knowing during the episode, Andy and Mike landed upon celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Batman television series!

The road to episode 100 continues with another Bat Flashback!

This particular flashback takes us back all the way to the second episode. Andy and Mike talked about issues 2 and 3 of The Untold Legend of the Batman. Topics include the origins of Robin, the Joker, Batgirl, and Two-Face. We also learn about how this version of Batman became friends with Jim Gordon and how Alfred came to live with Bruce and Dick. There's even some fun stuff about who was building the Batmobile back in the Bronze Age. For grins, Mike included some audio from the book-on-tape version of this story because, shockingly, there was a book-on-tape version of this story.

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 march towards episode 100 concludes with episode 100! Andy and Mike promise an episode that will break the Internet in half! Actually they don't, but it is a fun episode.

The road to Episode 100 continues by going ALL the way back to the very first episode of the show! Presented just as it was when it came out, without any cuts to make the guys look better!

Way back in 2017, Andy and Mike started The Overlooked Dark Knight with a mandate of talking about Batman comics that hardly anyone talks about. They promptly side stepped that mandate by starting things with an exploration of Batman's history. The Untold Legend of the Batman was a three-issue mini-series written by Len Wein with art (initially) by John Byrne and then (eventually) Jim Aparo. The point of the series was to take all of various tellings and re-tellings of Batman's origin, as well as the origins of his friends and foes and and present them as one, clean history.

Back when you could do such a thing.

After telling you why they started the show and discuss the pros and cons of doing an index podcast, the guys talk about the first issue of the series. That's all Mike remembers of the episode, so hopefully neither he nor Andy said anything that has since become problematic.

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.