A little while back, Amazon had one of their one-day sales for the limited edition 1966 Batman Complete Series Blu-ray box set. It was one that I wanted since it was first announced but the regular price was seriously high. But Amazon offered a deal I couldn’t refuse. Besides getting all three seasons of Adam West Ka-powing his way through Gotham’s most colorful villains, the set includes some extra swag. I already have a replica Hot Wheels Batmobile, so that didn’t interest me. But the Batman Complete Series Blu-ray trading cards did. Unfortunately, they suck.
Batman 1966 Blu-Ray Trading Cards Review
I had a good idea of what the cards were from the promo shots. They were reprints of some sort of the illustrated 1966 Topps Batman cards. Those just happen to be some of my all-time favorites.
The Batman Blu-ray cards come in a red box, much like a deck of cards. It’s not very descriptive. There’s the show’s iconic logo on on side and a reprint of a card with Batman and Robin swinging through the sky on the other along with a note of 44 cards.
The cards are a mix of the Black, Blue and Red Bat series. They’re done on somewhat old-fashioned card stock, only with a slightly glossier front. The same Norman Saunders illustrations are there, and that’s fine too. Backs are plain with only the Batman TV show logo and a bit of fine print. None of the cards are numbered.
Where the cards fall apart is the quality of the reprints. Had I not broken the seal on the Batman Blu-ray box set myself I might have questioned the authenticity of the cards. Sadly, they look like they were printed off a home printer, and a cheap one at that. The colors are drab. The lines are not at all crisp. This is especially noticeable around the captions.
If you’re still on the fence over getting the 1966 Batman TV show on Blu-ray and are using the cards as part of your justification, don’t. Get the show for the show’s sake and nothing else. Yes, the box might sing the theme song, but that gets tired quickly.
1966 Batman TV Series Blu-ray Box Set Trading Cards Checklist
Black Bat
The Bat-A-Rang
The Batman
Batman In Action
The Bat Signal
Deadly Claws
The Enemies Clash
Face of the Joker
Fighting Back
Following the Clue
Grim Realization
Into the Batmobile
“Let’s Go!”
Midnight Conference
Nightly Patrol
Queen of Crime
Robin — Boy Wonder
Robin In Peril
Robin Rescued
Time for a Rescue
“To the Batcave”
Umbrella Duel
Blue Bat
Aquatic Attack
Bashed on a Billboard
Branded Boy Wonder
Distorted Dynamic Duo
Inhospitable Hatter
Penned by the Penguin
The Perilous Penny
Renegade Roulette
Toll of Torture
Red Bat
Batman Wins a Prize
Boiling Bath
Cliff Hangers
Crime Above the Harbor
Cycling Crusader
Danger in the Depths
Flying Foes
Grappling a Gator
Inferno of Flame
The Joker’s Last Laugh
Pendulum Peril
Surfing Sleuths
Tentacled Terror
Undone by an Umbrella
