Batman ’66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel #1
Writer: Ian Edginton
Artist: Matthew Dow Smith
Main cover artist: Mike Allred
Variant cover artist: Cat Staggs
Publisher: DC Comics, in partnership with BOOM! Studios
Boom! Studios
DC Comics
Release Date: June 8, 2016
Cover Price: $0.99 (digital)

Looks like my birthday came a little early! Nothing makes me happier than seeing a little throwback to my youth, especially when it’s a crossover of two of my favorite shows. Batman ’66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel #1 brings my favorite DC hero face to face with my favorite British television characters (my apologies to The Doctor, but it’s true). I still stop and watch any Avengers episodes whenever I find them on television. And of course, Batman is probably more popular in my house than I am.

But enough about me, on to the review!

This is the first of twelve digital comics that will be available bi-weekly starting June 8th! A print version will follow as a six issue run beginning in July. I will definitely have to find the print editions, but for a buck every two weeks I can read it earlier, so that’s a win in my book! It will be available via the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, iBooks, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store, and iVerse ComicsPlus. Effectively, you’ll be able to download it pretty much any way you want. With these digital versions only being ten pages each, the story will unfold a bit slower than normal. But what we do get are excellent renderings of Adam West as Batman, Patrick Macnee as John Steed, and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. Capturing their likenesses in sequential art absolutely sets the mood, and as I was reading all the dialogue, I found myself hearing their voices and particular inflections.

The official synopsis is this:

As Bruce Wayne shows the beautiful head of a UK electronics company the sights of Gotham, they are interrupted by the felonious feline Catwoman! Unwilling to leave Miss Michaela Gough unprotected, Bruce resigns himself to the fact that Batman cannot save the day. But some new players have arrived in town – though even as the lovely, catsuit-clad Mrs. Peel and her comrade John Steed take control of the situation, nefarious plots continue apace!

The setup is simple. Bruce Wayne is giving a personal tour to British businesswoman Michaela Gough of a rare gemstone exhibit in Gotham, when they are interrupted by a burglar well known by all. Knowing that he is unable to act while appearing as his alter ego, the caped crusader attempts to signal for assistance. However, help is closer than he knows! The spy team of The Avengers were able to step in and help. Why were they there? That’s a question we have yet to discover! As I said earlier, ten pages per digital issue doesn’t give us a lot of clues, as most of this premiere issue was spent setting the scene.

This comic is poised to stretch out over the next half year, so I’m resigned to taking the tidbits offered, in hopes that the final result is just as exciting as I feel it will be. With it being available in so many formats and places, there is no reason that you should miss this. Classic Batman meets the classic Avengers duo of Steed and Peel? Um… yes, please! I’m pretty darned stoked, how about you?