Beware the Gray Ghost

If I had to pick one epitomizing episode, 'Beware the Gray Ghost' may very well be it. Herein is a common tale we've all seen before: destitute actor once revered as a superhero, but given new relevance via a copycat terrorist. And they cast Adam West as the Gray Ghost; I mean, that's just a home run. None of this feels like a stunt and it pays great reverence to the '60s version.

This is a great story, well-written and nicely animated. Hell, it deserves a hand for tying in directly to Bruce's formative years and pulling off just the right heartfelt tone. It's a huge tip of the hat, and yeah, it's that good.

10/10

There was no mistaking the first time the voice of "The Grey Ghost" was heard on this episode: it was "Batman," back again! Well, the television Batman, Adam West. What a hoot! It must have been great fun and nostalgia for him to come back, even though only his voice is heard. It just made this episode special....in fact, maybe the best!

The story is just dripping with nostalgia and sentiment and I loved every minute of it. We see Bruce Wayne as a little kid watching his hero "The Gray Ghost" on a black-on-white TV set. The ironic thing - and I doubt if it was an accident - was West's character, "Simon Trent," being an actor out of work and unable to get roles because he was typecast earlier in his career. Ya think there was a connection there? Yeah.

Anyway, it would good to see Batman working with his childhood idol to foil "The Mad Bomber." There is lots of action, great drawings and memorable material. Great stuff.

This is a real jewel in this Batman series. It will be hard to top.

This is another of my favorite episodes of the show in fact in general. It's kinda a dream come true for me because this episode not just has one Batman but two play of course by the actor that truly helped put Batman on the visual medium, Adam West.

Other than some terrorist plot line which really isn't that important by it's nature it's really a clothesline for the character drama which is what really powers the episode. I really like the character Adam West plays whom your really feel a sense of pathos for; I also can't help but feel some of this story might actually be based on some of his own life considering what happened after the 60s Batman was over and what he did afterward, this also made me think about a lot of other actors whom are now out of the limelight.

West's character is a man whom use to have fame as an iconic hero but then somewhere along the line has fell out of the spotlight; and just like the hero he's use to play he has been forgotten as well. I'll admit one scene that was just heart sinking was seeing him destroy some of the memorabilia he's kept and cry, believing everything he's done has amounted to nothing, the hero and the ideals he portrayed and believed in in fact believed himself to be he feels are worthless.

Bruce/Batman we see is doing everything to keep both the actor but most of all the hero and the ideology alive. It's interesting seeing Bruce/Batman for once not just solving crimes but actually saving someone having a crisis in faith which I find a refreshing change of pace. The back and forth between both Bruce/Batman and West is just fantastic and touching, because it two Batman's from two different generations in the same room together.

But the really touching moments were seeing how far Bruce's fandom of "The Gray Ghost" really goes. From a flashback scene when we see Bruce as a young child watching the show while both his parents were still alive which is part of why that show is sacred to him because it a relic that represents a time when his childhood still had light, his parents where still alive and there was love. As well as a scene where we see Bruce/Batman have a private collection of Gray Ghost memorabilia, showing not just the extent of his love for the franchise but how much an important part of his life and how infuentional it is to him.

The episode isn't just about believing once more but also about the importance of fandom. This episode is in a really a love letter to the Batman franchise in general and the fans that have keep it alive throughout the years.

The Batman franchise has been a important part of my life, the first time I've even seen Batman was the 60s Batman with Adam West and I remember having a blast with it the first time I saw it thinking as a kid it was an exciting escapist actioneer seeing costumed men fight costumed villains. I still have fun watching that show, I watch it more like a comedy as anyone would watch shows like "Red Dwarf", "The Simpsons" etc; but that just made me love the show even more enjoyable because as I got older I found new things about it; which just shows why the franchise keeps giving.

But I have seen the two Tim Burton films read and collected the comic series and they've been influential to me because they taught me important lessons about the importance of standing up against evil, to never fear it, never let it or anyone bring you down, to fight by any means necessary to not just defend yourself but defend others as well. It also inspired me to strengthen both my mind and body, that one can become something much more. As well as influence a bit of my writing.

As Babe Ruth once said, "Heroes are remembered by legends never die."

Rating: 4 stars

When Bruce Wayne was a child, he would watch shows featuring superhero, The Gray Ghost. When building are being blown up, Bruce recognizes that the methodology is that of his TV hero. He goes, as Batman, to the man who played the part, but he has fallen on hard times and wants nothing to do with him. He feels his role in that series ruined any chance of him being hired again. But, eventually he sees the light an teams up with Batman to try to solve the mystery. It seems there are remote control cars filled with explosives, zooming into buildings and blowing them up. The byplay between the two figures is very good. Listen for the voice of Adam West.

The greatest animated half hour ever made. I picture Bob Kane and Johnston McCulley the creator of Zorro digging it. Batman was based on Zorro the Doug Fairbanks version. I like how Bruce Wayne goes all fan boy. Frankly It humanizes a character that has had the humanity pretty well sucked out of him by constant remakes for nothing but cold hard cash the last 25 years. I will watch this episode more than any other Batman vehicle the rest of my days.