ZAP! POW! The Batman TV show became famous for its “comic book” fight sound effects. Odd, though… before the show began, punches in Batman comics were silent! So where’d the show get the idea for noisy punches? We ponder this question after reading many ‘60s Batman comics, and also explore the changes of “New Look Batman” in 1964; determine what the show borrowed from the comics —and what the comics borrowed from the show; discuss whether the TV show is what saved the character (our verdict: nope!); and more.

Selected sources:

• Showcase Presents: Batman, Vol. 1
• Comics Alliance: The Evolution of Catwoman
• Fred Hembeck on Detective Comics 327
• DCcomicsartists.com: New Look Batman
• Baby Boomer Comics: The Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Comic Books of the 1960s