Do you think the licensing of the '66 Batman will help push '66 Marvel also?

[enyawd72]

I'm obviously more a Marvel guy than a DC guy, but I'm still really excited for all the '66 Batman merchandise coming and will definitely be picking up the series on DVD and some of the toys. What I'm also hoping will happen is Marvel will want to counter the release by perhaps finally putting out all those great "66 Marvel cartoons on DVD.

Releasing their classic shows is one area where DC has slaughtered Marvel. There are so many great Marvel shows from the 60's, 70's, and 80's that have never been released. It ticks me off even more now that they're making fun of the classic shows on those "Marvel Mash-Ups" during Ultimate Spider-Man. It seems they think the older stuff's a joke and not good for much else...

Thoughts?

[thunderbolt]

surprised that the Marvel 66 toons didn't surface during the Avengers movie marketing. It had the 4 biggies from the movie.

[enyawd72]

surprised that the Marvel 66 toons didn't surface during the Avengers movie marketing. It had the 4 biggies from the movie.

You and me both TB! And I still can't believe we're four Spider-Man movies out and no 1978 series, or Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. People are practically begging to give Marvel money for this stuff.

[thunderbolt]

on the other hand, all of it is available on Youtube and Disney doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.

[The Toyroom]

Batman '66 has the potential to be a monster merchandising hit more than Marvel '66 could ever hope to be...

[enyawd72]

Batman '66 has the potential to be a monster merchandising hit more than Marvel '66 could ever hope to be...

I don't know if I agree with that. There are still a whole lotta Batman fans out there who despise the show and consider it a chapter best forgotten. I'm not saying I agree with them, just saying.
I think the '66 stuff will sell well, but it's not gonna do record numbers. Christopher Reeve Superman is just as important, and that merchandising kinda came and went quietly. Even the '66 Batmobiles don't sell as well as the Tumblers at my local TRU. I think the key factor will be getting young kids into the show and it's merchandise. There just aren't enough of us old guys to carry it by ourselves.

[The Toyroom]

Batman '66 has much broader appeal IMO...whether people like it or don't like it they still are aware of it. "Marvel Men" not so much.

[Figuremod73]

The old material is where the its at, IMO. I think the new stuff is the joke, honestly. Really it just depends on who the target audience is. I think there is a potential for many kids getting into the Batman Tv show who have never seen it before. Its a very good show even if it is "campy".

I'm hoping the Marvel toons get released. Really they should already be on DVD. I'm afraid the animation may not appeal to younger people who are so into CGI and those big buget films.

[enyawd72]

Batman '66 has much broader appeal IMO...whether people like it or don't like it they still are aware of it. "Marvel Men" not so much.

"Marvel Men"? I think pretty much everybody is aware of them thanks to the Avengers, Cap, Thor, and Iron Man films. Not only that, they like them. That's the key. Whether people like something or not is the only thing that matters when it comes to selling it. The reality is a large percentage of Batman fans don't like the '66 Batman and aren't going to care about the merchandise. Hopefully it will gain NEW fans. I hope it does.

[thunderbolt]

^^ All you have to do is look at the mileage Hot Wheels has gotten out of the Barris Batmobile to guage interest in the 66 show. A lot bigger than you think.

[The Toyroom]

"Marvel Men"? I think pretty much everybody is aware of them thanks to the Avengers, Cap, Thor, and Iron Man films. Not only that, they like them. That's the key. Whether people like something or not is the only thing that matters when it comes to selling it. The reality is a large percentage of Batman fans don't like the '66 Batman and aren't going to care about the merchandise. Hopefully it will gain NEW fans. I hope it does.

I'm referring specifically to that cartoon version of the characters which is what I thought this was about. Nobody said "Batman vs The Avengers" , but specifically Batman '66 vs. Marvel '66. Bottom line is the Batman show has more crossover appeal than the Marvel cartoon. That was my point.

[silveralex]

'66 marvel would be cool - but as a cartoon , it gets a little lost in the sea of marvel cartoons on DVD. '66 batman was more of a cultural phenomenon and has a broader appeal. It's not just batman fans - people remember this from their childhoods when it was huge. I'm actually too young to have seen it when it first aired but remember it from reruns on tv. Big part of my exposure to superheroes early on

[The Toyroom]

Batman '66 is probably the one toyline people our age wished and hoped would have been made back in the late 60s-early 70s. It's iconic, whether that's your version of Batman or not it definitely made an impact and I think has a lot of potential for sales.

[kingdom warrior]

Batman 66 despised by a majority of Batman fans??? where did you get that stat from? Batman 66 is iconic and crosses to appeal to the non Batman fans some thing that Marvel toons from 66 will never do. Those Marvel cartoons really appeal to the Hardcore Marvel fans who loved the art from the time...the stiff animation is actually the only downfall to modern kids who live in the CGI age....

Batman 66's campiness IS what's charming about it. Most Batman fans know and accept that, If you are a hardcore batman fan you will be buying those dvd's when they come out......and Anthony is right, if Mego had made the Batman tv show figures we as kids would have loved them more....I had both Adam West and Burt Ward sign my Megos and for me those Megos mean more to me than the others......

[Brazoo]

I have a lot of fond memories of the old Marvel cartoons - but I think I can see a few ways how official releases of these things could be a problem.

If Marvel spends money restoring them for wide release I can see a lot of parents buying these for their kids and feeling ripped off because of the shoddy quality.

If Marvel releases them in a more limited way for the smaller group of fans who want them then fans might complain about spending money on cheap transfers.

Besides that - Marvel might not own the rights to the cartoons. Maybe there are ownership issues that make releasing these legally complex.

Maybe the company who owns them (or Marvel) is just happy earning off the re-runs. It seems to me that it's the easier to do that than outlaying money for DVD/Blu-ray release. There may be fear that a disc release will kill the demand for re-runs.

In my mind the Batman TV show is on another whole level. It's a much more popular show - and I think a lot of people consider it to be a classic TV series.