Comic book writer Darren Garnick (left) chats with a young reader about the nuances of the 1966 Batman TV series during “Free Comic Book Day.”
Ever try to (deliberately) give away your creative work?
As strange as it sounds, there was still competition during “Free Comic Book Day,” the publishing industry’s savvy national promotion to get young kids to put down video games long enough to read a few cartoon panels printed on real paper.
Children of all ages recently got to pick up to 8 free sample titles, including “Yo Gabba Gabba,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “SpongeBob,” “Superman,” “Green Lantern,” “Peanuts,” “Star Wars,” and “The Simpsons.”
Double Midnight Comics in Manchester, NH
So generating interest in “Burt Ward, Boy Wonder,” my time travel adventure story about the actor who played “Robin” in the 1966 Batman TV series, required an enthusiastic sales pitch.
Luckily, I had help from some people in high places to promote the Bluewater Comics release this July:
The Dark Knight explores his sitcom past!
Oh, and there were more character endorsements from heroes who simply can’t wait to see how the Boy Wonder thwarts an evil Plutonian plot to take over the Earth — and a madcap scheme to alter the course of the Revolutionary War by supplementing British forces with robots!
As required by the Comic Book Constitution, the dialogue includes lots of exclamation points!
Spidey pays his respects to a DC legend….
Booster Gold plugs Batman’s Sidekick!
Isn’t it obvious who the real Mr. Incredible is?
Inevitably, I met a bunch of guys my age who were also brainwashing their kids to love the 1966 Batman — sharing my outrage over the inexcusable delay of 20th Century Fox to release a comprehensive DVD set of all three seasons.
Three people asked if I was Burt Ward. My son wanted me to say yes and play along. Holy Unethical Requests, Batman!
Darren Garnick's Culture Schlock 