Episode 40: "Batman's Anniversary/A Riddling Controversy"

(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER) Aired Febraury 8/9, 1967     The Riddler is back in town and he needs $3,000,000 in order to acquire a device that will give him absolute control over Gotham City.  Can Batman and Robin solve his baffling clues in time?  Will they realize the Riddler's looking a little different this time around?  The whole thing is heading for an explosive climax as John Astin takes on the role of the Prince of Puzzlers.   Joining John to talk about John Astin's performance and how it differs from Frank Gorshin's Riddler portrayal is Gotham City 14 Miles editor, Jim Beard.   Comment on the episode here or write [email protected]   A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jim Beard was introduced to comic books at an early age by his father, who passed on to him a love for the medium and the pulp characters who preceded it. After decades of reading, collecting and dissecting comics, Jim became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he's written official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history.   His prose work includes GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure. Currently, Jim provides regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website, and is a regular columnist for Toledo Free Press.   Websites http://www.facebook.com/thebeardjimbeard http://www.sgtjanus.blogspot.com