Adam West weighs in on "The Dark Knight"

It's the obligatory thing, when something big happens in the Batworld, to get the opinion of TV's lovable and still-high-profile 1960s Batman, Mr. Adam West. BRB, in fact, was the first one to get West on the phone when Batman's creator Bob Kane died in 1998, and he related a delightful anecdone about Kane from his days on the "Batman" set.

Now, West is weighing in on the second installment in the new Batfilm franchise, "The Dark Knight," opening next month. In short, he doesn't much like it. And should we be surprised? We politely submit that traditionally in interviews, West, whom we will always love and adore, hasn't cared for any Batproject that hasn't involved him, which would mean basically all the other stuff besides the animated "Batman: The Animated Series" (where he voiced the Grey Ghost), "The Batman" (Mayor Grange), "SuperFriends," the '70s "New Adventures of Batman" and the aforementioned '60s "Batman." We seem to remember his negative take on Michael Keaton's "Batman" -- and his disappointment at not being offered a cameo in it -- back in '89.

"They're a different kind of thing than ours was," he tells Comic Book Movie of the modern Batfilms. "They're dark, gothic, sinister, full of explosions. We didn't approach it that way at all."

There's something to be said for the zany, lighthearted approach, of course. And there's something to be said for the more Frank Miller-like interpretation. Wish Mr. Kane were still around, so we could ask him!!!

Also in Gotham City ... Catch the latest issue of ToyFare magazine, and you'll catch a new interview with Kevin Conroy, voice of Batman in the 1990s animated series. The ish also has a look at various Battoys and movies. Read more at Wizard World's site.