If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

George R.R. Martin and Joe Hill reveal their favorite live-action Batman - and for one of them, it’s not Christian Bale

Authors George R. R. Martin and Joe Hill debated the proper version of the Batman at NYCC 2025

Batman (1966) — Image credit: 20th Century Fox

Features by Jim McDermott, Contributing writer

Published on Sun Oct 12 2025

Popverse's top stories

DC K.O. to feature guest stars from Mortal Kombat, The Conjuring, The Boys, and more in 2026
Charlie Cox's Daredevil, the Venom symbiote, and a Spider-Gwen-less Gwen Stacy promised in Marvel's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2
Batwoman, Lobo and more take DC Comics to the Next Level in 2026 with new comic book series

During the spotlight panel on George R. R. Martin at New York Comic Con 2025, Martin and host Joe Hill got into a conversation about Batman. Both had strong opinions about the character. “The original Batman was full of darkness,” Martin noted, with approval.

He bemoaned the fact that by the time he was reading in the 1950s, that quality had vanished. “The 50s version of Batman is really sort of silly,” says Martin. “He’s always fighting a villain on the keys of a giant typewriter. There’s no darkness in him whatsoever. He became the Dark Knight again, but in between he was this very silly character. And there was that stupid TV show.”

“I love the TV show!” Hill chimed in. “Really?” Martin wondered, with no small amount of genuine surprise. “The one with Adam West?”

“Yeah. He goes surfing with the Joker. A shark comes up and bites his thigh," Hill enthused. "Some people are like ‘Christian Bale is my Batman,’ Adam West is my Batman.”

As the crowd cheered, Martin tried to take that in. “Holy Moley!”, he said, finally.

Here's everything you need to enjoy New York Comic Con 2025:

About New York Comic Con

Welcome home, hero. This is your event where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself, regardless of your cultural background, physical ability, personal identity, or self-expression. Where you can experience the best in pop culture, be inspired, get star struck, treat yourself, and create all of those memories with the people you care about the most.