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It’s been 48 years since the iconic Batman television series first aired. Adam West, the man behind the cowl, was at the New York Comic Con on Friday afternoon promoting the new television box set and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham video game that will available for purchase on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The footage has been digitally re-mastered and available in its entirety except for the full length motion picture.

Here are five things I found interesting during the West’s victory lap:

From East to West: Apparently, West was friends with the legendary Bruce Lee. “Bruce Lee and I were friends. We used to surf together out on the beach, strangely enough. Bruce was a very quiet, introspective guy, and he was a dream to work with because he did everything that was required and more.”

Adam West never auditioned for the role: “They seen a commercial for a film I had done before I went to Europe to film some spaghetti westerns. When I got back, my agent said they want to see me at Fox and ABC because they saw something I did that they liked, and I didn’t know what it was. I went out and read the pilot script by Lorenzo Semple Jr. I thought it was brilliant and insanely funny, and I said “I’ll do it.” I knew they wanted me, but they tested others to give me a little fright.”

Julie was his favorite Catwoman: West gave some mad respect to the late great Frank Gorshin. West admitted that his favorite arch-nemesis was Gorshin’s Riddler. There were three actresses that play Catwoman but the stunning Julie Newmar had a special place in his heart. “It has to be Julie because I worked with her first and the most. She promised to date me when she got out of jail. Time off and good behavior.”

Gray Ghost in the works?  “I enjoyed the Gray Ghost. There’s some talk about doing it as a series. People ask me about that a lot, and Family Guy.”

Money talks… Someone from Guinness World Records was in the crowd, and she asked Mayor West how did he feel about breaking the record for most screen appearances as Batman and if he would like to break any more records. West signed and said “The highest paid.”

We’ve suggested here several times that if someone wants to make some easy money, get Adam West and William Shatner together in a movie as retired detectives who just wander around saying things. Admit it! You would listen to West’s mahogany stylings and Shatner’s stentorian cadences non-stop!

Well, as all true scholars know, Shat and West DID star together in their youth in a toga drama about Alexander the Great! Hero Complex has all the details on this project, which never got out of the piloty stages, alas.

“Bill and I were supposed to alternate every week with the lead part,” West said. “We did the pilot and Bill was the lead as Alexander and I was the kind of sidekick guy and I was going to have the next episode and it was supposed to go like that from there. Bill had a lot more in that first episode than I did, of course.”