West learned to embrace Batman role

LOS ANGELES - Before Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck donned Batman's cape in a stream of Hollywood blockbusters, there was Adam West.

West's deadpan portrayal of the comic hero in a campy 1960s TV series brought the Caped Crusader into the national consciousness with a "bang!" The Dark Knight had been a brooding presence on the pages of comic books since 1939 and on the big screen in 1940s-era movie serials.

West died on Friday night after "a short but brave battle with leukemia," his publicist, Molly Schoneveld, said on Saturday in a statement. He was 88.