The weird thing is how Gray Ghost's story (which paralleled Adam's own professional struggles post-Batman) has since created the character archetype of "the classic actor who can't get a gig because he's typecast but he's still got it and can help save the day." Most recent example I saw of this was Scooby-Doo! Mask…

I always wondered why DC didn't put Gray Ghost in the comics.

Later on Batman Beyond, when Terry McGinnis needed back up, Bruce went out in the Gray Ghost costume.

Then of course he based the first Bat Bot (Protobot) on the Grey Ghost…

Holy crap I actually HAVE that issue of "Brave and the Bold"!

Although to be fair, it didn't really start out funny, but it evolved into a sort of situation comedy. Until Breakdowns when Giffen & DeMatteis were leaving the book, it got all kinds of serious then.

Agreed. Too bad it's turned back into a joke.

All sidekicks everywhere. The difference between them now and then is night and day.

Don't just show the picture, show the video!

Star Trek: The Original Series

Best reporter ever!

Up until the King Piccolo arc, Dragonball was pretty much a gag manga with shonen elements.

It's started out as a parody of martial arts manga - then Akira Toriyama realized he could draw kick-ass combat scenes. The parody underlies even the more serious "Dragon Ball Z" part of the manga (it's a game of how over-the-top it could become), but he definitely started telling a more serious story with it.

To some extent, Harley Quinn was just a joke for Batman: The Animated series and she's become her own franchise. Certainly one of the most popular comic book characters from the last 25 years.

The ultimate example.

For me this is obvious...