Stephen Colbert found himself a Robin to his Batman…at least for one day.
On Monday's episode of The Colbert Report—the first of the new year—the comic announced a new format, one that included former Fox Newser Alan Colmes, the liberal half of the recently separated Hannity & Colmes for 12 years. He called the experiment "Colbert & Colmes" and introduced a new animated set of credits that featured the host plucking Colmes from his front pocket.
The sidekick was invited to a seat behind the desk that kept him perched a good foot shorter than the Colbert and received a list of approved responses, including "Boom goes the dynamite" and "Hamburger, you're good." To remind his pal who was boss, photo graphics regularly landed over Colmes' face.
Toward the end, the pairing went up in smoke, literally. An argument began after Colmes pointed out several mistakes in a metaphor the Emmy winner made. The newcomer then turned into a bat and flew away, shouting, "Boo-yah! Colmes away!"