Batman: The Animated Series

[MikeandRaph87]

We got off track in the Batman crossover thread and the latest movirs seen thread talking abourmt this show so I thought it was brst to create a thread for it. This show more than any other iteration defines Batman for me. Not the WB! season, but the three seasons worth of 85 or so episides front the Fox run. It has Robin and Batgirl gurst starring, though not enough. Love those two characters and would like to have seen more individual focus with them. The character designs are iconic and the tone is nearly perfect. As said before I have a handful of nitpicks of this show, but it oresents Batman and co. better than anything before or after. It captures nearly all of the villains as victims of society, sympathic and colorful. Even a few episodes that shelf the traditional villain un fa or of an episode that focuses on humanism. So what are your tboughts?

[Pollyparrot]

I think its the best animated Batman ever made. The Superman and Batman World's Finest crossover movie is awesome. Mark Hamill has another winner as The Joker, first winner being Luke Skywalker.

Kevin's Batman is the Batman voice to me. That's how I think he should sound.

[CyberCubed]

This show more than any other iteration defines Batman for me. Not the WB! season, but the three seasons worth of 85 or so episides front the Fox run

What is that supposed to mean? The last season of 24 episodes is a direct continuation of B:TAS, and its largely considered the same show on the DVD sets and by Bruce Timm.

[drgon78]

Best version of Batman ever.

[Leo656]

What is that supposed to mean? The last season of 24 episodes is a direct continuation of B:TAS, and its largely considered the same show on the DVD sets and by Bruce Timm.

Big drop-off in quality, though, and the redesigned art style was awful. Where the f*** did Joker's lips go?! :lol:

[MikeandRaph87]

Big drop-off in quality, though, and the redesigned art style was awful. Where the f*** did Joker's lips go?! :lol:

Exactly. Only about 4 episodes of that set do I care for personally and the redesigns are atrocious. I also felt WB!'s attempt to relate to the audience by getting a younger Robin was a bad idea as I feel put off by the Jason Todd 2.0/ Tim Drake hybrid and love Dick Grayson as Robin. I did like having Firefly added in even late in the run. I wish that Mr. Freeze did not appear in the fourth season wither. He got a good ending that was only ruined by further appearances. Sure we are made to feel sorry for the likes of Two Face and Clayface, but Victor Fries should at least get a good ending ot his storyline with the idea even if he was not cured he got back with Nora and reintegrated into society.

The creators said the hardest character to write for was The Riddler as to why he did not show up in season 1 and only made 3 full appearances along with his two cameos. Most of the rejected scripts for the series featured him. I can understand why as it is hard to make him a cerebral threat and Batman always get him in the end. I would argue Catwoman is the hardest to write for. Is she a villain? Is she an a protector with a compulsion to steal the finer things? How is her relationship with both Batman and Bruce Wayne? Honestly, aside from the blonde hair before the redesign giving her short black hair there is not much to nitpick over. Here are her list of appearances:

The Cat and The Claw Part 1- season 1
The Cat and The Claw Part 2-season 1
Cat Scratch Fever- season 2
Tyger, Tyger- season 2
Almost Got 'Im- season 2
Catwalk- season 3
Batgirl Returns- season 3
You Scratch My Back- season 4
Cult of The Cat- season 4

[Leo656]

Yeah, I'm a huge Tim Drake fan, that's the Robin I grew up with, so I was a little bit tickled when I saw/heard they were using him in the show. Then I saw it was really just Jason with Tim's name and that turned me off a little bit.

I missed most of the "Redesign Season" when it originally aired and only caught it way later on. The whole thing just felt like a tacked-on addendum to a series that was already finished.

[Mew]

I like this series. You can watch it on Amazon Prime, for free, if you have Prime.

[CyberCubed]

The final season had plenty of great episodes.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I wouldn't mind seeing another Batman cartoon series that takes influences from The Animated Series and adds in elements from other takes such as the comics, the 1966s series, Batman 89, Nolan, and combined them together.

[Redeemer]

I wouldn't mind seeing another Batman cartoon series that takes influences from The Animated Series and adds in elements from other takes such as the comics, the 1966s series, Batman 89, Nolan, and combined them together.

I don't know if you have seen "The Batman" its probably the best thing sense Batman TAS.

[plastroncafe]

I remember watching the show as it aired, and thinking it was the most amazing animation I'd ever seen....in terms of style and execution.

While the stories and voice acting remain amazing, wow the animation has not aged well. Having said that, it's still my default Batman chronology.

[Cure]

wow the animation has not aged well.

Yeah, it's not great, especially when it rains. The rain looks bad and odd.

[CyberCubed]

People think B:TAS looks bad? Its animation is better than most modern looking shows.

[The Stryker]

Droopy nose Batman and Fat Bruce Wayne. Not my favorite designs in the pre-relaunch stuff.

[Cure]

People think B:TAS looks bad? Its animation is better than most modern looking shows.

Haha, sure pal. That's not the goggles speaking.

[Etsyturtle2]

Love it, simply put. And mew, I don't need prime yo, I got youtube.

[MikeandRaph87]

Aside from Dark Knight In The City and Batgirl Begins I could not get into it until tbe 4th season oremiee. Ironically with the inclusion of Dick Grayson it got darker and the entainment as well in The Batman. Black Mask makes his debut in The Batman is one Batman: The Animated Series left out.

If you want to see wither series go to kisscartoons.me.

[sdp]

I really need to re-watch the show and the DCAU in general, haven't watched them since the DVDs were being released so it's been ten years since i've watched some BTAS episodes, a little less for the other DCAU shows. Simply fantastic show and BTAS made me a fan of Batman as a kid. As a teenager it was JLU that got me to be a fan of cartoons in general again. The re=launch might not have as many highs as BTAS but it's probably more consistent than BTAS. I also loved returning to that universe years later and seeing what had happened in all those years.

The Batman got a lot of unwarranted hate but it has more than enough decent episodes and created some awesome original characters. It's darker than what people give it credit for but sadly it's legacy is tainted by the terrible version of the Penguin/Joker they have and select mediocre episodes.

[CyberCubed]

I really need to re-watch the show and the DCAU in general, haven't watched them since the DVDs were being released so it's been ten years since i've watched some BTAS episodes, a little less for the other DCAU shows. Simply fantastic show and BTAS made me a fan of Batman as a kid. As a teenager it was JLU that got me to be a fan of cartoons in general again. The re=launch might not have as many highs as BTAS but it's probably more consistent than BTAS. I also loved returning to that universe years later and seeing what had happened in all those years.

I rewatch the entire DCAU every 2 years or so.

[sdp]

and the OT/2k3 too ;)

I really don't know how you do it. I just don't have time, I also don't like to watch things too soon since the more time passes the more enjoyable the next viewing is. I really need to get to the DCAU again though ten years is a lot of time but I'm overwhelmed by the amount of episodes and I already have plenty of new DC shows (Flash/Gotham/Arrow) to watch that take up my time for the foreseeable future to be adding even more DC shows. I can pretty much only watch one show at a time that I binge. For example I started Clone Wars around September and I just finished it. Now I can move on to another show.

[CyberCubed]

For half hour shows its not that hard to do. Without commercials and skipping openings/endings, most shows are only 22 minutes long.

You can watch 4 episodes in just an hour and a half. Every night around 11pm I rewatch 4 episodes in a row of whatever show I'm currently marathoning. Within just one weeks of time you can get through a huge batch of episodes.

[ABrown]

Droopy nose Batman and Fat Bruce Wayne. Not my favorite designs in the pre-relaunch stuff.

Ha. Yeah, I'll definitely take both the Batman and Bruce Wayne designs from the Later "New Batman Adventures" episodes over his designs from the earlier "Animated Series" episodes.

[MikeandRaph87]

I like the design for the first three seasons carrying the look from '64-'95. I dont know why, but the dark blue just looks better.

The problem with Killer Croc is his character in a sense is a mutant crocodile and is one of the few non-realistic villains that Batman reoccuringly faces. He needs to be more of a human that has croc-like features. The design works for me.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Interesting that this thread was made- I'm currently in the middle of re-watching the series myself. I'm on volume two (season two, IIRC) which included many of my favorite episodes of the series. The Cat-Woman episodes are actually some of my favorites, along with anything the Joker and/or Harley Quinn appears in. I'm also in LOVE with that episode where Harley and Ivy went on their little crime spree "girls only" thing. I swear there are some LGBT undertones there. But two of my all-time favorite episodes were The Happy Fish and Joker's Wild. Hamill knocked it out of the park with his voice-acting. I also loved Mad As A Hatter, just for the almost tragic pathos of Jervis's love for Alice. Tyger, Tiger was an interesting study in what makes someone "human", and it led me to seek out the poem that was mentioned in the episode.

Like many others, this IS the most iconic version of Batman for me, the one I identified with best, and since I AM currently watching it, I can safely say the animation has aged just fine. It still looks just as good to me now as it did when it first aired. Some character designs I didn't care for- Croc being one, as well as Clayface- but overall, I loved almost everything about it.

[MikeandRaph87]

I have been watching episodes for the last five weeks on kisscartoon.me. Its been fivevyears since aI have seen an episode. Now, I am tracking down 3 volumes to own.

Funny how you mentioned Tyger, Tyger. I just finished watching it. I like how it inserted something intellectual like a famous poem into a kids show.
http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/tyger.html

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I don't know if you have seen "The Batman" its probably the best thing sense Batman TAS.

I've only watched very few episodes of it. What made it good?

[plastroncafe]

I really miss Beware the Bat.
Cancelled way too soon.

[TurtleTitan97]

I really miss Beware the Bat.
Cancelled way too soon.

Same here.

[CyberCubed]

I've only watched very few episodes of it. What made it good?

The Batman didn't get good till Season 4. The first 3 seasons were basically a toy commercial.

Brave and the Bold was the best Batman cartoon since B:TAS, and that's because it did something different and didn't take itself seriously.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

The Batman didn't get good till Season 4. The first 3 seasons were basically a toy commercial.

Brave and the Bold was the best Batman cartoon since B:TAS, and that's because it did something different and didn't take itself seriously.

Sounds like both shows take the same approach as Nick's TMNT.

I really miss Beware the Bat.
Cancelled way too soon.

Same here.

I really liked that show as well. I felt it had so much potential and it was definitely getting better with each new episode. To think something Batman related wouldn't do so well.

[CyberCubed]

The Batman was literally, "Batman made to sell toys." The fact that it was the first new Batman cartoon after B:TAS ended also made everyone realize how dumbed down it was for kids and how boring it was.

None of the villains have any depth in The Batman, they're basically parodies of themselves. There are no complicated plots or things aimed at older fans like B:TAS had. Its literally, "Let's make a new Batman show for kids."

The show got better around Season 4 because Greg Weisman wrote some of the episodes, but overall its a lackluster show.

[MikeandRaph87]

It incorporated characters of the then current and characters of the past and had the easy going Silver Age feel. Heck, the show itself was a tribute to simpler times. There were a a couple of dark episodes such as the notable such the all-star voice cast and creative team behind Chill of The Night. Only 6 or 7 episodes truly got my intention and I enjoyed them.

I do agree about The Batman. I hate The Riddler and Joker's character designs. The 4th and 5th seasons are terrific. Head and shoulders above the rest along with season 2's Dark Knight In The City and seadon 3's Batgirl Begins Parts 1 & 2.

Any thoughts on Mr. Freeze's story arc in Batman TAS?

[ABrown]

Brave and the Bold was the best Batman cartoon since B:TAS, and that's because it did something different and didn't take itself seriously.

Sounds like both shows take the same approach as Nick's TMNT.

Except Batman: The Brave & The Bold was about 100 times better than Nick's TMNT series.

[DarkFell]

I enjoyed most of the episodes in the series, but my fave episode was The Last Laugh.
Probably because of the Terminator 1 references that were used near the end of the episode, but mostly because
I like how Batty does away with Captain Clown.
_pIBle_ObBs
I bet a lot of kids that watched that episode were more than happy to see Capt. Clown go away.

[Leo656]

Except Batman: The Brave & The Bold was about 100 times better than Nick's TMNT series.

Give this man a pretzel.

[sdp]

I think The Batman is hugely under appreciated, people just expected another BTAS and didn't get it so it gets hate, but it tried to do plenty of stuff diferently, just another take on the character, the problem is that it was a bit too different for most people with their takes on some characters. People criticize the Blanka Joker and while he appeared too much and half his episodes were misses, the other half were fairly solid takes. The show was surprisingly dark in mood, the villains just didn't have tragic backstories like BTAS. Still I'd argue the character arc of Ethan is far more tragic than most villains in BTAS. Ellen Yin's character arc was also great. S3 with Batgirl was a lot of fun as well. S4 is the most praised season and yet I dislike it since that's when the show became "BTAS-lite" even if it was still good and S5 was just awful.


BATB didn't get good until the second season. And I also disagree with fans of the series, many people liked the "dark" episodes but those were by far the weakest for me, I also hated all the Batman family only episodes since to me Batman in this show wasn't interesting, I preferred many of the other heroes featured.


A part of me thinks that if I watch BTAS again I will be disappointed. The internet idolizing the show like no other will probably put my standards too high since I haven't watched it in a decade.

[ToTheNines]

I'm a big fan of TAS, but can we talk about how bad "I Am The Night" is? Probably my least favorite episode, such insipid dialogue.

[Leo656]

I always wanna get this so bad but the sets are so damned expensive. Maybe this next income tax check.

[CyberCubed]

I always wanna get this so bad but the sets are so damned expensive. Maybe this next income tax check.

I think they re-released the series on DVD sets just recently, the older ones are long out of print.

[Leo656]

I'll poke around. I mean I've had chances, the originals show up used at FYE all the time, it just always seems like it's when I'm there for other things and only have so much money on me, and I never get around to it.

For what it's worth, I have a really awesome FYE over by me. You can find gold for pennies if you dig around in there. Sometimes I'll be in there for an hour but I'll end up getting like 10 awesome things for like $40-60 bucks.

[shuriken]

I dunno I like the Batman. It was a very different take and every villain could fight as well. (the most jarring being Penguin but whatevs)
Never watched too much of Brave and the Bold, (But what i did see was awesome) and never saw any Beware the Batman.
TAS was a solid series, but it had its share of duds as well. One of my favorite episodes was the "Baby" one with that lady that couldn't age normally.
I liked the New Adventures as well, it was neat seeing Nightwing for the first time in an animated show. And yeah Bruce Wayne did look kinda fat in seasons 1-4.
The designs were simplified to make smoother animation, which I think worked fairly well. Some redesigns were whack but some were great (Killer Croc and Scarecrow come to mind)

[CyberCubed]

B:TAS, Superman: TAS, Batman Beyond, and Justice League/JLU combined make up one of the best DC universes ever. It says a lot that the cartoons can do better than the comics.

Every couple of years I marathon through the DCAU again and it amazes me how much it still holds up. The only other DC shows up to that quality was the original 2003 Teen Titans and Young Justice, both of which are equally good.

[sdp]

I thought maybe Young Justice wouldn't be so good with rewatching it since most of the interesting things in the show were the twists which like a thriller are not as fun the second time around. I'll try to sneak in a DCAU marathon next year, we'll see if after I'm done with Gotham/Arrow/Flash I'll still want more DC shows. Do the original DVD sets go for decent money? I kind of want to sell them, even if I get little money for them since there's no way I'll be flipping/switching discs or waiting for the DVD to load, I'll go all digital. Not to stir the discussion on physical vs digital again so don't quote that part, that's my personal preference ;)

[M.O.D.O.K.]

I really miss Beware the Bat.
Cancelled way too soon.

For real. I thought of it as an evolution of what B:TAS started and I really liked the use of overaching continuity in the show. Plus, the different villains gave it a different flavor.

B:TAS is still my all-time favorite, though. It started my love for comic books and while some of the animation is pretty wonky, the art and atmosphere still hold up to this day.

[shuriken]

^^ I would have to agree. Season 1 and some of season 2 are pretty stiff. Season 3 and 4 get smoother and everyone gets into their respective groove.
As for the design changes in The New adventures or whatever, at first I didn't like them, but they grew on me and it made up for the simplicity with smoother animation in general. (Even though I hated Catwoman's, Joker's, Penguin's and Riddler's looks)

[Slade]

I picked up season 2 at Wal-Mart today for about 15 bucks.

Ready to relive the magic.

[MikeandRaph87]

Feel free to leave commentary as you go through. You picked up Eternal Youth through Harley and Ivy. Some good ones inbetween from The Riddler's debut and a second featured one to The Laughing Fish and Robin's Reckoning.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Absolutely! That season had many of my favorites, Laughing Fish and Harley and Ivy being among them.

[CyberCubed]

B:TAS didn't really have "seasons" the show was simply ordered with its full run of episodes at the start, and then it ended. Years later when Bruce Timm began Superman: TAS they decided to make more Batman episodes, hence the final season of 24 episodes with the new designs.

In fact I believe B:TAS originally aired only 4 years...it began in 1992 and finished its run in 1995. Then in 97/98 it was revived for 24 episodes while Superman: TAS was airing. Around the same time they began Batman Beyond leading the original series to its conclusion.

Justice League began in 2000. Thinking about these dates its hard to believe these shows are 15-20 years old now. I remember being a kid watching them when they were originally airing, its hard to believe they're so old now.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Actually, I believe Batman Beyond aired earlier than that. We moved out of the house I grew up in in 96, and I know for a FACT I was watching Beyond long before that. I had my own TV with cable in my room, and watched it there when my dad was watching other crap. I was still in high school when it was on, and I graduated in 96.


Edit: Actually, since we moved out BEFORE I graduated, it would have to be 95 at the latest.

[Leo656]

Batman Beyond debuted on January 10 1999 and ended December 18 2001.

[CyberCubed]

God I can't believe the 90's and early 2000's were so long ago. I remember being a young teenager like 13-14 watching all these shows and I was so happy.

Man, the 90's and early 2000's really were the best time for cartoons. We really grew up in the right decade.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Huh. That's weird, because I was living in my own place by then. Unless I'm confusing it with Static? But I know I watched it when it first aired.

[Leo656]

Does this f***ing guy have his own drinking game yet?!? :lol:

"Do a shot of Johnny Walker Black every time CyberCubed rages against the inevitable passage of time.":lol::lol::lol:

Static Shock debuted on September 23 2000 and ran until May 22 2004.

I always keep a Wikipedia tab open for stuff like this. :trazz:

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Even weirder. Did I fall into a time-warp?

[Leo656]

It's entirely possible that after Crisis On Infinite Earths you were shuffled into the main Earth's timeline when your original Earth was erased from existence, since things tended to happen several years apart depending on which Earth you were on.

Like Power Girl, you being shuffled into mainstream continuity would imply that you're in some way important, but it also means that your origins and backstory are extremely malleable and subject to change on a whim, depending on who's writing you. But on the upside, you may one day be drawn by Amanda Connor, which is nice.

[MikeandRaph87]

Huh. That's weird, because I was living in my own place by then. Unless I'm confusing it with Static? But I know I watched it when it first aired.

Leo, trust me. That is not a good idea. You dont need alcohol poisoning.

Static Shock ran from 2001-2004. Justice League aired September 2001- May 2006.

[Speedy Cerviche]

I just finished watching volume 2 of Batman TAS. I hope to buy volume 3 and 4 eventually. They seem to be releasing them at walmart every so often so if anybody wants to buy these just wait til they get released there because they seem alot cheaper than anywhere else I've seen.

[MikeandRaph87]

I just finished watching volume 2 of Batman TAS. I hope to buy volume 3 and 4 eventually. They seem to be releasing them at walmart every so often so if anybody wants to buy these just wait til they get released there because they seem alot cheaper than anywhere else I've seen.

The last quarter of 2014 had volume one cut down to $ 15 and a year later volume two the same the last quarter of 2015. I hope that means volume 3 will be done the same otherwise it will be approximately $30, twice the Wal-Mart bargain price. I myself own volumes one and two and really want volume 3, but would rather the price go down.

[Speedy Cerviche]

I was able to get all the Gargoyles dvds from Wal-Mart too. Every Tuesday at midnight they release new stuff and switch a bunch of stuff around so if you see a tv on dvd cartoon there you have wanted to buy grab 'em while they have 'em before they switch it up again.

[turtle1237]

Big drop-off in quality, though, and the redesigned art style was awful. Where the f*** did Joker's lips go?! :lol:

I agree, at least they fix it in Justice League and BB. Now only if they can remove TNBA Joker, and some how replace it with Justice League Joker, that would be amazing.

[turtle1237]

I really miss Beware the Bat.
Cancelled way too soon.

Well that was bound to happen if you have a show about Batman, and were are his villians? No Joker? No Twoface? Catwoman? Penguin? You can not make a Batman show and leave off his icon villians. That bother me, and I saw what could of been greatness, and it got can because people want the Joker ete.

Sorry WB, but you cant force Batman down our mouths if you just leave off his villians. It wont work.

[MikeandRaph87]

Well that was bound to happen if you have a show about Batman, and were are his villians? No Joker? No Twoface? Catwoman? Penguin? You can not make a Batman show and leave off his icon villians. That bother me, and I saw what could of been greatness, and it got can because people want the Joker ete.

Sorry WB, but you cant force Batman down our mouths if you just leave off his villians. It wont work.

Its not even Bruce "Batman" Wayne that gets me interested in Batman. Instead its his iconic sidekicks Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon and the colorful rogues that he goes up against. Beware Batman had Professor Pyg who easily became my least favorite villain in his first appearance. Mr. Toad appeared in five pages and becomes a villain in the series? Katanna de-aged and made Batman's sidekick? No thanks. I did not even both with the series. The closest we have gotten to the 86 episodes of Batman:TAS is seasons 4 and 5 of The Batman. It did not take off until it gained Dick Grayson and a darker tone.

How would Killer Moth or Mr. Zsasz fit into the show? I always wondered how the challenge of adapting them to this specific show would be.

[turtle1237]

Its not even Bruce "Batman" Wayne that gets me interested in Batman. Instead its his iconic sidekicks Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon and the colorful rogues that he goes up against. Beware Batman had Professor Pyg who easily became my least favorite villain in his first appearance. Mr. Toad appeared in five pages and becomes a villain in the series? Katanna de-aged and made Batman's sidekick? No thanks. I did not even both with the series. The closest we have gotten to the 86 episodes of Batman:TAS is seasons 4 and 5 of The Batman. It did not take off until it gained Dick Grayson and a darker tone.

How would Killer Moth or Mr. Zsasz fit into the show? I always wondered how the challenge of adapting them to this specific show would be.

But waiting 3 seasons for a show to get good is a pretty long wait lol.
I look at beware of the Batman and I just see what "Could of been" Its like BTAS but in CGI, that would be cool, epic battles with the Joker, with both mind and body, the retelling of Harvey Dent, Catwoman in full CGI would be a meow.
But we dont get that, we got a fat guy dress as a pig, kid Katanna, and a professer. Sorry, but Batman can only rise to the level of his villians, and here he didnt have much to contend with.

[M.O.D.O.K.]

Well that was bound to happen if you have a show about Batman, and were are his villians? No Joker? No Twoface? Catwoman? Penguin? You can not make a Batman show and leave off his icon villians. That bother me, and I saw what could of been greatness, and it got can because people want the Joker ete.

Sorry WB, but you cant force Batman down our mouths if you just leave off his villians. It wont work.

The show wasn't even cancelled for that, it's because CN has a massive grudge against action cartoons, particularly ones they don't produce in-house. It could've been the second-coming of B:TAS and it still would've been cancelled quick.

Yes, why should we strive for new things when we can just recycle the same old stuff for the 100th time. I don't even mind the other villains, since Beware did Killer Croc, Ra's al Ghul, Man-Bat (though as a hero) and Two-Face (sorta), but I'm so sick of the Joker. Arkham Knight made me realize how I never want to see him again for a long time.

But we dont get that, we got a fat guy dress as a pig, kid Katanna, and a professer. Sorry, but Batman can only rise to the level of his villians, and here he didnt have much to contend with.

Katana's not a kid. She's an adult, but anyone who actually watched the show would know that.

And again, I don't see the appeal of just rehashing the same characters and stories. The Batman did that, and despite having a larger episode number, it was way more forgettable.

The villains in Beware were shaped to reflect different aspects of Batman's personality. Pyg and Toad were twisted caricatures of Bruce Wayne. Mapgie showed how he can or can't control his personas. Anarky was the chaos opposing Batman's order. Deathstroke was the evil disciple to Alfred. Even Harvey Dent was a foil to James Gordon.

[plastroncafe]

Well that was bound to happen if you have a show about Batman, and were are his villians? No Joker? No Twoface? Catwoman? Penguin? You can not make a Batman show and leave off his icon villians. That bother me, and I saw what could of been greatness, and it got can because people want the Joker ete.

Sorry WB, but you cant force Batman down our mouths if you just leave off his villians. It wont work.

You're basically saying that Batman as a character is weak, uninteresting, and incapable of holding a show on his own.

There's no accounting for taste, I guess...

[MikeandRaph87]

I feel like Beware The Batman made poor choices in the villains used. Instead of using foes like it opted for that are about the most boring we could have had Hush, Mr. Zsasz, and lesser foes like Catman, Calendar Man, Dr. Phosphorous, The Spook, Rat Catcher, and Dr. Tzin Tzin.

[sdp]

I only watched the first two or so episodes of Beware the Batman, it seemed ok. I wasn't crazy for the direction but I would've given it a chance. Now The reason this show didn't have the iconic villains is to have a show that did something different instead of just another Batman show so I give it props for that. It is true that Batman is made by his rogues gallery but that doesn't mean the new rogues gallery couldn't have been as great as the ones we always see.

[Egon1982]

Love this show since i was 10 years old and have the blu-ray set. I love the storytelling, the cast, voice acting, guest stars and not to mention some of the ladies like Harley, Ivy, Catwoman, Talia, Redclaw and Adrienne Beaumont, yowza, Bruce timm knew how to draw lovely women.

My favorite episodes are:
Almost Got Im.
Heart of Ice.
Feat of Clay.
Robin's Reckoning.
Bane.
Old Wounds.
Mad Love.
Perchance to Dream.
Lock Up.
Beware of Grey Ghost.
The Forgotten,
On Leather Wings.
Blind as a Bat.
Trial.
Strange Case of Bruce Wayne.
Two-Face.
Legend of Dark Knight.
Mudslide.
Growing Pain.
Man Who Killed Batman.
If your so smart why aren't you rich.
Heart of Steel.
His Silicon Soul.
Laughing Fish.
Tyger Tyger.
Beware Creeper..
Holiday Knights.
Christmas with Joker.
Joker's Millions.
Over the Edge.
House and Garden.
Babydoll.
Batgirl Returns.
POV.
Catwalk.
Cult of the Cat.

[ZariusTwo]

Word is that HBO Max are considering reviving the series

LNGe1JvTVvA

[oldmanwinters]

It's weird, but I'm just not excited about a revival. The original show has my utmost respect as the best there ever was at what it tried to be, and even many of TNBA episodes still hold up, but I getting the feeling WarnerB is trying to shove lightning back into the bottle to bank on this show being as loved as the original.

[ZariusTwo]

The recent comic revival from Dini and Burnett wasn't bad, and the recent Christmas/New Year special they did was really good. I would love for it to be adapted to screen.

Timm's reputation has soured with fans over the last couple of decades, I'd rather he be a little more distanced from this and not try to inject any of his ideas into the show.

Also, you can probably say goodbye to Harley and the Joker having the kind of relationship they enjoyed in the show's peak, given how 'problematic' it is viewed as now by today's woke wankers. Even the recent comic book revival sidestepped it in favour of more Harley and Ivy.

[Sumac]

Unlikely they'll be able to repeat its success from 2 decades ago.
I wouldn't be against Batman Beyond 2, however, or maybe even "Batman Beyond-er", which takes place with an old Terry as a mentor of the new "Batman".

[CyberCubed]

People aren't that excited because they're already sorta revived it with two animated movies that got mixed receptions, and even recent comics that people don't care for much either.

It's likely not going to be like it was if it does come back.

[oldmanwinters]

If this is gonna be directed at HBO Max, it seems likely they will cater it for the same type of audiences as they've marketed the Direct-to-Video DC films towards. The original show was edgy, but still had "all ages" appeal, and ever the production team admits that censorship restrictions actually forced them to be more creative about how they showed/implied violence and mature subject material. The PG-13/soft R target of many of the DVD movies rarely resulted in justifiable "mature" themes that explore characters, rather they usually just ensured the insertion of some cheap gratuitous violence, fan-service, or profanity to remind people about the rating.

[CyberCubed]

The series is dead to me if Bruce Timm continues to push the awful Barbara/Batman pairing. Bad enough in Batman Beyond it was made canon through Barbara talking about her past, and they even snuck it into the Batwoman Movie they made way back in 2003.

[Leo656]

If this is gonna be directed at HBO Max, it seems likely they will cater it for the same type of audiences as they've marketed the Direct-to-Video DC films towards. The original show was edgy, but still had "all ages" appeal, and ever the production team admits that censorship restrictions actually forced them to be more creative about how they showed/implied violence and mature subject material. The PG-13/soft R target of many of the DVD movies rarely resulted in justifiable "mature" themes that explore characters, rather they usually just ensured the insertion of some cheap gratuitous violence, fan-service, or profanity to remind people about the rating.

You didn't think all the piles of cocaine floating around in the Batgirl preamble to "The Killing Joke" were entirely necessary? :lol:

Granted, that was definitely "realistic", but it also did feel like it was just there to remind people about the rating.

Could'a used boobs. :trazz: I mean are we being gratuitous in order to justify our R-rating or are we just screwin' around?!

[ZariusTwo]

I remember buying the "Making of" book back in 1999, one of the illustrations included by Timm represented "What the censors didn't want" , which depicted an action scene involving drug needles, censored profanity, bloodied open wounds, a nude Catwoman, and cigarettes.

Good thing I was 17 by this point.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

People aren't that excited because they're already sorta revived it with two animated movies that got mixed receptions, and even recent comics that people don't care for much either.

It's likely not going to be like it was if it does come back.

And after watching those movies as well as other films that featured the DCAU cast, I think I've had my fill of TAS. I wasn't a fan of when they revived it the first time with The New Batman Adventures as there were many changes I did not agree with. Wouldn't put it past them to make even more controversial changes. And if Bruce Tim will be behind it, given his recent works, I might have to pass on this if this is legit.

[AquaParade]

I love B:TAS, but I'm having a hard time imagining this.

If you really want to capitalize on that show, I think you need to have an animation style that resembles the first few seasons of the show, before the stylistic change. The animation has always been beautiful and they could also just craft something new, but that original style was a huge part of the original show's identity.

Without it, you may as well make a new Batman show, where you have more room to breath.

[CyberCubed]

And after watching those movies as well as other films that featured the DCAU cast, I think I've had my fill of TAS. I wasn't a fan of when they revived it the first time with The New Batman Adventures as there were many changes I did not agree with. Wouldn't put it past them to make even more controversial changes. And if Bruce Tim will be behind it, given his recent works, I might have to pass on this if this is legit.

TNBA came out in 1997 only 2 years after B:TAS final episode aired in 1995. It wasn't so much a revival (there was only a 2 year gap), but more that they could continue the series and they revamped the art style to be more aligned with Superman: TAS.

This would be over 25+ years later, or 30 years later if you count when B:TAS started in 1992, so it's a big difference.

[MikeandRaph87]

It's weird, but I'm just not excited about a revival. The original show has my utmost respect as the best there ever was at what it tried to be, and even many of TNBA episodes still hold up, but I getting the feeling WarnerB is trying to shove lightning back into the bottle to bank on this show being as loved as the original.

My interest is if it's not the New Adventures then I am all in. If this is red sky, cartoonish look, with the Tim Drake/Jason Todd hybrid then I am not interested. I hope DC sees going back to the original 8t episodes is much more of what we want not off shots of New Adventures.

[sdp]

Canon always has been always will be in the DCAU
https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/b9-600x461.jpg


I'm not too excited because I just don't think they can pull it off and be great again. But I'm definitely up for more BTAS even if its subpar. Bring Dini/Timm and give them some restrictions which I think is the problem with the animated movies, too much freedom brings the worst of them.

[CyberCubed]

My interest is if it's not the New Adventures then I am all in. If this is red sky, cartoonish look, with the Tim Drake/Jason Todd hybrid then I am not interested. I hope DC sees going back to the original 8t episodes is much more of what we want not off shots of New Adventures.

They're very likely to use TNBA designs if it gets more eps, those designs continued into S:TAS, Batman Beyond and Justice League. They're the standard designs now. Likewise if they do make new episodes it would obviously be set right after the last episode so they can use Nightwing and Tim Drake.

I don't know why you would think otherwise.

[sdp]

It's crazy we haven't had a Batman cartoon since Beware the Batman in the early 2010's. By the time a new Batman cartoon comes out if it starts production now it'll be 10 years since the last batman animated show. We got Batman overkill after BTAS/TNBA/Beyond/The Batman/BraveBold/Beware one after the other and then boom nothing.

[CyberCubed]

It's crazy we haven't had a Batman cartoon since Beware the Batman in the early 2010's. By the time a new Batman cartoon comes out if it starts production now it'll be 10 years since the last batman animated show. We got Batman overkill after BTAS/TNBA/Beyond/The Batman/BraveBold/Beware one after the other and then boom nothing.

Batman still appeared in Justice League Action (even voiced by Kevin Conroy), and is in Young Justice and Harley & Ivy even if he just has supporting roles in those shows. DC probably still counts that.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Batman still appeared in Justice League Action (even voiced by Kevin Conroy), and is in Young Justice and Harley & Ivy even if he just has supporting roles in those shows. DC probably still counts that.

Batman animated shows, not animated shows featuring Batman.

[CyberCubed]

Yeah, but as long as Batman is in the show in some form, DC likely counts it. When DC is promoting Justice League-oriented stuff Batman is always there, so they feel he gets enough exposure through that.

[AquaParade]

And don't forget the forgettable direct-to-DVD adaptions.

[ZariusTwo]

Batman still appeared in Justice League Action (even voiced by Kevin Conroy), and is in Young Justice and Harley & Ivy even if he just has supporting roles in those shows. DC probably still counts that.

Those two are largely action/comedies though (hell, Brave and the Bold was one also), apart from the horrible DVD movies, we haven't had a serious Batman cartoon since Beware the Batman.

[CyberCubed]

Justice League Action being canceled after only 1 season was a crime. It was more comedy focused but it still had tons of action and regular fight scenes, so it just felt like a slightly light hearted version of JLU. I thought it was going to be like TT Go when it first came out and just all comedy, but it wasn't.

[sdp]

Action cartoons were pretty much dead in the 2010s, everything got massacred, I guess TMNT 2012 was the luckier one, but pretty much everything got cancelled rather quickly. It all goes in cycles so I'm guessing that action cartoons will be a thing again, the current ADD comedy can't go on forever.

[IMJ]

And don't forget the forgettable direct-to-DVD adaptions.

I just look at the Timmverse Batman flicks as extensions of Batman TAS. They aren't bad. Nothing game changing, but adding Mask, Sub-Zero, Mystery, Ivy etc just adds content.

[AquaParade]

Those are fine. I'm referring to the more modern comic adaptions. Adaptions of comics I love, but are let down by cheap animation and rushed storylines. Sure, they ar8the same as cartoons on TV but seem to sort of fill that gap.

[CyberCubed]

I just look at the Timmverse Batman flicks as extensions of Batman TAS. They aren't bad. Nothing game changing, but adding Mask, Sub-Zero, Mystery, Ivy etc just adds content.

They're not talking about the original DVD movies of B:TAS. Mask of the Phantasm is considered one of the best animated films ever made.