#Batman The Animated Series Review

[ratleyland]

When I first watched this as a kid; I thought it was a cool, feature length animated movie.

Watching it now as an adult; it's probably one of the best Batman movies created.

[eshbaal]

Remember Mask of the Phantasm? Sure you do - but do you remember the OTHER Batman: TAS Movies? That's right, with Caped Crusader out on Amazon Prime, I'm in a bat-mood! So let's watch some Batman stuff together!

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[episodicnostalgia]

Batman: The Animated Series, 103 (Sep. 7, 1992) - “Heart of Ice” [Production order #14]

Written by: Paul Dini Directed by: Bruce Timm

This is the episode where…

A subzero-themed-supervillain pursues his coldblooded thirst for revenge, against the dastardly CEO who denied his wife's healthcare. This is a great episode for kids… to learn about tragedy and grief. Enjoy!

The Breakdown

Gotham wouldn’t be Gotham without another zany crime spree centered around a curiously specific motif, which in this instance is… low temperatures. That’s right, some dude using the moniker ‘Mr. Freeze’ (and wearing a full-body-cryogenic-suit) is hitting up GothCorp industries(tm) using a super-ice gun to steal a bunch of tech hardware. Since billionaires are apparently obligated to take any sort of corporate attack as a personal offense, Batman gets immediately involved, but nearly has his ass permanently handed to him.

Hoping to avoid another beat down, the Dark Knight investigates his new adversary, consequently stumbling into some very cinematically edited security footage that neatly summarizes the episode’s central conflict. The footage in question reveals that Mr. Freeze was once a humble (and notably NOT frozen) scientist named Victor “Fries” (Still pronounced ‘freeze’, though), which means that’s our cue for his tragic backstory.

Fries’ research involved placing terminally ill people into cryostasis, so that they could be revived later when a cure was discovered; It just so happened that his wife, Nora, was his primary patient-and-test subject. The questionable ethics of this aside, it seems Nora entered into her cryogenic state with informed consent, presumably because time was running short. Unfortunately, Victor’s Boss (and head of GothCorp) Ferris Boyle became so upset over the expense of keeping Nora alive that he shut down the operation, trashing Nora’s life support functions in the process and effectively murdering her. Since this is Victor’s episode, he obviously survived the incident, but not before getting thrown into some chemicals by Boyle’s goons, consequently leaving him unable to survive outside a subzero environment (because comic books), hence the cryo-suit.

Needless to say, you can see why Victor would be acting out against the GothCorp guys, but to rub salt in the wound, Ferris Boyle is set to receive a humanitarian award at an imminent ceremony. So yeah, like, obviously Freeze is gonna fuck with that, and fuck with it he does. You see, by combining all the tech that he was stealing from GothCorp, Mr. Freeze is able to build himself a tank-sized MEGA-super-ice gun. So yeah, Freeze uses that to seal in Gotham’s elite citizenry inside a ritzy hall, during the humanitarian ceremony in question. Unfortunately, Batman intervenes mere seconds before Boyle can be turned into a human popsicle, and shatters the glass containment dome surrounding Freeze’s head, after smashing a thermos of piping hot chicken soup over it. Victory!

As much as Batman has strived to save Boyle from the well deserved consequences of his own systemic machinations, our hero also has a famously strict stance against overt murder. So, before heading out, the Dark Knight hands over the video evidence of Nora’s death to a reporter, while dispensing a somewhat empty platitude that essentially amounts to “justice good, revenge bad.” Anyhow, presumably Boyle is locked up, and Mr. Freeze is taken to Arkham where he sits alone in a special subzero cell, lamenting his failure to avenge his dead wife, praying in vain that she might somehow forgive him from beyond the grave.

Now, please excuse me while I search for a tissue. I seem to be having an allergic reaction to my feelings.

The Verdict

This is one of the episodes that galvanized my love of the show early on, and a quick look at the imdb rating shows that many would share my sentiments. It’s easy to take for granted as an adult, but there was something deeply cathartic about a “kids cartoon” acknowledging that sometimes there are no happy endings. We can already see a tendency for this show to dabble in shades of grey, that most children’s fare would go out of its way to avoid. Freeze’s motivations aren’t exactly charitable, but I’d be hard-pressed to say that I wouldn’t consider doing the same in his situation, and that ability to empathize with the “villain” was something my seven-year-old psyche found very existentially intriguing.

This episode also boasts more genuinely gorgeous animation. The use of shadows against contrasting light sources holds up quite nicely (Batman has never looked better sitting in front of a computer screen), and once again the visual story telling is thoughtful and deliberate. Even where some of Freeze’s dialogue is a little more ‘flowery’, the animators give the story enough room to properly capture the pathos and grief behind his facial expressions, and it really sells. To this day the image of Freeze hunched over the ballerina effigy of his wife remains one of the show’s most tragically iconic.

Great episode.

4.5 stars (out of 5)

Parting Thoughts

Bat-thermos: No, Batman doesn’t typically carry chicken soup around with him (although I wouldn't put it past the Adam West version). He’d just come down with a head cold after a fight with Freeze where he got trapped in ice, so Alfred whipped him up some soup. Although, it’s just as well that Batman never got around to having it. Any liquid that’s scalding hot to the point where it explosively shatters glass, cold or otherwise, is almost certainly unsafe for human consumption.

Fun Bat-Facts: Prior to this, Mr. Freeze was one of the many c-list gimmick villains in Batman’s roster, whose motivations were more-or-less traditionally crime focused. Paul Dini effectively reworked Freeze’s entire origin into this far more tragic storyline, which was so well received that it was soon updated for the comics as well.

Deny, Defend, Defrost: Despite all the sci-fi/fantasy elements of this episode, the most unrealistic thing here is the idea that Batman handing over video footage of a CEO denying lifesaving healthcare, would ever lead to a successful criminal conviction. After all, Ferris Boyle did have proprietary control over the technology that was keeping Nora alive, and it’s implied that Victor Fries was operating without authorization to do so. Perhaps there would be a brief “investigation”, but I have no doubt that Boyle would have been promptly acquitted and given a raise, while Victor would be discredited and branded a terrorist. Of course, this is all conjecture. It’s not like there’s a recent, and incredibly public, real-world example from which I’ve formed the basis of my conclusion.

The Ethical-Billionaire Trope: In case it wasn’t already obvious, I tend to subscribe to the idea that excessive hoarding of wealth is a pretty crummy thing to do, but (as far as fictional billionaires go) this version of Bruce Wayne is easier to stomach. He’s regularly shown to take economic action against his corrupt peers, while investing in matters ranging from environmental conservation, to welfare programs; Still, I’m betting his private-military-arsenal comes with some steep overhead expenses that could be better spent elsewhere. And I’m not trying to be disingenuous, I realize this show is just meant for to be fun, and I don’t really take it that seriously, but I can’t entirely absolve the series for partaking in what essentially amounts to diet-pro-rich propaganda. But hey! You can’t expect to enjoy a show like this without indulging in a little bit of Nietzschean Übermensch fantasy, amiright!?

[not-another-robin]

So...I did something.

I've never made a video before, but I love talking about btas and I thought I'd take a swing at reviewing some episodes... or all of them. Maybe. This video is super jank because my computer is always on nightmare mode, but honestly, I'm still proud of it. Here's my little review of On Leather Wings :)

[pingu-please-cane-right]

height is pretty good! weirdly enough! ⭐⭐ - it looks a little too tall in the photo but it also looks like the hands in this art style are a little short so this works

end tip meh 🤔🤔 -its like, thiner then the reguler cane lengh, so like, could unstabalize him easily

poor guy having to use this handle 🛑🛑🛑 -round, painfull, its clear he is using this cane for style, so its better then nothing, but the round handle is so uncomftrble to lean on. ouchy riddler ouchy ouch. no clear space to grip it right and having the extra problem of having to grip it tightly to hold on to it

design is ok i guess 🤔 -like ok, he is a fancy man ill give him that, so i get the nice and sleek design, but come on Riddler, have a propper riddle stick! not even one question mark? i can't even count them?

actually walking with it: walks pretty good!! ⭐⭐⭐ -even for a fancy ass cane that is just for show and to use againstr batman in pulling out weird traps, he walks with it correctly! mirroing his leg perfectly

does it make sense character wise to have this spasific mobility aid: yep! ⭐ -the history of the riddlerstick is an interesting one for sure, but for this riddler it makes sense! it adds to his weird business man vibe in the time he went for a toy company. in general, he uses it to show his offical seriosness and i like it!

STAR TOTAL ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

HMM TOTAL 🤔🤔🤔

FAIL TOTAL 🛑🛑🛑

PERSONAL SCORE OF FUNCTIBILITY 6/10

(usable, but ouchie for too long of a use, and minus one point for no question marks)

[macmanx]

You deserve to see the best Batman in the best Batman film.

Make time for it.

[jackofallnerdsshow]

This month's BTAS review is on the episode: Terror in the Sky.

[thatgeekwiththeclipons]

Happy 73rd Birthday to Emmy Winning, 3x Saturn Award Winning, Annie Award Nominated actor Mark Hamill! ^__^

[sinnermannn]

The Justice League Crisis On Infinite Earths Trilogy Is Finally OVER

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed - Batman: Caped Crusader

Batman: Caped Crusader does not aspire to be the definitive interpretation of the eponymous superhero, nor is it a postmodern deconstruction of the “tropes,” “lore,” and “mythology” traditionally associated with the source material (à la Matt Reeves’ recent blockbuster film). It’s just a straightforward, no-frills adaptation—and in an era where everything comic book related has to be a capital “E” Event, that modesty feels positively radical.

The show’s structure is elegant in its simplicity. As in Bruce Timm’s classic ‘90s animated series (as well as such similarly influential works as Teen Titans and Batman: The Brave and the Bold), each episode tells a self-contained story, with a handful of recurring threads—Harvey Dent’s mayoral campaign, the increasingly blatant corruption of Detectives Flass and Bullock, the gradual development of Bruce Wayne’s initially icy relationship with Alfred—contributing to a season-spanning narrative arc that ultimately culminates in an explosive two-part finale. This non-serialized approach allows the writers to experiment and discover variations on the versatile “villain of the week” formula: “…And Be a Villain” and “Kiss of the Catwoman”, for example, revolve entirely around the origins of their respective antagonists; “The Night of the Hunters”, meanwhile, utilizes its costumed criminal du jour as a mere prop in a plot that explores the growing schism within the Gotham Police Department.

Beyond this surface-level familiarity, of course, there is ample room for novelty, innovation, and subversion. The creative team’s depiction of Batman’s duality is particularly compelling. Defying the commonly held fan theory that the performative “lazy playboy” façade is the real mask, whereas the “brooding vigilante” alter ego is closer to his actual self, this iteration of our hero treats both personae as equally fabricated—divergent embodiments of the same fundamental vulnerabilities. His “true identity” resides somewhere between these extremes, obfuscated by the repressed trauma that he refuses to confront, emerging only in fleeting moments of compassion—when he prioritizes rescuing imperiled innocents over pursuing perps, for instance, or when he chooses to be merciful towards his vanquished foes.

Lean, efficient, and easily digestible, Batman: Caped Crusader is refreshingly old school in its style and sensibilities. To Hell with the corporate gruel of Multiverses, multibillion-dollar budgets, and bloated “prestige” television; give me ten more years of the bite-sized gourmet meals that Timm, Reeves, and Abrams are cooking.

[julianlytle]

"In a year of reinvigorated superhero animated series, Batman: Caped Crusader might be the brightest spot in all of them in a very competitive scene from sister series like My Adventures with Superman to even the competition across the street with X-Men ’97. Much like Batman himself, it worries about none of that, continues tunnel vision on its own mission, and succeeds stellarly." Read more of my review in the link

[thenerdsofcolor]

'Batman: Caped Crusader' is the Superior Animated ‘90s Revival

With apologies to fans of X-Men ‘97, I must proclaim Prime Video’s Batman: Caped Crusader as the clear winner of the battle between nostalgic revivals of classic ‘90s animated series. Continue reading ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ is the Superior Animated ‘90s Revival

[the-fellow]

Batman Justice Buster Manga

[episodicnostalgia]

Batman: The Animated Series, 102 (Sep. 6, 1992) - “On Leather Wings” [Production order #01]

Written by: Mitch Brian Directed by: Kevin Altieri

This is the episode where…

The Police blame Batman for a Man-Bat’s crimes, thanks to their perfectly-on-brand profiling methods, resulting in a lot of avoidable property damage. In other news, the Batmobile looks amazing, and Alfred has perfect comedic timing.

The Breakdown

A rash of chemical plants are being broken into, and after an injured security guard describes the culprit as a “giant Bat-Creature,” the cops peg Batman as their prime suspect. Naturally they begin a mindful and meticulous investigation to ensure they have the right guy- hahah. No. I’m just kidding. They jump squarely into the deep end on this one, pretty much right away (again, all perfectly on-brand). You see, Detective Bullock went behind Commissioner Gordon’s back, and prematurely announced a “war on Batman” to the press, so now Mayor Hill feels pressured to authorize a task force, to save face (honestly, you really have to admire the cynicism on display in this scene).

Naturally the front-page story about Batman’s alleged B&E (plus aggravated assault) quickly catches his attention, especially since he didn’t actually do it (this time), so he zips over to the plant to investigate the crime scene… by breaking and entering for real. Thankfully Batman is canonically a far superior Detective than virtually any paid professional, and he finds two vital pieces of overlooked evidence. A) Tiny animal fibres that are not dissimilar to something a Bat might shed, and B) the injured security guard’s handheld cassette recorder, with a nifty audio clip of the creature’s high-pitched shriek (the guard was preparing a voice audition at the time of the attack).

[There’s also a whole altercation with the cops here, but I’ll talk about that later. Needless to say, Batman totally dominates.]

Anyways, those clues inspire the Dark Knight to visit the Zoo as Bruce Wayne, seeking the expertise of famed-bat-expert Dr. March, along with his collegiate daughter & son-in-law (Francine and Kirk Langstrom). Bruce hands over the evidence he found the previous night (claiming it’s connected to a bat infestation at his mansion) hoping the friendly family of Bat-scientists might be able to tell him something that his super-computer can’t. However, after Dr. March calls back, claiming that the fibres-and- audio were left by common brown bats, Bruce concludes the Doc is full of shit, and therefore must be connected to the creature; so he returns to the Zoo as Batman.

It turns out March isn’t quite the guy Batman is looking for, but he wasn’t too far off, either. You see, Kirk Langstrom was so enamoured by his father-in-law’s theories (which entail turning humans into giant bats, in order to “survive the next evolutionary cataclysm”, apparently) that he decided to take a stab at a genuine man-bat-hybrid-serum. Evidently, the attempt blew up in Langstrom’s face, transforming him into a living “Jekyll & Bat” trope; and the Man-Bat has been stealing more chemicals to make the change permanent, ever since. But the real kick-in-the-pants? Langstrom had just taken the last necessary component to finalize his transformation, mere seconds before Batman arrived (Talk about poor timing).

So, Kirk transforms into the Man-Bat, and things get violent. Eventually, the creature tries to fly away, and Batman gets dragged around for a tour of the Gotham skyline. Ultimately, Batman figures out his opponent’s weakness is crashing into walls at high-speed, by making that happen. After hauling Langstrom back to the cave, Batman whips up a counter-serum to reverse the doctor’s condition with remarkable ease, because Batman is also canonically very good with all-of-science.

Oh, and I almost forgot! Luckily, the Police witnessed the entire Bat-chase, thus exonerating the Dark Knight, and presumably reinstating him as just a generic fugitive from the law, as opposed to one who justifies a task force. Not bad for an honest (if illegal) night’s work.

The Verdict

I’m gonna have to level with you guys, I’ve never really given ���On Leather Wings’ a fair shake before now. It’s not that I ever disliked it or anything, but it’s perhaps not as flashy or as widely talked about as some of the later episodes, especially as the writing and animation became more consistent. But yeah, Bruce Timm and Co. really popped off with the pilot, and it immediately establishes the series as more than ‘just another cartoon.’ The story itself is easy to overlook; the plotting is admittedly quite simple and largely predictable, but the dialogue and animation more than make up for it.

Unlike a majority of animated shows during the 90’s (Including one of my other childhood favourites, Spider-man), the dialogue in this episode is far more focused on interpersonal dynamics, over exposition. Most of Alfred’s interactions with Batsy/Bruce tends to revolve more around verbal sparring and repartee, through which we glean enough to understand the plot while simultaneously establishing the nature of their relationship. Likewise, the duality of Batman’s double life is shown to us, and not told. It’s likely that anyone watching this already knows who Batman is and what motivates him, but even if you didn’t, this Pilot-episode provides all the information you need to understand it without additional context, and minimal exposition.

The same can be said for the recurring cast. Who is Commissioner Gordon? Detective Bullock? Mayor Hill? Harvey Dent? Within a single one-minute scene, we are made to understand who all these people are, their stance on Batman, and even their opinions of each other, all of which works to establish the obstacles our hero will face. Many cartoons would approach the same scene by having the characters explain things to each other with convenient exposition dumps, but instead the characters predominantly discuss the situation as if it’s already shared knowledge. It’s slightly trickier to write, especially in a way that resonates with children, but the result is dialogue that avoids feeling affected, unnatural, or rushed (something that was not lost on me even back then).

This approach leaves the animation team some room to flex, which is good because the visual storytelling is where ‘On Leather Wings’ really shines. Firstly, Warner Brothers clearly spared no expense on the pilot, which easily boasts one of the most impressive sequences from the first 60-episode-season, if not the entire show. [I’m talking specifically about the sublime tracking shot of the Man-Bat flying along the length of the police blimp with Batman in-tow.] But more than being visually impressive, the animation is never averse to lingering on a prolonged moment if it makes for a stronger story beat.

At the beginning of the episode when, the security guard is recording his audition tape (hey, we all got dreams), the scene plays out for a solid minute before he’s interrupted by the Man-Bat. It’s a beat that would probably be regarded as superfluous in most other cartoons, but it’s a perfect Chekov’s gun moment that pays off when Batman finds the tape recorder beneath a desk later on. It might have been more direct to simply have Batman find one of the Langstrom’s ID badges, or whatever, but this approach shows us how Batman’s analytical capabilities are as much a part of him, as his ability to throw a punch, all without a single line of dialogue. It’s not complex story telling, it’s strong story telling, reinforcing how one can intelligently cater to children instead of pandering to them.

Were I judging this on the story alone, I might not go much above 3 stars, but going solely based on the animation I’d probably give it a 5, to say nothing of the sound design and musical score. All in all, this is an incredibly impressive pilot, so I’m giving it…

4 stars (out of 5)

Parting Thoughts

Cryptozoology in Gotham City: This isn’t really a critique, but I can’t help but wonder how Batman explained the Man-Bat ordeal to Commissioner Gordon. Bearing in mind, Gordon witnessed Batman punch a giant bat out of the sky, and then drag it off into the shadows, never to be seen again. Surely he must have a few lingering questions about the whereabouts of the flying anthropomorphic beast with a penchant for mutagenic chemicals. Did Batman offer any explanation whatsoever, or is this a “don’t ask don’t tell” situation? How would that conversation even go?

Gordon: Hey, just curious. What exactly did you do with the Giant pants-wearing-Bat? Batman: Oh, that was some guy who just got a little carried away with a science experiment. But I fixed it. Gordon: Uh, okay… so how do we know that’ll never happen again? Batman: *vanishes into the night*

Silly things I find interesting: I have done zero research on this, but I believe this episode may feature one of the earliest on-screen-depictions of Batman being specifically hunted by the police (beyond just being chased from a crime scene). After Batman collects his evidence at the chemical plant, he finds himself cornered-and-hunted by Harvey Bullock’s task force. The ensuing chase shows Batman dodging gunfire, ducking into elevator shafts, employing gas pellets, and escaping a sizable explosion (courtesy of Gotham PD incompetence). The scene is notably reminiscent of Frank Miller’s ‘Year One’ comics, and I’m guessing that’s not a coincidence, since that story was released only a few years prior to this. That same comic would go on to inspire a number of other Batman v Cops sequences, including Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins,’ and (seemingly) my personal favourite Bat-feature-film ‘The Mask of the Phantasm.’ Today this would all be considered par-for-the-course in a Batman story, but in 1992 it was still a moderately new precedent for Batman to be considered a full-blown fugitive from the law; certainly within a “kids show.”

The sound of bat-music: For all the credit given to Bruce Timm & Paul Dini for the show’s success, one can never overstate the critical importance of the late Shirley Walker’s monumental contribution. Every episode has a fully orchestrated, and almost-entirely original score (with some recurring themes for specific characters and villains), and the impact is undeniable. I don’t believe I’m being in-any-way hyperbolic when I say that the music for this episode would not sound out of place in a feature film. It’s a genuine shame that Walker never became a household name, ala John Williams/Danny Elfman/etc. because she was an incredible talent, who I fully believe could have given those guys a run for their money if given the same opportunities.

Will the real Pilot please stand up? Most fans are up-to-speed on this, but for anyone wondering why I’m referring to episode 102 as ‘the pilot,’ that’s because the episodes were usually produced in a different order than they were released. The first episode to actually air was ‘The Cat and the Claw, Part 1’ in an attempt to capitalize on ‘Batman Returns’ (because Catwoman was in both stories), which had dropped a couple months earlier. Consequently, Part 2 was released a week later as the 8th episode, which I believe was due to a whole wonky thing about differing time-slots that I won’t get into. In an any case, ‘On Leather Wings’ was always intended to be the show’s official pilot.

[not-another-robin]

New episode of Every BTAS ranked :D!! I had a lot of fun with making videos again, hopefully I can keep it up!

[wildshadowtamer]

BTAS Episode 1 Review

Leather wings, not the cat one, i know theres some complications with the release date versus the intended episode, but im watching them the order the service is giving me

anyway, firstly, holy shit a 65 episode season? the 90s were crazy

secondly, it was an alright episode. im giving it leeway since its not the intended first ep, but its decent. the bit with the helicopter and the Commissioner was good, Batman switching between bruce and batman voice flawlessly was good, and the animation's worth its weight. its got that 90s weird amount of bouncy body language that im not overly keen on, but there's 64 episodes, so i'm sure i'll get used to it.

I just hope Robin's in this more often than BTAB did. I love BTAB, but man i miss Robin.