"A Boy and his Hero" -- BATMAN: The CFE Reviews, Essays, Thoughts and Opinions

[Mrs. Sawyer]

You're spot on with your review on B:TAS. The show is a classic that may never be equaled.

 

[CFE]

BATMAN
MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993)

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Directed by ... Bruce W. Timm and Eric Radomski
Sequences Directed by … Kevin Altieri, Boyd Kirkland, Frank Paur and Dan Riba
Story by … Alan Burnett
Written by … Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko and Michael Reaves
Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Michael E. Uslan and Tom Ruegger
Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker, Bruce W. Timm, Eric Radomski and Alan Burnett
Storyboards Designed by … Troy Adomitis, Kevin Altieri, Gregg Davidson, Ronaldo Del Carmen, Joe Denton, Curt Geda, Michael Goguen, Boyd Kirkland, Butch Lukic, Doug Murphy, Frank Paur, Brad Rader, Dan Riba, Jeff Snow, Mark Wallace and Bruce W. Timm
Backgrounds Designed by … Eric Radomski
Editing by ... Al Breitenbach
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Shirley Walker

Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne/Batman (voice)
Dana Delany ... Andrea 'Andi' Beaumont (voice)
Mark Hamill ... The Joker (voice)
Hart Bochner ... City Councilman Arthur Reeves (voice)
Stacy Keach ... Carl Beaumont/The Phantasm (voice)
Abe Vigoda ... Salvatore 'Sal the Wheezer' Valestra (voice)
Dick Miller ... Charles 'Chuckie' Sol (voice)
John P. Ryan ... 'Buzz' Bronski (voice)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ... Alfred Pennyworth (voice)
Bob Hastings ... Commissioner Jim Gordon (voice)
Robert Costanzo ... Detective Harvey Bullock (voice)
Marilu Henner ... Veronica Vreeland (voice)​

When a mysterious cloaked figure murders Gotham gangsters, Batman is labeled the prime suspect. Now, not only must Wayne fight to clear his name…but the return of a lost love links the murderer to Bruce’s past…and the revelation of why he truly became a vigilante.

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Following the release of 1992’s “Batman Returns,” parents were outraged (unfairly) and let their concerns be known through the halls of Warner Brothers. But while the caped crusader’s live action exploits were about to take a full on dive into territory of the neon and nipple persuasion, our hero appeared on the silver screen yet again in 1993…but this time in ink and paint form.

“Mask of the Phantasm” plays like a classic noir, weaving a story of murder, mystery and romance that will force audiences to get caught up in the intrigue. Much like “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Mask” doesn’t fall prey to the fact that it’s animated and the filmmakers rightfully treat the material with the proper respect…thusly creating one of the most beautiful cinematic triumphs for the Batman character I’ve ever seen.

The film takes place with Batman fully integrated into the running of Gotham city. His tacit agreement with Commissioner Gordon allows him to track and bring in criminals with impunity.

However a new costumed avenger starts to brutally murder mob bosses leading the public, spurred on by ambitious city councilman Arthur Reeves, to view the Batman as the culprit. Hounded by the police as he tries to unravel the identity of the enigmatic crusader, Bruce Wayne’s life is turned around by the reappearance of the love of his life…Andrea Beaumont. Andrea’s return to Gotham causes Wayne to reminisce about his past and in doing so we’re given an insight into the birth of Batman.

The film switches between the present and the past and as such we’re given a glimpse into Wayne as a fledgling crime fighter, fully trained but lacking the iconography which would make him famous. We see him dressed in dark clothes and a balaclava, combating crime but failing to make a psychological impact. We even see Bruce swayed from his quest by his blossoming affections for Andrea. It’s a fascinating insight into the character and it marks the first feature in the series to look at this period, pre-dating “Batman Begins” by 12 years. While “Begins” would be a full blown origin story, the four previous live action Batman films focused on a character that had found and made peace with his identity, a vigilante who had already perfected his craft.

Like “Begins,” “Mask of the Phantasm” takes its inspiration from Frank Miller’s ‘Batman: Year One’ a one shot comic book which depicted Batman’s fledgling year. Whilst Year One was a far grittier and nastier take on Batman’s first forays into crime fighting its influence can be felt in the way Bruce Wayne interacts with his parents and criminals in the picture. Whereas earlier films would show Bruce Wayne being spurred on by his parents murder, “Mask of the Phantasm” created the notion that Bruce’s mission was in servitude to them. Certainly his desperate pleas for another option when he finds happiness suggest that this Bruce Wayne could have exorcised his demons without donning the mantle of the bat.

And there in lies what truly makes “Phantasm” so incredible. Much like the “Smallville” television series, the history of the main character isn’t broken by any means, but it’s bent and contorted in a fresh way that adds a wrinkle of luster to the mythos. The fact that it wasn’t just the deaths of Bruce’s parents that sent him over the edge into becoming Batman…but it was also the tragic loss of the one woman that could’ve kept him from a life of crime fighting. It’s really romantic stuff here and spins a new dimension on Wayne as a character that people just might identify with as much as, if not more so, then the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

What makes these earlier scenes work (and really the film as a whole) is Kevin Conroy’s fantastic voice performance as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Conroy’s voice work was one of the lynchpins of the animated series and his magnetic and divergent turns as Bruce Wayne and Batman would help to create a sympathetic core to a character who could have easily been a silent and unlikable loner.

Surrounding Conroy for “Phantasm” is a large ensemble of fantastic voice actors such as Bob Hastings as Commissioner James Gordon, the ever loyal Alfred Pennyworth voiced by Efrem Zimbalist Jr, Stacy Keach (Escape from LA) as Andrea’s father Carl Beaumont and ‘Desperate Housewives’ star Dana Delany voicing Andrea herself. Each actor and actress has a wonderful textual quality to their voice and it’s truly no wonder who, between DC and Marvel, gets the best casts for animation pieces.

But the stand out supporting performer proves to be Mark Hamill and his instantly recognizable take on the Joker. Despite being best known for his heroic turns as Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” trilogy, Hamill established a career in his later life as a remarkably talented voice actor, his focus being on characters of the more villainous persuasions. With voice work in everything from “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” to Miyazaki’s “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” Hamill would bring a unique blend of humor and darkness to each of his roles.

But his most famous voice work would be playing Batman’s white faced arch-nemesis. Clearly enjoying himself immensely Hamill, with the help of some truly fantastic strips, created a Joker that wasn’t just good for a children’s show but which actually threatened to be one of the most interesting and bravura interpretations of the character. Perfectly capturing the Jokers conflicted and psychotic nature, Hamill was able to be both funny and terrifying at the drop of a hat.

“That’s it…that’s what I want to see…a nice big smile…”

On paper, the Joker’s appearance halfway through “Mask of the Phantasm” should really spell doom for a production already juggling two comprehensive plotlines, but somehow Timm, Radomski and company manage to handle the flashbacks, the phantasm and Batman’s most iconic animated showdown with his greatest enemy incredibly well. Considering its lean, economic 77 minute runtime and exuberance of Hamill’s performance there was a danger that the Joker would once again dominate proceedings, but whilst the character is exceptionally memorable he’s reined in enough to serve as a suitable heavy without completely detracting the focus of the story from Batman or Bruce’s relationship with Andrea, which is the main priority of the story.

In fact, despite a somewhat episodic nature, “Mask of the Phantasm” manages to have one of best stories in all of the Batman films. Part of this is due to the fact that all three plotlines serve to flesh out one larger story which ties together all of the major and minor characters. In fact one criticism to be leveled against the film is that everything is wrapped up a little too tightly, even right down to the point where the final climatic showdown occurs in the same ‘World of Tomorrow” museum and exhibit that Bruce and Andrea visited when they were first dating. Simply having the Joker make his hideout at a random museum would have been fine, but by establishing an emotional connection for the other characters it makes everything seem a little trite.

But it really is a minor criticism and the museum provides a fantastic backdrop for one of Batman’s most explosive encounters with the Joker. With Jetpacks, robotic knife wielding housewives, toy biplanes and a fistfight within a miniature city thrown into the mix, the final ten minutes is a suitably cathartic climax to a film that had avoided the usual Batman super heroics. So by the time we finally get to Batman and the Joker’s brawl, we’re ready for it. But that’s not to say the film is completely without action…specifically the wonderful chase scene between Batman and the Police during the 2nd act, which is just so perfect in it’s staging and pacing.

With a sumptuous score from Shirley Walker (including a lovely and memorable lyrical theme titled “I Never Even Told You” and performed by Tia Carrere) and some dazzling animation that was ahead of its time, “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” is a perfect showcase of the style and intelligence that made “Batman: The Animated Series” so fantastic.

If you can rightfully look past the fact that it’s animated, the film is a compelling drama that will suck you in with its emotional story and developed take on the characters…easily one of the greatest Batman movies of all time.

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[CFE]

BATMAN
MASK OF THE PHANTASM
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE (1993)

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"I Never Even Told You" - Tia Carrere

Composed and Conducted by … Shirley Walker
Orchestrated by … Ian Walker, Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis, Peter Tomashek, Harvey R. Cohen and Larry Rench
Score Synthesized by … Hans Zimmer

“I Never Even Told You”:
Composed by … Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard
Produced by … David Gamson

Executive Produced by … Michael Ostin
Produced by … Shirley Walker

Track Listing:

1: Main Title (1:35)
2: The Promise 43)
3: Ski Mask Vigilante (3:00)
4: Phantasm’s Graveyard Murder (3:35)
5: First Love (1:32)
6: The Big Chase (5:28)
7: A Plea for Help (1:51)
8: The Birth of Batman (4:15)
9: Phantasm and Joker Fight (4:03)
10: Batman’s Destiny (3:42)
11: I Never Even Told You – Tia Carrere (4:21)​

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If I had to make note of where the absolute zenith for super hero symphonic exercise occurred…I’d honestly have to hand it over to the period from 1989 to 1993/1994.

The reigns of Danny Elfman and Shirley Walker.

Elfman brought the comic book sensibilities of fun and momentum from John Williams’ work for “Superman: The Movie” (1978) into the contemporary realm with the gothic manifesto compositions of director Tim Burton’s “BATMAN” (1989) and its sequel “Batman Returns” (1992). The ground Elfman had broken quickly grew fertile as his quirky balance of comic flights of fancy and seedy melodramatic grit became the go to junction for comic book adaptations. Director/Star Warren Beatty tapped the composer to create the score for his delightfully over the top “Dick Tracy” (1990) while producers Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo brought him on to compose the theme for their television incarnation of “The Flash” (1990)…the latter of which re-teamed Elfman with fellow composer and “BATMAN” conductor Shirley Walker.

Walker, a lyrically stylish orchestrator in her own right, was no stranger to high-quality scores having worked on the revolutionary approach to the method for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.” (1979).

When producers Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski were given the green light by Warner Brothers to create “Batman: The Animated Series” (1992-1995) they, to their insurmountable credit, felt that the quality of the show they wanted to produced could only truly be realized by NOT treating it like an average cartoon.

Among such techniques as competent storytelling and dramatic art design, the choice to treat each individual episode as a 20 minute motion picture led to the ambitious decision to have a fully developed score created for every single script that would be produced.

Thanks to her work both on “BATMAN” and “The Flash,” Timm and Radomski eventually chose Walker for the job of heading the musical department.

For the direct-to-video turned theatrical dazzler “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (1993), Walker saw to the score herself for the most part…and in turn, she crafted what I’d say is honestly one of the most underrated ‘Batman’ scores ever.

The composition opens with “Main Title,” a very moody and atmospheric rendition of Shirley’s ‘Batman Theme’ complete with thundering percussive techniques and a haunting chorus (according to rumor, the chorus is simply bellowing the names of the film’s producers backwards!). Next to “Batman Returns,” this is probably one of my favorite renderings of a Batman theme…fortunately it still gets a lot of love from fans.

Overall, the chorus is the main undercurrent throughout the score…really playing as the backbone for the piece on the whole.

Given the film’s romantic angle, I think it’s a bit more sophisticated than the more action-oriented scores that usually populated the television series. That’s not to say that the episodic scores aren’t incredible, but since “Phantasm” was on a theatrical venue, clearly more symphonic attention was placed.

Examples of this theory include “First Love,” a lovely chorus-powered cue set up as a theme for Bruce and Andrea’s relationship. While it is an uplifting theme, there’s just a touch of sadness in the track…perhaps meant to remark on the inevitability of the relationship’s failure.

Other cues highlight various aspects…

The Phantasm character is given a wonderful theme by Walker…part ghostly malaise, part quirky B-horror movie the theme has a fitting ‘boogeyman’ vibe for one of the film’s title characters. The theme makes its most prominent statements in “Phantasm’s Graveyard Murder” when the Phantasm slays mobster Buzz Bronski and “Phantasm and Joker Fight” when the Clown Prince of Crime is confronted.

There’s also the wonderfully iconic cue “The Birth of Batman.” Along with the romance he had, Bruce’s dilemma over choosing between love and duty plays a pivotal focal point in the picture…and it’s beautifully orchestrated in this one track. Following a sequence of strings and chorus as Bruce’s marriage proposal to Andrea is interrupted by a legion of bats emerging from the Wayne Manor grounds, the Love Theme is given a poignant rendition by flute as Bruce’s heart is broken by Andrea’s abandonment.

Suiting up with Alfred at his side, the Batman theme makes a somber introduction into Wayne’s life as he looks upon his cowl and slips it on for the very first time. One of the greatest moments in the movie made that much better through score!

Of course, for all its romance and pathos, the score still retains it’s sense of flight and action.

There’s “Ski Mask Vigilante,” played for Bruce’s initial foray into vigilantism as he attempts to take down a group of thieves sans the Batman persona…donning only a jacket, gloves and a ski-mask. Even as a small flashback vignette, Walker manages to craft a theme for this early incarnation of Wayne’s crusade (heard most prominently when Bruce is walking atop a semi during a chase through Gotham City).

A personal favorite HAS to be the “Police Chase” cue as Harvey Bullock leads 4 precincts in pursuit of the dark knight…the theme is given great forward momentum as Batman flees for his very life…only to be aided by an unlikely ally. There’s also some great brass work in this track.

The score takes off with the kick ass “Batman’s Destiny” as Batman and Joker duel in the air above the defunct Gotham World’s fair. It’s a beautiful climactic ending to the score that escalates right up into its final movements…complete with a bombastic chorus as the Fair Grounds are engulfed in flame from the Joker’s rigged explosions.

Ultimately, the score ends with a triumphant re-statement of the “Main Title” as Batman, despite his recent heartache, is once again called upon by the Bat-Signal…and in turn, goes to work.

As you can see, this look at the “Phantasm” score is based off of the initial 11-track studio release. Fortunately, La La Land Records has released an Archival Edition of Shirley’s work that is expanded…whenever I get my hands on that, a more in depth review can be made.

However, I can comment on the lyrical theme that truly ends the studio release.

Performed by singer/actress Tia Carrere (film buffs will recognize her as Juno Skinner from James Cameron’s “True Lies”…not to mention the girl of Wayne Campbell’s dreams from 1992’s “Wayne’s World” film adaptation), “I Never Even Told You” is a beautiful R&B ballad played off of the torment and longing that Bruce and Andrea have for each other. It’s lyrics are a wonderful representation of how simultaneously tumultuous yet passionate their love for each other is (I had to keep my feelings locked away…I couldn’t whisper, no I couldn’t say…) and, despite the flack I know fans give it, I think it’s a great Batman-inspired song.

How great? Well I’m planning on having it at my wedding reception someday…it’s that romantic.

Collectively, the “Mask of the Phantasm” score is a beautiful and haunting composition that fits the animated Batman quite well…showcasing the brilliance and talent of a composer who might be gone…but will never be forgotten.

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[TruerToTheCore]

You're spot on with your review on B:TAS. The show is a classic that may never be equaled.

It already has. It's called "The Brave and the Bold" a much better written and animated show. But it's probably too joyful for most people here.

But even the hardest fanboys must admit that BTAs is full of boring episodes and virtually all action scenes are average or even lame.

 

[CFE]

BATMAN & MR. FREEZE
SUB-ZERO (1998)

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Directed by ... Boyd Kirkland
Written by ... Randy Rogel and Boyd Kirkland
Based on the DC Comics Characters Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan
Produced by ... Boyd Kirkland, Haven Alexander and Randy Rogel
Art Direction by … Steward Lee, Butch Lukic, Phillip Norwood and Daniel Veesenmeyer
Casting and Voice Direction by … Andrea Romano
Editing by ... Al Breitenbach
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Michael McCuistion

Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne/Batman (voice)
Michael Ansara ... Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze (voice)
Loren Lester ... Richard 'Dick' Grayson/Robin (voice)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ... Alfred Pennyworth (voice)
George Dzundza ... Dr. Gregory Belson (voice)
Robert Costanzo ... Police Detective Harvey Bullock (voice)
Bob Hastings ... Police Commissioner James Gordon (voice)
Mary Kay Bergman ... Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (voice)
Rahi Azizi ... Koonak (voice)
Marilu Henner ... Veronica Vreeland (voice)
Dean Jones ... Dean Arbagast (voice)
Lauren Tom ... Dr. Mariko (voice)
Mari Devon ... WGBS Reporter Summer Gleeson (voice)
Liane Schirmer ... Lieutenant Renee Montoya (voice)​

When Mr. Freeze kidnaps Barbara Gordon for a mysterious medical procedure to save his cryogenically frozen wife Nora, Batman and Robin embark on a blazing rescue mission to save her.

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If "Mask of the Phantasm" compliments the first 70 episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series," then 1998’s "Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero" compliments the 15 episodes that comprise "The Adventures of Batman and Robin."

When it comes to the development of a hero or villain's origin, a key ingredient for me is that no matter how fantastic the circumstances, there should be an heartfelt resonance or connection to the material. And in my opinion, as far as comic book character origins as they were presented and/or altered in the 1990s...no origin struck such an emotional chord with fans and audiences as the one created by Paul Dini for the now tragic Batman foe, Mr. Freeze. The origin is as follows:

After his beloved wife is struck down by terminal illness, Dr. Victor Fries (still pronounced 'Freeze') has her cryogenically frozen in a machine of his own design until he himself can find the cure. However Gothcorp, the Gotham City based corporation that funded Victor's research, deems the act a misuse of equipment and decides to pull the plug, which will surely kill his wife (the process of cryogenics can't be reversed). Driven by rage, Victor holds the CEO at gunpoint to keep him back from the machine, only to be tackled by the CEO himself into a table of cryogenic chemicals. As the CEO and the security team depart, Victor's body is mutated...his blood turns to liquid coolant, his skin is turned a pale snowy blue...and his heart and emotions are frozen solid. Somehow surviving the accident, Victor becomes "Mr. Freeze" in order to have his vengeance on Gothcorp will continuing his research to save Nora through illegal means.

Seriously, it's like a comic book Shakespeare, or greek tragedy. Truly compelling material. I wanted you to read it once more prior to this review.

Anyway, "Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero" is an animated film released in line with the original television series...meaning all of the great actors return (Kevin Conroy, Michael Ansara, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Bob Hastings).

To be perfectly honest, with Robin, Batgirl and Mr. Freeze's involvement..."Sub Zero" is, for me, how Joel Schumacher's "Batman & Robin" should've been. What with the absence of Poison Ivy (leading to focus more on the far more interesting Freeze) and it's darker material and plot line. Oh well...live and learn.

The film is beautiful in its art direction and overall aesthetic, with the art deco approach to the architecture and vehicles; an aspect I ALWAYS loved about "Batman: The Animated Series."

Overall, compared to the live action Batman films of the time it's Oscar worthy...but it does fall a bit short of the mark compared to "Mask of the Phantasm" or even "The Batman/Superman Movie." It's just not as ambitious; the storytelling is excellent but the issue is that there's not much story to tell. It has solid peril as Batman and Robin try to solve the mystery of Batgirl's kidnapping, but not much else. Although I have to say that the sub-plot concerning Gregory Belson and his financial troubles brought a realistic sense of flavor to the story. I mean seriously, what cartoon character do you know that has a hired stockbroker!?

One of the greatest appreciations about the film (and "Batman: The Animated Series" as a whole) IS that realism, so to speak. The fact that, despite being animated, the material is not dumbed down...quite the opposite, the creators and storytellers of the show treat it like sophisticated, feature film material. Even the camera angles and character nuances are things out of a classic noir or detective thriller.

Again, the cast is just excellent, which pretty much goes without saying when the topic of discussion is the animated projects of DC Comics.

I want to point out two of the exclusive additions to the cast for this project...George Dzunda (Scarface and the Ventriliquist from "Batman: The Animated Series" and Perry White from "Superman: The Animated Series") is the voice of Dr. Gregory Belson and Dean Jones (Disney's Herbie from the 'Love Bug' movies) is the voice of Belson's Stockbroker. These two men play off of one another so well and interact and blend perfectly with the established cast.

On a side note, I loved Mike McCuistion's score for the film. His 'Nora Fries' theme with the flute and 'Mr. Freeze' and 'Batman' motifs are superb.

While "Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero" may not have the story resonance that "Mask of the Phantasm" has, it's still an exciting film concerning one of Batman's most heartbreaking adversaries.

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[CFE]

BATMAN & MR. FREEZE
SUB-ZERO
Original Motion Picture Score (1998)

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Composed by … Michael McCuistion

Track Listing:

1. Main Title / Submarine
2. The Cave
3. Nora / Vengeance
4. Gotham City
5. Robbery
6. Batman & Robin
7. Fundraiser Party
8. Batgirl Appears
9. Frozen Road / Mr. Freeze Is Back
10. 1st Clue
11. Blood Donor
2. Shaugnessy's Restaurant
13. The Kidnapping Of Barbara
14. The Chase
15. Prisoner
16. Donor Files
17. Trying To Escape
18. Nowhere To Run
19. Discovery
20. Belson's Home
21. Break In
22. Break Out
23. Bat Plane / Surgery
24. Heroes Are Here
25. Bears / Fire / Explosions
26. Bat Rescue
27. Run For Nora & Noonak
28. Freeze's Destiny / Big Explosion
29. Nora Is Alive
30. End Titles​

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While not as bombastic and sweeping as the score for “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (1993), composer Mike McCuistion (a member of Shirley Walker’s team from the animated series) delivers a finely tuned and tragically poetic score for “Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero” (1998).

Beginning with a rendition of Danny Elfman’s original movie theme, the score quickly establishes its own rules and tone…first and foremost with a new love theme for Victor and Nora Fries with the “Nora” cue. It plays as a bit of an homage to “Heart of Ice” with its twinkling romantic nature but ultimately I think this version is even better than the show.

From there things pick up and the jazz- nature of the score rears its head with a delightfully upbeat arrival to “Gotham City.” For some reason, Jazz seems to work exceedingly well within the confines of “Batman: The Animated Series”…as referenced in the score for the “Bullet for Bullock” episode of the show.

Here we get a great uplifted orchestra full of swinging brass and lively woodwinds which I love.

The Jazz motif turns full on Swing when it makes another appearance in “Shaugnessy’s Restaurant” while Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon are on their date.

On top of everything else, McCuistion provides us with his very own Batman theme…which is just phenomenal without stepping on the toes of Walker or Elfman. I wish the theme had been used more than once, but it’s a welcome piece of music to lyrically describe the character of Batman.

Mr. Freeze (as the villain of the piece) gets a new theme as well…and what I love about it is the fact that, given his tragic origin, the theme was tailored by Mike so that it could play off either as an outright villain motif…or as an uplifted variation when Freeze aids Batman and Barbara in rescuing Nora from the Oil Derrick.

Aside from those standouts, a lot of the cues are fairly routine for “Batman: The Animated Series” as far as catchy action cues full of panache and rhythm. In the end, Mr. Freeze’s love theme for Nora is the star (playing on the film with “End Titles.”

I wish Warners could re-release this one…it’s a great addition to the Batman musical library to be sure.

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[TruerToTheCore]

"Sub-Zero" is just a regular animated episode, a little bit longer. That's all about it.

 

[CFE]

THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES (1997-1999)

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Episodes Directed by …

Curt Geda (7 episodes)
Dan Riba (7 episodes)
Butch Lukic (5 episodes)
Atsuko Tanaka (2 episodes)
Tim Maltby (unknown episodes)
Toshihiko Masuda (unknown episodes)

Episodes Written by …

Paul Dini (6 episodes)
Hilary Bader (6 episodes)
Rich Fogel (6 episodes)
Stan Berkowitz (4 episodes)
Bob Goodman (3 episodes)
Steve Gerber (3 episodes)
Bruce W. Timm (2 episodes)
Michael Reaves (unknown episodes)

Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Series Executive Produced by …

Jean MacCurdy

Series Produced by ...

Alan Burnett
Bruce W. Timm
Paul Dini
Haven Alexander

Casting and Voice Direction by …

Andrea Romano

Series Art Direction by …

Glen Murakami

Original Television Theme Composed by …

Shirley Walker

Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne/Batman
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. … Alfred Pennyworth
Bob Hastings … Police Commissioner James Gordon
Matthew Valencia … Timothy ‘Tim’ Drake/Robin II
Loren Lester ... Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson/Nightwing
Melissa Gilbert … Barbara Gordon/Batgirl
Robert Costanzo … Police Detective Harvey Bullock
Liane Schirmer … Police Detective Renee Montoya
Mel Winkler … Lucius Fox
Jane Alan … Summer Gleason
Lloyd Bochner … Mayor Hamilton Hill
Jeff Bennett … Jack Ryder/the Creeper
Mark Hamill … Jack Napier/The Joker
Arleen Sorkin … Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
Richard Moll … Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Adrienne Barbeau … Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Diane Pershing … Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy
John Glover … Edward Nygma/The Riddler
Ron Perlman … Matt Hagan/Clayface
David Warner … Ras’ Al Ghul
Paul Williams … Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin
Michael Ansara … Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze
Roddy McDowall … Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter
Brooks Gardner … Killer Croc
Mark Rolston … Garfield Lynns/Firefly
Helen Slater … Talia Al Ghul
Marilu Henner … Veronica Vreeland
Earl Boen … Rhino

The Dark Knight battles crime in Gotham City with occasional help from Robin and Batgirl.

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Key Episodes:

“Holiday Knights”
“Cold Comfort”
“Never Fear”
“Joker’s Millions”
“Mean Seasons”
“Over the Edge”
“Old Wounds”
“Legends of the Dark Knight”
“Chemistry”
“Mad Love”

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In the years following the end of “Batman: The Animated Series,” it seemed that the production team headed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett and Glen Murakami had sufficiently moved on…right along to a wonderful take on the Man of Steel with “Superman: The Animated Series.”

But with the anticipations for 1997’s live action “Batman & Robin,” Warners knew the time was still ripe to have the caped crusader on the small screen.

Fortunately for fans, while “Batman & Robin” was fairing quite poorly at the box office…a legend returned to television in the form of 1997’s “The New Batman Adventures.”

Completely revamped on a visual level, this incarnation of “Batman: The Animated Series” takes place a few years after the end of the first series.

In that time span, Dick Grayson (Loren Lester) has grown out of his role as Robin…leaving Gotham to find himself and return to the playing field as Nightwing.

Meanwhile Batman (Kevin Conroy) has brought Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl (Tara Strong) on as an official member of his crime fighting circle…along with a new Robin named Tim Drake (Matthew Valencia), a homeless street urchin who assumes the mantle after proving himself in a fight against Two-Face.

Taking even more cues from the comics, the series successfully accomplishes setting itself apart from other Batman incarnations of the time.

For example, as opposed to the original version of the Penguin (which was mirrored after Danny DeVito’s flippered portrayal in order to market alongside “Batman Returns&#8221 the ‘new’ Penguin is designed more along the lines of a darker Burgess Meredith…and given a legitimate front for more white collar criminal activity as the owner of swank Gotham nightclub “The Iceberg Lounge.”

Other villains were given similar treatments, including the Scarecrow…who after two iterations in the original series is presented as his darkest incarnation EVER! Poison Ivy is also altered, complete with new green-tones skinned just like in the current comic books.

The color scheme of the show…including having a blood red sky to represent night…is incredibly inspired and fits very well in determining the new look for the show.

The atmosphere of the show, overall, is also far more stylized as it was modeled more in line with the stark angles and clean lines of “Superman.” In terms of tone, it’s lightened up quite a bit with the decision to include Batman’s sidekicks a bit more than before. The battles and conflicts that make up the show, while still psychological in nature, are far more ‘super heroic’ than the original animated series.

Even so, the show is just as incredible in its own unique way with its own set of rules.

Given that the show’s run only lasted two seasons (they’re more frequently counted as the 4th and 5th seasons of “The Animated Series,” but I decided to give them there own classification), there are only a handful of episodes…but despite that, the show manages to make quite the impression on several occasions.

Perhaps easily one of the premiere episodes of the show HAS to be “Over the Edge.”

Told as an epic ‘what if’ scenario, Batgirl is knocked off the roof of City Hall by the Scarecrow…falling to her death right in front of Commissioner Gordon! Consumed with grief, Gordon discovers Bruce’s secret identity and leads a massive SWAT team in an attack on Wayne Manor (!!!) before hiring South American mercenary Bane to finish off Batman once and for all.

Within the span of 20 minutes, fans and audiences are given one of the most emotional Batman stories possible…and that’s a real sign of craftsmanship. There are Batman films that span everywhere from 75 minutes to 2 hours that don’t accomplish that!

Another great episode takes on the very notion of multiple interpretations of the caped crusader with “Legends of the Dark Knight” as three inner city kids imagine their own takes on Batman. In the first, it’s a great and colorful throwback to the Batman filmmation cartoons presented in the bombastically colorful stylings of 50s Batman artist Dick Sprang as Batman and Robin thwart the Joker’s attempted robbery of the Walker Music Center.

The second (and most ‘fanboy cheer’ inducing) is an animated vignette of Frank Miller’s legendary 1986 mini-series “Batman: the Dark Knight Returns.” Complete with Carrie Kelly as Robin and Batman’s conflict with the Mutant Gang Leader in the City Dump, the sequence features noted character actor Michael Ironside (“Total Recall,” “Terminator: Salvation&#8221 providing the hollow, gritty vocals for Batman. Ironside is most known by fans of the collected DC animated series for his reoccurring role as Darkseid in “Superman,” “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited.”

What “The New Batman Adventures” lacks in the ingenuity and genius of its predecessor (like using digital scores instead of a live orchestra for instance), it more than makes up for in storytelling ambition. A lot of the avenues the series took very much set the stage for the stories the producers and writers were willing to tell in later series such as “Batman Beyond” and “Justice League.”

Among them is the episode “Chemistry,” where Bruce does the unthinkable and gives up the Batman mantle so he can get married to a newfound girlfriend!

And “Joker’s Millions.” Played as a complete farce of an escapade, the Clown Prince of Crime…penniless and living in a disgusting motel…comes into an inheritance worth millions left by a dead mob boss. Seeing the Joker go all out with a giant mansion and potential replacements for Harley is downright hysterical.

One of the standouts for the series, however, is obviously “Mad Love.”

Adapting the award winning graphic novel created by series producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, the episode finally chronicles Dini’s origin for Harley Quinn…her beginnings as interning Arkham psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel and the Joker’s manipulation of her mind. Just like “Heart of Ice” before it, “Mad Love” is a wonderful insight into the twisted origin of a Batman foe…someone with good intentions who’s life turned astray as a result of tragedy and failed expectations.

Along with familiar rogues like Mr. Freeze and the Mad Hatter, the show introduced a few new additions such as crazed arsonist Firefly…and notably Calendar Girl (a variation on the Calendar Man of the comics) who has an interestingly tragic psychological angle as a former model who turned to crime after being disfigured in an accident. As it turns out she wasn’t disfigured at all…she had aged gracefully and was still beautiful to everyone; except herself. Turning to crime as a result of obsessive vanity and self-awareness…I mean c’mon, what villain is developed like that? Genius!

There’s also the high flying Roxy Rockett, a stunt performer who left Hollywood when she found it far too boring. Committing crimes and catching Batman’s attention for nothing but the thrill, there’s an underlying hint of possible sexual innuendo laced into her modus operandi. In an unforgettable final scene where Roxy and Batman are both on a collision course for a cliff…neither wanting to give in to the other in the ultimate stare down…it’s almost as if she orgasms over the entire thing! The fact that they’re having this psychological confrontation aboard a giant, phallic rocket leaves little doubt as to the erotic intent…and very little to the imagination.

All in all it’s a very artistically styled approach to re-introducing the animated Batman that made his first appearance back in ’92.

Putting more of the super into the hero, the series just goes to show that when you throw in the colorful villains, sidekicks and fantasy angle of it all…it’s still just as much a representation of Batman as having him fight alone against an army of gangsters and two-bit hoods.

“The New Batman Adventures” is very much a worthwhile adaptation of the dark knight.

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[CFE]

BATMAN
MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN
(2003)

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Directed by ... Curt Geda and Tim Maltby
Story by ... Alan Burnett
Screenplay by ... Michael Reaves
Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Sander Schwartz
Produced by ... Alan Burnett, Margaret M. Dean, Kathryn Page and Curt Geda
Art Direction by … Thom Enriquez, Curt Geda, Gary Graham, Eddie Lin, Tim Maltby, Phillip Norwood, Jeff Snow and Matt Youngberg
Casting and Voice Direction by … Andrea Romano
Editing by ... Margaret Hou
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Lolita Ritmanis

Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne/Batman (voice)
Tara Strong ... Barbara Gordon (voice)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ... Alfred Pennyworth (voice)
Bob Hastings ... Police Commissioner James Gordon (voice)
David Ogden Stiers ... Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/The Penguin (voice)
Hector Elizondo ... Bane (voice)
Kelly Ripa ... Dr. Roxanne 'Rocky' Ballantine (voice)
Kimberly Brooks ... Kathleen 'Kathy' Duquesne (voice)
Elisa Gabrielli ... Detective Sonia Alcana (voice)
Kyra Sedgwick ... Batwoman (voice)
Eli Marienthal ... Timothy 'Tim' Drake/Robin (voice)
John Vernon ... Rupert Thorne (voice)
Kevin Michael Richardson ... Carlton Duquesne (voice)
Robert Costanzo ... Police Detective Harvey Bullock (voice)
Cherie ... Iceberg Lounge Singer (voice)​

The Dark Knight must contend with a mysterious female vigilante who emulates him, but to a more ruthless degree.

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"Batman: The Mystery of the Batwoman" is about as entertaining as animated Batman movies get. Not as much darkness, but the fun is still intact.

There's a new crime-fighter on the streets of Gotham. She dresses like a bat but she's not a grown-up Batgirl. And Batman is denying any affiliation with her. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne has to deal with the usual romances and detective work. But the Penguin, Bain and the local Mob makes things little more complicated. Not to mention the emergence of three beautiful and mysterious women in both Bruce Wayne and Batman's lives.

While still true to the feeling of the comic books, the animation is done with a lighter spirit than in the animated series. Bruce Wayne looks much like he has before, but now he appears somewhat less imposing. The Dick Grayson Robin has been replaced by the less edgy, more youthful Tim Drake Robin.

"Mystery of the Batwoman" is modelled in the same vein as the revamped Kids WB! episodes of Batman...dubbed "The New Batman Adventures." But it's charming to think that "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" compliments the first 70 episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero" compliments the 15 episodes of "The Adventures of Batman and Robin." So in turn, "Batwoman" rightfully compliments the 24 episodes of "The New Batman Adventures." And come to think of it, "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" compliments "Batman Beyond."

It all goes hand in hand.

The cast here is absolutely extraordinary, as are with all of DC's animated features. From the always brilliant and ever loyal Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Bob Hastings to the somewhat celebrity additions of Hector Elizando, Kyra Sedgewick and Kelly Ripa. There's not one weak link in the prominent cast of characters here.

And I was personally thrilled that the producers and writers brought back ganglord Rupert Thorne, a prominent character from the original animated series on FOX that all but disappeared in "The New Batman Adventures." It was a very cool throwback to see him once again, and to hear John Vernon portray him once more.

I was delighted with the imaginative and exciting set pieces (really loved the idea of the finale taking place on an ocean liner), the clever plot and a cheeky sense of humor. This is definitely a movie no fan of Batman should be without. Keep your ears open for a really catchy song performed by pop vocalist Cherie called 'Betcha Neva' which is featured prominently through-out...even featuring an animated version of the singer in a scene in the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge nightclub.

The film also excels with a sultry jazz score composed by Lolita Ritmanis, which sounds tremendous throughout the piece. I'm especially fond of the 'Batwoman Theme,' which is probably the most prominent music cue in the film.

Ultimately the film is a bit more light hearted, and the moody atmosphere is gone in favor of brisk and dynamic storytelling and locale. Gone are the Gothic Citadels so prominently featured in the original series, replaced with towers of glass and granite...making Gotham look very much more like Metropolis.

But the film is still Batman...and it's still a lot of fun. While I personally feel there's more to offer in other interpretations of the character, this still has it where it counts and remains a delightfully fun portion of Batman's illustrious history.

Just great, great fun!

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[Mrs. Sawyer]

Can't wait for your reviews on Batman Beyond, Return of the Joker, 2000s, and Batman Beyond CFE! t:

 

[CFE]

Batman Beyond
(1999 - 2001)

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Episodes Directed by …

Butch Lukic (14 episodes)
Dan Riba (13 episodes)
Curt Geda (10 episodes)
Kyungwon Lim (4 episodes)
James Tucker (4 episodes)
Yukio Suzuki (2 episodes)

Episodes Written by …

Stan Berkowitz (12 episodes)
Hilary Bader (8 episodes)
Alan Burnett (8 episodes)
Bob Goodman (7 episodes)
Paul Dini (4 episodes)
Rich Fogel (4 episodes)
John P. McCann (2 episodes)
Neal Adams (unknown episodes)
Gardner Fox (unknown episodes)
Bob Kane (unknown episodes)
Jerry Robinson (unknown episodes)

Based on the DC Comics Character Created by ... Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Series Executive Produced by …

Jean MacCurdy

Series Produced by ...

Alan Burnett
Bruce W. Timm
Paul Dini
Shaun McLaughlin
Glen Murakami
Bruce W. Timm

Casting and Voice Direction by …

Andrea Romano
Leslie Lamers

Original Television Theme Composed by …

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Original Television Scores Composed by …

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Will Friedle … Terence ‘Terry’ McGinnis/Batman
Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne
Stockard Channing … Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon
Paul Winfield … District Attorney Sam Young
Lauren Tom … Dana Tan
Cree Summer … Max Gibson
Teri Garr … Mrs. Mary McGinnis
Ryan O’Donohue … Matthew ‘Matt’ McGinnis
Seth Green … Nelson Nash
Melissa Disney … Blade
Yvette Lowenthal … Chelsea Cunningham
Rachael Leigh Cook … Chelsea Cunningham
Sherman Howard … Derek Powers/Blight
George Takei … Mr. Fixx
Shannon Kenny … Inque
Chris Mulkey … Shriek
Henry Rollins … Mad Stan
Jon Cypher … Spellbinder
Carl Lumbly … Stalker
George Lazenby … Royal Flush Gang King
Sarah Douglas … Royal Flush Gang Queen
Olivia d’Abo … Melanie Walker/Royal Flush Gang Ten
Timothy Dang … King Cobra
David Warner … Ras’ Al Ghul
Michael Ansara … Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze
Peter Onorati … Rex Stewert
Bruce W. Timm … Jokerz Leader
Frank Welker … Ace the Bathound

The Dark Knight battles crime in Gotham City with occasional help from Robin and Batgirl.

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Key Episodes:

“Rebirth” Part I
“Rebirth” Part II
“Black Out”
“Meltdown”
“Shriek”
“Dead Man’s Hand”
“The Winning Edge”
“Spellbound”
“Disappearing Inque”
“A Touch of Curare”
“Ascension”
“Splicers”
“Lost Soul”
“Hidden Agenda”
“Bloodsport”
“Mind Games”
“Terry’s Friend Dates a Robot”
“Where’s Terry?”
“Ace in the Hole”
“King’s Ransom”
“Out of the Past”
“The Call” Part I
“The Call” Part II
“Curse of the Kobra” Part I
“Curse of the Kobra” Part II
“Unmasked”
“Epilogue” (As seen in “Justice League: Unlimited&#8221​

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“Never again.”

Those were the words uttered by Bruce Wayne as he shut down the Batcave…ending his crusade as Batman once and for all.

But evil is never completely eradicated. The poor professor that it is, it continues to manifest in the generations…even as Wayne grew older and reserved, his adversaries grew younger and more ruthless.

Thus the stage was set…and lightning was captured yet again by the producing team behind “Batman: The Animated Series” and “Superman: The Animated Series” with 1999’s “Batman Beyond.”

Flash forward 20 years after Bruce’s last outing as the dark knight.

Gotham has flourished into a monolithic sprawl of technological achievement…gothic stone citadels replaced by gleaming ziggurats of titanium and glass.

But in spite of the utopian landscape, crime has run rampant…both on the streets and in the boardrooms. While Wayne Enterprises has since been transformed into Wayne/Powers following a hostile takeover by mogul Derek Powers (Sherman Howard), the city is plagued by a rowdy street gang calling themselves the Jokerz after their idolized criminal inspiration.

In the midst of a new generation of Gothamites is high school student Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle), a punk with a record from juvenile hall and a short temper…but also with a heart of gold hidden underneath his swagger.

After an unfounded argument with his father, Terry has a run-in with the Jokerz that leads him to the front gates of Wayne Manor…and a strange old shut-in…named Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy).

Due to circumstance, McGinnis stumbles upon Wayne’s cape and cowled alter ego…just in time to discover a secret hidden within Wayne/Powers that cost his father’s life.

Fueled by the same tormented forces that befell Wayne following the murder of his own parents, Terry makes the rash decision to break into the Batcave…steal the newly designed high-tech Batsuit and take matters into his own noble yet naïve hands.

However, following the prevention of Derek Power’s own nefarious schemes, Bruce sees a much-needed spirit in Terry…and decides to take him in as a field operative.

Thusly, giving Gotham City it’s first Batman in decades.

Meant to appeal to younger kids, “Batman Beyond” is a force unto itself…with its techno-slammin’ visual aesthetic and razors edge creative design.

It successfully placed an entirely radical spin on the character, maybe even THE most radical to date, yet made it entirely plausible.

I, like many other fans at the time, was completely skeptical about taking Bruce Wayne out of the costume.

How I prayed that the episode would come where Bruce would tell Terry, as he had told Dick Grayson before, “This is MY hunt.”

But in hindsight, I respect that the series didn’t make such unfounded moves like that…giving Terry and the new rogues gallery a fighting chance to become just as credible of a cornerstone for the legacy as anything else.

Simply put, this IS Batman…but it’s a Batman unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

In many ways, the approach to the series reminds me of the one taken with the “Blade” movies…in so much that you have all of these unique elements…techno, eye-popping futurist visuals, music videos, generation x…that seem like they have the potential to not meld well. But given the efforts of the creative forces behind the project, they not only work…they work beautifully.

And even better, the series never allowed said elements to overpower what was truly important.

Just as with every series created by this particular production team, what drives “Beyond” are its characters and its senses of both humor and storytelling.

As an out of left field character, Terry McGinnis still fits into the landscape of psychological motivation that makes up Batman’s cast of players.

And yet, despite taking Wayne out of the costume and dropping someone entirely new into it, we can still identify McGinnis as a character…that smart-mouthed delinquent in all of us with a tough exterior but noble intentions. We’ve all got attitude to burn and Terry is very much a reflection of that. I love the fact that they took someone like Will Friedle (for those who haven’t figured it out yet or didn’t know…he played Eric Matthews on “Boy Meets World.&#8221, mostly known for comedic work at the time, and put him in this dramatic role…and, as always, he fits beautifully.

When the producers were faced with the decision by Warners to attempt a teenaged Batman, immediately that brings up many concerns and potential pitfalls.

Thankfully, the decision to push the timeline into the future…it was the perfect choice…and really the only choice.

I mean can you imagine a series conceived in the same manner as, say, “X-Men Evolution?” Bruce Wayne in high school facing off against his villains in that format? That would never work (I don’t think anyway).

But to make the teenaged Batman a kid from the wrong side of the tracks…which makes his taking of the mantle a test of character and self-redemption…and have him act on Wayne’s behalf out in the field while Bruce monitors and mentors from the cave is just brilliance. It accomplishes the task at hand while both allowing itself to be connected to the previous animated series and not throw away the legacy of the original shows.

By doing this, Wayne and the Batman persona are even MORE mythic than ever before…because we’ve seen all that he’s accomplished and done as Batman before and all of that is still legit in the “Beyond” future.

This is strengthened by Kevin’s presence in the role yet again…only this time he plays the older Bruce a bit more reserved, more of a mentor and father figure than ever before. Of course, being Wayne, he still keeps the spirit quite in tact.

Terry: “oh…guess you would call yourself that. But that’s MY name now.”

Bruce: “Tell that to my subconscious.”

One of the key aspects of the show is that, in very subtle ways, it creates a parallel dynamic between Terry and Bruce’s respective crime fighting careers.

For instance, “Dead Man’s Hand” introduces Terry to the Royal Flush Gang…and a new love interest named Melanie Walker, who just so happens to be the gang’s ‘Ten.’ Their relationship both in and out of costume clearly symbolizes a nod to that of the one between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle aka Catwoman.

There’s also the involvement of Police Commissioner Gordon…only THIS time it’s Jim’s daughter…and former Batgirl…Barbara (voiced by “Grease” co-star Stockard Channing!).

One of the best early episodes, “Meltdown,” goes even one step further by bringing Mr. Freeze himself into the future…a result of his metamorphosis that allowed his mind to live on through the years. Even amidst all of the cutting edge visual difference of “Beyond” the show found its ways to inject raw, nostalgic emotion emanating from the past.

Batman: “You gotta get outta here, Freeze. The whole place is gonna go…”

Mr. Freeze: “Believe me…you’re the only one who cares…”

When rogues like Freeze, Bane and Ra’s Al Ghul weren’t involved however, the show still managed to meet the challenge by creating quite the rogues gallery for McGinnis.

Whether it was the personal vendetta of Derek Powers, who became the Nuclear-Radiated Blight…or the techno-wizardry employed by Shriek, Willy Watt and Spellbinder…the sheer insanity of Mad Stan or the sleek and deadly efficiency of the assassin Curare, Terry’s adversaries, in their own right and to their credit, can be just as memorable as Bruce’s foes.

Certain villains were created to be futuristic interpretations of classic Batman villains…such as the shape-shifting Inque (mirrored after Clayface), or the mastermind of the episode “Sentries of the Lost Cosmos”…meant to potentially be the “Beyond” answer to the Mad Hatter or perhaps the Riddler.

There were even some adversaries mirrored after Marvel villains! The Kobra Organization (parallel to HYDRA in the Marvel Universe) or the deadly Stalker from the episode “Bloodsport”…created as a “Beyond” interpretation of Kraven the Hunter; one of Spider-Man’s deadliest enemies.

Some foes just got downright dark and edgy, including the Brain Trust…and the Earth Mover, whose episode is still one of the downright creepiest stories from “Batman Beyond”s three season run.




Aside from our major players the cast is always of the utmost quality.

King, the leader of the Royal Flush Gang, is performed by none other than 007 himself…Mr. George Lazenby (who portrayed Bond in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service&#8221.

George Takei (the original Sulu from the “Star Trek” television series) delivers a menacing performance as Mr. Fixx, Derek Powers’ right hand and the man who murdered Terry’s father in the pilot film.

There’s also Paul Winfield, known for his roles as U.S.S. Reliant Captain Tyrell from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and Police Lieutenant Traxler from the original “Terminator”…here providing the voice of Sam Young, Gotham City’s District Attorney.

As with most phenomenally told shows, “Beyond” was given the boot after its third season…and, even worse, without a proper send-off. The show ended without any sense of finality and at the time it was quite disappointing.

That is…until some years later.

Cut to the end of the second season of “Justice League: Unlimited.”

Thinking that the show’s 2nd season was it’s final, Bruce Timm and the producing team felt the time was right to bid an extremely fond farewell to the legacy they were about the leave behind with an episode cleverly titled “Epilogue.”

Meant to tie all of the series together (meaning “Batman,” “Superman,” “Justice League” and “Beyond&#8221, the episode takes place 65 years into the future from the present day of “Unlimited.”

In one of the most powerful half-hours of super hero adapted television, “Batman Beyond” was finally given its definitive season finale as Terry is confronted with a life-changing discovery...

Amanda Waller, former head of Project Cadmus…a top secret division of the U.S. Government specializing in meta-human affairs and genetic engineering…conducted a project called “Batman Beyond” for the sole purpose of making certain that the world would always have a Batman to defend it…regardless of whether or not it was Bruce Wayne behind the mask.

I won’t go into anymore detail, lest I spoil it, but a tremendously inspired and logical choice is made to end the episode as a book end to the opening of “On Leather Wings” way back from 1992…it’s just so beautifully handled and the perfect ending to what is now lovingly referred to as the Timmverse…or the Animated DCU. Of course, the series was picked up for another 13 episode run afterwards haha…oh well. I personally still consider “Epilogue” to be the one true ending.

In the end, “Batman Beyond” became a valid component of the Batman lexicon…from fan fever over the desire for a live action motion picture to DC Comics’ brand new “Beyond” comic series that just began its run this year, it’s clear that McGinnis and his role as the futuristic dark knight left quite an impression on fans and audiences alike.

I highly doubt that “Batman Beyond” and the part it played in continuing the legacy will be forgotten…most likely it’ll stick around long enough to see the very future it attempted to predict.

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[CFE]

BATMAN BEYOND
RETURN OF THE JOKER (2000)

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Directed by ... Curt Geda
Story by ... Paul Dini, Bruce W. Timm and Glen Murakami
Screenplay by ... Paul Dini
Based on the DC Comics Characters Created by ... Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Bruce W. Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett

Executive Produced by ... Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Jean MacCurdy
Produced by ... Bruce W. Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami, Shaun McLaughlin and Teruhisa Yahaji
Art Direction by … Makoto Shiraishi
Character Design by … Glen Murakami and Bruce W. Timm
Editing by ... Joe Gall
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by ... Kristopher Carter

Will Friedle ... Terence 'Terry' McGinnis/Batman (voice)
Kevin Conroy ... Bruce Wayne/Batman (voice)
Mark Hamill ... Jack Napier/The Joker/Jordan Price (voice)
Angie Harmon ... Commissioner Barbara Gordon (voice)
Dean Stockwell ... Mr. Timothy 'Tim' Drake (voice)
Teri Garr ... Mrs. Mary McGinnis (voice)
Arleen Sorkin ... Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn/'Nana' Harley (voice)
Tara Strong ... Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (voice)
Mathew Valencia ... Timothy 'Tim' Drake/Robin (voice)
Melissa Joan Hart ... Delia & Deidre Dennis/Dee Dee (voice)
Don Harvey ... Charles Buntz / Chucko (voice)
Michael Rosenbaum ... Stewart Carter Winthrop III/Ghoul (voice)
Frank Welker ... Woof the Hyena-Man/Ace the Bathound (voice)
Henry Rollins ... Benjamin 'Ben' Knox/Bonk (voice)
Rachael Leigh Cook ... Chelsea (voice)
Ryan O'Donohue ... Matthew 'Matt' McGinnis (voice)
Lauren Tom ... Dana Tan (voice)
Vernee Watson-Johnson ... Ms. Joyce Carr (voice)
Andrea Romano ... Joker Jr. Vocal FX (voice)​

The sleeker, more dangerous and seemingly immortal Clown Prince of Crime is back to terrorize Futuristic Gotham City, the new generation's Batman and the aging Bruce Wayne.

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With the creation of “Batman Beyond” came several questions the fans needed to know.

And two of the biggest were answered with gusto with 2000’s “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.”

It's approximately 50 years into the future...Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) has retired from active crime-fighting, preferring instead to monitor his protégé in the field: Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle). McGinnis who lost his own father under tragic circumstances, and now he has taken up the mantle in a thirst for revenge. McGinnis patrols the streets of Gotham in a souped up Batsuit.

As the film opens, Terry comes across a new group of Jokerz (a notorious Gotham street gang) who are involved in a high tech robbery from WayneCorp, which puzzles him, as it doesn't fit the typical M.O. of the gang. His investigation leads to cover ups and secrets and things only becoming more confusing with the reappearance in Gotham of Batman's greatest arch nemesis - The Joker (Mark Hamill), thought to be long dead for years.

But is he who he really claims to be?

Bruce relieves Terry of his vigilante duties without any explanation.

Hurt and confused, McGinnis turns to Barbara Gordon, the once Batgirl, who is now the commissioner of police to learn about what happened the tragic night that Batman had his final confrontation with the Joker so many years ago.

Now when Warner Brothers first announced the "Batman Beyond" television series and its parameters, I (like so many Batman fans) met it with hesitation and skepticism. For all of us, Bruce Wayne will solely be the man beneath the cowl.

But by going in with an open mind, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up loving the show. It doesn't alter the mythos established in "Batman: The Animated Series."

The conscientious choice in "Beyond" to sacrifice character development (at least the level found in "Batman: The Animated Series") for action when introducing a new (and if I may add, interesting) rogues gallery ensured that "Beyond" would never reach the classic status of it's predecessor. Even though I loved how well future Gotham was portrayed and was pleasantly surprised how well Japanimation complemented the look and feel of the series, the best Batman stories have always been the ones which probed the psychological conflict between Batman and his adversaries. This is where the adventures of Terry McGinnis might fall short.

But "Return of the Joker" more than makes up for it.

Unlike "Mystery of the Batwoman" and "Sub Zero," which act more like minor side adventures, there's a deep connection to the mythology in "Return of the Joker" right down to that title itself. It's a compelling drama with some incredible action pieces (the 'Batmobile' vs. 'Satellite Laser' sequence leading up to the finale instantly comes to mind).

But obviously the tragic heart of the film is in Barbara Gordon's retelling flashback of the final fight between Batman and the Joker.

The flashback is unnerving partly because the events unfold in a cartoon and because of what the film doesn't show us. Just as with “Jaws,” screenwriter Paul Dini holds his cards very close to his chest making the revelation all the more disturbing. Also, for those who thought the animated joker straddled the line between funny and cruel, prepared to be blown away by how sadistic he really is.

On a side note, while I totally 100% appreciate getting the chance to see what happened to Tim Drake during the transition from "Batman" to "Batman Beyond" ... I'm still waiting on the DTV that explains what happened to Dick Grayson (the original Robin who grew up to become Nightwing). Because watching "Return of the Joker," you'll realize that Grayson as a character is worth more than a simple 'Look him up, has HE got stories' line.

All of this leads up to a satisfying conclusion in a film that tries not to use tired clichés to reveal the mystery of the Joker. No, it's not a Joker-clone or a long lost son or a synthetic android. The stakes are high in the final confrontation between the Joker and the new Batman, when Bruce is almost killed and Gotham faces devastation at the whim of a madman.

Dini is a master storyteller and he knows these characters inside out. He weaves a brilliant final act that not only convincingly ties all the loose ends, but ends up giving you (or at least me) new respect for McGinnis' Batman. His take down of the Joker is memorable not for it's action, but because of the psychological leverage Terry tries to use. The last 2 thirds of the movie alone make it a must watch for Batfans and thriller fans alike.

Finally, the voice acting is sheer bliss…incredible. Kevin Conroy is Batman. He's been doing it since 1992 and he's timbre is the perfect pitch (pardon the pun) for the Dark Knight. Mark Hamill reprises Joker from the animated series, and puts up a valid case for dubbing all past and future Joker portrayals. Hamill has bounds of energy and fun with this character and you can hear it on screen. Will Friedle is convincing as McGinnis - he doesn't play Terry as a moper or a whino. My only gripe is that they didn't use Stockard Channing for Barbara Gordon. I love her rendition of the character on the actual show but due to scheduling conflicts, Angie Harmon stepped in. She was fine though. And Dean Stockwell’s involvement in a ‘Batman’ project is just icing on the cake.

Overall, I have to say that I was blown away by "Return of the Joker" and I believe it to be a staple in the collection of any Batman fan.

Don't miss this one.

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[CFE]

BATMAN BEYOND
RETURN OF THE JOKER
Original Motion Picture Score (2000)

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[YT]Sjq1RH9nh7g[/YT]

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Composed and Conducted by … Kristopher Carter

Track Listing:

1: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Main Title (2:11)
2: Industrial Heist (3:50)
3: Meet the Joker (2:49)
4: Joker Crashes Bruce’s Party (1:21)
5: Terry Relieved of Duty (1:56)
6: Nightclub Fight/Terry Rescues Bruce (4:41)
7: A Trap for Tim (1:28)
8: Joker Family Portrait (2:07)
9: Arkham Mayhem (3:33)
10: Batman Defeats the Jokerz (1:38)
11: Joker Meets His End (Again) (4:23)
12: Healing Old Wounds (2:05)
13: Crash (The Humble Brothers Remix) – Mephisto Odyssey feat. Static X (3:28)
14: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker End Title – Kenny Wayne Shepherd (3:04)​

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For the first feature length ‘Batman Beyond’ release, it was clear that the musical score would need to deliver on a level far and above Saturday morning television.

Fortunately, given its high-profile plot and storyline, “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (2000) more than asked for that level to be reached…it outright demanded it.

Under the watchful eye (and ear) of Kristopher Carter, the main composer for the show taking the reigns over from the fan-beloved Shirley Walker, the score for the film stands as one of the most dynamic and unique of any official release for Batman compositions.

The composition opens with the primal percussive nature of crime itself as the Jokerz enact their “Industrial Heist.” Led by a great synth beat and some trippy whistle instrumentation (meant as a bizarre theme for the Jokerz), sweeping string work flies on red-wing as Batman makes his presence known. The track is full of flight and momentum. One of my favorite moments in the cue swoops in for the final crecendo at 3:27 as Terry takes flight in pursuit of the Jokerz…

One of the greatest aspects of the score for “Return of the Joker” is the driving sense of pathos that runs its course…so much so that the score is rightfully NOT a simple re-hash of all the techno spectacle of the show. Parlaying its energies into the Joker’s re-emergence and the ramifications that has both on Bruce and Terry, Carter also treats us to some wonderful classically symphonic material…and it’s quite charming to see the ‘Beyond’ universe get a treatment of strings and brass amongst all the electric guitar and synthesizers.

This is clearly evidenced upfront with “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Main Title” and I half to say…Carter’s ‘Batman Beyond’ theme NEVER sounded better! Honestly, this arrangement and rendition gives me chills!

Truly, strings and brass seem as at home in the futuristic Gotham as any of the musical establishment from the series…tracks such as “Meet the Joker” seem to almost hold a resonance as classical orchestra creeps into the tech…as if the past is rearing its head to haunt the future.

It’s as if (and refreshingly so) the Joker’s return marks a simultaneous return to the grandiose orchestral stylings of the original “Animated Series” and that’s really the music I personally love.

Of course, given that it’s a ‘Batman Beyond’ piece, several cues are still in the tradition…such as “Nightclub Fight” and “Batman Defeats the Jokerz.”

One of the most divergent (not to mention creepy) elements of the score comes courtesy of “The Joker Family Portrait,” a downright throwback to old-style family sitcoms as Batman discovers Joker and Harley’s ‘happy home’ in the bowels of a partially-demolished Arkham Asylum. Lots of whimsy brass and cartoon twinkle open the cue as Joker and Harley inform Batman of their hopes for having children...and with the reveal of their ‘little J,’ the track takes a complete 180 (according to interviews and commentary, the effect for Drake’s reveal was accomplished by layering electric guitar on top of the sounds of a children’s music box!)

Everything kicks into high gear with “Joker Meets His End (Again)” as Terry faces Bruce’s most hated nemesis…a fitting track of theatrical nuance and kinetics as Batman races not just to defeat Joker…but save Tim Drake (as well as Ace and himself!) from the Clown Prince of Crime’s demented plan to wield as Satellite Laser!

“Healing Old Wounds” ends the score with a very subtle and beautiful piece of symphonic material before once more delving into the hard grit guitar of “Batman Beyond”…although THIS time, having proved his worth, McGinnis is played off with an AWESOME fusion of Walker’s original Batman theme with Carter’s electric guitar implements…too COOL!

The official studio release is ended with “Crash,” the head-thrasher courtesy of the combined forces of Mephisto Odyssey and Static X (the track makes a prominent appearance in the second Nightclub scene). The track is all kinds of bad ass…I mean how Wayne Static can hit those notes and still be able to talk is a feat in and of itself! Plus the guitar and synthesizer work is just phenomenal…maybe even more so than the series.

Finally we get an End Credit reprise of the “Main Title,” only this time with the added genius of guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who provides some extra electric meat to the theme with attitude to burn.

All in all “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” is a wonderful score that’s one part ‘Beyond,’ two parts ‘Animated Series’ and all parts SICK. A great fusion of the collective Batman animated odyssey more than worthy of the film it represents!

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[CFE]

Batman in Comics
Modern Myth
2000 - 2009

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With the year 2000, the world greeted a new millennia with open arms.

The internet was on the cusp of igniting the world of communication and Hollywood was about to be swallowed whole by the franchise condition.

For comics, the decade would prove bitter sweet. While characters achieved newfound popularity through film, television and video game incarnations those same films and games made quick work of making audiences forget the true legacies of characters…through the decades worth of comic book pages. Needless to say, it’s frustrating when people can so easily call themselves fans of Batman or Iron Man with nothing to show for it save a few movie tickets and Blu-Rays.

But true fans of the character know of the rich legacy Batman and his talented writers and artists had created throughout the decades…a legacy so revered and complex it’s almost archaic.

By the beginning of the 21st century, however, the dark knight would find even himself a potential slave to gimmicky storytelling…struggling to survive a changing landscape.

The decade began by carrying over the ending the tumultuous “No Man’s Land” storyline that began in the late 90s.

The turning point of NML was made clear with the arrival of Metropolis’ own mogul supreme, Lex Luthor…as he touched down in Robinson Park via helicopter to begin the process of rebuilding Gotham on his own, without the consent of the Federal Government. Of course his desire to resurrect the city was more or less a façade for his true intent.

Sending in Bane to destroy what city records weren’t lost in the quake…and subsequent fires…Lex’s covort plan was to acquire the deeds on most of Gotham property. Lucius Fox discovered his plot, however, and after saving Fox from an attempted assassination, Batman revealed that he was the one who tipped Fox off on Luthor’s plot. With that, Batman warned Luthor to leave…even so, the road to Gotham City’s resurrection was mostly Lex’s doing…and it became a key component to his being elected President of the United States!

Finally, after an ardous year of death and violence, the US Government reverted their declaration…and reinstated Gotham City as part of the United States. Gordon and what police stood by him were promoted and reconstruction was set to begin.

But not without one final tragedy to define the “No Man’s Land” saga forever.

As Gothamites rejoiced over the resurrection of their city, the Joker made his move to break the fragile moral of the city…by kidnapping all of the infants born during NML in a plot to kill Gotham’s spirit by killing them.

As Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Azrael, Oracle and the Police raced to find and save them, it was Jim Gordon’s wife and Gotham Police Officer Sarah Essen Gordon who discovered them…right in the basement of the Tri Corner police station that had served as the home base for Gordon’s men during ‘NML.’

Sacrificing herself for the sake of the children, Sarah was shot in the head and killed by the Joker.

As Barbara Gordon simply states at the funeral:

“I always called her Sarah…and now it’s too late to call her Mom.”

With the end of “No Man’s Land,” Gotham City had been returned to some sense of normalcy…a more contemporary cosmopolitan city as the gothic spires of old had been demolished.

Legendary writer and “Batman” editor Dennis O’Neil stepped down as Bob Schreck took the reigns…in the wake of high-profile storytelling like “Knightfall” and “No Man’s Land” it was determined that the scale should be maintained…but not at the sake of competent storytelling and dynamic characterization.

Readers could no longer be taken for granted as their demands for stories with just as much resonance and humanity to balance out the action and heroics reached the fever pitch.

To meet the demand, several key comic writers that had gained acclaim during the 80s and 90s continued their attachment to the character such as Grant Morrison and Paul Dini.

Another writer who’s influence on Batman aloud him a rise to prominence was Jeph Loeb.

A Hollywood screenwriter (he provided the story for the Schwarzenegger vehicle ‘Commando’), Loeb’s ability to create pitch-perfect characterization and witty dialogue (though many claim, rightfully so, that the dialogue can seem trite and contrived going from story to story) had benefited comic book works such as “Superman: For All Seasons” and Marvel’s Color Series (“Daredevil: Yellow,” “Hulk: Gray” and “Spider-Man: Blue”) and his stake in Gotham City was, for the most part, well received.

Collaborating with long time friend and artist Tim Sale, Loeb created two dynamic 12-part maxi-series with “Batman: The Long Halloween” and its sequel “Batman: Dark Victory” in which an early Batman confronts several members of his rogues gallery including the Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow and Solomun Grundy while simultaneously fighting to abolish the hierarchy of organized crime…all the while investigating mysteries involving bizarre serial killers Holiday and the Hangman respectively.

The books have their charm in that they were an extension of the landscape established by Frank Miller in “Batman: Year One.” With “The Long Halloween,” Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent begin their campaign to take down Carmine “The Roman” Falcone once and for all. In the book, there are several note-worthy homages to crime cinema (Johnny Viti’s wedding at the opening of the series is a clear and obvious reference to Francis Ford Coppola’s original “Godfather,” right down to having Dent writing down license plate numbers.) as well as noir and mystery thrillers.

“The Long Halloween” is also a touchstone story for Loeb and Sale’s reimagining of the origin of Two-Face…and currently, their take on Dent’s tragic descent into schizophrenic madness remains the official depiction. Loeb and Sale also introduced their vision of Robin in “Dark Victory”…though admittedly that’s more of a repetitive depiction since a lot of the same scenarios (i.e. Bruce ‘working late’ while Grayson has to eat alone, etc) were previously documented…such as in the “Robin’s Reckoning” episode of “Batman: The Animated Series.”

Eventually, Loeb’s popularity led to his being tapped to come on as writer for the next story arc in the mainstream comics…and with artist Jim Lee by his side, Loeb set out and delivered one of the most successful runs in recent years.

“Batman: HUSH” debuted in 2002, running for a year in “Batman” issues #608 - #619.

In the story, Batman was confronted by a new mysterious adversary simply named ‘Hush’ (though he isn’t named until the final scenes of the story), a gunman dressed in a trench coat with his head bandaged and quoting Aristotle.

The story was a mega hit as it saw Loeb and Lee confront the dark knight with everyone from Killer Croc and Poison Ivy to Ra’s Al Ghul, the Joker…even Superman…as he attempts to discover the identity of the criminal responsible for plaguing him throughout the arc. Everyone got in on the story…Leslie Thompkins, James Gordon, Oracle, Nightwing, Robin, Huntress…and it introduced a new character in the form of Bruce Wayne’s longtime childhood friend Dr. Thomas Elliot.

More than the laundry list of character appearances (something Loeb is notorious for) was the decision to take Batman’s relationship with Catwoman to the next level.

Bruce Wayne revealed his identity to Selina and began a full-on romantic relationship with her! While their union didn’t last by story’s end they continue to know each other’s identities…and any consequences or ramifications remain to be seen in the long term.

Even more outrageous was Loeb and Lee’s resurrection of Batman’s long dead sidekick Jason Todd! However, it was quickly deciphered by Batman that it was merely Clayface mimicking the 2nd Robin.

In the end, the character of Hush didn’t catch on with readers.

Even so, “Hush” was an enormous success, almost single handedly resurrecting comics sales to a level they hadn’t seen in decades.

Jim Lee’s first monthly comic book work in nearly a decade, “Batman” became the #1 comic series for the first time since “Batman” #500 achieved the placement on the Diamond Comic Distributors sales chart back in 1993.

The concept of resurrecting Jason Todd went on to inspired writer Judd Winick’s following run with issue’s #637 and #650 and the multi-issue epic “Under the Hood.”

Halfway into the decade, DC Comics decided to make its own variation of the Marvel ‘Ultimate’ line…comics that retained the essence of the characters but did away with all of the continuity.

Dubbed the ‘All-Star’ comic series, “All-Star Batman and Robin” was released in September of 2005. Ongoing today, the book is being written by industry giant Frank Miller with art by Jim Lee…clearly riding the coat-tails of the success of ‘Hush.’

Throughout the years following, several other heavy-hitters carved out their own niches with Batman and his cast of characters…including writers such as ‘100 Bullets’ creator Brian Azzerello and Geoff Johns, who joined the ranks with Loeb, Morrison, Dini and Rucka.

2005 also led DC Comics into the high-profile “Identity Crisis” storyline (as with any ‘Crisis’ title, major ramifications were sure to follow) which saw Batman have his own memories erased by magical fellow Justice League member Zatanna in order to stop him from preventing the League lobotomizing Dr. Light after he raped Sue Dibney. Serving as a retcon for Batman’s complete distrust for his fellow DC heroes (which had manifested sometime earlier with writer Mark Waid’s ‘Tower of Babel’ storyline in which the League discovers Batman’s extensive files on how to kill each of them.), Batman goes on to create the Brother I satellite surveillance system (a direct nod to the expansive lack of privacy we all endure in the rapid growth of technological advancement) to watch over all DC meta humans on the planet. Eventually, the satellite is co-opted by tycoon Maxwell Lord, who then kills DC hero the Blue Beetle to prevent him from informing the League of Batman’s murderous creation.

Eventually, “Infinite Crisis” sees Batman and the League destroy the satellite and the OMAC robots…but wounds run deep…

In a huge DCU event dubbed ‘52,’ several characters disappear from their established homes for the 52 weeks that make up a single year. Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake retrace the steps Bruce had taken when he originally left Gotham City all those years ago in an attempt to ‘rebuild Batman’ following the Crisis at hand.

Batman and Robin returned to Gotham City in the “Face the Face” storyline following their year-long absence. At the end of the arc, Bruce Wayne officially adopts Tim Drake as his own son, following the murder of Drake’s father and the loss of his mother.

Soon after, writer Grant Morrison became the regular writer on “Batman” while Paul Dini took over duties on “Detective Comics.”

Morrison reincorporated controversial elements of Batman lore (most notably, the science fiction themed storylines of the 1950s Batman comics, which Morrison revised as hallucinations Batman suffered under the influence of various mind-bending gases and extensive sensory deprivation training) into the character…much to the surprise of many fans.

Morrison’s “Batman & Son” storyarc, collected in 2006’s “Batman” #655 – “658, introduced fans to Damian Wayne…the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia, daughter of eco-terrorist Ra’s Al Ghul…and eventually it all climaxed with the controversial “Batman R.I.P” story.

In the arc, Batman is confronted by the “Black Glove” organization, which intended to drive Batman into utter madness. “R.I.P.” segued into “Final Crisis,” in which Batman is apparently caught in a blast of Darkseid’s Omega Beams and incinerated.

Just as had been done with Superman and Captain America prior, the fate of Wayne’s entire legacy was called into question as the books took on the notion of what ‘Batman’ would be like without Bruce in the costume.

2009 saw the release of the miniseries “Batman: Battle for the Cowl” as Dick Grayson, once the long-time sidekick to the caped crusader, became the new Batman. Bruce’s son Damian coincidentially became the new Robin. June of that year saw Judd Winick return to the series as Morrison was given his own title with the launch of “Batman and Robin.”

In short, the 21st century had cultivated new ground for Batman…taking the character into various bend and twists that I’m sure Bob Kane and Bill Finger could never have predicted. Of course this once again just goes to show how versatile the mythology is.

As mythology is exactly what Batman’s history had become.

As for the future…well…it seems Batman’s about to make his biggest strides yet…

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[returntovoid]

To be honest, the BTAS-based films were good but I found better/enjoyed the animated series episodes a lot more than the BTAS-based films. While, I thought the Batman Beyond series and film were both equally great/enjoyable for me.