Gotham High: The teen Batman TV show that almost happened

[Batman713]

Once upon a time, artists Jeffrey Thomas and Celeste Green made a poster of the Joker and Harley Quinn as if they were high school students. They sent it to DC. They were then hired to develop their Gotham High as an animated series. Which eventually died. Why?
Here's the show, as Thomas and Green describe it:

We all go through incredible changes as teenagers: growth spurts, bad skin, a sudden insatiable need to uphold justice and avenge your murdered parents.... Well, that is if you're Bruce Wayne. As if being a freshman at Gotham High wasn't tough enough, Bruce's insomnia and technological fascinations are taking their toll. Instead of spending his time studying, he has begun to obsess over an emerging personality trait: Batman. But under the watchful eye of his guardian and steward, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce is forced to put his intelligence to good use: graduating high school. But given his classmates, can Bruce survive Gotham High?
​

It sounds like a perfectly serviceable idea, one that evokes a very Buffy the Vampire Slayer-like vibe—high school is a cesspool of hormones, rivalry, passions; above all, conflict. A place where everything feels more important that it is, an entire world that needs navigating and, at times, saving. What better place for a hero to find his, or her, way?
As the creators put it, "Unfortunately, the project got lost in the sea of all the other Batman-related projects in the works." Which really is a shame, as it seems like there's a lot of gold to be mined here. Gold that's just sitting there, unclaimed.

http://blastr.com/2011/01/gotham-high-the-teen-batm.php

 

[RustyCage]

How embarrassing. Hopefully DC keeps quality control in effect - though, I'm not feeling too assured of that happening..

 

[Travesty]

Ha, the Two-Face one is the funniest.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

Aww man, I would have loved to have seen this, looks like a hilarious lampoon of the Batman mythos and a great twist on the high school genre.

 

[Majik1387]

Aww man, I would have loved to have seen this, looks like a hilarious lampoon of the Batman mythos and a great twist on the high school genre.

Agreed.

I think it could have been a surprise hit.

 

[Travesty]

Who is the guy on the very left? Is that supposed to be Clayface?

 

[Majik1387]

Yes. It has the line up in small white text at the bottom in the image.

 

[The Guard]

BATMAN: EVOLUTION.

Riiight.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I'd rather have this than a new Bruce Timm cartoon.

 

[Majik1387]

BATMAN: EVOLUTION.

Riiight.

X-Men: Evolution was a great refreshment for new fans and the designs and animations looked good compared to most cartoons nowadays.

I'd rather have this than a new Bruce Timm cartoon.

Is there a new Bruce Timm cartoon coming though? That would be amazing.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Is there a new Bruce Timm cartoon coming though? That would be amazing.

Green Lantern: TAS

 

[TX85]

Smallville tv show meets Ultimate Spiderman comics meets X-men evolution toon!?WTF!?

I admit I would have likely been kinda interested in seeing an episode or two of that,But still......DAMN!!!!!

 

[Majik1387]

Green Lantern: TAS

Smallville tv show meets Ultimate Spiderman comics meets X-men evolution toon!?WTF!?

I admit I would have likely been kinda interested in seeing an episode or two of that,But still......DAMN!!!!!

I think it's clear it wouldn't try to be this serious take on the mythos, so not that I'm saying I'd have low standards, but I think it'd at least be as entertaining as Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Glad they didn't go through with this one.

 

[Eddie Brock]

I think this could have been very funny, if it was handled tongue-in-cheek and knew not to take itself seriously. As one article I read said, imagine: The Riddler leaving clues in the school newspaper. Bane caught in a steroid scandal with the football team. Scarecrow using the school chem lab to make a dangerous formula. The Joker trying to spread mono through the water fountains. Or, look at the concept art. Harvey Dent versus Pamela Isley for School President? It could have been really fun and entertaining.

 

[DrMylesOBoogie]

This looks AWESOME!!! I'm actually so sorry they didn't make this. This is a total 80's throwback to great saturday morning cartoons. Galaxy High or Archie meets Batman. Genius. If I'd seen this as a kid I've no doubt it would have been my favourite cartoon. How this does not appeal to the inner child in some of you, is beyond me. Look at it...it's genius I tell's ya.

 

[DrMylesOBoogie]

I'd rather have this than a new Bruce Timm cartoon.

Me too. We've seen the dark, gritty Batman enough over the last 25 years. Brave and the Bold reminded me of what it was like to enjoy my fathers old comics the way I did when I was a kid. These characters are wide open to all sorts of interpertations and this looked like a great idea.

 

[Bathead]

Quite frankly, I think it's a horrible idea, and I'm glad it didn't happen.

 

[RustyCage]

Me too. We've seen the dark, gritty Batman enough over the last 25 years. Brave and the Bold reminded me of what it was like to enjoy my fathers old comics the way I did when I was a kid. These characters are wide open to all sorts of interpertations and this looked like a great idea.

It had the opposite effect on me. It reminded me of how embarrassed I was as a kid to see Batman being stretched out of shape for such shallow reasons. It was so painfully obvious that the new writers were out of relevant ideas, and weren't terribly concerned about being relevant in the first place, so they were throwing the character at every whimsy they could to continue to cash in. That cheap, corny approach to writing is a huge part of what caused general society to shun and shake their heads at comics for so long. Comic book fans like us were basically considered moronic children if we admitted to reading them.

We've seen the 'dark, gritty' Batman so much in the last 20-30 years because writers launched a revolution against all that had been done to abuse the character previously. Because they cared about the integrity of good, meaningful writing - about the industry, and it's fans, being taken seriously. Unfortunately, all that abuse actually caught on with some kids and spawned what is now considered an accepted 'interpretation' of the character.

Brave and the Bold, while it plays the harp of people who actually liked that stuff back then for whatever reason, is also an admission of 'Well, we know Batman TAS kicked *** and we can't match up to or continue those ideas successfully, plus they pretty much did everything, so let's just back into the opposite direction and bastardize everything they established there for the sake of still making something with the name 'Batman' on it, and maybe referencing another era of the comics will be deemed okay and find us a cult following'. That's the impression it gives me (although, there were a couple of episodes that took moments to flirt a bit with fans of a more serious take on Batman). It's overall a self-conscious, willful mockery of something much greater and more meaningful.

Maybe I have a stick up my arse, but I can't stand that kind of approach to writing or creating, and would prefer the character just be left alone and untarnished instead of downright parodied. Frankly, Batman & Robin (the film) springs to mind.

But I digress. Different people enjoy different things. To each his, or her, own.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

Brave and the Bold, while it plays the harp of people who actually liked that stuff back then for whatever reason, is also an admission of 'Well, we know Batman TAS kicked *** and we can't match up to or continue those ideas successfully, plus they pretty much did everything, so let's just back into the opposite direction and bastardize everything they established there for the sake of still making something with the name 'Batman' on it, and maybe referencing another era of the comics will be deemed okay and find us a cult following'.

Oh, many people (me included) love BTAS, BUT if you are judging it objectively you will soon find out that there are many things wrong with it so it wouldn't be all to difficult to "match" it.

This "Bruce Wayne In High School" concept is kinda hilarious, even when it misses the whole point of Batman. Could make a funny "Elseworld" story.

 

[RustyCage]

Oh, many people (me included) love BTAS, BUT if you are judging it objectively you will soon find out that there are many things wrong with it so it wouldn't be all to difficult to "match" it.

I agree, but I was talking in terms of reputation and the general accomplishment in the direction they took.

 

[Sonic1002]

 

[Majik1387]

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I would have loved to have seen this...

I can't really see the harm... it's only a fun 'what if?' thing.

 

[GamerSlyRatchet]

We've seen the 'dark, gritty' Batman so much in the last 20-30 years because writers launched a revolution against all that had been done to abuse the character previously. Because they cared about the integrity of good, meaningful writing - about the industry, and it's fans, being taken seriously. Unfortunately, all that abuse actually caught on with some kids and spawned what is now considered an accepted 'interpretation' of the character.

The writing of people like Frank Miller and Jeph Loeb are living proof that even the "dark, gritty" material can be embarrassingly childish and horrible. It's not something exclusive to camp.