Happy 15th Anniversary, "Batman: The Animated Series"

[The Caped Knight]

Happy 15th Anniversary, "Batman: The Animated Series"
by James Harvey​

Fifteen years ago today, millions of children watched Batman go up against a devious terrorist named Red Claw and tangle with Catwoman. This has been a show that countless people were looking forward to. A new Batman cartoon. And one that looked pretty amazing. At least based on the commercials and the odd article that popped up in magazines here and there. Plus . . . the name. Batman: The Animated Series. What is it about that name that seems so . . . iconic? So definitive? I think that alone made the attraction to the series even stronger. And, like I said, millions of children, and adults, were sitting down to watch this show. It was Saturday morning, and I wasn’t watching.

In fact, I missed the Saturday premiere, “The Cat & The Claw, Part One,” and the special Sunday-premiered episode “On Leather Wings,” too. It wasn’t until Monday, September 7th, 1992, when “Heart of Ice” played. And I barely caught it, too. I can remember leaping over furniture as the time ticked down to the 4pm start time. But I managed to set up the VCR and flip it to Fox just in time and . . . wow. I was hooked. No one could move me. As “Heart of Ice” unfolded, I couldn’t be budged from the spot at all. And that was the beginning of a love affair that has lasted the better part of fifteen years.

Sure, other cartoons have come and gone, but Batman: The Animated Series has reigned supreme. X-Men: The Animated Series? Fun, but doesn’t have that rewatchability factor. Spider-Man: The Animated Series? Not bad, but the holes become very apparent very quickly. But Batman: The Animated Series . . . this show was different. I always returned to this show. I knew something was coming from this show . . . that even when the series initially ended after 85 episodes, that this would not be the end. And, thankfully, I was correct. 24 more episodes came down the hatch when the show moved over to Kids’WB!, and, from there, things . . . changed.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll get to all of that shortly. I just want to say a few words on Batman: The Animated Series itself, a series that had such a big impact on my life. It inspired my writing, my art, my taste in music and appreciation of movies. All of that I got from Batman: The Animated Series. The simple, yet complex, designs of each character. The dialogue that never spoke down to the viewer. The amazing score, a score that I would love to own some day. And the cinematic direction of each episode, each episode itself having a film noir serial feel. I could go one and one about this series, but many have before me, and better, I might add. I don’t claim to be the most skilled writer ever, but this series is one that will remain.

I can remember watching an episode as it premiered, usually at 4pm on Fox, and then watching it later that night, taped on my VCR. I can remember going through so many tapes. I never really taped shows before Batman: The Animated Series, and this was pretty much my crash-course. I had to learn about different tape speed and quality, trying to decide whether to sacrifice the space on a tape or the quality of the image. But this show started it all for me. Next thing I knew, I was reading the comics, the toys, and finding anything I could related to the show. But, of course, with time that sort of withered. I stopped buying toys, but stuck with the comics and the odd book (mostly depending on the art and story), but my interest in Batman: The Animated Series didn’t end there.

In fact, it’s basically the whole reason for this site. True, this site did start as a Superman: The Animated Series message board, but that was only because . . . well, at the time, there were a couple great Batman: The Animated Series sites up, namely Batman: The Animated Homepage and the original The Animated Bat website. The Animated Bat, home to the Bat-Toon Board, surged when The New Batman Adventures hit Kids’WB!, but slowly disappeared after that. Batman: The Animated Homepage, to make it really simple, merged with my Superman: The Animated Message Board (along with my Batman Beyond: The Animated Message Board and Batman: The Animated Message Board), and became this site. Now, it’s much more complicated than that, and I think I may be doing a massive injustice to the people whom I worked with over the years, but this post isn’t about that (sorry guys!). I’m sure a lot of them even remember posting here, and I’m sure some of them still view the board. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the notorious banned folks aren’t also peaking in. But, like I said, that’s a whole different topic!

Now where was I? Ah yes! Batman: The Animated Series. It’s hard to believe that fifteen years ago, so many of us where sitting down to watch this show. Fifteen years! That’s incredible! Of course, it’s incredible for a show, any show, to still have such an impact on the fan base, and the industry, as a whole. Who knew that, when we all sat down to watch this show, a whole universe would spawn from this series? That after it, Superman: The Animated Series would begin. That the creators behind the series would look into the future with the definitive Batman Beyond. Of course, there’s also Justice League, as well, which would bring everything together in the end. Quite amazing, yes?

And it was the creators behind this show that made it so absolutely amazing. We had the likes of Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Stan Berkowtiz, Dwayne McDuffie, Boyd Kirkland, Dan Riba, Michael Reaves, Hilary Bader, among many others, who contributed. Even comic greats like Dennis O’Neil and Len Wein stepped in. And I know I’m missing awhile lot of people here, but there are just so many people that deserve thanking. What I like is that everyone had a role to play in the show, and there role was always crucial. And that, to me, made the episodes work. Yes, sometimes the results weren’t all that good, I’ll admit, but you could always count on something memorable, even from the worst episodes (like that ridiculous screwdriver/sword duel in “I’ve Got A Batman In My Basement”).

But everything came together in this series. Driven by powerful scores, thanks to the late (and missed) Shirley Walker, this show was something to behold. Kristopher Carter, Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis also contributed, among many others, some memorable and unforgettable music. Music that deserves to be released commercially someday.

And who could forget Kevin Conroy as Batman? Or Mark Hammill as The Joker. And the list goes on, people. This series was casted perfectly. Every last role.

There’s so much that can be touched upon here that I don’t think I could do it justice. And there's so many people, countless people, who deserve thanking. I mean, besides, this posting is pretty much scribblings on a napkin to Batman: The Animated Series when it comes to the likes of Batman: Animated, which has covered this show in so much detail. But I wanted to mark today, this day, as an important day for us animation fans. I’m not sure if this makes me incredibly dorky or anything, but no matter what I go through or grasp an interest in, it will always be Batman: The Animated Series that will remain untouched. It had that quality about it that no other show had. A quality that even though the majority of the audience, at the time, were children, they weren’t being spoken down to as such.

Even though some of the situations were quite fantastic, there was always a down to earth quality about them. Whether it was the Joker, Two-Face, or even Ra’s Al Ghul, every character seemed seeped in believability. Sure, there were elements that sometimes strained our beliefs in what could be done, but everything worked in Batman’s world. Every impossible jump, every convoluted plan, everything. It all worked. And it was something to behold.

I guess, in the end, what kept me, and many others, going back to Batman: The Animated Series for years to come was how the show respected the characters. I think that has to do with the love the creators had for these amazing fictional creations, and it was a practice that continues on for many other related shows down the line. Timm not only created, arguably, the definitive version of Batman, but of Superman and the Justice League, as well. He stripped away the ridiculous and unnecessary aspects of the comic book lore and presented us with the best. They even created a few new things along the way, too, be it characters or status quo alterations, which, in effect, brought out the best in the character, be it Batman, Superman, or whoever. They knew what worked, what didn’t, and what needed to be changed. What had a more dramatic impact? What was more important to the core of their character? What mattered most to them? They brought all these questions to the table and, from that, they created an amazing world.

And to think. That all started with Batman: The Animated Series. Fifteen years ago to the day. Who knew that, as we watched Batman chase down Red Claw and tangle with Catwoman, we’d be watching some of the most iconic and important animation we’d ever bear witness to? Quite an amazing legacy.

Happy 15th Anniversary, Batman.

​

http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=2640844&postcount=1
Comments?

 

[Wingfan]

I wish I was 10 again and back at my friends house for that Sunday night episode of "On Leather Wings", we had like 8 people over watching that episode at 8:00pm on FOX. I didn't know about the Saturday episode, but after the Sunday night ep I made sure to NEVER miss a new episode again. I was hooked and it's become my favorite cartoon of all time. This show has done for animation in the past 15 years than anything since then.

 

[mackblack01]

And I want to say Happy Birthday to Micheal Keaton too! 57 years old!

 

[Darknightnomis]

I ABSOLUTLEY LOVE THIS SERIES!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

I have them them all on DVD (excepted "season four") and watched them on a regularly basis.

And everytime I see a commerical or some promo for that steaming pile of vile cartoon known "THE BATMAN" I look at these remember how great they were!

One of the greatest line in Batman's history came from one of the show's when BAtman was fighting of the effects of Scarecrow's fear gas:

I AM VENGENCE! I AM THE NIGHT! I AM BATMAN!!!!!

Man I wished they used that in a movie!

 

[Mr. Thing]

Yay! But honestly, what does this have to do The Dark Knight?

 

[The Caped Knight]

I remember the first time I saw the badass intro and I hear that theme for the first time and saw Batman kicking ass . I was hooked

 

[SeattleBatman]

To this day, BTAS remains one of my favorite (if not my overall favorite) shows of all time. I own every episode on DVD and made sure to watch my favorites multiple times:

In no particular order:

1) Bane
2) The one where Batgirl has the nightmare that she dies
3) The two-face origin (part 1 especially)
4) Clayface origin (pat 2 especially)
5) Almost Got 'Em
6) The Killer Croc one where he runs into the circus people
7) The first Ventriloquist episode

I could go one and on and on...Man I loved those shows!

It takes me back when I was nine and would get up in the morning with all my action figures, ready for some Batman. Good stuff!!!!

 

[The Caped Knight]

Yay! But honestly, what does this have to do The Dark Knight?

I placed it here so it would get the proper admiration it truly deserves . And to make it known that today was a very important day to all Batfans . For on this special day 15 years ago September 5, 1992 a Legacy was born .

 

[LadyVader]

That's a damn good article for a damn good show.

 

[blake]

That show was amazing!
I recently just wached some of the episodes again and it's still great.

 

[Two-Face]

That's a damn good article for a damn good show.

Good? it was amazing, best, excellent and great show.

 

[The Caped Knight]

I Think this belongs in this thread .

Batman The Animated Series - The Legacy Continues (from The Vol.1 dvd set)

 

[Catman]

I hate this thread. It makes me feel old.

 

[The Caped Knight]

​

Batman: The Animated Series celebrates its 15th Anniversary this September 5th.


REFLECTIONS ON THE BAT – AN INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN CONROY
by Steve Fritz

His natural voice has a slightly higher pitch and smoother delivery, and it’s admittedly a little bizarre to hear it so happy, but it’s still undeniable. Even with the yapping labs, it’s Kevin Conroy. The guy who has thrilled fans and adults alike as the Dark Knight.

Born in Connecticut, Conroy studied drama at Julliard under the legendary John Houseman. His fellow students, who he expounded on in the course of the interview, are amazing. He moved to L.A. in the 80s to do the series Dynasty. The TV shows he worked on before voicing a certain DC superhero probably would have eventually led to one heck of a TV career, minimum. Then he answered a call for an animation voice job that would turn into his longest-running gig, at least so far.

In 2003 Conroy sold his California home and moved permanently back to NYC. Of course, he knows everyone here is really interested in what happened during the 12 years he voiced one singular animated character in particular, and was more than gracious enough to answer just about any question that popped into my head about it.


Here’s what he had to say:

Newsarama: So what have you been doing with yourself these days?

Kevin Conroy: Since I moved back to New York a few years ago, I’ve mainly been doing lots of voice over work for commercials and MTV and lots of off-Broadway shows. I still do animation for Warner Bros. by phone patch.

I was raised in New York, and theatre is my background. I was just anxious to get back. I’m an East Coast Guy.

NRAMA: Obviously, everybody knows you as the voice of Batman.

KC: You know, it’s the oddest thing. I graduated from Julliard. I’ve done a lot of work off-Broadway. I really have a strong base in classical and regional theater. Then I move out to L.A. to do a series, Dynasty. So while I was there, I had a voice over agent who said they were going to be casting for a new animated show, one about Batman. He thought I should give it a shot.

Now I had never done any animated work before. I had just done commercial voices. I didn’t come to L.A. to do animation. So it was a total fluke. I think it was the fact I was so naïve that got me the part. I went in with no pre-conceived ideas. I went in just as an actor.

When I went in there, they asked me if I was familiar with the show and I said I was familiar with the (Adam West-Burt Ward) TV show. They told me theirs was nothing like that. This is the Dark Knight series. I told them I knew nothing about that, they were speaking Greek to me. They sort of laughed about that.

NRAMA: Now when you say you talking to “them,” were you talking about Andrea…

KC: Andrea Romano, Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett. The original creative team. We were discussing this in the middle of the sound booth at Warner Brothers. They told me this wasn’t the 60s campy version at all. This was very dark, very noir, and then started describing the character to me. From what they told me I said that they were talking about Hamlet. They laughed and said that no one had ever called Batman that before.

What a lot of people don’t realize is all of this goes back to archetypes. There are certain kinds of archetypes in classical literature, so I just went to a very dark, brooding place in my head and came up with this sound. When I did it, there was no movement in the booth, then they all started running around. So I thought I really hit a nerve or they were calling security to get me out of there. Pretty soon, I realized just through creative instinct I hit on something that they liked.

Later, they told me that because I had no pre-conceived notions it really helped. They liked the idea that I came on it as an actor. It worked. It just plain worked. Of course it evolved over the years to the point where they would ask me what I thought Batman would say…I was the person who was Batman now.

NRAMA: Yeah. By the end it was you, Bruce and Andrea as the last ones still there.

KC: True, but it was really wonderful, unusual, once-in-a-lifetime experience for me that lasted for 12 years.

NRAMA: What was it like working with the original team? After all, they were all fine artists in their own right.

KC: I was really naïve to all of that. I really didn’t know who I was dealing with when I got the job. It was good because I wasn’t intimidated by any of their resumes because I didn’t know what those resumes were.

It is a different world. The personality types are different. They’re very creative, but everyone in the performing arts is creative. Animation people though, they’re personalities are more like musicians. They are very inward.

NRAMA: I think animators are much more team players than just about any other form of the arts outside of theatre.

KC: Yeah. They are very collaborative. This can get awkward because although they are very collaborative, they also have the egos of other visual artists. This tends to make them very temperamental people who are also good collaborators. It’s a very unusual, unique group.

NRAMA: Did they make you familiar with the animation process outside of the isolation booth?

KC: The first thing I really remember was when they sent the stuff off to South Korea and then six months later it comes back so we can start the ADR process. Now Mark Hammill and I were really the two principle characters in the first season. So we were among the first two to see the film that came back.

Now the ADR process was done in the Warner Bros. lot in a real state-of-the-art sound studio. It had everything. It had a full screen. It was beautiful. So Mark and I are sitting in this amazing view room and the first footage comes up…and we were both blown out of our chairs!

I mean I remember I looked at Mark and said “Did you have any idea this was what we were working on?”

All he could say was “Un-@#$%ing believable.”

Imagine seeing this incredibly lush, obviously very expensive footage with this incredible soundtrack. I think no one really knew except maybe Paul, Bruce and Alan what quality they had created and how elevated it was going to be.

I remember I had some friends who were working at Disney and they called when it started airing. All of them kept on saying “You B#!@$S!. Now you’ve raised the standards for everyone. Now we have to match up to it.” The other studios were not happy.

NRAMA: From what I’m hearing, it actually sounds like you and Mark worked together radio style.

KC: Oh yeah. That was the Warner Brothers technique of the day. Most studios like to put their actors in isolation booths and work separately. Warners like to set things up like a radio play. They really go to great lengths not to record people individually; to the point where when I moved back to New York, I had to promise them that I would fly back frequently and promise to do as many sessions that I could in L.A. I would only do any phone patching for looping and ADR. They really insist on actors being there. The performance quality is better for it, dramatically better.

NRAMA: Then what was it like working with a guy who at that time was mainly known as Luke Skywalker and hearing what came out of his mouth?

KC: Let me tell you, people would be shocked to see him working in the sound studio. People have this image of him as Luke Skywalker, teen hero, a very traditional leading man character. When he does voice work, he can’t sit down. He’s totally energized. He has to stand. He also practically devours the microphone. His face transforms and he becomes a wild man. It’s wonderful to watch.

I think it was incredibly frustrating to be so identified as Luke for so long. Yes, it made his career but it kind of, kind of…

NRAMA: Shatner syndrome.

KC: Exactly.

NRAMA: So was it a shock to see the voice of the Joker coming out of Luke Skywalker’s face?

KC: Yeah, it really was. It was also real bittersweet.

That was because Mark was a last minute replacement for the part. Originally, Tim Curry was cast to be the voice of the Joker, who is also a wonderful actor.

NRAMA: Curry is a great v.o. artist in his own right.

KC: He’s a great v.o. guy. He was the original Joker for the first few episodes. I was shocked when I was told that they were going to replace him with Mark because he and I really hit it off when we recorded the initial episodes. Tim was incredibly good, but it was determined that he was too dark and it scared people, especially little kids.

Mark does this wonderful thing where he goes into that insane other world but you can still laugh at it. It’s not as scary. It makes you say “this guy is just out of his mind.” Tim’s performance also made you say this guy is out of his mind…we better lock the kids up and keep them as far away from him as possible.

So working with Mark at first was a little bittersweet because I thought Tim was incredible. But Mark also proved to be incredible.

NRAMA: One thing you have to consider is over those 12 years we did wind up with a complete history of Batman and Bruce Wayne.

KC: The later stuff was really incredible, wasn’t it? It was really wild to see the older Bruce Wayne and then look back at the stuff I did in 1992.

I’ve been so lucky with this. The guys really grew to trust me and understand that I was very flexible. Like when they did that episode “Perchance To Dream,” when Bruce has flashbacks to his childhood. His father is in it. He has been drugged by the Mad Hatter. I got to play a young Bruce Wayne, Wayne Senior, Batman and more.

NRAMA: That was the one where the Hatter made Batman think his family was still alive.

KC: Yeah. It was an amazing episode for playing all those variations on this theme and making them all sound relate-able, but distinct, and they really trusted me on it. It was really a lot of fun. That was really great.

NRAMA: What was it like when you did the one with Grey Ghost and you were working with Adam West?

KC: That was the one time I felt a little nervous going in. I’m really respectful of other actors’ boundaries. Batman was something Adam West had created early in his career and I didn’t want to disrespect him, but I also gotta do what I gotta do.

He couldn’t have been more gracious. He was so professional and complementing me on what I had done, respecting my boundaries. He was a real gentlemen and a pleasure to work with.

NRAMA: One thing to think about is could you believe all the major actors you got to work with?

KC: We had everyone from Dean Stockwell to Ice T even came in. The people who would show up were just wild. After we did our 100th episode or some similar anniversary, Warner Bros. took out a two page ad in Variety and listed all the actors who had been on the show, and the list was amazing. I had lost track myself.

NRAMA: Any actors you had fond memories of?

KC: Many. You know who was fun and also went through the Shatner syndrome? Adrienne Barbeau. She is outrageous! She was a great Catwoman. She could be very sexy and seductive yet look over at me this huge smile and wink at me at the same time. She knew exactly what she was doing and loved being outrageous.

Andrea (Romano) was just great at casting. She not only would find talented people, but people who could work well off of each other. Anyone who was an ***hole didn’t work with us. She screened them out. Now I had worked at other studios and there are casting directors who don’t do that. They are just too concerned about getting the voice down. They don’t think about how the actors are going to interact. Andrea takes that into consideration.

NRAMA: What was it like working with George Newburn as Superman? The relationship between Batman and Superman was important from the fan point of view, so how was it from acting together?

KC: He was also a lot of fun because he was new to voice acting when he came in. A lot of that was due to Andrea, too. But she did a great job of putting the two of us together in Justice League. Andrea put a lot of good actors in that show, like Carl Lumley, Clancy Brown. I knew Clancy for years because we used to have the same agent for years.

It’s real funny how things go around. I mean John Glover, who plays Luthor’s father on Smallville, he and I go back to our early days in New York. I also knew Tim Daly from New York theater. Our paths crossed so many times.

NRAMA: Would you say you saw a distinct evolution of the character of Batman as the various series went on?

KC: With Justice League, it’s kind of hard to pinpoint Batman on that series. He really was the outsider there. I went through a really distinct arc between Batman, Batman & Robin and then Batman Beyond. That was a really wonderful arc.

With Justice League, because there were seven principles and so many guest stars, I really didn’t get to do a lot. Batman was kind of interesting to play as he was not a team player. He’s always been an isolated guy, a singular guy, and there really wasn’t any other character to play that off to.

NRAMA: But he did have one of the funniest episodes, the one where you had to sing “Am I Blue?”

KC: (Laughs) Andrea was behind that one. I really think it was her. They were the ones who picked “Am I Blue” and it was the perfect choice. I think Alan Burnett was involved in that one, too. They had the whole thing written and ready to go before they told me what they were up to.

NRAMA: That’s interesting. The one time I interviewed Keith David was when he was singing at a piano bar. In my crazed animation mind I wondered what it would have been like to see Batman and Goliath doing duets.

KC: Mind you, we went to school together, at Julliard. He’s a very talented actor.

NRAMA: Did you ever work together on the animation front?

KC: No, unfortunately. Julliard was a very interesting time, when I was there in the 70s. I was just 17 at the time when I started and I was the youngest one there. Kelsey Grammar was in my class. Robin Williams was my roommate for my first two years. Chris Reeves has a year ahead of me. Mandy Patankin and Kevin Kline were just about to graduate. There was so much talent and we were just kids!

NRAMA: I would have loved to have seen some of those play.

KC: Yeah. Can you imagine? And Keith was one of the real shining lights.

NRAMA: Did you ever work with some of the great old timers like June Foray or Daws Butler?

KC: No. Back here in New York I get to meet the grand old timers of this world, but not the animation world.

NRAMA: What would you say is the main thing to get voice work in the animation world? You have a very distinct voice and it’s gotten you far. Others are like Mel Blanc, who had so many characters.

KC: There are some people in the animation world who are frighteningly talented. They can come up with an incredible range of voices and noises. I think more and more, animation has moved away from those kind of actors. They aren’t doing as many cartoony sounds and gone more dramatic.

Directors tend to cast the voices they want to hear in terms of the actor. There are just a few people these days who specialize in doing dogs, cats or funny stuff. They call them stunt voices. Right now there isn’t much for demand for that.

The biggest demand, or at least the most common, is the sound they want to hear. The trick is to tell the story in a dramatic way without being cartoony. Keep it simple, you can only tell the story with your voice, but don’t guild the lily, if you know what I mean. Don’t oversell it. It’s real easy to go over that line.

NRAMA: What is it like working for Bruce Timm? After all, you’ve had one of the longest relations possible with him.

KC: We get along really well. Bruce really has the personality of an artist. He’s enormously creative. I work well with him, but I’m not sure if everybody does because he does have the temperament of an artist. Then again, I have the same temperament, so I loved working with him.

NRAMA: Alan Burnett seems like the calmest of the three.

KC: He is. He is the father figure. The real steady hand and a very easy guy to go to when there is a problem. He’s a terrific guy to work with.

NRAMA: What about Paul Dini?

KC: I wish Paul had remained involved with all the shows. I thought he and Bruce were an incredible team. They complemented each other and were wonderful together, but I think they both felt it was time to move on.

NRAMA: Paul seemed the more lighthearted of the two.

KC: Very much so. Bruce has a real dark side and more of a tortured artist personality (laughs). I think they worked well together because of that.

NRAMA: They still call you?

KC: Not as frequently, but that’s only because we aren’t in production of anything that involves me as much. I still get calls from them though and we are in communications.

NRAMA: Any talk about the direct-to-DVD projects? I admit none have needed Batman as much yet.

KC: No, not yet. I haven’t been involved in that stuff.

NRAMA: This was a 15 year gig for you. How do you look back on it?

KC: The fact that it went on so long was extraordinary. I mean everyone would like jobs to go on forever but that doesn’t happen. But the fact that it went on for so long was just fantastic.

I’m still doing voice work. I haven’t done a play in about a year now. It’s mainly commercial work but I’m doing it every day.

NRAMA: Do you like meeting your fans?

KC: I do, very much so. They’ve been very good to me, actually. I never lose the perspective about who it is that keeps me employed. It’s not the studio. It’s the fans.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=117640

 

[Sawyer]

Has it really been fifteen years? Wow. Longer than it feels. My favorite episode has to be the Two-Face origin, which could esily go down in history as some of the best television ever.

 

[The Caped Knight]

I loved all the supervillain origin episodes . My all time favorite is Mr. Freeze
"Heart Of Ice" that was just Epic . Paul Dini did an outstanding job in re-telling The Origin of Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze . He gave him so much more Depth than he was giving in the comics (Pre- BTAS) .

Michael Ansara voice was prefect .

 

[Sawyer]

Oh, yeah, I forgot Heart of Ice, that might actually be better than Two-Face.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Oh, yeah, I forgot Heart of Ice, that might actually be better than Two-Face.

I love Two-Face origin in BTAS, that's how Tommy Lee Jones should've play Havery Dent / Two-Face in Batman Forever (instead of like the Joker .)

GRACE: Harvey! What are you doing ?

TWO-FACE: Taking control of my life.

BATMAN: Let the law handle it.

TWO-FACE: The law!? Here's the only law! The law of averages! The great equalizer! ~ Two-Face part 2

Same with The Riddler , I would've love to have seen Jim Carry's version a lot less campy and a lot more like John Glover's version in BTAS . "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? " (I loved that Nygma was an actally Genius in BTAS. Rather than steal peoples brain knowledge to grow smarter like in Batman forever.)

THE RIDDLER: You have eight minutes, gentlemen, then Mockridge becomes the only good corporate shark: a dead one. ~ "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? "

 

[Catman]

"Heart Of Ice" that was just Epic.

I love Heart Of Ice, but I also think it's over-rated. There's other episodes as good that get overlooked. Examples: Appointment at Crime Alley, Beware the Grey Ghost, Demon's Quest, Laughing Fish, Mudslide, etc. And On Leather Wings gets overlooked a lot as well. It was a simple episode but really awesome.

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Groundbreaking animation

 

[The Caped Knight]

I love Heart Of Ice, but I also think it's over-rated. There's other episodes as good that get overlooked. Examples: Appointment at Crime Alley, Beware the Grey Ghost, Demon's Quest, Laughing Fish, Mudslide, etc. And On Leather Wings gets overlooked a lot as well. It was a simple episode but really awesome.

"On Leather Wings" get a lot more praised than the others you listed, after all the introduction to Man-Bat was used in The Season finale of JLU "Epilogue"

"On Leather Wings"

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/epilogue/Pan20.jpg
"Epilogue"

"Beware the Grey Ghost" is a very special episode for a lot of Bat-fans for the simple reason Adam West is the voice of The Grey Ghost . http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/bewarethegrayghost/

"Laughing fish" is a really good Joker episode . http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/laughingfish/

"Demon's Quest" was a great intro for both David Warner as Ra's Al Ghul & Helen Slater as Talia (Both of which have very storng ties to Superman, David was Jor-EL in Lois & Clark : TAOS & Helen was Supergirl/Kara Zor-EL in supergirl movie .)
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/demonsquestp1/
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/demonsquestp2/

"Appointment at Crime Alley" http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/appointmentincrimealley/



"Mudslide" IMO would've had a much more of an Impact had they not brought back Matt Hagan's Clayface in "The New Batman Adventures." episode 'Growing Pains"

 

[Catman]

"Mudslide" IMO would've had a much more of an Impact had they not brought back Matt Hagan's Clayface in "The New Batman Adventures." episode 'Growing Pains"

Agreed. Also, that episode has my favorite music score by Shirley Walker.
http://anbat.toonzone.net/music/mudslide.htm

 

[The Caped Knight]

Shirley Walker (May She Rest In Peace ) Created awesome memorable themes for the Classic Batman Rogues Gallery . As Well as for the series .

My all time favorite theme after Batman's Theme
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/media/introcredits/toabar/credits.mp3is


Is The Joker's Theme .

 

[Catman]

Yea, The Joker theme was great.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Indeed,

Going back to my early point in this thread about Batman Forever, I really hated the fact like in 89 with Batman, robin's parents were killed by a super villain instead of Tony Zucco . To this day "Robin's Reckoning" from BTAS both Part 1 & 2 has a very special in my heart .