I am agreeing with Paul Dini's Batman TAS. Wonderful series.
Actually Bruce Timm's, Eric Radomski's, and Alan Burnett's B:TAS. Timm and Radomski co-created and co-produced the series, and Burnett has been a producer/writer on most DC-based shows for the past three decades (and deserves far more credit for the modern era of DC animation than he generally gets). Dini was initially a writer/story editor on the show beginning with the 14th episode produced, "Heart of Ice." He was only a producer on the last 14 episodes of the original show, and then on its sequel shows.
The new Spiderman, while a little (goofy and "kiddy") is actually pretty amusing.
I've been getting increasingly unsatisfied and annoyed with
Ultimate Spider-Man of late.
Also, the Brave and the Bold series was quite enjoyable. They did it more like the way Batman was in the early 70s comics and there are humorous episodes, but its also...fun. ANd it had interesting guest team ups. Like Kammandi. And the Blue Beetle.
Actually it was more a tribute to the comics of the Silver Age, the 1950s and '60s. In particular, its look was modeled on the art style of Dick Sprang, one of the leading Batman artists for two decades from 1943-63. And it's named for a comic that debuted in 1955, although it wasn't until the late '60s that
The Brave and the Bold became primarily a Batman-centric title (due to the success of the Adam West TV series, which was also a major influence on the show).
"Batman: The Animated Series"
The show is brilliant and was far ahead of it's time. The first episode, Batman's using forensics to figure out what's going on. This was 1992, way before CSI and such made it common place.
Plenty of shows and movies had their protagonists using forensic investigation before
CSI came along. It goes as far back as Sherlock Holmes (one of the major literary influences on Batman). Indeed, in the Adam West
Batman sitcom, Batman and Robin were constantly using forensics to analyze clues and evidence left by the villains, to the extent that the Batcave was effectively the
de facto crime lab of the Gotham City PD.
It's light enough for kids, but dark enough for adults. One of the few shows made under the guise of being for kids but straddling the fine-line of really for adults.
Oh, there are lots of shows like that. Always have been. Check out
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle sometime.
"dark deco" was the unique style invented for the show, everything was drawn on black paper rather than white to truly make it look right.
And that was Eric Radomski's idea.
