"Beware the Batman" in 2013! New Animated Series

[Christopher]

No, really. Think of white noise -- it's the ultimate in random, disordered sound, but all the randomness is spread out so totally that you just get an undifferentiated, full-spectrum roar. And in thermodynamics, a system at maximum entropy, maximum disorder, is totally uniform -- no part of it has any more energy than any other part, so no energy can flow and do work. The way we think of order and chaos is kind of backwards from the way physics defines them.

 

[sojourner]

Didn't check the credits, but was the voice actor of one of the vandals the same as Caldor from Young Justice?

 

[Christopher]

Didn't check the credits, but was the voice actor of one of the vandals the same as Caldor from Young Justice?

I can't find the credits online yet, but if that was Khary Payton, I didn't recognize him.

But I did determine that both of the vandals are established Batman villains: Daedalus Boch, aka Doodlebug, and Tucker Long, aka Junkyard Dog. They both made their debut as Arkham inmates in 2003's Arkham Asylum: Living Hell by Dan Slott and Ryan Sook. Lunkhead from last week's episode also debuted there. I think that ties Slott & Sook with Bob Kane & Bill Finger as creators of the largest number of characters to appear on BtB thus far; Kane & Finger created Batman, Gordon, and Alfred. (Mike Barr & Jim Aparo created Katana, Gardner Fox & Carmine Infantino created Barbara Gordon, Grant Morrison & Andy Kubert created Pyg & Toad, Bob Haney & Ramona Fradon created Simon Stagg, John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake created Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, John Byrne created Magpie, and Alan Grant & Norm Breyfogle created Anarky.)

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

But I did determine that both of the vandals are established Batman villains: Daedalus Boch, aka Doodlebug, and Tucker Long, aka Junkyard Dog. They both made their debut as Arkham inmates in 2003's Arkham Asylum: Living Hell by Dan Slott and Ryan Sook. Lunkhead from last week's episode also debuted there. I think that ties Slott & Sook with Bob Kane & Bill Finger as creators of the largest number of characters to appear on BtB thus far; Kane & Finger created Batman, Gordon, and Alfred. (Mike Barr & Jim Aparo created Katana, Gardner Fox & Carmine Infantino created Barbara Gordon, Grant Morrison & Andy Kubert created Pyg & Toad, Bob Haney & Ramona Fradon created Simon Stagg, John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake created Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, John Byrne created Magpie, and Alan Grant & Norm Breyfogle created Anarky.)

That Arkham Asylum miniseries is brilliant. One of the best Bat-verse stories of all time. Slott really made a name for himself on that book and is now doing amazing (or maybe, superior) work on Marvel's Spidey title. If you can get a copy of the trade for this miniseries, I highly recommend giving it a read.

IIRC, I thought it was mentioned that Humpty Dumpty from the Arkham series would be showing up on BtB, as well -- am I remembering that right?

 

[Christopher]

^Yes, but I was only mentioning characters who've appeared in aired episodes so far. But I guess H.D. would put Slott/Sook in the lead if he's from the same series.

 

[Mr Light]

I really didn't care for the all white version of Anarchy's costume. That's not visually interesting.

 

[sojourner]

Maybe it will be different nearly everytime we see him. To fit his theme.

 

[davejames]

Thought it was a pretty good episode, although Anarky teaming up with a couple of clueless vandals didn't exactly make him seem like the smartest or most formidable opponent for Batman. If he really wanted to create chaos, you'd think he could come up with some bigger and more effective ways to go about it.

 

[Christopher]

Just watched it again. Daedalus might have been Khary Payton, but the version available On Demand right now is just the network feed, with the credits not included because they were shown half an hour later at the end of the DC Nation block, so I'm still not certain.

I did notice that the walls of the wheelhouse where Batman fought Anarky bore a gray-and-white chessboard motif, just to drive home the theme.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

Thought it was a pretty good episode, although Anarky teaming up with a couple of clueless vandals didn't exactly make him seem like the smartest or most formidable opponent for Batman. If he really wanted to create chaos, you'd think he could come up with some bigger and more effective ways to go about it.

I agree for the most part, but I think Anarky freed those two idiots to "undo" what Batman had just done. Each time Bats apprehended those two, Anarky immediately set them free and unleashed them with bigger and badder tools.

I don't think that Anarky really believed that Beavis and Butthead would pose an insurmountable threat to Batman or Gotham in general; it was just a clear message that "whatever you do, I can and will undo." An act of chaos in response to every act of order.

But I do agree that his manipulation of those two losers was a meager beginning in his larger "chess" game with Batman. The last part of the episode shows that threat escalation should prove to be part of his greater agenda in future episodes.

 

[Christopher]

As Bruce said, Daedalus and Junkyard Dog were the pawns. Chess matches usually open with pawns being advanced, to free up the other pieces to move and seek advantageous positions. In this case, it seems like Anarky was trying to distract Batman so he could be in position to rig the bombs on the trams. Given that D & JD mentioned going to the rendezvous point and later showed up at the wheelhouse, I'd assume that Anarky intended for Batman to scare them into retreat and follow them to the wheelhouse, whereupon Anarky would confront him and do the tram-bomb-trap thing. But Batman anticipated his moves and got ahead of him.

 

[DarthPipes]

I wasn't very impressed with Anarky (liked his Moon Knightish costume though) but I liked this episode a lot. Especially the Katana and detective aspects. The fighting sequences on this show are also really good.

 

[sojourner]

Oh, that reminds me. Now, I never read much stuff with Katana back when I collected comics, but did annoy one else find it silly that Katana keeps Tai-chi sword instead of you know -a katana? I'm assuming that's the weapon she uses. Which, now when you think about it, would not make her the obvious choice of character for a tv show were they have to limit gore. I guess like in the many cartoon versions of Wolverine she'll be fighting a lot of robots.

 

[Christopher]

In the comics, Katana's sword is supernatural and is called the Soultaker. Its green glow here suggests its mystical properties have been preserved, if perhaps modified for television. I wouldn't be surprised if it had some kind of ability to drain people's life energy and leave them unconscious, say. Or maybe fire some kind of mystic energy bolts.

 

[kirk55555]

I'm fine with her sword not actually cutting people up, but the fact that its not a Katana (even a magic one) was pretty stupid. I hope they don't give her the codename Katana if she doesn't actually have a Katana. That just reminds me of Highlander II's General Katana, who also did not carry a katana (even though most of the fighting in the movie is sword fighting).

 

[sojourner]

That's your problem with Highlander II??

 

[kirk55555]

That's your problem with Highlander II??

No, its a problem, but pretty insignificant compared to all the others. I was just remined of it when think about Katana not owning a Katana.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I went back in the thread to see if it'd already been posted, but I don't think it has...but this was from SDCC. Very interesting read.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46921

 

[Mr Light]

I've never even heard of Humpty Dumpty before...

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I've never even heard of Humpty Dumpty before...

I was thinking he was on the old Adam West show but then I realized I was thinking of Egghead.