The new Batman Animated series

[shivkala]

Blue Beetle, is (soon to be was) one of the best books DC has published in the past 3 years (though, it was much better when John Rogers was writing it, but that's just my own $0.02). Part of the reason is that he had a great cast (this sums up my feelings quite well) of characters. So I was glad to see Paco, acting very much like Paco in the comics, except that comics Paco knew Jaime was Blue Beetle very early on.

The comic is humorous, but the humor does not come from Jaime's inexperience (like The Greatest American Hero[/url]. Actually, the humor mostly comes from the characters acting like "real" people and their humorous, but dead-on comments about what is going on around them. For instance, Peacemaker--Jaime's not quite mentor and Paco commenting on Jaime's fight with Giganta:

Peacemaker: Don't stare. Your mind fixates, next thing, you're cruising some really weird chat rooms.
Paco: Gotta help him fight!
Peacemaker: This is why I don't work with teenagers.
Paco: He needs our help with his sexy fight.
Peacemaker: How can Batman keep his kid focused? I swear he drugs Robin's water.

I highly recommend the TPBs, again, at least of the first 25 issues. The overall story is well defined and each issue adds to the overall plot (well, except the few fill-ins). Jaime really matures as a hero and Judy & Carlos Reyes, his parents, might just have taken the title of "best superhero parents" from Ma and Pa Kent.

Back on topic, the episode was really enjoyable. My 4 year old loved it and so did I. I am very much looking forward to the next episode. While I, of course, want to see him team-up with Superman and Wonder Woman, I am really appreciating the chance to see him with other DC characters who haven't seen a lot of screen time lately. If anything can make Aquaman cool, I'm thinking this show has a chance.

Side-note: I saw Plastic Man is on next week. I really hope they make him as wacky and goofy as he is in the comics. Oh and give him the ability to change into various shapes, not just stretch, which has been a staple of the character for as long as I can remember (and it'd be cool for my son to see him do that, like I did when Plastic Man had his own show when I was younger).

 

[Mr Light]

I'm only familiar with the new Beetle through Infinite Crisis which was his origin story. He was basically your everyday teenager when the scarab crashed near his house and crawled into his spine, and then like in the 'toon he didn't understand his powers and was star-struck being next to the other DC heroes. I haven't read his regular series.

 

[Siwilliams]

DAMN! With the title of the thread, I thought it meant a continuation of Batman The Animated Series from 1992. I like the animation from that series, why don't they continue with that series? Or at least do some more movies, I quite enjoyed Mask Of The Phantasm and Mr Freeze - Subzero

 

[TheArsenal]

I didn't feel it was exclusively for children. I think we make the mistake of assuming that adult-oriented material has to be serious or deep or dark and gritty or whatever. Why can't adults just relax and have straightforward, uncomplicated fun? I mean, what do we have to prove? This was light, sure, but it was clever and well-made and quirky, and if you don't stop to worry about whether it's mature enough to suit your self-image, you can just have a good time watching it.

I never argue opinion. If you feel its for adults, fair enough.

It's interesting, though, because I look at it in almost a mirror opposite way from you. I occasionally enjoy things that are clearly written for children knowing they are written for children. Others, and I am speaking of no one in particular, must talk themselves into believing everything they enjoy must therefore be for adults on some level to suit a self-image.

It's a good show. Many will enjoy it. I - as a matter of personal taste - prefer superhero material to be a touch more demanding. But again, I applaud them for bringing the children on board with a quality outing such as this.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

I just saw it on Friday afternoon, and at the risk of repeating myself, all I have to say is; Meh.

I don't know why this kiddiefied version of the Dark Knight had to be made when there's already the 1970's The New Adventures Of Batman on DVD for the kids to see. From what I've seen, it's alright, but my tastes lie with the slightly dark version of Batman on The Batman (and boy, am I going to miss that show now). I'll try to like this show, but it won't be easy.

 

[Christopher]

Not the strongest co-star to launch a team-up show with, IMO.

If you're looking at comics history and prominence, maybe not. But for the purposes of this show and its demographic aim, I thought it was an excellent choice. He's a fanboy who idolizes Batman and gets to live every fanboy's dream of donning a supersuit and fighting crime alongside his hero, and that hero is supportive but steps aside and allows the fanboy to rise to the occasion and save the day. What could possibly be a better team-up choice than a character the target audience can identify with?

DAMN! With the title of the thread, I thought it meant a continuation of Batman The Animated Series from 1992. I like the animation from that series, why don't they continue with that series? Or at least do some more movies, I quite enjoyed Mask Of The Phantasm and Mr Freeze - Subzero

Nothing lasts forever. The people who made that series have moved on and gone to different places in their lives and careers. When the show was continued as The New Batman Adventures, they only got some of the original writers, artists, and directors back, and the results were mixed and not quite the same as the original. Today it would be even harder to get the original people back together, and they would've changed a lot in the intervening years, so what they made would be different too.

Not to mention that most of them probably wouldn't want to be stuck in the rut of doing the same show indefinitely. That's why they've moved on to other things -- because they've said what they had to say about that version of Batman and are now interested in doing different things.

From your comments, though, maybe you're not aware that there was one more movie in the Timm Batman continuity, Mystery of the Batwoman. It uses TNBA designs and got lukewarm reviews, but it has its moments, and the DVD includes a really neat Batman/Catwoman short film called "Chase Me," which is done entirely without dialogue, just action and music.

[/I]I don't know why this kiddiefied version of the Dark Knight had to be made when there's already the 1970's The New Adventures Of Batman on DVD for the kids to see.

Huh? That's the most bizarre comment on this show I've seen yet. That's like saying there's no point in writing a love song because somebody else already wrote a love song 30 years ago. Since when did old creations pre-empt new creative efforts? That's just silly.

Besides, one thing a lot of people seem to be overlooking is that this isn't a Batman show. This is a DC Universe show featuring Batman. That's a very different thing. We've seen Batman shows before, but we've seen little or nothing of Blue Beetle or Booster Gold or Red Tornado or any of the other DC characters being featured. So it makes no sense to talk about this as though it's no different from a Batman-centric series from an age when animation was much cruder on every level.

 

[blockaderunner]

Definitely a kiddie program. Very silly. But thats what they were going for. Sad to say I kinda lost interest the first 15 minutes.

I deleted it from my DVR the moment they had Batman reaching escape velocity in his grey tights and needing nothing more than a glass mask over his face.

This whole "aimed at kids" thng is a crock. Of all the DC animated properties, my son, who is 9, still loves the Bruce Timm stuff (and New Frontier) we borrow from the library. Not The Batman, not Teen Titans, and not Legion Of Superheroes. But I guess I shopuldn't expect anything less from the braintrust who thinks that all DC Comics films should be dark and brooding because TDK was a massive hit.

BTW, when i did delete Brave and The Bold, my son didn't bat an eye or say anything.

 

[shivkala]

From what I've seen, it's alright, but my tastes lie with the slightly dark version of Batman on The Batman (and boy, am I going to miss that show now). I'll try to like this show, but it won't be easy.

Huh. That was my impression of The Batman after so many years of Batman: The Animated Series, it was alright, but it wasn't my Batman show. To each their own.

 

[Barbados Slim]

I deleted it after two minutes. I like my Batman dark and tortured.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Definitely a kiddie program. Very silly. But thats what they were going for. Sad to say I kinda lost interest the first 15 minutes.

I deleted it from my DVR the moment they had Batman reaching escape velocity in his grey tights and needing nothing more than a glass mask over his face.

This whole "aimed at kids" thng is a crock. Of all the DC animated properties, my son, who is 9, still loves the Bruce Timm stuff (and New Frontier) we borrow from the library. Not The Batman, not Teen Titans, and not Legion Of Superheroes. But I guess I shopuldn't expect anything less from the braintrust who thinks that all DC Comics films should be dark and brooding because TDK was a massive hit.

BTW, when i did delete Brave and The Bold, my son didn't bat an eye or say anything.

Oh well..to each their own. My son loved it, I loved it.

As for BATMAN being dark? You have that with TDK. But a whole generation grew up with the Superfriends, and it is aimed at them, and their kids...Bravo zule cartoon network...Batman can be apprectiated more than one way...



Rob
scorpio

 

[Johnny Rico]

Shit, I forgot all about this show...remember seeing the preview for it during last week's Clone Wars, but forgot that it was already a week later.

I set my DVR to record new ones though. Scanning through the entire week's programming from CN, I didn't see a replay of Ep. 1 though.

 

[Siwilliams]

DAMN! With the title of the thread, I thought it meant a continuation of Batman The Animated Series from 1992. I like the animation from that series, why don't they continue with that series? Or at least do some more movies, I quite enjoyed Mask Of The Phantasm and Mr Freeze - Subzero

Nothing lasts forever. The people who made that series have moved on and gone to different places in their lives and careers. When the show was continued as The New Batman Adventures, they only got some of the original writers, artists, and directors back, and the results were mixed and not quite the same as the original. Today it would be even harder to get the original people back together, and they would've changed a lot in the intervening years, so what they made would be different too.

Not to mention that most of them probably wouldn't want to be stuck in the rut of doing the same show indefinitely. That's why they've moved on to other things -- because they've said what they had to say about that version of Batman and are now interested in doing different things.

From your comments, though, maybe you're not aware that there was one more movie in the Timm Batman continuity, Mystery of the Batwoman. It uses TNBA designs and got lukewarm reviews, but it has its moments, and the DVD includes a really neat Batman/Catwoman short film called "Chase Me," which is done entirely without dialogue, just action and music.

I have heard of that movie, did not realize it was the same series spin off. I think Batman The Animated Series could continue though under different supervision, and perhaps Bruce Timm woud like to return to it. I have also watched all of The New Batman Adventures, twice, just to make sure that that animation was enough for me not to consider it the same series. I think the voice work is good still, especially Mark Hamill's Joker and the stories are alright, but the animation is a huge difference to the 1992 series. The music is always great though, especially in episodes of Batman - Tas with the Joker and Mask Of The Phantasm

I think Bruce could do 15 more episodes of Batman - Tas, to reach 100, with the same voices and animation

 

[Dusty Ayres]

Huh. That was my impression of The Batman after so many years of Batman: The Animated Series, it was alright, but it wasn't my Batman show. To each their own.

I also loved the Bruce Timm shows too, I would like to add. But I like The Batman as well, because of its slightly different take on the first years of the Dark Knight's life. And despite what you may think, it was dark, especially with the plotlines about Ethan Bennett becoming Clayface, the constant chasing of Batman by the GCPD, and the movie with Dracula. That's a whole lot of dark, especially for a new show not done by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini (although Glen Murakami, who helped out with the previous show, also was on hand for this one.) And the way that the lack of romance in Bruce Wayne's life was dealt with was also good. Plus, the body designs were just as good as BTAS and TNBA. So yeah, I liked The Batman, and I wish that the same people could have continued making a Justice Leauge show as well, instead of this sop to overly protective moms and dads.

As I've said before, I'll try to like this show, but it won't be easy.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

It was a lot of fun, and it's great seeing an older style Batman for the first time in a while. I love TAS, but it'd be really hard to top it, so I can appreciate this show going in a different direction. One of the main reasons behind Batman's longtime success is the character's versatility and the various ways he's been interpreted.

My five-year-old nephew frigging loved it, and he can't wait for next week's.

 

[Siwilliams]

When the three volumes were released for 'Batman - The Animated Series', I was hoping that the 16-17 minute short film (rather a series of clips from the Batman TAS video game, made specifically for the game) would have been added as an extra, or maybe an extra 5-7 minutes could have been added to make it the official 86th episode. The Joker in his section of the clips even has his missing tooth from 'Batman - Mask Of The Phantasm', so it has to be canon, hee hee.

 

[RobertScorpio]

It was a lot of fun, and it's great seeing an older style Batman for the first time in a while. I love TAS, but it'd be really hard to top it, so I can appreciate this show going in a different direction. One of the main reasons behind Batman's longtime success is the character's versatility and the various ways he's been interpreted.

My five-year-old nephew frigging loved it, and he can't wait for next week's.

Cool post, Spiff...I am at the age where I no longer care about me...as long as my son and I BOTH like it, then its a hit. As soon as it was over my 4 year old got his JLU figure collection, has over 150 of them, and lined them up along our wall. His favorite thing to do...

BRAVE AND THE BOLD delivered the goods...fun for both of us...Those who are into deep and brooding Batman can look forward to DEC 9 when TDK is out on DVD..

Rob

 

[Captain Craig]

^^^
If your around the next time he lines up all 150 of those figs you ought to take a pic and share it. I wouldn't mind seeing that line up.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I agree with Most on here there is plenty of room for this version of Bats and after a Few Decades of Dark and Brooding this is very fun to watch, it really reminds me of reading Bats in the 60's and 70's and thats a good thing. Lighten up once in a while folks.

 

[CaptainCanada]

While I, of course, want to see him team-up with Superman and Wonder Woman, I am really appreciating the chance to see him with other DC characters who haven't seen a lot of screen time lately.

There'll be no Wonder Woman on this show; I imagine Superman will appear at some point, though they're focussing on lesser-known characters for the moment.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

When I keep reading that they're focusing on lesser knowns, I keep feeling that this show is just an excuse to release a new set of action figures.