Beware the Batman

I thoroughly enjoyed every episode. The story lines where great. The animation was fantastic. It was dark and broody with lots of wit and humor and clever plot twists. What a shame more seasons were not commissioned. One of the weird side observations I have was the lack of trees bushes and general green vegetation in the Gotham city.

This was a great show. Had multiple episodes story arcs. Great voice cast And featured a great array of lesser known but equally intriguing villians. Shame it got canceled so soon. Great series, which is on par with Batman:TAS,as far as morr mature subject matter and great dark stylistic approach to animation...

Beware the Batman is Batman done with computer animation. And there's no Joker, no Riddler, no Bane, no Catwoman, no - significant villains here to be found in this show. However it does bring to light some lesser known Batman villains like Dr Pyg, Toad, Anarchy and it ACTUALLY does have Ra's al Ghul. However the writing doesn't compare to the well-rounded and thought-out dialogue of The Animated Series and the animation is stuck between deciding whether it wants to be like Green Lantern: The Animated Series or something else not Bruce Timm related.

Beware means well in using lesser Batman villains in place of crooks like The Joker, but they're just there to serve singular episodes and that's it; they don't leave any particular impact on Batman in the series and Batman's character doesn't respect the Batman we know to look like: this one has character-design similar to Green Lantern:T.A.S. but rips off the bat-suit from Batman Begins.

The good: this series has some good fight sequences and Batman is still badass as per his status-quo. And the voice-acting is not too shabby.

The bad: doesn't do anything special with its more niche rogue-gallery. It's a gimmick that doesn't really pay off.

The so-so: the animation itself doesn't respect the aesthetic demands of a character with the cultural caliber of Batman.

Good, but not all that amazing.

Lets start with what we know.

This was the first Batman series using 100% computer generated graphics. At the time, DC claimed that they had solved the problem of "textureless plasticy" characters.

Turns out they were wrong. The series bombed and if you do the research you will see that the timeslot was changed to a new slot so obscure that, as one reviewer wrote at the time, said "it was almost as though they wanted as few children as possible to see it."

What we also know is that, after its demise, the show has become a cult hit of sorts. This is because, as strange as the animation is, the writing and script were first-rate. Novel, original clever. Lots of WOW factor.

And the voice actors? Brilliant.

As I said, a hard show to review.

So, like every Batman series that has come out since the '92 Dini-verse, 'fans' have come out of the woodwork to tell everyone how terrible this show is. Between the CGI, the lack of known villains, the different take on Alfred... It's horrible just like The Batman & The Brave and the Bold.

Except, it's not...

The animation is fine. It's not the Dini version, nor the CGI Dini version (aka, Green Lantern), and it's not the hammy tB&tB, nor is it the overstylized 'The Batman' animation. It's its own thing, and it grows on you.

The characters were a little bit more difficult to swallow, especially the elder statesman major domo Alfred. However, in both the comics and the Batman: the Animated Series, they have toyed with the idea of Alfred being former MI-6, so, it's hardly out of canon. It is an interesting take, and one not fully explored before.

Using Katana as a partner did put me off at first, but as the stories have progressed, it makes it seem that they're aiming at assembling the Outsiders, a team thus far never brought together on the big or small screen. Again, the writers are thinking outside of the box, so kudos to them!

The final bit that is putting off a lot of 'fans', is the rogue's gallery. No Joker, no Riddler, no Catwoman. Instead, we're getting a "Who's Who" of "Who in the heck is that?" They've dug deep into the DC vaults for some D-listers to use as the bad guys, characters that I, as a reader of the DCU for my entire life have to go look up--and it works. There's no expectation of how the characters are supposed to act, the characters just 'are'. They can be written in any way the writers wish, which is a GREAT strength of the show.

In summation, if you're expecting any of the previous Batman incarnations, you'll be disappointed. If you are looking for something that is actually reasonably fresh, and can surprise you, then by all means, tune in!

Oh, and don't judge by a single episode or two... as of this writing, the show is a whole six episodes in, and it has be hooked. Hopefully, only better things to come!