Batman: A Série Animada

When this series first came out, I was at least eight years old; so of course I wouldn't really understand most of it with this being a drama and all... now I realize that this is the most accurate retelling of the Batman legacy EVER! Starting off, compare this to the horrid series they have created now: "The Batman," where they treat Batman like Superman by wondering who he is... it just doesn't measure up... allow me to explain the differences: one of which being the presence of Ethan Bennet. Who you ask? I rest my case... there is none that I can remember.

Secondly, this one is perfectly parallel to the comics. There's no such thing as the bat-wave in the original, but there will always be the bat signal! Finally, the animation looks as it should. Joker is not in a straight jacket, The Riddler doesn't look like Bono from U2, and every voice actor sounds just like they should.

To sum it all up, this series was everything that "The batman" isn't... and that's a good thing.

Forget the camp & cheese of the previous Batman cartoons...this is a masterpiece! The depiction of Batman fighting both the psychos of Gotham City and his inner demons spawned from the murder of his parents years ago is superb. For years Anime had proved that animation need not be just for kids. Batman: The Animated Series solidifies that conclusion.

Kevin Conroy has the perfect voice for both Batman and Bruce Wayne (there is a very obvious distinction). Mark Hamill gives the Joker sadism, sarcasm, and lunacy without resorting to goofiness. Efram Zimblast Jr. makes an excellent Alfred by being loyal, yet openly concerned about his employer's choice of career.

This series is coming to DVD soon - I'm getting in line!

We longtime (read "old") fans of Batman have been waiting for a cinematic Batman that reflects the greatness of the comic books. Unfortunately, we have had to put up with the worst attempts to realize this great character. The movie serials were atrocious, the Adam West show, although entertaining, treated the character as a joke. The Filmation cartoons and the Superfriends were watered down. The more recent movies are a mixed bag. Then, along came BTAS, and we were finally satisfied.

Everything, from the look and tone of the animation, to the stories and voicework was first-rate. Batman is the Dark knight Detective. He's not a guy in a rubber suit. He is skilled, intelligent, obsessed, tortured, and dedicated. The villains are evil, psychotic, and just plain loopy. We have Paul Dini's wonderful creation of Harley Quinn, the first inspired and interesting character, since Denny O'Neil created Ra's al Ghul.

The creators took their cue from the legendary Flesicher Bros. version of Superman, with it's Art Deco stylings and darker color palette. It took its story concepts from the work of Bill Finger, Denny O'Neil, Frank Miller, and Steve Engelhart. The music was inspired by the wonderful Danny Elfman music from the Tim Burton film. The voicework featured outstanding actors, with mature direction from Andrea Romano.

The only criticism I can level at the show is that they avoided doing a complete episode revolving around Batman's origin. Granted, the broadcast standards and practices limited how much they could show, but they found a way to present Robin's origin, without sacrificing story. They did present elements, but I would have liked to have seen a complete episode, with his training and "year one" adventures. The Superfriends episode, "The Fear" presented more of the origin than BTAS ever depicted. Still, it didn't detract from the overall effectiveness of the series.

The series even improved on some of the elements of the comics. Personally, I never thought much of Bane, but I enjoyed the BTAS version, complete with the Lucha Libre stylings; Bane as luchador hitman, classic! The Joker was far more interesting here than he had been for some time in the comics. The Riddler came across as deadly, rather than a joke. Alfred provided more than window dressing.

This is the series that set the standard for all other cinematic Batman efforts. Thankfully, it removed the bitter taste of Joel Schumacher.

Perhaps the best animated series ever. It provides great accuracy in the stories and characters, while allows innovation and imagination. They "pull no punches" and didn't try to make this a kiddy show. It became the trend setter for "Superman" and "Batman: Beyond", even though neither can compare.

When Batman: the animated series came around, it didn't take people long to see that it was something different. Here was a "cartoon" that was written for adults. It could be viewed by older kids, but it had great depths for the adults who took any time with it. Each episode (or couple of episodes) acts as its own mini-movie. The structuring of the story in each one is just so well executed. As well, the animation (for its time) was quite good, and still holds up well enough today. Another difference from other animation, is that the color palette is quite dark- which, again, only makes it more interesting. All of the great villains are here (and others you may not have heard of), but they get a very serious and, at times, philosophical explication. One of my favorite things about the series, is that every episode has its own orchestral score- meaning, the music that you hear is tailored to fit the exact moment you are watching. Shirley Walker manages to come up with so many sub-themes and variations on the main theme- and works them in so well with the happenings on screen. For those of you that have seen the series and remember it fondly, you might be interested to know that a box-set of the first 28 episodes was recently released- you can get it just about anywhere.