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| Batman: The Animated Series |
Over the summer Patrick
embarked on a journey of the animated variety when he watched all 85 episodes
of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Not only was it a journey into the nostalgic
but it made him conclude that this is the best portrayal of Batman we have ever
seen.
Growing up in the 90’s when I would come from school I would always
watch Batman: The Animated Series. My
siblings and I loved it so much me bought a boxset of videos that we almost
wore out from the amount of times we watched it. so when my brother and decided
to watch all 25 episodes over the summer I was keen to see if my rose tinted
glasses had coloured my perception with regard to the quality of the series.
What I found was the opposite. After watching the series I can honestly say
that I feel it is the best portrayal of the character I have seen on screen.
Here I’m going to explain why.
Batman
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| Conroy does the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne |
In animation voice casting is all important. Kevin Conroy as
Batman/Bruce Wayne is quite simply incredible. The way in which he can move
from Batman voice to Wayne
Batman is a man of action but he is also a world class detective. This
aspect of the character is not really fully explored in the movies adaptations
of the character. Here it is a main focal point. Often episodes surround the
fact that Batman Is looking for answers and he uses his head more often than
brute strength. This is pleasing as well that the audience sees not only what a
class and clever character Batman is but we also see that being smart s
important and using your head is more valuable than say, Superman’s CRASH! BANG!
approach to superherodom. This is also helped that we see in episodes where
Batman’s history and Bruce’s different aspects of training are played out in
excellent flashbacks. We see how Bruce worked toward the entity that is Batman
and that he didn’t just decide to become a hero over night he worked at it. This
gives him a great history and something for the audience to piece together
along the way too.
Bruce Wayne is an important aspect to Batman as well. After all he is
the alter ego of Batman. The writers strike a great balance between the two
sides of the character which can be tricky thing to achieve. The two characters
are played much like Clark Kent and Superman
in the Richard Donner Superman of the
‘70’s. It makes it plausible that people wouldn’t suspect Wayne
We all know that the death of Bruce’s parents are his raison d’etre for
becoming Batman but what keeps him going out fighting crime? This is the
question that the writers ask over the course of the series. For me it was
great to see that despite it being an animation they wanted to tackle issues in
an adult way and things weren’t completely diluted for the younger audience.
It’s answered in a multifaceted way really. We see this in the first episode with
the Scarecrow and we see the answer in many of the episodes that flashback onto
Bruce’s past. We also see it in the way he deals with certain bad guys too.
Batman and his relationship
with his allies
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| Trusted: Alfred Pennyworth |
To see Batman fully we have to see the way in which we relates to his
allies. This is handled really well. None of the relationships are one
dimensional. One of the key relationships is of course his relationship with
trusty butler Alfred. We see many layers to this relationship. Firstly we see
the working relationship between the two. This is played out in many scenes
where Alfred and Batman work in the Batcave together to solve crimes. We also
see the fatherly relationship between Alfred and Bruce. Alfred is always
looking out for Bruce’s welfare. Lastly we see the respect that Batman has for
Alfred, this most evident in The Unicorn and the Lion Episode.
Batman’s relationship with Robin is well written as well. I fell this is
due to the way Robin is written in the show. He is more than a side kick. Yes,
Batman can do more than Robin but for the most part they are equals. The
two-parter Robin’s Reckoning we see the levels in this relationship too. The
father-son aspect but the brotherly relationship that is there too. It was
interesting to see how Bruce was reluctant to allow Dick join him on the path
of vengeance. Again it added a subtle but nice note to the characters.
Batman and Jim Gordon’s relationship is perhaps the only one that isn’t
fully developed as others. We see him work well with Gordon and we see that
they have a mutual respect for each other, but most interactions end in Batman
leaving before Jim ends his sentence leaving Jim wondering where he went. Still
that joke never grows old.
The Rogue Gallery
Batman like his other superhero’s in the union, are nothing without
their rouge gallery. Batman has an extensive rogue gallery and I’m not going to
torture you with a reflection on Batman’s relationship with each one, but I
will touch on some of them.
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| Some of the best adaptions of villains are in this series |
The main ones that struck a chord with me are Two Face, Clayface and Mr.
Freeze. All of these stories have an element of tragedy and this is never down
played for the fact that this is animation. In fact I feel it’s enhanced by it.
The use of music helps build the epic nature of Batman and the gad guys but I
feel it’s at it’s strongest in these tragic episodes for some reason. What
these episodes and characters do is show us that much like Batman was shaped by
his own tragedy so were these and most of the villains, (some are just crazy
too though, which is also fun). What helps in this regard is that we see that
Batman knows this and in a way blames himself, adding to the reasons for why he
dons the cape and cowl. It also allows for an interesting dynamic between
Batman and his rogue gallery.
The Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill and is Batman’s quintessential bad
guy. Hamill plays the Joker with the right balance of clownery and sinister
verve that make him a great foil for Conroy’s Batman. I would go into more
detail about Hamill’s Joker but I think this video will show just how right he
and the writers get the character.
Writing and Production
The writing and the production of the show is on an epic scale. It
strikes the perfect balance between adult and child’s show, between light and
dark. There was a great deal of humour in the show that I had forgotten about
and was a pleasant surprise to pick up on it again as an adult. I really
appreciated the great animation and the epic scoring of the show as well.
Shirley Walker’s layered musical themes added extra gravitas to the show and I
was honestly humming most of the tunes for the best part of two weeks
afterwards.
When I look back Batman: The
Animated Series is perhaps what began my love of all things Fandom and for
that I thank it, the quality of the show is shown in the way it stands the test
of time.
My top 10 episodes for those interested in viewing them are (in no
particular order):
- The Joker’s
Favour.
- Feat of
Clay parts 1 and 2.
- Two Face parts
1 and 2.
- Almost Got
‘Im.
- Beware of
Gray Ghost.
- Mad as a
Hatter.
- Nothing to
Fear.
- Night of
the Ninja.
- Trial.
- The Lion and the Unicorn.
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