Batman: The Animated Series

I loved every minute of this superb animated series, and I am not afraid to say that out of all the animated shows based on the character, this series is without doubt the best of the lot. The animation was fantastic, no better way to describe it really, very dark and fluid instead of the Saturday- morning-cartoon standard that has marred animation recently. The theme tune by Danny Elfman was haunting and memorable, the same Danny Elfman who composed the music for Edward Scissorhands, which coincidentally is one of my all-time favourite movie scores. Also the plot lines and teleplays are very interesting, and I loved the characters, especially Batman, who was dark, brooding and complex like he is supposed to be. And what about the villains? Harvey Two Face, Mr Freeze, the scarecrow, Penguin, and my favourite the joker, who Mark Hamill voiced superlatively, making him sinister and fun at the same time. Though I was wondering, if the producers hadn't replaced their 1st choice for the character Tim Curry, he would've done just as well. I happily award Batman: The Animated Series a 10/10. Bethany Cox

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.

This is every thing an adventure show should be. It has action, drama, comedy, tragedy and a truly Gothic feel (fitting that it takes place in Gotham). The interesting thing about the Batman character is that the only reason he becomes Bruce Wayne is to make enough money to fund his Batman work and to help the less fortunate. He's such a tragic character as he's given up a personal life for his parents dream. The stories are wonderfully intelligent and fun at the same time. There are very few poor episodes in this series (but note that their are some). Even lame villains like the Clock King and Mr. Freeze are made engaging and exciting. Ignore the movies and watch the series. Heck, at times it can even be much more realistic than the movies (like in "I am the Night") Some recommended episodes are: "Almost Got 'Im" (a poker game where Bat-Villain recount how they almost killed him), "His Silicon Soul" (a robot clone of Batman is a little too much like Batman too do a computers evil bidding) and "the Man who killed Batman" (in which a small time crook has seemingly killed Batman... by accident)

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.

This program thanks to people like Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and Bruce W. Timm made this show the most faithful adaption of the Dark Knight ever. This show was brilliant!!!! It had terrific animation, story line, character development, and action sequences. Regardless of weather you're a Batman fan or not this is a show not to be missed.