Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95)

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95)

Dirs. Various | 85 Episodes (65 in S1 + 20 in S2), approx 22 mins each. [1]

Quintessential - that's what The Animated Series version of Batman is for me, outside of the printed page. Whether it be live action or animation, TAS is superior to every other onscreen interpretation of the iconic character that I've encountered thus far.

That same adjective applies to two of its most notable voice actors. Firstly, Kevin Conroy, who provides the voice of both billionaire Bruce Wayne and his pointy-eared and black-caped nighttime alter ego. [2]

The other, mentioned second but no less memorable than the first is Mark Hamill, who brings maniacal life to The Joker. I've not enjoyed Hamill's work outside of TAS, but as the clown prince of crime he's a master.

The opening credits sequence is only about one minute long, but it sets the tone perfectly and is a work of art in itself:

Shadowy villains lurk outside a bank in the dead of night; an explosion burns up the darkness like a crescendo of menace, while in another part of Gotham the Batmobile screeches into action. It's all presented in a beautiful art deco inspired aesthetic - the blood red skies might seem like a creative decision too far, but they work their magic just as well as everything else.

There's a dramatic rooftop fight with the same shadowy felons from before, thrown into relief by a titanic full moon backdrop. When the wrongs are righted, and all the police have to do is mop up, Batman stands tall on a nearby vantage point, observing the night as a lightning flash reminiscent of TDKR's comic book cover shows him, finally, in all his costumed glory.

The majestic art-deco style isn't just for the opening credits, it's carried through into every aspect of the series and is arguably the most important ingredient, being the thing that most sets it apart from other works of the era. There's no colourful 'superhero' vibe, which is entirely fitting because Batman isn't a superhero - he's a man in suit, consumed by self-made guilt.

Oh, wait, it's a kids cartoon, so we can't have that level of nuance and/or subtext, right? And yet it's there, for those that know how to look. It offers different things to different age groups.

Batman would be nothing without villains to fight — or to put it another way, a man with his 'passions' needs some external evil to focus his attentions on, lest he be consumed by his own inner-demons. In that regard, the series doesn't disappoint either. It both draws from the rich history of villainy that was generated in the comics medium and invents its own. It had a fantastic range of voice talent bringing life to them, either as regulars or single episode guests.

I won't list them all, but the roster includes the likes of Adrienne Barbeau (Catwoman); Paul Williams (Penguin); Roddy McDowall (Mad Hatter); David Warner (Ra's al Ghul); William Sanderson (Rossum); Michael York (Count Vertigo / Dr Kane); Malcolm McDowell (Arcady Duval); John de Lancie (Eagleton); Helen Slater (Talia al Ghul); and Adam West (Gray Ghost).

Bruce has an intimate network of trusted people who aid him from time to time, such as Doctor Leslie Thompkins (Diana Muldaur) and his mechanic, Earl Cooper (Paul Winfield).

Voicework was overseen by Andrea Romano, who at the time had a knack for picking the perfect person, leaving a legacy at WB similar to what Karen Berger, in her field, left at Vertigo.

Like in Fritz Lang's seminal Metropolis (1927), the city is as much a character in the drama as the people that exist within it. It's not just a fictional location in this case, it's animated too, but that doesn't change the feeling that Gotham City seems alive with activity and appears to have had a significant amount of effort put into its design and construction. Parts of it are shiny and new, while other parts are neglected and decaying, like in real life. Beyond that, parts of it have the feeling that they're 'shiny and new' merely on the surface, with a hidden moral decay that's not visible but is nevertheless present in a subliminal way. Gotham is both beautiful and deadly.

NOTE: regarding the pictured Blu-ray edition, while it looks good in many other ways, the beautiful film grain has been softened, as if someone mistook it for an error and, foolishly, tried to scrub it clean. The grain was integral to the experience and ought to have been respected as such. Please keep that in mind if the Blu-ray edition is your first encounter with the series.

[1] Also included in the pictured collection are all episodes of The New Batman Adventures, but not the subsequent movie Mystery of the Batwoman (2003). Like the previous DVD release TNBA is presented as a third season of TAS. Its post is here: The New Batman Adventures.

[2] I wrote the above review last year but didn't get to posting it until now. In the months between then and now Kevin Conroy passed away, aged 66. If it's not too presumptuous, I'd like the post to serve as a belated yet heartfelt tribute to him. He was a truly great talent.