The Batman
 

Anyone here watch this show that supposedly has a different take of the Dark Knight?

To be honest, I really enjoy this show, and in spite of the character's change in appearance, they remained the same with their personality. Plus, I really like the fact the show improved over time.

Overall, one of my favorite Batman shows.

Damn straight I do :bendy:.

I mentioned in the TV show thread how much I enjoyed this show and I really think people give it too much flak and not enough credit. People always think negatively of the show and always eager to bash it instead of giving it a chance.

I admit, some of their character revamps like Batgirl, Mr. Freeze, and Catwoman fell pretty flat for me. There's no way to top the old Batman toon show so I don't bother comparing them, I do what every decent critic SHOULD do and judge them as their own.

I think the animation is very slick and I love the music, but most of all, I LOVE the New Joker. His design and appearance are just very creative to me, and I think he really pushes the "crazy" bar even higher then the old Joker did. Season 4 has cranked out some of the best episodes of any other season.

Here's hoping season 5 keeps up the same good work, and that people finally give "The Batman" a second look instead of a second glare.

Glad to know I'm not the only fan of this show.:)

But yeah, I agree, you should NEVER judge a show by its cover; rather, a show SHOULD be judged by its plots instead.

Well, I love watching this show. It's like watching an Elseworlds comic come to life. I even like the redesigned villains. However I must say that I believe that the insanity factor of the original Joker is far higher than the current one. I mean KMR's Joker has yet to reach the heights Hamill's Joker did in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
Though one change that I like, I prefer this series Batgirl. The one in the Dini and Timm cartoon doesn't do it for me. She just was nowhere near as cool as the Batgirl from the comics. At least the current one is much more interesting.
I have so much more to say about this show, but I don't feel like writing a novel, so I guess I'll just write them later. Glad to know others love this show as well.

I never really thought of Black Mask as D grade as much as he was impossible to translate to a kids' show. I mean it was thought that it would be akin to putting Zsasz in the old show. And you know they'd never put him in there.

I'd really wish they'd pull the censors back a little and let the villains go wild once in a wild. I mean I'm sorta tired of all this posturing. I mean I don't want them to show a killing spree in all its glory. But even in the days when the comics were geared towards kids people died. Where's the real danger and suspense when you know everything is going to be better in the end?

I hope they bring in Two-Face and the Mad Hatter soon. Those guys were great in the old series, and I'd love to see how they're handled here.

By the way, the old series did use D grade villains, Mad Hatter and Mr Freeze were barely used in the comics, especially Mr. Freeze. Prior to the show he was always more of a jokey character. And Killer Croc wasn't really what you'd call a major in the Rogue's Gallery either.

Personally, I'd like to see some more Man-Bat. In fact I'd like to see them tackle the storyline where Langstrom father's a son with the same symptoms he has. Not a major thing, it just seems like it could be a great story idea if done right. I mean who'd ever think they'd combine the two Clock King stories from the original series to make a fascinating new interpretation of a seldom used character in the comic books?

The thing is though is that a D type villain CAN be used to become a much bigger villain, it all depends on potential. The Mad hatter has a great gimmick and set up which allows him to be able to be used many times. Same with Freeze, ice type villains are fairly common with super heroes.

Hatter and Freeze worked better in toons then comics, this goes back to what i said about translation. Just because something works in the comics doesn't mean it will work in another media. Galactus is a fine example. The new Fantastic 4 movie said they have to change his appearance for the film.'

Why? Because how he looks in a comic book would look totally stupid and weird in a live movie, it's all a matter of proper translation. Croc and Freeze were made into more re-usable villains thanks to the series clever use of them. I do also like how Man-bat likes being a villain in the new series as opposed to the old one.

I doubt very much we'll see Two-Face though, of all the Batman villains. Two-face has showed up the least in media appearances. This is mainly due to the fact he represents alot of serious, psychological/bipolar issues that are definitely going to be too insanely dark for a kids show.

Even if they got a little leeway with showing more graphic content in the show, Two-face is always going to be a very sensitive character to use.

Yeah. He was supposed to be portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the Adam West series. Man that would've been something to see. But that was shot down because it didn't fit the mood of the show or the audience. He's just such a great villain though. The way he was done in Animated Series was just great. Especially when he developed a third personality that was out to kill all criminals, even himself.

I think Galactus would work rather well in a movie with a stretching man, a walking rock, an invisible woman, and burning guy. Oh yes and some flying silver dude on a surfboard. They've already crossed the line. They really can't hurt themselves with some giant purple hatted guy. Now that guy's iconic.

Back to Batman, as for D grade villains, if they break out King Tut, I think I might be moderately pissed. What a lame villain, it would be almost as lame as putting in Calendar Man.

I would love to see Poison Ivy use her skills to age herself. Being only a teenager has actually made it impossible to get across one of her most powerful weapons: seduction. She's not just someone with plant powers. If you want that you should bring in the Floronic Man.

I've always liked the tortured nature of Man-Bat. And seeing as there is only two sympathetic villains on the entire program, and one of those has taken himself out of the running, Langstrom not wanting to be a villain would fit in well to fill that void. He doesn't have to be full on goody-goody. Even AS Langstrom had that pesky little problem of part of his personality actually being Man-Bat and wanting to set its physical form free once more.

I still think Nicholson's Joker was lacking something. He just didn't feel like Joker to me. Maybe because he wasn't that funny, and he never tried to be funny either. Joker to me is that villain who acts like a carnival clown goes to a grade school festival and then gasses the crowd while tying a balloon elephant. And I just didn't feel that there.

Poison Ivy does use seduction, just not in the same way the original one did. She uses her plants more often and uses the pollen to hypnotize or seduce if you prefer to get people under her control. What's nice about this Ivy is that she is a REAL mutant, not some chick who just has a plant gimmick.

The original Ivy had great sex appeal but I always considered her to be under explored, her mutant plants indicate a much more advanced level of super villainy and larger then a common plant foe. The new one at least has real plant powers and I REALLY liked how she used to be friends with Batgirl.

The thing with Galactus is there not saying he won't work, there saying his LOOKS won't work. Just like Green Goblin from Spider man. His original appearance had him wearing purple boots, gloves, pointed cap, and carrying a purse around....if they had used that EXACT image, he'd look awful fruity.

Images have to be tweaked because again, comics don't always translate well to movies, not without occasionally looking ridiculous that is. Riddler for example is a hard outfit to pull off and coming off as serious, Carrey did a great job as Riddler though and I loved how he imitated Frank Goshire.

The original West/Batman series Riddler. His giggles and grinning face really reminded me of the old school Riddler, and I especially found it funny that of ALL the villain teams ups I've seen, I find it freaking amazing that Two-face and Riddler actually worked well together in "Forever" with ZERO back stabbing.

Finally, someone else who loved Forever. We are a rare breed indeed. The score to that movie is brilliant. It's just great big fun. And the people who don't like it are just being sourpusses.

I still think Galactus would work. Like I said they already have the Silver Surfer, he's silly enough as in design. They could make Galactus more like the Galactus in the Marvel Alliance videogame. However it seems like they're going with Gah Lak Tus from the Ultimate universe. Besides they've always explained in the comics that Galactus only looked the way he did because it was far easier for people to wrap their mind around a giant man eating the planet than whatever his true form actually is. His most iconic design is nothing more than a mental projection. Even comic book writers and artist can't agree on his true form.

As for Poison Ivy, she is a meta-human in the comics. She actually does have the mutant ability to manipulate plants, on top of that she also has a mystical connection with them. In fact John Glover's character in Batman & Robin, Jason Woodrue, actually did have a hand in creating her in the comics. He's the Floronic Man.

I love her friendship with Barbara as well. But I can see why they toned her down seduction wise. I mean in the comics, whoo. And admittedly AS toned her seduction powers down as well. But I would still love to see Floronic Man pop up sometime.

I would also love to see Ra's Al-Ghul show up. I wonder what they could do with him and Talia.

Really there's so many story ideas with Batman that with this clever team of writers and a little lightening up with the censors the possibility are endless.

Oh dear...he's off on one again...
 

Jeeze! Mr Marshmallow and AerostarMonk appear to have annexed the Other Entertainment board! Don't worry about the rest of us, guys, we'll pack up our stuff and leave. :P No, I kid, obviously; I can't possibly keep pace on the TMNT debate, so I'll just stick with The Batman. Warning: this is really stupidly long, and most likely quite boring.

Characters I like: The Penguin - He's overused, yes, but I think I prefer the vulgar and vicious Danny DeVito-style Penguin to the gentleman Penguin of B:TAS, plus I generally like Tom Kenny (who doesn't? :P). Even though his physicality in this show sounds laughable on paper, I think it works pretty well, especially when he has those cool Kabuki Twins backing him up. His main problem is the fact they wheel him out too often for a cheap laugh; using him more sparingly would make his best episodes (like "Team Penguin") more effective.
The Riddler - Generally speaking, I'm not a massive fan of Riddler; the "wacko genius" schtick of Gorshin and Carrey were fun, but felt too derivative of Joker to me, and though B:TAS's calm, calculating Riddler was a step up, I felt his episodes on the show were a little weak, too often falling back on the "Batman and Robin Trapped In A Giant Maze" cliche and leaving Riddler himself on the sidelines as a smug but rather uninvolved observer. For me, The Batman's "Manson Riddler" combines the forceful presence of Gorshin with the cold smarts of John Glover, and adds new dimensions of his own; creepiness (thanks to that design and Robert Englund's voice) and emotional and psychological depth (his new "Riddler's Revenge" backstory just worked for me, showing the emotional and spiritual fragility that counterbalances his intellectual genius, as in the finale of "Riddled" where he's undone by his own need to work out Batman's identity on his own). End result; my personal favourite Riddler.
Hugo Strange - As a non-comic reader, Strange wasn't a character that I was that familiar with before, but he's so effective here, excelling as the show's "psychological villain" in the absence of Scarecrow. His machinations are probably the most complex of any villain here, and it makes his episodes all the more interesting to watch, especially Season Four's excellent "Strange New World", whose ending really caught me off guard. Good job, writers! :D
Clayface - In my view, the Harvey Dent/Two-Face charcter arc, the story of a good, moral man's tragic descent into deformity and criminal madness, is one of the most affecting and involving in the Batman canon; I hated how they trampled it in the otherwise OK Batman Forever, loved how they nailed it in B:TAS's "Two-Face" two-parter, and am really looking forward to seeing how Chris Nolan and crew handle it in forthcoming movies. Suddenly and shockingly transplanting that arc onto poor Ethan Bennett, a solid and likeable supporting character throughout Season One, was a really effective move on the show's creators part. For a writer on a supposed kids' show, Greg Weisman deserves major credit for making Clayface's origin story "The Clay Face of Tragedy", as well as its later follow-up "Meltdown", as affecting as they were. It's a shame he didn't get to complete the arc himself; whilst "Clayfaces" was a good episode, I felt that the new writer let Karlo's introduction push Ethan's much-deserved happy ending out of the limelight...hopefully we'll see him again.
Robin - Here's another character this show has turned me round on; I always believed that the concept of a kid tagging along with the fabled Dark Knight couldn't work in any remotely serious context. B:TAS's Robin was the first Robin I could accept; The Batman went one better and gave me one I really liked. I had had my doubts before I his introduction; as far as I was concerned, Batgirl's arrival had taken the show back a step, but from his debut in the outstanding "A Matter of Family" (which rivalled B:TAS's "Robin's Reckoning", in my view) onwards, he's really enhanced the show, bringing out new sides to Batman, validating Batgirl's presence and being pretty cool on his own merits to boot.
Other honorable mentions - Harley Quinn (a little nastier maybe, but otherwise the same great character; new actress Hynden Walch imitates predecessor Arleen Sorkin flawlessly), Killer Moth (a very amusing comedy take on the character; he sounds like Ted from Scrubs :D), Poison Ivy (good new backstory; underused so far, especially in terms of her links to Barbara Gordon), Ellen Yin (developed into a solid character over the course of the first two seasons; I was really disappointed to see her dropped without explanation at the end of Season Two, not even returning for Ethan's rehabilitation ), Ragdoll (amusing voice, great visual villain), Francis Grey (excellent one-shot character with an intriguing power and a heart-warming story arc), Firefly (arrogant, cocksure demeanour and "gun-for-hire" nature makes him a versatile and compelling character; provides killer visuals), Cash Tankenson (yes, he's a ludicrous character who feels like he's wandered in from another show, but no-one can resist Patrick Warburton doing his thing :bloocross:)

Characters I'm undecided on: The Joker - I actually love his look, with its craggy, exaggerated spikiness and brilliantly clashing colours, I like his kineticism and unique way of moving, and I think Kevin Michael Richardson is an astute choice of voice actor, as left-field as it seems. Nevertheless, I don't think he's been handled well; the writers seem unsure as to what they want him to be. Is he a homicidal psychopath? Is he a mischievous troublemaker? Is he deceptively contemplative? Is he a comedic buffoon? B:TAS's Joker was written to be all of these things at the same time, and Mark Hamill really sold it; The Batman's writers fluctuate wildly in their presentation of him, leaving Kevin Michael Richardson in no-man's land, and making their Joker an inconsistent and frustrating character to watch.
Mr Freeze - Again, brilliant visual design - Mr Freeze action sequences are amongst the prettiest scenes this already gorgeous show has to offer - and a great, chilling (sorry :P) voice from Clancy Brown are let down by poor writing. I don't mind them returning to la less complex Freeze after B:TAS's definitive version; but does he have to be quite as cartoonish as he is here, with his lack of any motives at any point ever, and his line in rubbish Arnie-level puns? Batman and Robin was ten years ago, people; aren't we past lines like "have an ice day" yet? ::)
Batgirl - To look at her on paper, this Batgirl is an utterly loathsome little wretch; an arrogant sass-mouthed teeny-bopper with a line in smug, corny quips, tagging along with a Batman who doesn't want her there and upsetting the balance of a show that had just hit its stride. I should despise her, and yet I don't; her visual design is OK, and actress Danielle Judovits does what she can, at least providing some innocence to ground the overbearing lines she's given. Her initial introdustion did yield some good episodes (her two-part debut "Batgirl Begins", "A Dark Knight To Remember"), and she's worked a lot better in the sideline role she's taken since Robin came in. Still, she is fundamentally quite an aggravating character, and the second half of Season Three showed how too much of Batgirl can really bog the series down.
Alfred - B:TAS's Efrem Zimbalist Alfred and Batman Begins's Michael Caine Alfred got the mix of dry wit, professional respect and fatherly affection right; this version, at least to begin with, erred too much to the "wit" side, resulting in what I like to call a "Dave Chappelle Alfred", who milks everything Bruce Wayne says for an opportunity to drop in a cheap gag or pun. He seemed to tone this down later; maybe Bruce just got sick of it and gave him a punch in the mouth. :P

Characters I don't like: Catwoman - I don't know what it is about her; maybe it's the massive ears that make her look more like a mouse, maybe it's that large collar that makes her suit look really baggy, maybe it's clawed gloves that make her look like she has man-hands, but whatever it is, this version of Catwoman just doesn't seem very sexy. Gina Gershon's performance is competent, but it just seems to lack that spark that Adrienne Barbeau's had, and the chemistry between her and Batman isn't really there, especially since the sidekicks showed up. I know it sounds a bit shallow, but it's the nature of this character; there really is no point to an unsexy Catwoman. :(
Man-Bat - The hideous white vampiric Man-Bat design is creepy and effective, which makes it all the more of a shame that his alter ego Dr. Langstrom is nothing but a dull, one-note "Mad Evil Doctor (tm)". The Kurt Langstrom/Man-Bat story is a great horror-style tale in the Jekyll and Hyde/Wolfman tradtion, and indeed, it was considered strong enough to carry B:TAS's moody, sinister pilot "On Leather Wings"; the Batman's version has none of that atmosphere, mostly because of its focus on Peter MacNicol's hammy, screechy Langstrom.

As you can tell if you were patient enough to read all of that, my thoughts on this show are overall pretty positive, and I am looking forward to seeing the finale of what has been the strongest season so far. I'm a little concerned about the fact that a few members of the creative team, including Jeff Matsuda, are set to leave after Season Four ends, plus I'm not entirely sold on the idea of Season Five featuring other Justice League characters as Superman and The Flash; I'd be much happier to see them tackle more of the Batman Rogues Gallery (Clayface's revised arc means that Two-Face probably won't be seen, but Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow are two obvious omissions so far; hopefully enough time has elapsed since Batman Begins to use them), or indeed just give more time to underused villains like Poison Ivy, Clayface II and Bane. I'll see what happens as regards Season Five, but howver it turns out, I think with Season Four the show has already proved itself worthy of its place in Batman history. :frankiesmile:


(And now my fingers hurt, and I've gone blind. Ah well.)

Ahbababababa. I'm going to have to think about this one. I mean I have no reason to counter. But I must say I'm just overwhelmed, anything I say from here on in will pale in comparison to this incredible post here.

You've made compelling arguments and actually have given me new respect for many of the characters. Though, still not the Penguin. I like this Penguin, but I'm still not one for the over the top deformity. Though they could evolve out of it. Even the B:TAS had a deformed Penguin for a couple of seasons. I still prefer the high society man who has no business being part of high society. I'm actually quite sad that Phillip Seymour Hoffman declined the role in the upcoming movie, because he is perfect.

I'm also not a fan of Riddler's new look. I think it's just awful. I just don't really see the Riddler as a scene kid basically. The creepiness and the smarts he has in spades, but that design just seemed like overkill to me. As I had said before I can actually sympathesize with all characters in Riddler's Revenge, because they all seemed like things actual people would do in the context of the events that occured. Of course they're exaggerated because no one actually goes all the way like the Riddler, but it seemed like the most believable of the origin stories for some of the more ludicrous villains.

Killer Moth isn't any more comedic than his actual comic counterpart who was a rather lame villain anyway. Well that was until the whole Neron deal. But I do like how they overlapped the comedic personality with his Charaxes form. That was a great break from the first Killer Moth exposure on Teen Titans who was closer to the Charaxes of the comic, minus the eating.

I'm glad you mentioned the new Clock King, Francis Grey. I''m actually mixed on how his story ended. On the one hand he's a great villain, on the other hand he deserved a second chance.

Wow, I never meant to write this much. And still I didn't hit all your points. I don't think I can. You really did a great job. Glad there's other people who are actually able to look past the differences from previous incarnations and enjoy this show.

By the way, I look forward to the other Justice League characters. As long as they don't try to make another Justice League show, because they had a perfectly good one that could've gone on for a few more years.

I'm confident they can do a good job making the new Justice League characters be it villains or heroes look good, considering they did such a marvelous job bringing no namers like Ragdoll and Black Mask to light and actually making them interesting to see and to expierence.

I honestly didn't think Grey was Clock King, or if he really is the original namesake of the comic Clock King, I still prefer the AS one although the sympathy here is a nice touch (the episode itself was directed amazingly). I have heard Martian Manhunter is going to be involved in the big finale arc.

I also think the reason Penguin and Joker are used so much is because they are the TRUE faces of Batman's rogues gallery, there's no one bigger then them. Catwoman has never been a definitive villain but her fame is equal to theirs, it's just that Penguin and Joker are as classic Batman as you can get.

Any super hero show naturally is going to lob back to the main nemesis more then the others, Titans did it with Slade, Superman did it with Luthor and so on and so forth. I also found Killer Moth's debut to be quite amusing, and I hope he does come back with his Charaxes body again.

Even though i totally fell in love with the Teen Titans much more sinister version of Killer Moth.

I'm not a big Batman fan and I'm not really a fan of this show but I do watch it once in a blue-moon. I have to say that, in regards to this Catwoman, the shows designers are leagues ahead of the Catwoman movie's Catwoman costume. (if you can call it that) I like the exaggerated cat features (ears, claws, ect) because I feel they are truer to the theme of the character and the anime look that the show is using. Plus, I like it when woman characters wear concealing clothing or costumes.;)

Heh...cheers, AerostarMonk. :P It's frustrating when you like a show that no-one you know watches, because you can't discuss it with anybody. After watching four seasons of the show in quick succession, I had a lot of thoughts pent up, but still, I hadn't planned to write over 1700 words like I just did. I'm glad somebody actually read it! :D

Just a few more thoughts in response to you guys; I think the reason I'm not so keen on the whole Justice League angle is that it seems quite a major change to the status quo, which the show doesn't really need right now. Something similar happened at the end of Season Two; when I watched the final episode "Night and the City", it felt like the show had finally matured into a formula that worked, and with Batman finally gaining police acceptance and Gordon and the Bat-Signal in place, I thought that the show had built solid foundations for an excellent third season. However, the show instead opted for revolution over evolution, ditching many of the characters and dynamics that had underpinned it and reinventing itself with a zanier theme song, a load of new characters and a sassy sidekick in Batgirl, which in my opinion simply upset the rhythm that it had taken them so long to establish and resulted in an unnecessarily weaker season. To me, Season Four has been the strongest yet, with the writers really having found their groove; I'd hate to see them knock it off course again by adding to many new foreign elements. Then again, the strength of Season Four was partly thanks to the addition of Robin, something which I was equally sceptical over...so we'll just have to see, I guess. :)

Oh, and I did realise that Killer Moth was kind of a joke villain even in the comics; like you said, what I liked was that he retained his pitiful loser personality even after his body had gone superpowered. :P I'd like to see him come back, even if I will miss his original droopy, sad-sack appearance.

Mr Marshmallow: Certainly I understand that the likes of Joker and Penguin, as the most high-profile of Batman's villains, are always likely to crop up more often than others, but you still need to keep things fresh. One of the many achievements of B:TAS was keeping its villain appearances fresh and varied, so you don't mind how many times they show up; The Batman hasn't quite got that down yet, and a lot of Joker's and Penguin's appearance's feel a little samey, which risks people tiring of them...

Medikor: Don't get me wrong, I'm not for a second implying that I want Catwoman to strut around in a glorfied bikini like in that Halle Berry "movie". ::) It's not the fact that the costume isn't revealing that I object to; I just don't think it looks very feminine with the huge hands and ears, combined with the fact that females on the show don't tend to be very curvaceous in any case. For Catwoman, a character defined by her femininity and sexuality, I feel it detracts from her character a lot, and Gina Gershon just isn't charismatic enough to sell it with her voice either, no matter how much she plays up the more suggestive lines. She has a few decent plots and good action sequences (especially in the finale of "Ragdoll to Riches"), but this Catwoman feels neutered to me, and I just don't feel the critical sexual tension between her and Batman...and like I said, a sexless Catwoman is no Catwoman at all. :(

This is a personal theory of mine but, I think also one of the reasons Joker and Penguin show up alot is the availability of the voice actors. Those guys are very common voice actors these days and they end up doing bit parts for almost every TV show these days be it small or big.

I have heard Kevin Michael Richardson for dozens of roles before he ever played the Joker. He's been in Teen Titans, Crash Bandicoot, Lilo and Stitch, and even in the new TMNT movie. I think those guys are "easy to get" and most of the other voice actors require a little more finagling to get.

Ron Pearlmen has been busy in the movie world lately with "Desperation" and "Hellboy 2". Anyways, that's just a theory of mine of one of the reasons Joker and Penguin show up so much. I also think the two have a great chemistry on this show, they play off each other well even in the "Vs. Dracula" movie.

Which i absolutely loved ;D. I had very low expectations for that movie but it was incredible and I loved Peter Stormare as Dracula.

EDIT

Oh yeah, in regards to Catwoman, if you look at some of her old comic book designs "The Batman" version of Catwoman's costume is actually alot like one of her original comic designs.

I never meant to imply that she should be revealing.8D I don't really know a lot about the Batman universe and so I appreciate the points you make. A little learning on things I don't know to well never hurts me too much.;)
I grew up on Batman the Animated Series so The Batman is a little too different for me. I honestly preferred the almost realistic feel of the former over the semi over-the-top stuff in the latter. The Penguins fight scenes always turn me off the show.8D But like what was said before, the show is trying something new, and I can live with that. The show has its good points, definitely.

Well, I've now seen the Season Four two-part finale "The Joining" and I feel...conflicted. Warning: big ol' spoilers ahead.

First things first, I have to tip my hat to the writers; this was a really, really good two-parter. I had had a few reservations about the idea of an alien invasion plotline, but the episodes made it work very well indeed. It was an exciting Independence Day/War of the Worlds-style epic, with a great supporting turn for Martian Manhunter, but one that still managed to retain that Batman flavour; we had a "robot replicant" subplot was very reminiscent of the B:TAS two-parter "Heart of Steel", some of the best usage of Robin and Batgirl yet (they made me laugh a few times here), a good introduction to Batman stalwart Lucius Fox who played nicely off Alfred, and a short but wonderful scene that sees Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD working hand in hand with Joker, Penguin and Mr. Freeze to fight off the alien forces. Overall, it was a rollocking finish to undoubtedly the show's best season yet.

And yet, I just have to mention the episode's ending, that sees Batman inivited by Martian Manhunter to join the Justice League. Within the context of this episode, it made for a nice conclusion, but I can't see how I can interpret it as anything other than a sign that The Batman is about to be transformed into a new Justice League show, or at the very least a JL/Batman hybrid, and that's very disappointing to me. I have nothing against Justice League, and I understand that Batman has always been a part of that franchise, but the simple fact is that this is supposed to be a Batman show, and I watch it because I want to watch a Batman show. If they really wanted to make a Justice League cartoon, why didn't they just continue with their popular Justice League Unlimited show instead of ending that and then hijacking The Batman? ??? It makes very little sense to me...:(

I hope I'm just jumping to conclusions. After all, Martian Manhunter worked very well in "The Joining", so occasional guest spots for other JL characters over the course of Season Five could definitely be pretty cool, but more than that I want to see them continue to keep their focus firmly on the Batman universe, to explore their established characters further, to establish the rarely seen ones (Poison Ivy, Clayface II, Harley Quinn, Bane) further, and to offer their original takes on as yet unused characters (Ra's Al Ghul, Scarecrow). And if they do go down the JL route...well, good luck to them, I'm sure they'll do a great show, but sadly I'm not sure if it'll be one I'm still interested in watching...:macwor:

Did anyone catch the season premiere of the Batman yesterday?

After watching part one, I have to say that I'm glad they did a good job with it, even though Jeff Matsuda won't be involved in the show.

Interesting enough, some of the voice actors from the Superman the Animated Series reprised their role of their respective character (except for Tim Daly, who's role as Superman is done by George Newbern)

I also noted the role reversal shown in this episode: Superman was not only serious, but he prefer to work alone, while Batman values teamwork.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to the rest of season 5.