In the grim Gotham City, affluent philanthropist Bruce Wayne goes beyond his humane capabilities and transforms into an enigmatic figure, Batman; his crusade for justice brings in unexpected allies, but his actions also lead to perilous consequences. Before I talk about this new series, I just have to say that I consider Batman: The Animated Series to arguably be the single greatest piece of content ever, live action or animated, made by DC, outside of the comics. After hearing that there would be a spiritual successor of sorts produced by Bruce Timm (the mastermind of BTAS and the DCAU), I admittedly got excited, but still had some reservations. Would this be a show created just to tap into cheap nostalgia and ride the coattails of one of the greatest shows of all time, or would it stand on its own, with engaging new stories and fresh ideas? Let’s get the obvious out of the way, which is the fact that if you were expecting this show to be as incredible and groundbreaking as the original series, you really need to reevaluate your expectations. That being said, I’m rather happy to report that Batman: Caped Crusader is quite a solid return to form for DC animation and a thoroughly intriguing neo-noir detective story that should satisfy most Batman aficionados, both general audiences and hardcore fans. Filling the shoes of Kevin Conroy (AKA the best Batman of all time, may he Rest In Peace) was never going to be an easy task, but I’m thrilled to say that Hamish Linklater has the perfect voice, for both Bruce Wayne, the billionaire playboy, and Batman, the brooding methodical detective. There are definitely hues of Conroy’s voice in Linklater’s portrayal, but it never feels like he is doing some cheap imitation or impersonation.
Bruce’s relationship with his butler Alfred Pennyworth is a little different here than what we’re used to, and there are times when Bruce as Batman would either interrupt or lash out at Alfred. There are some controversial changes made to certain characters that had me worried at first, but I’d say they mostly didn’t bother me. The first episode introduces a female version of the Penguin and the most interesting aspect of this iteration isn’t her but rather the world building we see from this character’s inner circle. The Iceberg Lounge is on a yacht instead of on land which was a nice touch, and the Penguin serves as a segway into the seedy underbelly of Gotham. We’re introduced to mob boss Rupert Thorne, and a more corrupt version of both Detective Harvey Bullock and Arnold Flass than we’ve ever seen. I especially liked what was done with Clayface in this series, as his character has somewhat of a similarly tragic backstory to the one he had in BTAS. In this, he’s an actor with an unattractive face that can’t land his dream roles of being the protagonist or getting the girl he loves. His actual look as Clayface is also much more realistic and less cartoony.
Batman’s relationship with the Gotham Police Department has not been fully developed yet, so there is plenty of bad blood between the GCPD and the caped crusader. They absolutely knocked Catwoman out of the park here, and the third episode introduces what is in my opinion my favorite type of Catwoman. The cunning, sexy, seductive jewel thief who’s able to lower both Bruce’s and Batman’s guard to the point of getting what she wants. I especially liked the idea of having her being the daughter of a multimillionaire who just went to prison, making her go from spoiled to desperate. As usual, Commissioner Gordon doesn’t trust Batman at first, but after Batman helps him save a few children from the villainous Firefly burning down a building, the two seem to be on the same page. Same goes for Barbara Gordon, who gets a lot to do here along with Detective Montoya. I really like what they did with Harley Quinn in this show. At first, she starts off as a seemingly innocent psychiatrist that Bruce Wayne has to see after blowing his lid and punching a journalist for talking smack about his parents at an art gallery, but as the episodes progress, there are some sinister revelations about the nature of her disposition. I am well aware that Harley is bisexual and I don’t have an issue with her having a relationship with another woman, but it is a bit unrealistic for her to share a kiss with Montoya in the middle of a restaurant in the 1940’s, which is supposedly the time period this show takes place in. Nonetheless, Harley’s big episode was one of my favorites and showed a different and darker side to the character we hadn’t previously seen, which is maybe a result of the Joker’s absence in season one.
By far the most fully developed and memorable villain in this first season is Harvey Dent. Like in the original animated series, Dent is old pals with Bruce Wayne and has run-ins with the mob, only this time around, the pre-Two Face Harvey is a lot more selfish and corrupt before his complete transition into a villain. He’s not exactly the “White Knight” like he was in The Dark Knight nor is he super likable everyman as portrayed in the original 1989 Batman film. While Dent isn’t fully evil before becoming Two Face and genuinely wants to clean up Gotham, the seeds are planted early, as he’s willing to make deals with the mob and Thorne in order to secure his victory in the mayoral election. I thought this was a very realistic approach to the character and parallels a lot of the corruption we see in politics today. There’s one scene in particular at a carnival in the eighth episode where a worried Leslie Tompkins asks Dent where a few missing children went, and Dent says something like “figure it out yourself,” which made me go; “oh yeah, this guy is a dick.” Terrific character work for Two Face in this show. The animation is predictably visually pleasing, with Bruce Timm’s trademark art deco style to boot. Although it fits the moodiness and seriousness, I didn’t find the soundtrack all that memorable nor did I find myself humming Batman’s theme like I do while watching BTAS. As said before, (and I say this from a conservative standpoint) there are some D.E.I. elements (i.e. race changes to typically white or male characters) that although they didn’t bother me, it does not make total sense for the 1940’s time period. Other than those gripes, I was really surprised by how much I was engaged in this show. Sure, it’s not the stick of dynamite that BTAS was but it stands on its own as a solid iteration of Batman, with a tease at the end of the season finale bound to make any Batman fan beg for more. For what it’s worth, I say we let producers Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and JJ Abrams cook. Overall, while it never reaches the groundbreaking storytelling heights of the all time great Batman: The Animated Series, the first season of Batman: Caped Crusader is a thoroughly engaging neo-noir detective narrative with top notch voice acting, Bruce Timm’s striking art deco animation, and a fresh approach to Batman’s foes, from rogues gallery members to some of the more obscure villains.
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