No talk about "The Batman"?

[Ibram]

I've caught a few episodes, thouhg I havent gone out of my way to watch the series:

Episode with Mr. Freeze: what they did to Victor Freeze is a crime, they turned him into a petty thief then gave him epic ice powers (innate, not through a "freeze ray")

Episode with the Penquin: At first it seemed to be an intresting take on ol' Cobblepot... showing him back in the bad old days before he "reformed". then all of a sudden he knows marital arts and goes toe to toe with the Batman?! the Penquin was always cool because he was a crime mastermind not a fighter type.

I dont care for the idea of introducing Batgirl so early in the series, she shouldnt come around until much later... after Robin.

I do like the drawing style, and I love it how everyone calls him "The Batman"... much cooler then just Batman.

I'd probably like the series more if it didnt have to compete with Batman: TAS, which is one of the best cartoons in existance.

 

[Kesh]

I watched half an episode (the Bane one) and couldn't stand it. I just can't help comparing it to TAS, and it doesn't measure up.

 

[Kelleris]

I haven't really liked it. It has some high points, but all the interesting parts of the villain backgrounds got sucked right out. I agree that what they did to Mr. Freeze verges on insulting, especially. Ninja-penguin was weird, but at least that fight was pretty good.

And I hated the Bane redo. (Spoiler warning for both series.) They changed Rupert Thorne into a bunch of no-name wimpy gangsters, didn't explore Bane's background, dropped the secretary subplot entirely (and didn't replace it with anything at all), and, worst of all, just had Bane beat up Batman on their first meeting. The AS version, where Bane mauls Croc and leaves his freakin' handprints in the Batmobile was better on so many levels...

And then Batman beat him with a mecha! A mecha!

 

[Chain Lightning]

I've only seen the Bane and Man Bat episodes. It hasn't been that bad, the Alfred character has really been the highlight for me so far. I like that he has personality and is not willing to just serve.

I have things I like and things I dislike about the new series. One of the things I do like is Alfred. I agree with you there Crothian.

I don't like the new series very much. I watched the Joker, Penguin, and Bane episodes, and I tried to watch the Man-Bat one, but got bored and turned it off (I don't get WB, so I have to watch it on Cartoon Network). I'll tune in to see how they handle some of the other characters like Catwoman, Two-Face, Riddler, and Scarecrow, but I don't plan on watching it regularly.

I've heard different opinions on each villian. Seems that some like one but not the other. Very few say they like "all of the recreations".

The Batman is entertaining enough to keep me interested for thirty minutes but not so great that I panic if I miss an episode or two.

I'm about on the same level with you Jamdin.

I found myself liking it a lot. I've seen the Joker, Catwoman and Penquin episodes. I thought I would dislike the Joker because of his admittedly bizarre costume but I found him not all that bad. I like the animation style as well, esp. of Bats himself. I wish they'd add a Robin for the next season, but that seems unlikely even thought they are bringing in Batgirl.

Nice to hear from some other members that like it more. I think its kinda too early for a Robin and a Batgirl. In my opinion that is. This series is suppose to be about a young Bruce Wayne. It should be a while longer before we see Robin or Batgirl. I guess it depends on how Batgirl is done and all that. We'll see.

Episode with Mr. Freeze: what they did to Victor Freeze is a crime, they turned him into a petty thief then gave him epic ice powers (innate, not through a "freeze ray")

I didn't mind the ice powers being innate actually. Its the whole petty thief pre-existance that I didn't like. Most of the villians in the show seem to be thieves of some sort. But nice to see more villians that had different motives. Man-Bat wasn't a theif, but his motive was really odd. He turned into Man-Bat because he had lots of admiration for Batman, but once he did turn into Man-Bat wanted to show Batman that he was superior. What the?

The Penguin knowing martial arts didn't bug me too much. He still is mentally sneaky and clever on top of that. They do say that he was in the far east for a long time. Penguin is easier to swallow when you recognize that he's just like Bruce Wayne, except he's broke and cursed with an ugly form. Both went on a self-improvement trip overseas. Both belonged to old money families. Both have motivations based on family.

Mr. Freeze however was a lost opportunity. It could've been a nice change of pace to introduce something with more depth that simple thieving and cartoony villiany. But maybe there's hope. If you watch the episode Freeze first shows up in, there's a quick scene before his car crashes where you see a photo of a girl on his dashboard. Could be the wife eh? Granted he's not a scientist, but if they went back and elaborated more and showed a Victor that turned to theiving because he had to pay for his wife's medical bills, maybe that'll redeem it for me.

 

[The Serge]

First, although The Penguin is a chub, he has often been portrayed as more than capable in fisticuffs. He's startled The Batman a few times in their confrontations with his sudden and agile moves and he is trained in the martial arts. There's nothing in the comics supporting the level of expertise this new cartoon version highlights, but it's not a terrible stretch.

Second, the Mr. Freeze most people are familiar with is the one popularized by TAS. While I think that version (which was adopted by the horrendous Batman and Robin and the comics) is fantastic, it was not the original version of the character. In the 50s, when he was created (IIRC), he was a thief that got into a terrible accident that resulted in his dependancy on a constant sub-zero temperature. So, in a way, this version of the character is far closer to the original (and dull) original concept.

I am of two minds on the show. On the one hand, I love the animation. Although I adore the highly stylized TAS (and subsequent Superman and JLA) animations, I admire the smoothness and almost anime aspects of this version. It's full of energy and dazzle while maintaining the darkness required for The Batman.

On the other hand, I detest the light-hearted nature of the show as well as the designs for most of the villains. Also, the lack of other key personalities, particularly Gordon, really bugs mne. The design on The Joker is completely idiotic. While his face is terrifying, everything else about him is a let-down. I don't mind his ability to fight (until the late 80s, The Joker was depicted as more than capable in handling his own against The Batman for short periods of time), I do mind his design and the fact that he's not as sadistic as he should be. Yes, I know this is a show that comes on at 10:30 A.M. Saturday mornings, but so what? So did TAS eventually and it maintained its dark appeal.

 

[Villano]

If Gordon isn't around, how are they going to introduce Batgirl? Don't tell me she'll be Alfred's niece?!

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Personally I'm ready, and have been for a while now, to label the new show as the new incarnation of Highlander 2...

It doesn’t exists.

 

[mmadsen]

Overall, The Batman is a good show on its own, but it pales in comparison to Batman: The Animated Series. Which was to be expected, since BTAS was as close to perfection as you could get.

I'm still not sure why they decided to greenlight The Batman. It's not as sophisticated as the old show, so it won't attract a big geek following, and young kids haven't seen the old show, so reruns would work just fine for them.

I believe it has something to do with selling more toys.

 

[Chain Lightning]

Don't quote me on this, but from what I gather from here and there, the WB bigwigs wanted the numbers to be bigger in the kids demographic. Which to me suggest that the numbers weren't that big on BTAS. If that's the case, why did it run as long as it did if it wasn't pulling in good numbers?

Well, like most corporate decisions, good isn't good enough when it can be even better! Thus, the retweaking of the Batman property. I've heard that the higher ups thought the reason why BTAS didn't pull bigger numbers is because it was too dark. That's why the new one is lighter in tone.

Personally, I don't think the tone had anything to do with it. If anything, it might've been the look of the show. While I love the streamline retro look, it doesn't mean younger kids did. Remember, BTAS came out in the early half of the 90's. Back then, Image style comicbook art ruled for the kiddies. And anime was also in it's early stages of rising up. If the show looked like Jim Lee drew it, it may have grabbed more kids perhaps. I'm only speculating though.

It reminds me of a time I was talking to this one guy about some of my favorite artists. I told him that Mike Mignola was one of them. He scoffed and didn't understand the appeal. He said something to the effect that Mignola's art is so simple and childish. He said that even he could draw like Mignola. In which case, I asked him to do it. He couldn't. Lots of people equate "lots of lines" with skill...and that isn't always the case. But you know what I'm getting at.

If anything, I wish WB would've just kept the dark tone and only redesigned the look of the show. Rather than throw away and redo both the tone and the look.

Oh well, should've, would've, could've......

Its fun to discuss though.

 

[Ranger REG]

Mike Mignola? Not my favorite artist, IMNSHO. But if you think his arts can appeal more kiddies -- I call his style "kindergarten grade" -- then go for it.