Dreams Of Noise

I can say I've watched only one complete episode of The Batman... I have heard some good things on it improving, however seems to me a pale imitation of my favorite Batman:The Animated Series.

I grew up with Adam West in syndication and Filmation and it's many Bat-attempts but B:TAS as some like to call it is the best for now in my humble opinion.

I recall sitting at a local Comic Book Convention watching a "sneak preview" of "On Leather Wings" and being impressed with the "Dark Deco" style. The efforts of Bruce Timm to Paul Dinni to Dwayne McDuffe (and countless others) continue to shine.

I am a fan of this WB incarnation and shall be for a long time... After having Batman in his own show as well as Superman The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League and right now in Justice League Unlimited. Hard to believe that Dark Knight has been around since 1992. He's going to be my fave for quite some time to come!

Frankly if they're breaking out Dracula in a direct to DVD move I worry already for the show... how was it?

BTW I own The Animated Series DVDs and can not wait for the Adventures of Superman - The Complete First Season (1952) DVD. George Reeves IS still Superman (and a fantastic Clark Kent) in my book.

Anyway I let my early bird enthusiasm get the better of me... go ahead. Discusss! :-)

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I will point out that going DTV is not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on the item. Batman: Subzero was scheduled for theatrical release, just as Warner Bros. had done with Mask of the Phantasm, but it got pulled from the schedule and made DTV to avoid competing with (and, frankly, showing up) the similarly-themed Batman and Robin.

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Agreed! I guess I was commenting on how quickly a DTV was assembled and the Dracula character (the original Bat-man I suppose). Then again I am hardly the prime demographic.

I guess I am trying to recall when they did that with the Batman Animated Series... seems to be that it paved the way for the DTV market to be viable.

I had heard rumors of more direct to video efforts in the Animated Series vein... I have my fingers crossed however gossip suggests WB really wants a different direction. We shall see.

Did I mention I am also looking forward to the Legion of Super Heroes?

Make Mine DC! ;-)

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twfarlan.livejournal.com

The Batman is a rather palid attempt, if you ask me. It's one of those comic adaptions where they restart the character as a younger version in the current day, and it just falls flat to me. This Bruce Wayne isn't the grim, no sense or humor or sarcastic at best Dark Avenger. He's a young man out for justice... but not with the feel of determination, that sense of unstoppable drive that WB's studios have managed with the Dark Knight as portrayed in Justice League and Batman: The Animated Series. To give you an idea, this new Bruce Wayne actually refers to the car as the "Batmobile," something that the Dark Knight would sneer at and never do himself.

I'll just say, it feels like a cross between the atmospheres of B:TAS and that of the old live-action TV show. It doesn't fit and I for one don't like it.

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For me, there is only one Batman, and his name is Adam West. I've seen some of the animated series from however many years ago, which wasn't bad, but none of the more recent series (Beyond, and whatever else they've done). But I'm old-fashioned. I like my supers campy, my fiction gosh-wow-sense-of-wondery and my spaceships chrome with big-ass fins. :)

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Holy Kitsch I agree whole-heartedly!

Give me fellas like Buster Crabbe, Kirk Allyn, George Reeves, and definitely that camp Pioneer Adam West!

I was in my local Best Buy not too long ago and disocvered that they had released the TV Special Batman - Return to the Batcave.

If you did not catch it when it originally aired you might want to pick it up. It's resonably priced and captures some of the magic of the classic TV show.

Adam and Burt still got it... what "it" is I'm not always so sure. ;-)

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I might. I'm a fan of most versions of Batman. I loved the two Burton movies because I thought they were good; I loved the two Schumacher movies because they're so bad. I love the West/Ward show and movie ("Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb!") for their campiness; I love B:TAS for its non-over-the-top seriousness, and for the superb performances by Conroy, Zimbalist, Hamill, and McDowall, among others.

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Oh, yeah, the animated series was pretty good--I loved the goth-deco look and feel--but it never landed on my "must see TV" list. As for the two Schumacher movies ... er, well, have you seen the MSTings me and

dragonscholar (he and I solo on Batman Forever, he and I et al. on Batman and Robin) did of the scripts?

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I hadn't. They look great -- I'll check 'em out at length later.

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I bought 'Return to the Batcave' two weeks ago. Holy coincidence!

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neadods.livejournal.com

My only comment is that I agree with you. I've seen a couple of episodes and they reek; pale imitations of what was so much better before.

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wormquartet.livejournal.com

Is this the one where the Joker has no eyes and enormous green dreads? If so, I've seen it and wasn't impressed.

Nobody seems to know what to do with Batman lately (outside of the new movie...how topsy-turvy is that?!?) The comic's been struggling all over the place and I finally got sick of it after that dumbass gang war thing. I dropped all my Batman titles this year, after buying them obsessively since...golly...1988-89, I think. Whenever Jason Todd died (Batman #427, if memory serves.)

I've been checking out the new Frank Miller/Jim Lee "All-Star Batman and Robin" book, but so far it rather-unsurprisingly reads like a desperate attempt to redefine the character, this time by focusing on his obsession, making it more flawed and thus making him more asshole than hero. He kidnaps 12-year-old Dick Grayson after his parents are killed, smacks him around, and tries to scare the hell out of him in an effort to brainwash him into joining "the mission," which is "all that matters."

-=ShoEboX=-

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I saw some of that on

scans_daily. It was appallingly, laughably bad. Miller literally was caricaturing himself; whether deliberately or not, I don't know.

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wormquartet.livejournal.com

You say "Miller literally was caricaturing himself," I picture a book in which Batman looks like Frank Miller with a little body and a big head and his name underneath in big puffy letters.

-=ShoEboX=-

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drzarron.livejournal.com

For the near future, I don't trust any animated Batman that doesn't have Kevin Conroy doing the voice or Bruce Timm/Paul Dini's creative touch.

BM:TAS was and still is breathtaking. IMHO the finest media showing for Bats, period. Batman Beyond certainly had its moments. And the encarnations of Justice League are very good. Even the cross overs into the "Superman" series was pretty good.

"The Batman" is sadly sadly lame.

As far as the live action "Batman" filks. Burton got closes, but both of his films needed much better writing and plotting. "Batman Begins" was VERY good, can't wait for the DVD, and would love to see that crew do another one.

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Roger that. I also wish the guy who did Grayson would get a shot. I understand the creator of Dead End and World's Finest in fact had a shot but blew it...?

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wormquartet.livejournal.com

Wow, I seem to agree with everything you just said!

The first Burton movie had a great feel to it...the city was awesome, the dark mysterious thingy was well done, but there was no damned plot.

-=ShoEboX=-

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Who needs plot when you get to watch Nicholson chew up scenery like a pit bull in a butcher shop? The first movie was all about style, not story, and taken on that level, it rocked.

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ororo.livejournal.com

I'm another one who grew up with Adam West/Burt Ward. It was on every day before I left for school.

The Dark Knight Returns was one of my first graphic novels, and showed me just how grim it was supposed to be. The Batman misses a lot of that.

I liked the cop characters, though, and a younger more involved Alfred. It's worth a look, IMO, and could have been cool if it had some time to develop, but the TAS kicks the most ass. And Batman Beyond.

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ladyskada.livejournal.com

I grew up too late for the Adam West TV show. But you'd better believe that I have the 'movie' on VHS! Corny lines and all. Now my son's a fan of it as well.
But I have to say that The Batman falls far short of my expectiations. With all of the available subplots in the Dark Knight's world to pull from, they've resorted to a very tweenage-orientated setup. I'm disappointed in the lack of substance to Bruce Wayne, and the lack of evil genius in the villains....

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Batman: The Movie is even better on DVD -- commentary by West and Ward -- and it's dirt cheap, something like six bucks at Target.

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ladyskada.livejournal.com

I didn't realize that the studios would've spent the money to do that. I'll have to pick up a copy for myself & one for one of my Batman-fanatic friends.
Thank you!

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djonn

Various thoughts:

I grew up with the Adam West Batman myself, and was an unabashed fan even before I discovered that my father had known West -- under his real name -- slightly in college (West was a couple of years ahead of him). Julie Newmar as Catwoman, rrrooowwwwwrrr. Even if I was too young at the time to realize precisely why.

I agree that the very best animated Batman is the B:TAS version, overseen by Timm and Dini and voiced by Conroy. The Mad Hatter's origin episode in particular struck me as beautifully written, with a virtuoso performance by Roddy McDowall. (And in connection with the direct-to-video releases arising out of that series, I commend the gallery's attention to Return of the Joker, drawing on both B:TAS and Batman Beyond. Now that's a movie.) I had been prepared to be very skeptical of Batman Beyond, but it turned out very well.

While I have to agree that The Batman has not been anywhere near the B:TAS standard, it's had its moments -- almost entirely in the treatment of the non-costumed characters. Of the villains to date, very few really shine; this Clayface's origin was well done, and there are glimmers of possibility in Catwoman and perhaps the Riddler, but otherwise it's been all about the police subplots.

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I absolutely agree with your points about B:TAS and Julie Newmar, with one teeny-tiny-but-ever-so-slightly-important detail: I knew exactly why.

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djonn

Heh. Let's just say I was a late bloomer....

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Speaking of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, I admired Batman Beyond for taking the Animated Bat into a new direction.

I was initially apprehensive but there were some fun episodes. Of course those which acknowledged their roots were always winners with me.

The Call, which introduced the Superman and the Justice League Unlimited, had roots in Superman: the Animated Series and an early Justice League Comic Book Villian was featured in a major role.

Always very clever action-oriented stories.

Last season's Justice League Unlimited Batman Beyond episode Epilogue for me completed the circle... I wonder if when that JLU story was written if anyone know it was going to be back for another season.

For me it began with Batman and it ends with him as well.

Perhaps with this new show The Batman they just have not got their pacing quite right. It must hurt them in a way to have certain restrictions (self-imposed or otherwise), after all they want a young and less experienced Batman yet you want to introduce others of the Batman family too. I imagine it must be like having to do a show about the adventures of Superman and he didn't even wear his costume! Oh wait they are doing that now! :-)

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