Batman: Caped Crusader Cartoon Coming to HBOMax

[Frontier]

A Bruce Wayne who is more Batman than Bruce Wayne and is off in a sense compared to normal people and society isn't quite sure what to think about him.

Even the Harley episode premise reminds me of the Magpie episode from Beware even if Magpie wasn't actually the therapist treating Bruce in that episode.

Speaking of Harley...I might be reading too much into it but I wonder if this is a byproduct of that rumored falling out between Bruce Timm and Paul Dini to where Timm is now doing HIS version of Harley and basically trying to turn her into a new thing rather than stay true to the characterization and personality Dini helped create her with. Granted they've been trying to separate her from Joker for a while so I guess that's not altogether too surprising but inverting the personality dynamic feels like it will really effect her characterization. And nobody writes Harley's personality as well as Dini (same with Joker).

Also making her Asian-American and no blonde hair in sight...though I guess her Harley suit is gold...I'm guessing she probably won't have the accent either.

I wonder if anyone who saw Commissioner Gordon will go "is that Lucius Fox?" I can kind of see now that they were trying to make Jim look like a race-bent version of his Golden Age self. Babs will also probably be adult-aged.

I do appreciate Golden Age Catwoman, Clayface, and Alfred. I'm curious if Alfred is really the only person Bruce is at all emotionally honest/vulnerable with, though he might not be.

Actually their take on Catwoman reminds me of Batwoman from the Brave and the Bold cartoon with a beautiful disenfranchised heiress donning a costume for thrills and to get back what she believes belongs to her.

Interesting that he's not obsessed with his parents' death but he's still "off" because of it.

So Harley is now Asian and more serious. That kind of feels like Punchline, lol.

I'd have rather they just used Lady Shiva.

[superduperman]

I kind of have superhero show burnout, and especially Batman burnout, but this actually looks fun!

[bat39]

First look at Bruce Wayne/Batman in ‘BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER’.

Releasing August 1 on Prime Video.

Okay, to be honest, I'd totally forgotten that this show was coming out, but I'm psyched by what I'm seeing now

From Day 1, I'd expected a Golden Age-ish turn, but even I didn't anticipate that they'd straight up set it in the 40's!

Loving the character designs I've seen so far - Batman in his Golden Age best (with a conspicuous absence of purple though), Jim Gordon straight out of the pages of 'Tec # 27 (race-bending notwithstanding), Catwoman in her Golden Age purple finery, and the new take on Harley Quinn. I must say I'm particularly impressed with the latter - normally I'm skeptical about 'backporting' later characters and concepts into 'retro' projects, but this Harley Quinn really feels like she could have showed up in a Golden Age Batman comic!

I'm intrigued to see where they go with the psychology stuff for Bruce though. IIRC, the whole "Batman is the real identity and Bruce Wayne is the mask" stuff didn't really start till well after COIE, and if you read the actual Golden Age comics, there's nothing particularly mentally disturbed about Bruce (beyond the fact that he dresses up like a bat to fight crime of course...). Golden Age Bruce is actually possibly one of the most sorted incarnations of the character. But obviously we're not dealing with the pure Golden Age here, but a total reinvention with some Golden Age and noir trappings, so let's see how it all pans out!

[Frontier]

Okay, to be honest, I'd totally forgotten that this show was coming out, but I'm psyched by what I'm seeing now

From Day 1, I'd expected a Golden Age-ish turn, but even I didn't anticipate that they'd straight up set it in the 40's!

Loving the character designs I've seen so far - Batman in his Golden Age best (with a conspicuous absence of purple though), Jim Gordon straight out of the pages of 'Tec # 27 (race-bending notwithstanding), Catwoman in her Golden Age purple finery, and the new take on Harley Quinn. I must say I'm particularly impressed with the latter - normally I'm skeptical about 'backporting' later characters and concepts into 'retro' projects, but this Harley Quinn really feels like she could have showed up in a Golden Age Batman comic!

I'm intrigued to see where they go with the psychology stuff for Bruce though. IIRC, the whole "Batman is the real identity and Bruce Wayne is the mask" stuff didn't really start till well after COIE, and if you read the actual Golden Age comics, there's nothing particularly mentally disturbed about Bruce (beyond the fact that he dresses up like a bat to fight crime of course...). Golden Age Bruce is actually possibly one of the most sorted incarnations of the character. But obviously we're not dealing with the pure Golden Age here, but a total reinvention with some Golden Age and noir trappings, so let's see how it all pans out!

"Golden Age Harley" reminds me a little too much of Golden Age Jewelee.

I feel like they're going to be expanding on the psychological stuff of the Bruce/Batman dynamic they did in the second half of Beware the Batman. It might play into their use of Two-Face as well.

[Dipter]

Finally, an actual new and inventive take on Harley Quinn. I love the traditional version of course, but, in every alt universe story, she’s more or less the same character.

[Frontier]

Finally, an actual new and inventive take on Harley Quinn. I love the traditional version of course, but, in every alt universe story, she’s more or less the same character.

I can't help but wonder if she's so different because Timm wants to do his own take on the character divorced from everything Paul Dini wrote with her.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

So far, this series looks exactly how I expected it to look in terms of visuals. I like that the approach they took in highlighting some of the characters in the series.

Batman and Catwoman feel the most traditional out of the bunch. Batman so far feels like the typical "Bruce Wayne is the mask, Batman is the real one" we've seen before, so I hope there's a fresh spin on it. I admit I kind of prefer when he's a bit more emotionally healthy than that or where being Bruce and Batman are different fragments that need to be in balance (a la Beware the Batman), but I'm open to see how he's being portrayed. Selina being a disgraced heiress is new. It reminds me of Penguin from The Batman (2004). I wonder how a strong sense of entitlement will play with her usual Catwoman antics.

Gordon feels pretty typical so far besides his race. I'm not used to an older Jim being around the same time as a younger Batman. Usually he's a bit younger too.

Clayface looks cool. Using the classic Basil Karlo version is a good way to differentiate him, but they still added some of his B:TAS backstory, so he's definitely disfigured. While I'd complain about Harley Quinn being shoved in projects, they're doing quite a lot to invert her. She's the (officially revealed) character I'm most intrigued about.

[Vordan]

I can't help but wonder if she's so different because Timm wants to do his own take on the character divorced from everything Paul Dini wrote with her.

Aren’t Timm and Dini rumored to have had a falling out?

[Frontier]

Batman and Catwoman feel the most traditional out of the bunch. Batman so far feels like the typical "Bruce Wayne is the mask, Batman is the real one" we've seen before, so I hope there's a fresh spin on it. I admit I kind of prefer when he's a bit more emotionally healthy than that or where being Bruce and Batman are different fragments that need to be in balance (a la Beware the Batman), but I'm open to see how he's being portrayed. Selina being a disgraced heiress is new. It reminds me of Penguin from The Batman (2004). I wonder how a strong sense of entitlement will play with her usual Catwoman antics.

I think they're really going to explore how unsettling and unhealthy it is for Bruce to treat "Bruce Wayne" as a complete fake and just treat Batman as the only identity.

I've been speculating as much ever since they had Ed Brubaker as a story editor and Greg Rucka in the writers' room considering that was exactly what Murder/Fugitive was about. It might even play into their use of Two-Face because of how Two-Face exists because of how much Harvey represses his other personality.

Catwoman reminds me a lot of Katrinna Moldoff from Brave and the Bold (their version of Bat-Woman) where she was an Heiress who became a vigilante for the thrill but after a disgrace turned to a life of crime. I do wonder how the dynamic with Batman will work because I can see her flirting with him but this Batman doesn't seem like he'd be susceptible to it at all.

Gordon feels pretty typical so far besides his race. I'm not used to an older Jim being around the same time as a younger Batman. Usually he's a bit younger too.

We don't very often see more Golden Age takes on Gordon. I wonder if him being older will play into him mentoring Batman.

It also means Babs might be an adult so...watch out.

Clayface looks cool. Using the classic Basil Karlo version is a good way to differentiate him, but they still added some of his B:TAS backstory, so he's definitely disfigured. While I'd complain about Harley Quinn being shoved in projects, they're doing quite a lot to invert her. She's the (officially revealed) character I'm most intrigued about.

It feels very James Tucker to finally be doing Golden Age Clayface in animation.

Aren’t Timm and Dini rumored to have had a falling out?

I believe there was, which is why I'm kind of curious if that's at play at all and Timm trying to do his own personal version of her.

[bat39]

So far, this series looks exactly how I expected it to look in terms of visuals. I like that the approach they took in highlighting some of the characters in the series.

Batman and Catwoman feel the most traditional out of the bunch. Batman so far feels like the typical "Bruce Wayne is the mask, Batman is the real one" we've seen before, so I hope there's a fresh spin on it. I admit I kind of prefer when he's a bit more emotionally healthy than that or where being Bruce and Batman are different fragments that need to be in balance (a la Beware the Batman), but I'm open to see how he's being portrayed. Selina being a disgraced heiress is new. It reminds me of Penguin from The Batman (2004). I wonder how a strong sense of entitlement will play with her usual Catwoman antics.

Gordon feels pretty typical so far besides his race. I'm not used to an older Jim being around the same time as a younger Batman. Usually he's a bit younger too.

Clayface looks cool. Using the classic Basil Karlo version is a good way to differentiate him, but they still added some of his B:TAS backstory, so he's definitely disfigured. While I'd complain about Harley Quinn being shoved in projects, they're doing quite a lot to invert her. She's the (officially revealed) character I'm most intrigued about.

Selina being from high society is actually pretty consistent with the origin the Golden Age Catwoman was retroactively given in the 80's - she was married to an abusive wealthy man, and her first act of cat-burglary was stealing back her jewels from him. The whole idea of Selina being from the streets is really something Frank Miller originated in Year One, as with a lot of other things we now take for granted in the mythos.

Its the same with Gordon...him being older and already Commissioner was the way things originally were, dating back to 'Tec # 27 (a later retcon established that Gordon was a friend of Bruce's Uncle Phillip, which is how Bruce came to know him). Barbara was thus originally a lot closer to Bruce in age. It was Year One which de-aged Gordon, making him only 10-15 years older than Bruce, and a lieutanant when Batman first shows up. This in turn also de-aged Barbara, making her around Dick's age (or close enough).

Curious to know how the show's Alfred will be. Will they stick to the 'modern' idea of him being Bruce's surrogate father who raised him, or will they go with the Golden Age idea of him joining Bruce when the latter was already an adult (and Batman). I mean, its not as though this is a pure Golden Age adaptation (Harley Quinn's presence attests to that), so it can go either way I feel.

[Frontier]

Selina being from high society is actually pretty consistent with the origin the Golden Age Catwoman was retroactively given in the 80's - she was married to an abusive wealthy man, and her first act of cat-burglary was stealing back her jewels from him. The whole idea of Selina being from the streets is really something Frank Miller originated in Year One, as with a lot of other things we now take for granted in the mythos.

Its the same with Gordon...him being older and already Commissioner was the way things originally were, dating back to 'Tec # 27 (a later retcon established that Gordon was a friend of Bruce's Uncle Phillip, which is how Bruce came to know him). Barbara was thus originally a lot closer to Bruce in age. It was Year One which de-aged Gordon, making him only 10-15 years older than Bruce, and a lieutanant when Batman first shows up. This in turn also de-aged Barbara, making her around Dick's age (or close enough).

Curious to know how the show's Alfred will be. Will they stick to the 'modern' idea of him being Bruce's surrogate father who raised him, or will they go with the Golden Age idea of him joining Bruce when the latter was already an adult (and Batman). I mean, its not as though this is a pure Golden Age adaptation (Harley Quinn's presence attests to that), so it can go either way I feel.

This Batman really doesn't strike me as the type to hire a butler and let him in on his secret so I have to assume he inherited Alfred from his parents.

[bat39]

This Batman really doesn't strike me as the type to hire a butler and let him in on his secret so I have to assume he inherited Alfred from his parents.

Yeah, good point.

Even in the actual Golden Age, Alfred kind of forced himself on the household, and this was with a relatively more chill Bruce and Dick...not a solo, psychologically damaged Bruce.

Also, I guess Alfred raising Bruce has now just become one of those irrevocable facts of the Batman mythos. IIRC, even the Batman '66 comics backported it into their canon.

[Frontier]

Yeah, good point.

Even in the actual Golden Age, Alfred kind of forced himself on the household, and this was with a relatively more chill Bruce and Dick...not a solo, psychologically damaged Bruce.

Also, I guess Alfred raising Bruce has now just become one of those irrevocable facts of the Batman mythos. IIRC, even the Batman '66 comics backported it into their canon.

Yeah, I figure this is going to be Year One style minus Gordon already being commissioner and much older.