Thoughts on Kid's WB's The Batman.

[Agent Z]

Batman fans, what are your thoughts on this animated adaptation of the Dark Knight and his world from the 2000s?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Batman fans, what are your thoughts on this animated adaptation of the Dark Knight and his world from the 2000s?

It lost my interest when Robin came in. It originally aired between my middle school and high school years so that could be why. Kid characters didn't appeal to me much back then but an older teen like Barbara was fine. It would've been cool if they used Ra's Al Ghul and had a few more nods to the Nolan films.

I preffered its artstyle over Timm's.

[godisawesome]

I think it was solid, but sort of doomed in memory because it followed BTAS and wasn't different enough (unlike Brave and the Bold.) I think it was actually about as smartly written as BTAS could be, but was a bit more blatant about trying to integrate toys into its episodes, and was never as emotionally strong as BTAS could be. Still, pretty good overall.

Highlights: the Clayface arc, the Batgirl and Robin intros, Penguin's Kabuki bodyguard girls, Catwoman, Batman Vs. Dracula, and even stuff like The Wrath's only appearance outside comics (that I'm aware of.)

Lowlights: Bane as a Big Red Monster (his pre-bulked up look is cooler), some of the over-reliance on gadgets, some of the generally more forgettable strings of episodes.

[scary harpy]

I think it was solid, but sort of doomed in memory because it followed BTAS and wasn't different enough (unlike Brave and the Bold.) I think it was actually about as smartly written as BTAS could be, but was a bit more blatant about trying to integrate toys into its episodes, and was never as emotionally strong as BTAS could be. Still, pretty good overall.

Highlights: the Clayface arc, the Batgirl and Robin intros, Penguin's Kabuki bodyguard girls, Catwoman, Batman Vs. Dracula, and even stuff like The Wrath's only appearance outside comics (that I'm aware of.)

Lowlights: Bane as a Big Red Monster (his pre-bulked up look is cooler), some of the over-reliance on gadgets, some of the generally more forgettable strings of episodes.

New Batman cartoons should not be compared to the B:TAS...they will always fall short.

We need Batman cartoons for kids, too. That's how we introduce these characters to the next generation!

That Batman was an enjoyable cartoon.

[Primal Slayer]

New Batman cartoons should not be compared to the B:TAS...they will always fall short.

We need Batman cartoons for kids, too. That's how we introduce these characters to the next generation!

That Batman was an enjoyable cartoon.

BTAS was for kids.

[Gaius]

Fun show, great version of Batgirl and Catwoman, only good version of Clayface, neat interpretation of Joker, and unfairly hated simply for not being BTAS.

[godisawesome]

New Batman cartoons should not be compared to the B:TAS...they will always fall short.

We need Batman cartoons for kids, too. That's how we introduce these characters to the next generation!

That Batman was an enjoyable cartoon.

BTAS was for kids.

Yeah, it was an enjoyable cartoon, but BTAS was a cartoon that was even more attractive to kids in spite of its reputation as a more mature cartoon, and I’d argue that The Batman was also not as good for kids (or grown-up kids) as The Brave And The Bold.

It was a good cartoon, it just got overshadowed by both the show before it and the show after it.

Where it was good, though, I would agree at times it was a bit better than BTAS - especially with Catwoman and Clayface.

[Mantis-Ray]

Its theme song is legendary

[exile001]

I found it really hit and miss. The highs were good, rarely great, and the lows were bad but rarely awful.

Honestly, for a show that ran 5 seasons and in later days introduced a Justice League I just find it really forgettable.

It was great to see one of my favourites, Hugo Strange, getting screen time as a major recurring villain. Also Killer Moth.

[sunofdarkchild]

It's good, and it has a place for being the only Batman cartoon besides Beware the Batman to have a clear sense of continuity from episode to episode and season to season. Also, The Batman vs Dracula was great.

[Triniking1234]

It was okay. It was like Ultimate Marvel but for Batman. It made me like Hugo Strange. Wasn't a fan of the Justice League season tbh. Batman vs Dracula and the season finale episode with DAVE, the new Clayface were some of the best parts.

It lost my interest when Robin came in. It originally aired between my middle school and high school years so that could be why. Kid characters didn't appeal to me much back then but an older teen like Barbara was fine. It would've been cool if they used Ra's Al Ghul and had a few more nods to the Nolan films.

I preffered its artstyle over Timm's.

Kinda weird you had no problem with Barbara being de-aged when Dick was closer to the age he was during Batman's early years.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

It was okay. It was like Ultimate Marvel but for Batman. It made me like Hugo Strange. Wasn't a fan of the Justice League season tbh. Batman vs Dracula and the season finale episode with DAVE, the new Clayface were some of the best parts.



Kinda weird you had no problem with Barbara being de-aged when Dick was closer to the age he was during Batman's early years.

I didn't get into American comics till late high school so I didn't have a preconceived notion aboutwho these characters I just remember liking her episodes more as i just saw Robin as annoying kid character like Naruto, Ben 10 etc. They weren't too appealing back in my high school days.

[Frontier]

I remember it coming on when I was in the right age range for it and I was also really getting into anime at that day and age so the more action-heavy, martial arts, and sleek aesthetic kind of won me over immediately even as someone who also grew up with B:TAS.

Some of the villain revamps were definitely...of their time but for the most part they kept to the spirit of the characters.

I grew up with Rino Romano as Spidey in the PS1 Spider-Man games so hearing him as Batman was a real treat.

They had a really great take on Clayface.

I loved their take on Alfred. I'm glad Alastair Duncan still gets to reprise him every now and then.

Ellen Yin was super cool.

Probably one of the better "modern" adaptions of Harley's origin (even penned by Paul Dini!).

It was a very toyetic driven Batman but all the tech and vehicles looked cool so I didn't mind.

I wish they'd done more with Catwoman.

It was interesting how they adapted Batgirl before Robin first and how that effected the dynamic when Robin actually showed up. They had a pretty great take on Babs even if the elements they set up with teen Ivy were pretty much forgotten about after her debut episode.

Then it became a stealth Justice League/Brave and the Bold show which was cool, but also a bit much. The finale was a little underwhelming.

The original OP is iconic and should've been kept across the entire series.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

I have a weird relationship with this show where I grew up with both B:TAS and this. I used to defend it against all the hate that it got. I got to revisit it a few years ago, and while I still enjoyed it, its flaws were more obvious this time. I still really like the art style and character design, even if some of the designs like Riddler didn't work for me. It had some strong villains like Catwoman, Hugo Strange (who FINALLY gets to be a lead villain), Clayface, and even one-shots like Gearhead and Spellbinder that the show could've done more with, but didn't. Instead, it often pushed Joker and Penguin, who were annoying and the weakest interpretations in the show.

In fact, I felt the show never took full advantage of its supporting cast too. Ellen Yin just vanished to introduce James Gordon out of nowhere, only to use him to bring in Barbara Gordon, who also starts to take a back seat when Dick Grayson came by. That being said, I actually think season 4 is the strongest of the show's run. It lacks a lot of the shallowness from earlier seasons and has a strong string of episodes. However, it does lose a lot of impact due to the second intro.

While the show wasn't the most story arc/continuity driven Batman show, I appreciated that Bruce went on a journey from loner to Justice League member. Usually that development takes years to see in a TV series.

[exile001]

Its theme song is legendary

I just remembered, this was written by The Edge of U2.

He must have originally written it in the 80's, as it's great.