I think we can all agree with a singular statement: Batman: Streets of Gotham is, at best a sub-par, if not brief and forgettable chronicle of Batman’s trials and tribulations. Nothing within the past 4 or 5 issues has really stuck out in the sense that you want to whip it out and read it again. Sure, if we’re really pulling at strings, the whole Carpenter/Director thing was alright, and the introduction of Colin and his conversations with Damian were ok. I guess what I’m really trying to say here is that the book on one hand is struggling for content all the while trying to make a statement for itself, but it cannot mask the fact that the book is just weak. Time and time again the book fails to be memorable. It feels like the stories that are contained within the pages are just throwaways that weren’t good enough for Detective Comics or Batman. If I could say that it was inconsistent it wouldn’t be inconsistent in the way that those books are, it would be inconsistent in the sense that DC is pulling these stories from the trash, dusting them off, and throwing it at a wall to see if possibly something would stick. And so it goes, and although I’m sure I could come up with another handful of bashing remarks for the series as a whole, let’s take a look at this particular issue for a little bit.
The issue begins with Anthony Marchetti being released from jail after spending 37 years in Blackgate Prison. While riding in a car that was sent to pick him up, he looks forward to taking a “private” shower before going out to his favorite restaurant to eat a certain meal that he has been craving for those 37 years. He asks about the state of the crime world nowadays and states that he intends to put a bullet in Bruce Wayne’s head. We then cut to Hush killing Manhunter, obviously it’s Hush practicing his lethal execution of the bat-family again. When he finishes his practice, he steps out of the warehouse and into the rain where he takes off his Hush mask and shows his reconstructed face, of course, mirrored to look like Bruce’s face. In the next scene we see Thomas Elliot getting ready to go to Arkham Asylum to use his influence as Bruce Wayne to influence the release of the villainous Jane Doe so that she can help him with an unknown plan. Elliot’s car ride to Arkham is interspersed with Thomas Elliot finding some old journals that date back to before he was born. Within these pages we learn that Marla Elliot never liked Martha Wayne, after Martha’s father lost their family fortune to a bad business investment. While the Elliot’s are waiting on Thomas Wayne to show up for a business meeting, Martha tries to swindle her way into having Roger Elliot invest in a free clinic for orphans and runaways. Roger Elliot brushes her ideas off, saying that he doesn’t need a free clinic to gain good press. He pays people in public relations to do that for him. He then tells her that he could use the tax write off and tells her to call him next month. Then we see Thomas Wayne drunk, surrounded by women as he makes his way to the Elliot table. Thomas stumbles to the table and nearly falls on Martha, causing her to storm off. Thomas tries to apologize, but Martha says “It doesn’t matter, I doubt we’ll meet again.”
As you may have noticed, Batman isn’t in this issue at all. There is no (to say the very least) flashback to Bruce under the cape and cowl, nor a single panel of Dick as Batman. The only image of Batman is among the dead Bat-family and maybe this was supposed to be an artistic statement or a sign of things to come, but it is too subtle and doesn’t get it’s point across. If that was it’s intention, (and yes I am drawing at strings here) it is not effective at all. While there are new elements thrown into the Hush story it isn’t enough to strive towards anything. Sure, the Jane Doe and Martha Wayne plot points are supposed to come as shocking twists, it doesn’t deliver it’s intended purpose. And although you can state your case in saying that this is the prelude to the actual story-arc, it isn’t a well done prelude. Although all that I have said has a negative connotation to the issue, it was hard for me because I like Paul Dini’s work. The truth of these facts put up against my personal praise for Dini’s work created a standstill in this review with the question being how could I love his work but dislike Streets of Gotham? As I struggled over this I suddenly realized that while I like his writing, his comic book writing isn’t very good. Sure, his work on Batman: The Animated Series was good, but I was in love with that piece of work. I wasn’t a Paul Dini fan, I was a Batman: The Animated Series fan. There is a distinction between the two. Yes of course I can praise his work on The Animated Series , but can I truly praise all of his work, in particular his comic work? No, because Streets of Gotham is bland and uninspiring, and every other reason I have already stated. Does that make me a Paul Dini fan? No, because I only like this one thing that he did, that one time. But of course that isn’t to say he’s over the hill and shouldn’t write anymore, sometimes his comic writing does work and he deserves all that praise that he receives, but it just doesn’t work for me. I feel like he just brushes this series aside to make room for the other things he does, not putting the quality and time into the book, but most of all I feel that he doesn’t really care how the story comes out and how it’s presented. And it’s starting to rub off on me, as I feel myself not caring, as this title moves closer and closer to being dropped from my pull list.
As for the positive side of things, I have to commend the artwork of Dustin Nguyen, he is consistently at the top of his game, showing us his fearlessness and downright artistic master craftsmanship that is both shining and honest especially in it‘s darkest moments. His pencils are gentle and not too line heavy that evokes a sense of immediacy, detail, and sharpness that not only tells a story but moves it with such grace and minimalism, it’s hard to believe that there is a story behind the majestic artwork. The other thing I can commend in this issue is John Kalisz’s colors, while I didn’t notice it at first, after my second read through the subtle colors struck me as something fresh and brand new, it has all the right tinges of color in all the right places while not overdoing, and masking Nguyen’s pencils. Overall the artwork is the only source of worthwhile redemption in this issue.
While it is unclear on whether or not this issue delivers anything immediately worthwhile, what is clear is the fact that it was Dini’s failure to give us anything of substance that really brought this issue down.
Batman: Streets of Gotham #14:
Reviewed by Dane
Before we get started on this issue, let’s do a little history of the future lesson.
Following the end of The New Adventures of Batman & Robin, or Gotham Knights as the series is sometimes called, Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and crew came up with a new series to continue their successful run with both Batman and Superman. That series was Batman Beyond, and it debuted in January of 1999. The setting of the series would be in the not too-distant future of Gotham City, or Neo-Gotham as it is called in the time period. The two-part pilot episode, simply called “Rebirth,” starts in the year 2019. Bruce Wayne is aged but still fighting the good fight and in a newly designed suit to fit the times. Unfortunately, while mixing it up with some thugs, Bruce is felled by a weak heart, and is forced to wave a gun in a thug’s face in order to save his bacon. Disgusted by his actions, Bruce hangs up the cowl for the last time and vows never to don the costumes again.
Flash forward about 20 years, Bruce is an old recluse, but events bring teenage Terry McGinnis into his life. McGinnis finds out who Wayne is, takes the redesigned suit out to seek revenge for his father’s murder, and after acquitting himself well and because the incident was tied into Wayne’s company, Terry McGinnis finds himself in employment by Bruce Wayne, and the new Batman.
The series would last three seasons, through the end of 2001, and includes a Direct To Video movie in 2000 called Return Of The Joker, which naturally deals with the return of Bruce’s old foe. Also in a 2005 episode of Justice League Unlimited, the second season finale of that show, tries to solidify McGinnis’ “claim” to the Batman/Bruce Wayne legacy.
Now, there were comic book tie-ins as well, as with just about all televised versions of DC properties; A six issue mini-series in 1999, written by series writer Hilary J. Bader when the series first came on the air, a 24 regular series running from 1999 through 2001 and a one-shot Return Of The Joker adaptation in 2000.
For those who are interesting in getting to know the series, besides watching the episodes by various means (all three seasons are now on DVD, as well as available for download on iTunes), check out the Earth-2.net’s World’s Finest Podcast (a blow-by-blow, episode by episode look at the Timm/Burnett/Dini “DC Animated Universe” of Batman The Animated Series, Superman The Animated Series, Gotham Knights, Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, Static Shock, Justice League, Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited) episodes 39 through 50 for a complete and exhaustive look at the series and the movie Return Of The Joker.
In the series’ third season, there is a two part episode called “The Call,” which will be referenced in this book. Terry is recruited by Superman to join the Justice League Unlimited, and to weed out a possible traitor in the league. It turns out to be Superman himself, whom was controlled by Starro The Conqueror, a space starfish whom Superman had in a preserve in his fortress. This was Superman’s lone appearance in the Batman Beyond time frame.
And so we come to a few years ago where rumblings of Terry McGinnis being inserted into the DCU comics proper started to be heard. It started with an appearance in an alternate universe in, funny enough, an issue of Superman/Batman (#22), getting an Earth designation during Countdown, and now this year Adam Beechen will be penning and Dustin Nguyen will be drawing a 6-part miniseries on Terry’s world. And that miniseries looks to be spinning out of Superman/Batman Annual #4 which is written by current Superman/Batman artist Paul Levitz and art by Renato Guedes and the story is titled “A Time Beyond Hope.”
We start with Terry in midst of taking on some thugs with Bruce in his customary role as voice in Terry’s head from the Bat-Cave, much like Barbra Gordon’s role with Stephanie Brown’s Batgirl in the current Batgirl book. Terry finds out the thugs are the latest in a stream of thugs whom have come from Metropolis, and spooked by something they call “The Ghost.” Doing some more sleuthing, Terry finds that Metallo has come to Gotham with the intention of pushing some new drugs, and after beating Metallo, Terry takes the drugs back to the cave, and realizes it has been laced with Kryptonite.
We find out that this issue takes place just after the end of the series as the events of The Call are mentioned, and as a reason for Superman apparently quitting the superhero business and pretty much going into hiding. In Superman’s absence, Metropolis has gone to hell and Lex Luthor was made “mayor for life.”
In trying to trace where the drugs are coming from, it is learned that Superman has even taken Clark Kent off the grid, but apparently is still leaving flowers at the grave of Lois Lane. We then see Superman hovering over Terry at Lois’ grave site, and through, well I guess at this point he is more Kal-El than either Superman or Clark Kent, so Kal inner monologues the fact that Luthor had been working hard while Superman was controlled by Starro to the point where one of the things to neutralize Superman was to get Kryptonite into residents’ blood in order to make it tough for Superman to even exist in Metropolis without some pain.
We then see that Terry has infiltrated a major drug ring, and after a skirmish with “The Ghost” he is put on assignment to get something from Superman’s fortress. Again “The Ghost” shows up at the Fortress Of Solitude, leaving Terry as one of the few “survivors” of a vanishing trick it does. This leads to Terry meeting the boss, which of course turns out to be Luthor; who was pulling the strings to have one more confrontation with “The Ghost”, aka Kal-El; who was also pulling Terry’s strings in order to get inside Luthor’s fortress.
Terry and Kal wind up fighting a foot soldier turned into a “Superman for a new generation” super soldier thanks to a solar collector. Terry figures out that the chair Luthor was in was stored with Kryptonite, so Terry manages to get Luthor out of the chair and destroys the chair, eliminating the Kryptonite. Kal then makes short work of the soldier and shows Terry exactly what “The Ghost” was doing when “zapping” thugs. It actually is a Phantom Zone projector, and Luthor gets sent to the Phantom Zone. Kal presents Terry with the projector and tells him to be the “warden” and that now that he is sure Metropolis can be back on the road to recovery that it is time to leave Earth. And he does just that, and tells Terry to call him if he needs any help via a signal watch, and that he’ll be watching Terry in the stars.
Whew. That’s a story alright! Definitely had a comic book feel to it rather than a TV show feel, which is good. And it appears Levitz was mixing some elements from the mainstream DC lore into the mix as well. For instance, Terry mentions the Robins dying, yet there was no death of a Robin in the DCAU; Dick Grayson became Nightwing, the Tim Drake character was an amalgamation of Jason Todd and the comics Tim Drake, but he wasn’t killed. It also appears Terry was “handed” the role as opposed to stealing the suit and “proving” himself worthy and bringing Bruce out of retirement. There is an appearance of and interaction between Zod and Mon-El inside the Phantom Zone, neither character ever appeared in a DCAU cartoon, it is possible that Levitz is referencing the events of the War Of The Superman event where Zod was trapped in the Phantom Zone, and Mon-El went in there as one of the wardens of the Zoners. And finally there is the ultimate fate of the DCAU’s Lex Luthor. In the final episode of Justice League Unlimited, “Destroyer” it appears that Luthor and Darkseid vanished into an anti-life equation Source Wall thing, and while of course this is comic books we are talking about, it did seem finite and Luthor never does appear, or is mentioned of, in Batman Beyond.
Those things are just nitpicky things though, just brought up for comparison purposes, and probably in a way to help the world of Batman Beyond “fit” into a DC Universe rather than picking up entirely in the DCAU’s continuity. There is one thing though that is a bit off putting, and that is Guedes’s art. For the most part its pretty great. Both Terry and Bruce appear to be comic book versions of their Batman Beyond selves, its just that for Superman, it seems Guedes has adopted the style that seems to be more and more prevalent of making Superman look exactly like Christopher Reeve. While its one thing for Clark to look like the actor who brought him to the big screen, its another thing entirely when everything else, right down to the costume displays in the Bat-Cave, is modeled after the cartoon design to see something from another medium. Especially considering Superman in the DCAU, including The Call, had his own distinctive look. It was nice though to see several different “designs” for Superman in a Fortress display case, we saw the black suit from the Return of storyline, normal Superman, the “current” Superman, Kingdom Come Superman and Electric Blue Superman.
Overall this does seem like a nice introduction to the Adam Beechen mini-series, and hopefully a long stay for Terry McGinnis in the DCU proper.
Superman/Batman Annual #4:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
After watching the new Brave and the Bold episode, the chill of the night, I wanted to express my opinion on the latest installment of the series. I have probably been the greatest critic of the show on the podcast, but I have also ensured the show receives praise from me when they've impressed me. Which has been on a couple of occasions during the first season with Bat- Mite, the Music Meister and The Color of Revenge episode.
I sometimes feel harsh criticizing the show because I'm fully aware it is aimed at young children and the producers are generally not considering myself when designing the show. I fully respect that this show is for another audience and I'm glad that there are other interpretations of Batman out there. Just like the 60's show, Tim Burton's Batman and Nolan's Batman, this is a character that can be adapted to fit anywhere. So naturally when viewing the show I expect to not be really drawn into the story and am expecting the same stuff every time. The second season has had some fun moments amongst a few dull episodes but nothing outstanding…until now!
Now when I first heard about this episode from Dustin and Apple at San Diego Comic-Con with the comments that even the actors involved were making about this episode made it sound like a biggie! The incredible all-star additional casting whetted my appetite even further. Now no plot points will be revealed here (even though I'm sure you can guess a bit about what's going on from the title) but the sheer quality of writing, acting, animation and direction were superb. This episode felt more like the awesome BTAS from the nineties with plenty for Batman to deal with, no sidekicks to get in the way and the focus devoted to the story and some real character development. Some dark moments existed in a show that I never saw portraying Batman in this light and Batman's morals and psychology are brought into question. How far will he go when it gets personal? For those of you out there that have been overlooking the series, check this episode out and you won't be disappointed.
My next question is where does the show go next? Well the next listed episode is Gorillas In Our Midst, where Gorilla Grodd tries to turn the population into gorillas. Why oh why? Now I'm not saying that the show would make me happier being a clone of BTAS, but sticking with Batman and his family/villains, fighting the criminal underworld of Gotham gangsters and dealing with his own deep rooted problems would be much more satisfying. It worked for my generation when we were younger, why can't they transfer that to this show more regularly? Surely this episode showed us what the Brave and the Bold is capable of and I'd love them to stay there rather than revert to the cosmic, immature antics of the last year and a half.
In conclusion, at least this episode has got me caring about the show again and proved to me the talent working on this project. As long as they do a couple of high quality episodes a year I'm going to keep watching. So I'm going to selfishly finish by saying FORGET THE KIDS! MORE OF THIS PLEASE!
Posted by Nick
This is another show that you most likely have already seen. You might even already own the individual seasons. For the very first time the series is collected in one form on DVD. The series first aired in the late nineties after the success of Batman: The Animated Series. It featured Big Red saving Metropolis from the perils of many of his own rogues' gallery. It aired over three seasons and ended before the Timmverse continued on with Batman Beyond.
This set consists of seven discs. It has a total of fifty-four episodes for over eleven hundred minutes. There are special features throughout and even a brand new special feature specifically for this set. The new feature focuses on Darkseid.
The series featured all kinds of villains that you have heard of and some new ones that were made for the series. Metallo, Parasite, and Toyman are all present. Many may not know that Mercy Graves was created for the series. The classic voices of Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor and Tim Daly as Superman are obviously present as well. There is even a three-part episode that crosses over with Batman and Gotham City where Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill make an appearance.
Overall, the series is another great release from Warner Bros. I don't have any complaints about this set like I had with the past ones. The discs are still numbered as if they were separate seasons, but I get why now. Another great series to add to this year's Christmas list.
Superman: The Complete Series:
The series became available on November 24, so you can get it at most retailers. If you want to get it from Amazon, click here. Warner Bros. sent over this clip to promote the release as well.
Posted by Dustin
If you are viewing this site, I think it is safe to say that you have probably seen this show at one point. The show started off by focusing on the Big Seven of the DCU. They were Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. Now you might argue if these seven should be the main seven, but that is besides the point. Justice League ran two seasons and then was renamed Justice League Unlimited, which also ran for two seasons giving the series a total of four seasons. Justice League Unlimited still featured the "Big Seven," but it also featured a lot of lesser known DC characters. And when I say lesser known, I mean that. I don't think as a casual reader of DC Universe comics, you would have came across Waverider or Vibe. But the series introduced new characters that casual fans and even some seasoned fans may never have known about.
There is nothing bad to say at all about this series. The stories were well written and the animation was high quality. The only downfall of the series was that it ended. The first two seasons featured many multi-part episodes were the story carried over between two and sometimes three episodes. JLU didn't have the multi-part episodes, but it did have an overarching storyline through both of the seasons. The show hasn't been aired regularly on Cartoon Network for quite some time. I personally own the entire series in individual season form.
As for this set there are a couple of negatives, but we will get to that in a minute. Let's cover the series as a whole collected. The entire series has ninety-one episodes. The price tag may seem steep depending on where you are going to buy it from, but even $99.99 as the suggested retail price, is well worth it. Let me put it into perspective. If you were to sit down in front of your TV and start watching the series, it would take you more than two days to watch the entire series. Now I don't recommend you do that, but you may find yourself doing exactly that once you start watching the series. It is just that good.
Now for the negatives. I don't know if it is just the copies that I get sent or what, but there is always some sort of packaging error. With this series, I know it isn't just mine. The fifteen discs are packaged in two plastic DVD cases. One having all of the discs for Justice League and the other one having all of Justice League Unlimited. The two plastic cases are then enclosed in a steel case. Now, the problem with this steel case is that it has lips around the edges, which makes it difficult to get the plastic cases out without having to bend the steel. If someone was going to spend close to one hundred dollars on the series, I would imagine that they do not want to damage the casing. Once you figure out how to get the cases out, you might notice (or this was just mine) that the cases are mis-marked. They are labeled Volume One and Volume Two, but when you open the Volume One case, you find Justice League Unlimited, which many know is actually Volume Two. The paper inserts describing what is on the discs is also mis-placed in the wrong cases. Now, it may seem that I am making a big deal about nothing (and I probably am) but I can't understand why something that gets designed by a person and sent to a factory never gets checked to see if it makes sense. On top of all the that, the discs are labeled as if you bought separate seasons instead of one through fifteen.
I know I am spending way too much time covering the packaging of the series, but the thing is that this is the exact same thing that you might already have if you own the separate seasons. The special features are the same except for one new one. It is on the fifteenth disc and has the series creators discussing challenges and opportunities that the different characters presented.
Overall, the series is remarkable. It is up to par with Batman: The Animated Series. And I would even say that the writing for this series is actually a little better since it as an overall story plot. If I put aside the packaging mishaps, this is the perfect gift for a DC Universe fan for the holidays.
Justice League: The Complete Series:
It would have been a perfect five if not for the packaging and lack of new special features. Keep in mind that this rating is not what the show itself would be rated. I am rating the series collected in this new form. I can't stress enough that the show is amazing. The series was released on November 10. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here. Warner Bros. sent over this clip to show with the review. Take a look:
Posted by Dustin
So another Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode has aired. Wait. Did it? No, you are not looking at your screen and thinking you missed it. Actually, if you live in the UK, a frequent internet user, or went to San Diego Comic Con, you probably have already saw the episode. But nonetheless, the episode officially airs tonight at 7:30 PM EST. Warner Bros. sent us over a clean version of the episode to review ahead of time so that we could get you hyped about it. We mentioned during the podcast after SDCC that the episode was way better than expected. So let’s hear from Tiggebrown and Josh and see what they thought of the episode. First up is Tiggerbrown’s review:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Mayhem of the Music Meister
Holy Pirouettes Bat-fans; Batman is starring in a musical! When BTBTB first started, there was a lot of trepidation that a return to the campy, psychedelic tone of the 60’s would undo the respect the character has attained since BTAS. However, after the first several episodes, even the darkest of fans found moments they enjoyed. True, the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, but there is no doubt that the integrity of the character is upheld and most importantly respected. While at first we hardcore fans thought the creators of the series were thumbing their noses at us, we realized that the keepers of the cowl just wanted us to lighten up a little, laugh at ourselves, and maybe have some fun.
So with show having achieved a level of acceptance among the Batman fan-base, we are asked to take this acceptance to a new level: Batman the musical. The idea of a dramatic show attempting a musical episode may seem outrageous, but it’s been attempted before; Buffy the Vampire Slayer being the most notable to genre fans. But how could Batman, the darkest of superheroes possibly translate to a Broadway style interpretation? Well you know what; it works.
The premise of the episode is that a villain called the Music Meister can use his singing voice to control the minds of anyone who is in ear shot. He of course wants to take over the world, and of course is stopped by the Dark Knight. Nothing extraordinary to be sure, but what makes this episode special is the phenomenal production value and the formatting of the episode as a three act musical play. Each act has one or two featured songs and production numbers that drive the narrative. There is even a curtain that opens and closes at the beginning and end of each act.
The first act has Gorilla Grodd, Black Manta, and Clock King about to be stopped from sabotaging a satellite by Aquaman, Green Arrow and Black Canary. Music Meister takes control of all of them, and forces them to battle Batman. The “West Side Story” fight choreography was hilarious. The main song, sung by actor Neil Patrick Harris as the Music Meister is classic Broadway, and although I’ve never been a fan of the genre, I found myself humming the tune long after the show was over. The choice of Harris as the Meister is inspired casting, especially for genre fans who watched the former Doogie Howser in Dr. Horrible.
My favorite song of the episode is from Act 2, “Drives us Bats”. Music Meister vents amongst all the villains of Arkham how Batman always thwarts their evil plans. “No super powers, just a flying rat. Good thing there’s Arkham, he drives us bats.” Michael Jelenic, who along with producer James Tucker wrote the lyrics and Lolita Ritmanis, Kristopher Carter, and Michael McCuistion composed the music, give us a quality that is first rate. Honest, if this was a traditional animated musical you might be looking at a music Emmy here.
The story is simple as I mentioned before, but the sub-plot love triangle between Music Meister, Black Canary and Batman added some intensity to the drama. Black Canary’s love song to Batman and her darker toned “Death Trap” while captured in act 3 are very well performed. Voice actress Grey Delisle has an incredible voice. And not to spoil the ending, but although the love struck Canary is spurned by the Caped Crusader, she does find romance with a certain green masked archer.
So the question I know you are asking yourself is, does Batman sing and dance? Very appropriately he is played very straight amongst the frolicking. Only to save the situation at the end of the final act does he briefly use his vocal chords, enhanced with a “Bat auto tuning amplifier”. He goats a hypnotized Black Canary to use her Canary cry to ruin the Meister’s nefarious plan. And for trivia sake it isn’t Deidrich Bader singing in that scene; it is actor Jeff Bennett (Creeper in BTAS, and Ragdoll in The Batman).
I admit I am one of those fans who prefer Batman dark. But I watched this with an open mind and really enjoyed it. The effort put into this episode was extraordinary and I respect the desire of the creators to try something new. Now I definitely think once was enough, but I am surprisingly giving Mayhem of the Music Meister………
Moving on to Josh’s review:
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Mayhem of the Music Meister
Every now and then, there is an episode of a television series that will inevitably come up whenever the show is discussed at length. “Mayhem of the Music Meister” will become that episode for “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”. The show pulled all the stops here and the ending result was a masterpiece worthy exceeding everyone’s skeptical expectations.
The premise is simple and fun. Neil Patrick Harris, who shines in every role he plays, voices the Music Meister who controls the free will of others by singing. His origin is simple and explained in a verse of his opening song “I’m the Music Meister”, which will be in your head for the rest of the week. It’s up to Batman, along with Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Black Canary, to stop him.
Highlights include the “Death Trap” musical sequence which has callbacks to the 1960’s “Batman” series. Fans of that series will also notice a reference to “shark repellent spray”. We get some Broadway musical cliché’s, such as the Black Canary love ballad “If Only”, which turns out really good despite the danger of being cheesy. There is nothing more visually amusing than a superheroine in fishnets singing a love ballad while knocking villains off a rooftop.
Batman fans young and old will enjoy this. As an experiment I decided to watch this with two children and gage their reaction. They were singing the songs for the rest of the night and reenacting the scenes. Batman and musicals don’t sound like something that would go together, but this episode should win over the non-believers. Overall, I give it….
So overall, they both agree and I have to say that I agree along with them. This show has been a pleasant surprise from the very beginning. Even though when the musical episode was first announce, I cringed, this was very enjoyable. I think that this will in fact be the series that my children will watch when I am introducing them to Batman.
Posted by Dustin