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| Batman Chronicles / Vol 2 : 3 of 5 | |
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5.12.2008
8:22 PM | Link |
 After enjoying the first volume of Batman Chronicles so much, I decided I had to continue with this series, since I'm fascinated by the extremely early adventures of this iconic hero, this time from 1940. The stories in this volume begin to take a different tone, since Robin is usually there to pal around with, and Bruce seems to really enjoy his pipe-smoking bachelor lifestyle, although a few plots include his fiancee Julie (which was news to me!). Besides the Joker, there are a few more villain introductions, although they are definitely different than we know them today. Catwoman wears a full cat-head mask, which looks pretty silly, and Clayface is simply an actor in makeup (for now!). The cool thing about these stories is most of them are actually presented as mysteries - lots of suspects are introduced, and Batman really gets to be a detective and solve the crime. But along with the intellectual side comes some extreme violence, with bad guys being tossed around and even slammed into walls (which the narrator loves to call a "sickening thud" over and over again). Robin often uses a sling as his weapon (always with a David & Goliath reference), the Batplane shows up a few times, but there's still no official Batmobile - I'm looking forward to its introduction. If I didn't have so many other books waiting for me to read, I would already be buying the next volume of this series by now!
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| Batman Beyond / Season One : 4 of 5 | |
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3.13.2008
7:30 PM | Link |
 I remember being really skeptical when Batman Beyond was first on TV, but I soon realized that the creative team of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini could make Batman cool even set in the future! Now this series is respected on its own (at least by me), so I was shocked to learn it was originally green-lighted by Warner Bros. purely as an idea to get younger viewers - the show was put into production with almost no pre-production development! They really came up with a cool premise quickly, though, with an elderly Bruce Wayne hanging up the cape because his ailing body forces him to break his "no guns" rule. Soon Terry McGinnis becomes Bruce's assistant and the new Batman, and begins to fight crime in his amazing powered suit and ultra-sleek Batmobile (with awesome red lighting in the interior). The future world (with Barbara Gordon as the new commissioner!) has some great new villains, such as Inque, whose liquid movements make for some fantastic animation, and Shriek, who fights with sound waves (this episode also includes a daring sequence with no sound at all). The show really has a unique feel to it, starting with its frenetic opening titles (created with no CGI, amazingly) and ultra-modern theme (I enjoyed the music so much I even bought the soundtrack CD years ago). This DVD set has a few commentary tracks and a super-short documentary, but at least I learned a lot of fun tidbits listening to them. I think I enjoyed this series even more than when it was first broadcast, proving that Batman is simply timeless!
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| Batman: The Animated Series Vol 3 : 5 of 5 | |
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2.27.2008
7:07 AM | Link |
 For the past couple years I've been enjoying this series as one of my Christmas DVDs, and this year is no exception! This set once again proves that the amazing talents of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini produced the best version of Batman ever created, and it was fantastic to watch these episodes toward the end of the original series run. Once again, there are lots of introductions, beginning with the two-part Shadow of the Bat which contains Batgirl's first appearance, as well as the original episode featuring Scarface (the Ventriloquist). Speaking of Batgirl, I've always loved Batgirl Returns, since I have a limited edition cel from that episode, so I loved seeing this classic Catwoman/Batgirl team-up story again! There were even a couple episodes that I'm fairly sure I hadn't previously seen, including the hilarious Harley's Holiday, as well as Showdown, with an interesting appearance by Jonah Hex. It was sad to see the show change to The Adventures of Batman and Robin near the end, since they switched to a new opening title sequence that wasn't nearly as effective as the original. There are fewer commentaries on this set, which is a shame, although one episode includes a "video commentary", which is kind of silly, since there's nothing special about watching people talk in a small inset box! As always, I really enjoyed learning new things about the show - my favorite fact this time is there was a rule to never have background music in the Batcave (even though the show is fully scored), and the ominous ambient sound effect used was recorded inside Hoover Dam! I may not be able to wait until Christmas to check out the next DVD set, since my Batman fandom has been kicked into high gear!
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| Superman/Batman / Supergirl : 3 of 5 | |
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12.11.2007
7:55 AM | Link |
 I like reading a good graphic novel every now and then, but this was an unexpected purchase! Since I kind of forced my pals to buy this as part of a scavenger hunt for my Christmas video (it's a long story...), I bought it from them and finally took the time to read it. This is a collection of several issues of the Superman/Batman comic series, telling the story of Supergirl's "re-introduction" to the DC Universe (I really didn't know about her part in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but the introduction filled me in). The story is really well-told, using some interesting dual narration via the thoughts of both Superman and Batman - this is a great device that really added a lot of insight into these characters, which is tough to do with icons that everyone knows so well. Wonder Woman is thrown in as well (since Kara needs some Amazonian training), and the big villian is Darkseid, meaning a good deal of the action takes place in Apokolips. Unfortunately, the transition from a story about trust and family to an action tale is way too rushed - I kept flipping back in the book to see if I had missed a page! Still, there's some good action, and plenty of cool Batman moments, as well as "Superman gets really mad" (which always has to happen in epic stories like this), but ultimately it seems like it was too easy to defeat Darkseid. The artwork is really nice, even though I wasn't too thrilled with Superman's ultra-square jaw (it looks good on Batman, but not on Clark!). I'm not really complaining, though - I enjoyed reading this book, and it makes me think I should pick up graphic novels like this more often!
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| Batman Chronicles / Vol 1 : 4 of 5 | |
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11.27.2007
12:21 PM | Link |
 After rereading the old Eternals comics I enjoyed as a kid, I've been eager to discover the original stories and artwork of famous characters, so I was excited to find this fantastic series which presents all of the original appearances of Batman in a nice (and extremely affordable) graphic novel format. This first volume was incredibly fun to read, since I had never seen Batman's original beginnings as a regular feature in Detective Comics (starting in 1939). The artwork is somewhat crude, but still dynamic and full of charm (and dramatically improves as the series progresses). I love the old style of narration, which describes everything Batman is doing right there on the panel in front of you, and I like the nostalgic touches (such as Bruce Wayne always smoking a pipe!). I was amazed that Batman's origin story isn't told until several issues have past, and it only takes a page and a half to cover it! Robin's origin is pretty short as well, but he's only getting started as this volume ends with the first issue of Batman's own comic in 1940. There are a few regular villains, such as Doctor Death, Hugo Strange, and of course, the Joker, but it's fun to see Batman go up against weird things like werewolves, too. Batman himself is definitely a tough guy, and he barely thinks twice about killing his enemies if he has to, which certainly changes later on. If you're fascinated by the humble beginnings of one of the most popular heroes of all time, you'll definitely enjoy this book, and I'm certainly ready to continue with the next volume!
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| Batman: The Animated Series Vol 2 : 5 of 5 | |
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3.29.2006
9:36 PM | Link |
 I'm so glad that one of the best cartoon series ever produced is available in it's entirety on DVD. I completely enjoyed the Volume 1 set, and now I'm hooked again after watching Volume 2 (which was yet another DVD set I got for Christmas last year)! This set has some of the best episodes of the entire run, including the two-part Robin's Reckoning, which features the original "Flying Graysons" and the death of Dick's parents, which is extremely dramatic and well-staged. There are also two incredible stories that have become classic among Batman fans, namely Almost Got Him (featuring all the villains playing cards and trading Batman fight stories) and Harley and Ivy (the hilarious first team-up of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy). It's cool to see the first appearances of Barbara Gordon in several episodes, too, before she dons the Batgirl costume! I was surprised at how many great episodes I had forgotten about - there are lots of creative plots to enjoy in this set. Once again, each DVD contains a commentary track for one of the best episodes on the disc, and it's always interesting to hear Bruce Timm and Paul Dini (among other artists) talk about their work (they love to point out mistakes and dust on the cels, too). I can't wait to check out Volume 3, and there's still Volume 4 to watch after that!
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| Bat meets girl | |
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1.12.2006
7:43 PM | Link |
 Last night I caught up on some TiVo recordings, which reminded me that I should say that I've really been appreciating The Batman more lately. While Warner Bros. will never top the original fantastic animated series that forged an entirely new animation style, the latest episodes of this incarnation have been pretty entertaining (and certainly much better than the first season of the series). I usually hate it when adaptations mess with characters and their origins, but I have to say that it was interesting to see the new Clayface and Poison Ivy come from close friends of the main characters. This season everything is new, from the theme song to the Batmobile (since the old one was destroyed), along with a new Batgirl - younger, sassier, and so far pretty cool (definitely not as sexy as the original animated version, but still totally cute)! Her two-part origin episode, Batgirl Begins, was really well done (even though the narration was a little cheesy), so I'm looking forward to seeing her more often. I'm finally used to the Joker's character design, too - now if they would only do something about Catwoman's ginormous ears!
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| Batman Begins : 4 of 5 | |
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6.20.2005
8:31 PM | Link |
 I was pretty excited about this film from the moment I heard they were making it, since the previous series of Batman movies had tanked so terribly (thanks a lot, Jim Carrey). I think Christian Bale is an excellent choice, since he wears the billionaire role well (just like his suit-wearing killer in American Psycho), and he looks pretty natural in the Batman costume, too. When I first saw pictures of the Batmobile, I was worried, though - all of the sleek styling was gone! But after seeing it in action, I think the tank-style vehicle is pretty believable. That's what really sets this movie apart from the other Batman tales - it's the first story that all seems believable, or at least it's presented in such a non-camp way that everything is taken seriously (except for a few well-paced one-liners). I can definitely say that it's the best Batman movie ever! Still, there are a few flaws. Even though Katie Holmes is nice to look at, her character is completely invented for the movie (though the other characters, even minor ones, all have comic book roots). I also thought the editing was a little too MTV (quick cut city) - it's a fine style for action scenes, but they keep up the crazy pace even during slower dialogue moments. But overall, there may never be a better Batman presentation, so get to the theater and enjoy!
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| Batman: The Animated Series Vol 1 : 5 of 5 | |
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10.12.2004
7:47 PM | Link |
 This is the series that really signaled the rebirth of superhero cartoon animation, and finally brought some serious stories and characterization back to Saturday morning TV! I was a fan of this show from the beginning, and I've seen every episode many times (in fact, I recorded most of them on VHS and tried to catalog the entire run of series), but it's so much nicer watching these on this four DVD set. A few episodes have a commentary track with Bruce Timm, who created the distinct look of the characters, and several of the directors, which reveals lots of interesting facts (for example, all of the backgrounds are painted on black paper to constantly give the series a dark look). There are a few so-so episodes in this collection, which is the complete first season in order, but they are more than made up for by classics such as Two-Face, Feat of Clay, and Heart of Ice! I really like the story of the Mad Hatter also, since the Alice in Wonderland references are fantastic. This is by far the best superhero cartoon ever, with each episode styled as mini-movie, so I can't wait to continue enjoying this series again with Volume 2 (but I have to wait until January)!
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| Batman: The Movie : 2 of 5 | |
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7.25.2004
10:02 PM | Link |
 Of course, I'm a Batman fan, which includes the classic campy series from the 60s. I had seen this movie (released after the first season of the series) on TV a few times, but one day I was at the mall and saw this DVD in a bargain bin for only five bucks! How could I pass that up? Several months later, I've finally made it through the whole thing - I had to watch it in several sessions, because even though the 30 minute show on TV is great, nearly two hours of it is just too much! The plot involves the four major villains - Joker (I always thought it was goofy that they put the white makeup right over Caesar Romero's mustache!), Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman (who unfortunately is Lee Meriwether here - everyone knows Julie Newmar is the real Catwoman!), and a crazy scheme to "dehydrate" everyone in the United Nations for big ransom money. The good thing about the movie is the budget allowed them to build the Batcopter and the Batboat, which are really cool, but there are some absolutely goofy effects here (the shark attack at the beginning is one of the worst!). The DVD has some fun bonus material, including the theater trailer in Spanish! Anyway, even though I was bored several times (hence the low rating), it's still a fun movie (if you can take it!).
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| Bat Thumb : 2 of 5 | |
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11.13.2003
5:27 PM | Link |
 Even though I wasn't blown away by Thumb Wars, I couldn't resist trying out another one of Steve Oedekerk's thumb films. Bat Thumb is a pretty good parody of the Batman films, following the gothic look and Danny Elfman soundtrack, but created entirely with miniature sets and real thumbs (in costumes with super-imposed eyes and mouths). The humor is pretty silly - part of the joke is just the way these goofy thumbs look, and the rest is just weird stuff like Batman's sidekick Blue Jay and his stupid costume (and his tendency to follow too closely to Bat Thumb's booty while they climb walls). The villain is No-Face, who wants to erase the faces of everyone in Gaaathumb City (of course). I'm sure I'll rent more of these thumb movies - they're short, fun, and well-manicured.
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| Batman: The Dark Knight Returns / Frank Miller : 5 of 5 | |
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2.03.2002
12:10 AM | Link |
 This graphic novel was a birthday gift from my pal Shelly, who knew that I was a big Batman fan, but somehow missed out on reading this landmark series. The Dark Knight series truly gave us the dark, serious Batman that we love today - even the fantastic animated series traces it's style to here. The story is fantastic - Bruce Wayne is getting old, but still must carry out his work as Batman, and the plot explores his troubled psyche quite well. Yes, we have a girl Robin and some Joker battles, and even a major Superman fight (you'll have to read it to find out why), but the real star is the characterization! All of us live double lives, right?
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| Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker : 3 of 5 | |
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7.28.2001
12:47 PM | Link |
 This poor project has suffered from so much controversy, and now I know why. Without going into detail, this film was delayed at the last minute so they could rewrite, reanimate and totally screw up several key scenes to get a wider audience. Comparing this to Mask of the Phantasm is a joke. Anyway, Return of the Joker is still really enjoyable, though the "transformation" (you'll know what I mean if you've seen it) is pretty extraordinary (and pretty lame). Just another case of "This could have been so good if only...".
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| Gotham Girls | |
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1.01.2001
4:19 PM | Link |
 Everyone knows that 90% of the appeal of Batman (especially the animated series) can be attributed to the gorgeous babes, both heroes and villains. Of course, the big four are Batgirl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and now they have their own site (part of the usual Warner Bros. set of animation sites). Here you can find little Flash movies and info about the girls, and some seriously cool desktop wallpapers to drool over. (I wonder if the attraction to animated women has been codified by the psychiatric community?)
 Visit site
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