Despite a few missteps, Caped Crusader manages to be an overall fun ride

Anyone who knows even the tiniest bit about me knows just how much the character of batman resonates with me. So of course I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to discuss the first new batman series we’ve gotten in just over a decade. It’s one that almost didn’t even see the light of day after hbo reversed course with its plans to air it on their streamer but then prime swooped in at the last minute (no pun intended). So now that it’s finally here, does it live up to the hype of TAS?

Well, yes…mostly. It’s not perfect but there are seeds of a good series planted throughout. I guess first thing’s first, we should discuss the titular character. This was always going to be a tough sell. I mean I’m not one of those people who thinks conroy is the be-all end-all of batman performances but I do see why he has become one of the most quintessential batmen who ever lived. That being said, you can imagine the trepidation many fans has when they first announced hamish as the new dark knight but I think he did a pretty good job overall. It’s not easy to nail down the iconic batman voice but I think he’s got it down to a tee. Admittedly, it may not be quite as good as some of my favorite animated batman actors but it’s sufficient enough to keep you enthralled.

Speaking of my favorite batman actor, he actually plays a different role in the film as the morally complex two-face. I always found his character to be one of the most interested considering he always strives to do the right thing (even if he’s going about it the wrong away). & that’s certainly on display here as despite some of his less-than-savory attributes, we see he does aspire to do the right thing every single time. He may be a bit misguided at times but ultimately in the end, he always looks to his moral compass to make decisions. Frankly, I never understood how just splashing some acid on a person’s face can drastically alter their personality but i guess movie’s got to movie, as they say. But at least in the end, he goes out a hero as it should be.

I guess I’ll start with the stuff I didn’t like. Not to sound judgy or anything but the series definitely feel like it’s pushing an agenda. I mean there is no logical in-story reason why the penguin needed to be female or the gordons needed to be schvartzes but that didn’t stop them from gender & race-swapping such beloved characters. It’s one thing if you have an actual story to tell that requires some sort of change but otherwise, it just feels like pandering.

I wasn’t crazy about harley’s appearance but it didn’t bug me nearly as much as most of the fans. But even putting aside aesthetics, this just did not feel like the harley we all know & have a love-hate relationship with (much like her & joker). I mean the flamboyant personality is all but a distant memory, she never uses her trademark hammer & torturing really does not seem like her modus operandi. If anything, that feels like it’s more in joker’s territory. Pretty much the only thing that’s the same is her profession. Again, I’m not the biggest harley fan so this didn’t take me out of it too much but I can understand why it would disillusion other hardcore fans of the character.

Probably one of my favorites was the clayface episode as an aficionado of old noir/mystery thriller films but obviously everyone else is going to have their own predilections. I even appreciated the little nods to the old live-action series of the 60’s as someone who grew up with that show. I like that there’s no origin story here. We don’t need that; even people living in a cave know his tragic & emotionally-scarring backstory. Another thing that jumped out at me is i’m not crazy about the way in which prime released it. I know saturday morning cartoons are essentially a thing of the past but that doesn’t preclude them from dropping it on the weekend. & again, i know it’s streaming but that doesn’t mean they can’t do a weekly release. I mean it worked so well for the boys & invincible that I can’t see a single reaosn why it wouldn’t be successful with this series as well. Granted, this isn’t quite as nc-17 as them but, much like those shows, it is a superhero series with a pretty passionate fanbase. & it actually prolongs the social media chatter around these shows so I just think it would’ve been a smarter move overall.

I think those are the only negatives I had so now let’s move on the mixed & positive aspects of the series. First off, it’s aesthetically incredible. I mean the artwork for this series (& especially the theme song) is just so mesmerizing. I know it’s probably been said umpteen times before but bruce timm truly does have a gift & we are glad he has opted to share it with the world. The animation itself is good too; i mean it’s nothing particularly spectacular but it’s sufficient for a series such as this.

I don’t know that we necessarily needed that subplot of bruce learning to put some respect on alfred’s name (figuratively & literally) but i suppose it does make for good character development nonetheless. It just don’t really resonate with me. I mean I haven’t read every single batman comic book in the world but from what I have read, I don’t recall ever seeing a storyline wherein he viewed him more as a butler than a trusted friend & confidante (but I guess it makes for good tv or whatever).

Another thing I just picked up on is what is going on with all the attorneys on this show? I mean between harvey, barbara & lucius, did we really need three different characters on the show who are lawyers? Especially considering the only one who actually worked in the legal field in the comics was harvey. Why would bruce even need a lawyer in the first place? Is it just for estate planning & whatnot? If anything, I think batman’s the one who will need good legal representation in the years to come.

So is this the best batman series in the entire world? I would say no but it’s definitely not the worst one either. It just seems like they’re letting their own political agendas seep into the show on occasion. But if they can get away from that & just focus more on telling a great batman story, season two could prove itself to be one of the best seasons of a batman series we’ve gotten in quite some time.