Sometimes I think the main reason people don't like The Batman cartoon is because they insist on comparing it to Batman: The Animated Series. That is a really pointless thing to do, because honestly, of course nothing is going to be on par with that series! Each one has to be appreciated for its own merits.
The Batman was, I think, created for a younger audience, and that should be taken into account too. I think it's a great way to get kids familiar with the Batman mythos, by having a show that's not anywhere as dark as Batman: The Animated Series, but that's still fun and very Batman.
After being familiar with several branches of the franchise, I think I have to conclude that there is no Joker as shamelessly nuts as The Batman version. LOL. All the other Jokers I've seen somehow seem either more sane or more quietly nuts or more complete psycho freak. The Batman's Joker is very dangerous, but somehow he genuinely is funny, even maybe over-the-top, and I find myself laughing with him much more than with any other Joker. I think that is something that younger kids would enjoy, whereas some of the other Jokers are downright scary sometimes.
Actually, a lot of the villains on The Batman aren't anywhere as dark as other versions. Their Penguin is crude and rude, which I don't always like, but he does give me the giggles sometimes and I totally love that he can break out the martial arts. One wouldn't really expect that of someone with Penguin's ... physique. And I adore that voice actor Tom Kenny (yes, Spongebob) does an exaggerated version of Burgess Meredith's laugh from the 1960s show.
The season 1 set has a bunch of interesting special features, leaving me longing all the more that the other season sets had been that way too. But they mentioned that they didn't even want to mess with the popular and heartbreaking Mr. Freeze backstory from The Animated Series, so that's why they went in a completely different direction with him on The Batman. I do wish they would have made that character deeper on The Batman version; they could have done a different tragic backstory, but if I'm right that the show is streamlined more for the younger set, then it makes sense that they decided not to go that route and instead made him a common diamond thief instead.
That, however, makes it all the more intriguing that out of all the villains on The Batman incarnation, their Riddler is serious instead of giggling and he does have a deep and sad backstory. I think he and the first Clayface are the only two really "dark" recurring antagonists on the series (albeit there are some dark oneshot villains, too). Lovers of season 4 could argue that the Riddler might not have been allowed to have a dark backstory in earlier seasons, but I would doubt that, because Clayface #1 is introduced at the end of season 1.
Ethan Bennett is a police detective and Bruce Wayne's best friend. While trying to stop the Joker, he ends up abducted and psychologically tortured. The Joker even says his famous line from the comics that "one bad day" can turn someone into a criminal. Later he tries to experiment on Ethan with a chemical device he created called Joker Putty. Detective Yin arrives and stops him, but Ethan is still exposed to the fumes from the stuff.
Later on, at home, his body reacts to the chemicals and he morphs into the Clayface creature. At first, shocked and scared and horrified, he isn't able to control the form or even his voice, and the scene where he goes outside and tries to get the police to listen to him and realize it's him is absolutely heartbreaking. Later, he's able to get some control over it and can change back to look like Ethan Bennett, but his body is still comprised of the clay substance and he really can't live a normal life. After flipping out and abducting Chief Rojas, who really is a jerk with his zero tolerance for freaks policy, he escapes capture and season 1 ends with his partner Yin and Batman forming an alliance and wondering where Ethan is now.
Season 2 has an episode where he's caught and Wayne Industries has developed some kind of antidote that brings Ethan back to being a normal human and puts the Clayface cells into remission. But Ethan can't seem to adjust to being human again and he isn't treated very kindly by most people, and he flips out again while trying to stop the Joker after running into him. Up until season 4, he stays Clayface, whereupon his human side finally gets the upper hand and a real cure is found.
I'm really happy they allowed him to have a happy ending and not to just remain Clayface forever. That would have been way too sad. The two-parter that introduces him as Clayface, and the season 2 episode where he fails to integrate back into society, are just heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, the Riddler's backstory is revealed in season 4. He didn't have a happy home life. They don't include the thing from the comics where his father actually beat him, but the man was a jerk and would break his stuff. Later, he got into safe-cracking because he liked challenges, but then he tried to go straight at the university. He developed a cool invention and worked with a girl he came to love. A businessman wanted the invention and tried to cut a deal, but he wasn't interested. The girl was upset he wasn't. When it came time to demonstrate the invention, it suddenly and inexplicably malfunctioned and harmed the president of the university, who was testing it. The Riddler believed the businessman did it to discredit him and get hold of the invention himself. The incident ruined him and his reputation and the university made him leave. Batman, to whom the story is being told, realizes that the businessman wouldn't know how to sabotage the disc and that the culprit would have to be the girl the Riddler trusts. The Riddler goes to confront her and she smirks and admits what she did and says it was because she knew the Riddler would ruin any chance of success, so she wanted to get rid of him. He flips out in heartbroken anguish and tries to kill her, but Batman and Robin stop him. Batman stops Robin from untying the girl and says they'll let the police free her. He then asks Robin, "When is a villain not THE villain?" and glowers at the girl. She shrinks back under his glare, knowing she did wrong, and looks down at the Riddler, lying unconscious on the floor. A tear slips from his eye.
So no one can say that The Batman isn't capable of doing dark and deep things. And not just in season 4, either.
And the first couple of seasons have lots of interaction between Batman and Alfred and Alfred is really shown to be an important character. I miss that so much in the later seasons. I'd rather see interaction between Batman and Alfred instead of Batman and the kids, because Alfred generally seems to be an unsung hero and once the kids come in, we don't see much of him. Plus, both of the kids can be obnoxious, in this verse, at least. Batgirl is basically Jade at first (but thankfully she does mature, unlike Jade) and Robin is otherwise smarmy, although sometimes I get a laugh from his comments.
The Batman is what really made me a fan of the franchise in general, even though I always kind of "grew up" with it due to a big coloring book my brother gave me with two Batman stories in it and some Batman activities, and a Penguin figure he gave me. I was skeptical of watching The Batman when it was first coming out, but I decided to give it a chance and I've never regretted it. Because of The Batman, I wanted to see the movies (I still need to see all of the 1980s/1990s ones), and then I got into The Animated Series and the 1960s show. I still want to read some of the comic arcs (the main comics, that is, not the tie-in comics with The Batman that I've mentioned before). I remember wanting The Long Halloween and its follow-up story. I still want to get those eventually. I'm also curious about the Hush arc and would like to read that, although I'm not sure I like the Riddler being behind such a large-scale scheme to torture Batman over a long period of time and even taunting him with his failure to save the second Robin, Jason Todd. They were actually going to make a Hush movie in The Batman verse, and I'm really not sure the Riddler of that verse, at least, would be that dark and that cruel. I'm kind of glad the project was not green-lit, although I curiously wonder if they could have tweaked it and pulled it off without the Riddler seeming OOC.
But so anyway, The Batman has to be given credit for really interesting me in the whole franchise. And I love all the assorted branches I've really gotten into, especially The Batman, The Animated Series, and the 1960s show. And Gotham. I appreciate each for what they have to offer, instead of being upset that they're all different.
My The Batman fic is breezing right along, just like the other one did six years ago. It's so fun to write the character interaction scenes, and intersperse them with the mystery. I'm moving towards the climax now. Robin is in it and Batgirl is mentioned, but I'm also trying to have Alfred interaction like there was earlier on. My Batman fics take place in season 4 out of necessity, since they rely heavily on characters and information gleaned from the Riddler's backstory. But I don't acknowledge The Joining or the season 5 stuff with the other superheroes coming in.
I was disappointed that The Batman went that route, honestly. Since Batman relies on logic and skill and not supernatural powers, it seems better to me to not have him interact with supernatural superheroes. That said, I still like the Justice League series. Of course, I'll always adore George Newbern.
And I am absolutely ecstatic that he's joining the cast of the series Granite Flats for season 3! I am annoyed that Granite Flats only does eight episodes and calls that a season, but eight episodes of George ... still paradise! I hope he'll play a (relative) good guy.
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