Friday, January 20, 2012

Batman: 01 On Leather Wings

Batman is a DC Comics character, and Batman: The Animated Series is owned by Warner Home Video. If you'd like to purchase this episode, you may do so here; if you'd like to buy the DVD box set, you may do so here. This episode was written by Mitch Brian and directed by Kevin Altieri.

Opening

Moody strains of Danny Elfman's score play as the Warner Brothers logo fades out into the front of a police zeppelin, its yellow searchlights burning like eyes in a vaguely bat shaped face. Six seconds in, and we already have more foreshadowing than some programs achieve in six seasons.

More searchlights cut through the skyline of an art deco concrete jungle, before we settle in front of a bank. Unfortunately for the executives of BANK bank, the aggressive older brothers of the silhouette from the Mad Men opening credits are doing textbook surreptitious glances outside. 


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4 comments:

  1. Screen clips are awesome. They fill me with a sense of excitement just from seeing the familiar characters from childhood. Saturday morning cartoons have nothing on Batman!

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  2. I always loved this show, and I think I've shared this with you before. I always thought that it was WAY more adult than any other cartoons that were directed at kids my age, and I loved that it had real stories and a cool retro vibe. I look forward to the Clayface episode - by far the best in the series.

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  3. Nate - I agree. Batman: The Animated Series wasn't afraid to give you the characters without exposition, even for those you'd have to be a fan of the comics to truly "get". The characters were marched on stage with the assumption that you'd understand them by their actions and dialogue.

    I appreciate the fact that there was no attempt at pandering to the audience, and think that's one of the many reasons this show can be equally enjoyed whether you're seven or 27, and why it's just as much fun in 2012 as it was in 1992.

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  4. Just seeing the characters is enough to fill me with glee, but hearing Kevin Conroy's Batman voice makes it perfect. The man was the perfect fit for the character.

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