He Is the Night, He Is Vengeance, He Is Batman: The Animated Series

Four feature films were produced in The Animated Series world, the first of which, Mask of the Phantasm, is widely regarded by fans and critics of Batman as the best example of the skill, care, and passion of the many writers and artists who made the show such a success. Directed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski and written by Alan Burnett, Martin Pasko, Paul Dini, and Michael Reaves, it was released in theaters in 1993. Although it failed to make much an impact at the box office, it received high critical praise.

Mask of the Phantasm dealt in areas of love and death which were not acceptable in the television show. The Joker is a villain here, but not the only one, surrounded by the Mob Families of Gotham, who are being bumped off one after the other by a masked hero/villain. The scenes which show the beginning of Bruce Wayne’s career as Batman recall Frank Miller’s Year One, as almost anything which tells the story of Wayne’s training is bound to do. They also show how heavy the burden of being Batman weighs on Bruce, who is unable to be with the woman he loves. Phantasm had the additional effect of allowing the audience for The Animated Series to see how dark things are in that world, even if they were disallowed from doing so on TV. Know this, you kids: bods are going dead by The Joker’s hands! Off screen, but definite.

Sub-Zero followed, a story revolving around Mr. Freeze and Batman’s rivalry and the sad lengths to which a desperate man will go. This movie, following both Mask of the Phantasm and the classic episode “Heart of Ice” in the minds of the fans, was sure to fall short of the mark set. Yet, it is still a work of supreme talent. The Mystery of the Batwoman is the most lightweight of the four Animated Series movies, yet still entertaining.

When The Animated Series completed its run, Batman Beyond—or Batman of the Future, depending on where you lived—was the next project from the Bruce Timm team. Underrated then—and now—it sees an old Bruce Wayne (still played by Kevin Conroy) retiring and passing on the torch to young bod Terry McGuinness. What Batman Beyond is most notable for is the movie which was made to connect it to The Animated Series. In its original uncut form, The Return of the Joker, the fourth and final film from The Animated Series, is a daring exploration of Batman’s “one rule”: he does not kill. The film was cut significantly by Warner Bros., who felt it was too much for the poor little nippers. Due to popular demand the uncut version was later released on DVD.

Return of the Joker is both an elegant epilogue to The Animated Series and a fine prologue to Batman Beyond. Much is said for its violence, in that regressive way which even mature comic book fans can sometimes speak. “He rips a guys head off! This is what comic books really are man, not that kids’ stuff!” In contrast to the depressing and juvenile adaptation of the depressing and juvenile comic book, Under the Red Hood, everything in Return of the Joker is in service to a great story. It is harder to get a hold of the uncut version but I heartily recommend it.

The Justice League cartoons, which were also produced by the same team, feature the vocal talents of Conroy, Hamill, and many other familiar villains. Although very different in style, they are well worth a viewing. And after many years of trying to crack into video games, Batman has finally starred in a game worthy of him. With the tremendous success of Rocksteady Studio’s 2009 Arkham Asylum, written by Dini and featuring Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin, and other Animated Series alumni, it is clear just how much the show still resonates with people, and how important it is to the comic book industry. The sequel Arkham City, due out in October, seems set to surpass its predecessor.

Looking at The Animated Series and the films which came from it, it is easy now (in the age of Christopher Nolan) to underestimate how strange it was for a mainstream work to care this much about a comic book character. Burton played a large part in making the Spider-Man, X-Men, Hellboy, and Nolan’s Batman movies possible, but so did Alan Burnette, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Eric Radomski, and the many writers and animators who worked on The Animated Series. Their influence is clearly felt in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

The idea that one could make both a profitable movie, and one which treated the comic book’s history as a most sacred thing, may seem like an obvious thing now, but for a long time it wasn’t. The Animated Series helped to educate people, and hip them to this great character. As long as Batman exists, The Animated Series will have a place of honor in his history.

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