Over 30 years have passed since “Batman: The Animated Series,” now Batman is again back in the realm of animation, once again under the creative guidance of Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams, with the newly released “Batman: Caped Crusader,” which just released on Amazon Prime, with a total season drop consisting of a ten-episode living graphic novel that resides in the beauty of a noir-mystery thriller, centered around the psychosis of the Dark Knight, as he attempts to make an impact on a city corrupted by the value of regret, only in week two, of the vow.
It’s a beautiful problem to confess as the placement of a “novice” vigilante, with no relationships between heroes and the GCPD crafted along with no Robins saved yet or brought into the ranks of the mission of justice, brings forth the vital narrative decisions, all centered around the thesis of the series predicated on the dual portrayal and infancy of the shadow of Bruce Wayne being still intact as Batman’s cowl slowly swallows him, and the journey of finding the happy medium while pursuing the justification of what it means to be a hero, along with who can Batman truly trust, acting as the principal arc of the character throughout the first season.
The roundtable of writers with the creative focus and familiarity of Timm, working with the brutal realism from the mind of Reeves, and the solid campy writing of Tucker, and the inclusion of Abrams feels like a perfect storm, acting as an ode to the triumphant glory of “Batman: The Animated Series,” which the series does take inspiration from with the animation, character design and cinematography being drenched with a more mature lens, all through the use of silhouettes, blood, and increased violence, with actual murder being shown on screen, offers a point of age restriction to the audience while creating an atmosphere lost in time, and it works as the meticulous attention to detail is evident in every aspect, from the police uniforms to the 1920s New York accent, from the mobster terminology to the accurate representation of technology.
The patent authenticity includes the gadgets that Batman relies on. In the first few episodes, fans are greeted by the Bat submarine, the Batmobile, and even the Batcave, which has a classic microscope and a detailed map plucked from the Adam West Batman 66 series. The character carries a flashlight and relies on a diminished Bat-grapple, showing the variety and tangibility of materials present at the time of the comics being written, perfectly replicated and transitioned into the 40s motif, with the transistor radios present, acting as exposition while carrying the news.
With all that addressed, I can confess that the series does a great job of balancing and highlighting both portions of the Bruce Wayne experiment as newcomer Hamish Linklater brings forth an incredible performance that feels ripped from the pages of the darker and more mature, saturated adventures in Gotham City. Linklater doesn’t retread Conroy’s strength or the broken turmoil in each performance; instead, he offers a more composed portrayal, to the point where I hope he gets to keep the cowl for a long time.
He keeps his Batman to a man of few words, opts to cause a scene slowly, wears gloves to avoid ruining fingerprints, and lets his cold stare act as a strike of aggression while he acts and prances around in the shell of Wayne. The screenplay makes it evident that Bruce would bottle up the pain and trauma from the night his parents were gunned down in a crime alley instead of assimilating into the daily routine of his financial status. He thinks of the daytime as a mockery and a ploy to obtain more information that will help him advance each case he’s pursuing.
During the first couple of episodes, his relationship with Alfred is cold, stern, and emotionally unattached. The only words Bruce can muster is “Pennyworth.” Bruce retreats to the armor of the suit and the makeshift fortress of the Batcave. He doesn’t eat; his cowl is adorned with patent white lenses that signal to the audience in the story the iconic mask of Phantasm shriek from Alfred has already occurred, and the choice of a surrogate father longing to assist the child hiding in fear, shrouded by Vengeance is one of failure.
Forcing Alfred (Jason Watkins) to stand by acting as a means and tool for Bruce to use when he sees fit, meaning when Bruce starts to realize that he needs family, friends, and allies and musters the courage while stumbling and chewing on the word Pennyworth, until spits out the name Alfred, that it finally comes to pass he’s making a difference, feels earned and thus sets him on his path of justice. The city can see that, and he can finally realize it. It’s a sense of fulfillment as the boy who awoke in the middle of the night, decreeing with eyes frozen, “They will all pay,” knowing his code has to evolve, has taken his first steps into being the hero Gotham doesn’t need, but the one it needs.
As the series progresses, each episode is entirely villain-centric, which comes attached with the iconic title cards, just like BTAS did; instead of being hand-drawn, they are a bit moving and flow into the scene, dropping the viewer right into the action. Before the grainy, pencil art black and white opening that shows Batman as a silent guardian watching, all work in service to composer Frederik Wiedmann’s score, it’s not the haunting triumph of Shirley Walker, but that’s because it doesn’t need to be.
It’s gorgeous as the music flows, relying on the balance of crescendo, melody, and tone, as the city of Gotham is presented in mini vignettes along with scenes from the show devoid of color acting as the influence of moral distinction, showing the character of Batman and his environment reside in the desolate wasteland of muted colors, all building to the giant sculpture and concept art of the Caped Crusader himself, with his arms crossed resembling a creature of the night, giving off the impression of a silent film from the early turn of the century, heralding callbacks to the infancy and golden age of cinema.
The series works through the choice of world-building and foreshadowing as MacGuffins. Character beats all help weave and construct arcs, all planted in the background that help create a cohesive serialized narrative, such as the descent of Harvey Dent starting to rise to the surface, which will lead him down the road to Two-Face (Diedrich Bader) who is approaching the role of Dent as subversion and farce of Batman, a subtle jab to his time as the “Caped Crusader.” Echoing the age-old saying from Aaron Eckhart from “The Dark Knight:” “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
The screenplay makes you feel sympathetic towards Dent’s downfall, especially near the end, and magnifies how the abuse of the famous Joker line, “All it takes is one bad day,” is weaved around the corruption of power and the hidden agendas, akin to social commentary about the figures in power and how the position begins to erode and tarnish the memory before. The character of Dent is a powerful allegory around the stains lingering on our consciousness and the inner morality we all confront.
Other threads to notice are Commissioner Jim’s (Eric Morgan Stuart) and Barbara Gordon’s (Krystal Joy Brown) desperation as they fight an uphill battle to drain systemic corruption, taking refuge in the GCPD with Detective Harvey Bullock (John DiMaggio) and Arnold Flass (Gary Anthony Williams). In contrast, the mayor fights to secure every vote he can but implements proverbial roadblocks that say nothing terrible is happening. Interestingly, this variation’s dynamic between the Gordons resembles how the CW’s Arrow portrayed the Lance family.
Similarities arise with Barabra being a lawyer and public defender, feeling that the established foundation needs to be reformed, akin to how Laurel(Katie Cassidy) carried the role, and Gordon giving off Quentin Lance’s (Paul Blackthorne) mannerisms, still holding onto an archaic principle of justice residing in the value of choice and the people. Both act as the heart of the series while trying to navigate treacherous waters, making an exciting dichotomy for how the legacy of Batman will evolve as the series progresses.
One note of thought is that it is standard practice to understand Batman is known for his gallery of rogues. Caped CrusadCrusaderzes old established villains magnified under a new lens, meaning long-time favorites such as Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Clayface, Catwoman, and the Penguin are adorned with classic costumes but given new backstories split off from the established canon and lore to adjust to come off appropriate for the story and setting being told and showcased.
For example, Harley’s motivations are entirely reciprocal to those of the character from the original lore, with Arleen Sorkin and Tara Strong taking a more comical and slap-stick approach when wearing the iconic red and black jester outfit. Instead, actress Jaime Chung invokes a more systematic and sociopathically driven Harleen Quinzell, as during the day, she is a light-hearted therapist who looks to invade the deep internal thoughts of her clients, only targeting those in high prestige. When the costume comes on, Chung lowers her tone to a quiet, emotionally devoid volume while prodding away, acting as a solid foil for the development of Bruce as the story unfolds, especially during the events of episode three and even further in the fifth episode.
I found it quite similar to how Cillian Murphy’s Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow, was positioned and represented during the events of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins in the Nolan Trilogy.
Dan Donohue’s Clayface performance was a haunting murder mystery riddled and centered around the fulcrum of how far fame will lead to personal destruction and the element of the spotlight slowly drawing in and seducing those who step in front of the camera. The whodunnit, red herrings throughout the chapter, leaving the viewer guessing is sure to delight, along with the early comic accurate presentation of the rogue with the red scarf and the muddy disgruntled face under the desolate black clothing reminiscent of a twisted, subverted imitation of the Spirit will be a great call to action for long-time and hard-core comic book fans.
The Ed Brubaker Catwoman episode was one of the strongest, especially knowing the writer penned and crafted the screenplay, which paid dividends for the attention to detail and care showcased. Christina Ricci’s chemistry with Linklater felt symmetrical, with every Bat and Cat adaption replicated within animation to the silver screen. The execution throughout the episode allows viewers to feel they are experiencing a comic or a nexus point of the DC Comic mythology. The brilliance of Bruce and Selina’s sexual attraction is accentuated by his confusion as she quips crafted flirtatious dialogue that feels like the motivations of Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz from Reeves’ Batman universe.
Minnie Driver did a great job as Oswalda Cobblepot, and this is one of the significant deviations from the source material, as the crime lord Penguin was gender-bent in this case. However, the writing and presentation of the character, most notably with the Iceberg Lounge being a ship, an element from WB Montreal’s Batman: Arkham Origins, was a mixed bag, but still interesting nonetheless. Driver performs well, but the writing could have been more polished.
One key distinction from the apparent similarities between BTAS and Timm is that Timm is a central component of making this series function. In that universe, Paul Dini’s scripture painted the villains as empathic extensions of the pain Bruce harbors and his presence breeding these hollowed and broken tragedies. In “Caped Crusader,” villains are driven by greed and idolized to achieve their goals by any means necessary, but some are broken shells trying to find the pieces to feel whole once again, as mentioned before.
The only gripe I have with the series is that the cel-shaded Justice League animation with the moving frequency of Brave and The Bold is built around the framework of the Bruce Timm Designs, but it doesn’t connect. A few scenes could be printed and displayed as works of art to be framed and adorned on walls, but the animation needs to be better, especially knowing that Season 2 will be given time to marinate and evolve.
That was the only missing ingredient from the formula that made the original series shine, knowing that Gotham City was a visual masterpiece and perfect the backdrop for these compelling stories. Its art-deco architecture, crimson-painted skies, and the radiant illumination of the Bat Symbol all contribute to its unique and captivating aesthetic, acting as a beacon of vengeance, illuminating hope through the shadows.
Batman: Caped Crusader is yet another achievement that reflects animation having a year to remember with legacy titles such as “X-Men ’97,” leading the way in elevating the Saturday morning cartoon formula with a heightened approach to the fabled tales of our childhood while acting as a perfect conduit and spiritual successor for respecting the past and embracing the future while reminding us that as we age so does the nature, and takeaway of our heroes.
Matt Reeves continues to cement his influence and security of the Batman mythos and IP being in well-guarded attention. Bruce Timm’s art and direction continue to inspire and showcase the Dark Knight in his eternal glory.
“Batman: Caped Crusader” has a strong voice ensemble comprised of Hamish Linklater (“Midnight Mass”) as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jamie Chung (“Sucker Punch”) as Harley Quinn, Christina Ricci (“Wednesday”) as Catwoman, Diedrich Bader (“The Drew Carey Show”) as Harvey Dent, Mckenna Grace (“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”) as Natalia Knight aka Nocturna, Toby Stephens (“Percy Jackson”) as Gentleman Ghost, and Reid Scott (“The Idea of You”) as Onomatopoeia.
J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm are all executive producers of “Batman: Caped Crusader,” which hails from Warner Bros. Animation, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, and Reeves’ 6th & Idaho. Other executive producers include Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich, and Sam Register.
“Batman: Caped Crusader” Season 1 is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
