Happy Birthday, Mr. Wayne

[Sir Shockwave]

On the plus side while the Bruce Timm DC Stuff is "dead", Marvels current "The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes" is damn close to being its successor.

...Until they killed it, and replaced it with a tie-in to The Avengers movie (which if what happened to poor old Spider Man is any indication, will be a huge step down).

Yes, we are still very bitter about that.

OT: Ah, B:TAS. To be completely honest, I more remember the Superman cartoon they ran than Batman, however as Bob pointed out, B:TAS was the exact point we had the Renaissance Age of Animation, with it's massively improved writing over what came before, darker subject matter and character development, even if it wasn't in the form of longer arcs as we have it today.

Hmm...thinking about it, I think some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_Prime] non [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man:_Armored_Adventures] DCAU [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avengers:_Earth%27s_Mightiest_Heroes] shows [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Friendship_Is_Magic] owe their existence to the success of B:TAS.

Think about THAT for a moment X3

 

[Trishbot]

Okay, we NEED to talk about our favorite Batman: TAS episodes. JOIN ME! JOIN ME!

Here's my top 5:
1) "Harley's Holiday" - Harley Quinn tries to go straight, and everything gets screwed up. One of the funniest episodes in the series, and it proved to me that Harley can be a leading lady, even without the Joker around.

2) "Mudslide" - Clayface is dying and he and his lover are trying to stave off his death... even as Batman tries to track them down. It has an ending I still can't believe they did.

3) "Robin's Reckoning" - You want to know where Dick Grayson become my favorite DC character? This episode. Holy Awesome Episode, Batman! Robin's a badass, and I've never seen any hero face their traumatic past and be so badass doing it as Robin was in this episode.

4) "Heart of Ice" - Mr. Freeze was reborn in this episode, turned from goofy villain into one of the most tragic, pained, and sympathetic villains of all time.

5) "Two-Face" - Another villain that was "too gruesome" for the Adam West series, the Animated Series went full on mature with this episode. It's dark, psychological, tragic, and was built up throughout the first season to this sad and gut-wrenching point. Unbelievably good.

Also, huge shoutout to the best Batman movie of all time... no, not Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, or Nolan's movies... the animated "Mask of the Phantasm"!

This series is a classic. Kevin Conroy IS Batman and Mark Hamill IS the Joker in ways that still boggle my mind. But everyone else is fantastic, from Ron Pearlman's Clayface to Richard Moll's Two-face to Arleen Sorkin's Harley Quinn.

 

[MrGalactus]

Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
I love Batman; TAS, but I can let this birthday slide.

Last month was the 50th anniversary of the FIRST EVER APPEARANCE of Spider-Man, and nobody except Marvel Comics said anything. At all.
SAD FACE.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

I've said it before, and i'll say it again; Kevin Conroy was the best Batman. Not to take anything away from the live action actors, they were all good, but Conroy had the toughest job.

Conroy was really the first actor who made Bruce/Batman genuinely relatable. He had to make Batman both thoughtful and intimidating, whilst show a distinct-yet-subtle difference between Bruce and the Bat, using nothing but his voice.

Keep that in mind next time you hear Christian Bale's Cookie Monster impersonation.

Christian Bale's Batman isn't an impression of the Cookie Monster! D:<

It is obviously an impersonation of a wood chipper that has several tons of gravel and a cheese grater stuck in it.

Okay, we NEED to talk about our favorite Batman: TAS episodes. JOIN ME! JOIN ME!

May I suggest we do it from 5 to 1, so it builds "up" to the first one, here are mine that aren't covered by yours.

5) Mad Love: While it did have the new adventures of Batman's terrible Joker style, the exploration of Harley's fall into Darkness just can't be missed.

4) Beware the Grey Ghost: A respecting send off to the 60's Batman (with Adam West appearing as the Grey Ghost) something entirely unique during this time.

3) Almost Got im: A time to see how the main villains talking, seeing into there minds, and having some good laughs along the way.

2) I am the Night: Possibly one of the most violent and depressing things ever made for children. Trust me, watch it and don't be spoiled by me.

1) Batman: Mask of The Phantasm: Ok, technically it is a film, but it is a film you NEED to see. Everything good about the series just comes out perfect here.

 

[Plinglebob]

I know I will get beaten up for saying this, but I've always preferred Batman Beyond to Batman: TAS. I was introduced to both in the past couple of years which meant TAS didn't really have the same impact on me as I imagine it would have had 20 years ago. Beyond, on the other hand, had the same animation and story quality as TAS did, but with the added twist of an old Bruce and a young Batman.

That being said, Baby-Doll is for me one of the most heartbreaking and disturbing episodes of TV ever. Not only is the villain believable and tragic on an oddly unsettling level, but the way she's drawn as a cartoon rather then as a person makes it even more unsettling.

 

[90sgamer]

Where can one watch B:TAS and Superman while suffering the fewest inconveniences, i.e. ads, pop-ups and other vile things?

EDIT: http://www.thewb.com/shows/batman-the-animated-series/the-cat-and-the-claw-part-i/2d7fb1c3-4faa-4caa-a498-1c4cb872093a

But there are commercials. Commercials everywhere.

 

[mrm5561]

i grew up with this show and plan on watching it with my kids one day. long live the dcau

 

[Shjade]

Okay, we NEED to talk about our favorite Batman: TAS episodes. JOIN ME! JOIN ME!

No.

But I will link this [http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/32071-top-11-batman-tas-episodes] instead and say that Almost Got 'Im is probably the one that sticks with me most, just for that Harvey/Ivy interaction.

H: "Half of me wants to strangle you."

I: "And what does the other half want?"

H: "To hit you with a truck."

I: (To Joker and Penguin) "We used to date."

J&P: "Ah."

 

[Evil Smurf]

are you dense? Are you retarded? It is his Goddamn birthday!

 

[Evil Smurf]

This absolutely should have been a Big Picture episode.

Edit: Btw, try installing the browser plugin AdBlock Plus before going to thecw.com. It seems to cut the commercials.

don't mention adblock stuff on the escapist unless you like mod wrath

 

[MorganL4]

This IS my vision of Batman, and still today, I will not watch a Batman cartoon if the Bat is not voiced by Conroy. For some reason, if he doesn't do the voice it throws everything off for me, and I can't enjoy it. I guess it is only fitting that I accidentally spent all day Wednesday playing DCU Online. A fitting way to show my appreciation for the series I think........

And yes, Conroy OWNS Bale in regards to a Bruce/Bat portrayal.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Renee Montoya, so important to the DC universe that she has yet to be introduced in the New 52 and in fact may have been killed off-screen.

Can anyone say 'bury your lesbians?'

And yes, I am very bitter that two of my favourite characters have been unceremoniously killed/completely removed from reality.

But happy birthday Batman anyway. Without this show I'd never know the pain of the idiots at DC killing anyone who's not Batman

 

[Dreadman75]

Batman: The Animated Series...god that was such an awesome show back when, and it still holds up today better most any other show I've ever seen.

One of the greatest things about today though: The entire series is watchable on The Hub through re-runs shown every day. I think The Hub is quickly becoming a spiritual successor of sorts to Cartoon Network, there are a lot of awesome shows on there now. Re-runs of Batman TAS, Batman Beyond, Superman TAS, Kaijudo, Transformers Prime, Dan vs....that's a lot of good stuff!

OT: This show pretty much sets one of the highest bars imaginable for animation. Great characters, awesome stories, lots of action, and it all still holds up despite it being 20 years old. Why can't we get more shows like this? Shows that don't treat their audiences like they're idiots or too sensitive for more mature subject matter.

Okay, we NEED to talk about our favorite Batman: TAS episodes. JOIN ME! JOIN ME!

This series is a classic. Kevin Conroy IS Batman and Mark Hamill IS the Joker in ways that still boggle my mind. But everyone else is fantastic, from Ron Pearlman's Clayface to Richard Moll's Two-face to Arleen Sorkin's Harley Quinn.

Damn you! Don't make me choose!

But if I have to:

5. Two-Face parts I and II: What do I need to say? Seeing Harvey Dent's struggle with an alternate personality that eventually turns into Two-Face is just tragic. Even more so seeing Batman beat himself up over it.

4. If you're so Smart, why aren't you Rich?: The introduction to The Riddler and one of the few episodes where the villain managed to outsmart Batman and escape.

3. Day of the Samurai: A glimpse into the training days of Bruce Wayne when he must return to Japan to confront an old enemy for the last time.

2. Almost Got 'im: I always crack up over how well the villains play off one another.

1. Mask of the Phantasm: I know it's not an episode, but I don't give a damn! This is arguably the first thing related to Batman TAS that I ever watched. And it's still just as awesome today as it was when I was a little squirt that didn't understand half of what was going on in that movie at them time.

So in conclusion: Thank you Batman: The Animated Series for being so awesome! Thank you for helping bring us Static Shock, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, and the Justice League. Thank you Bruce Timm and Paul Dini for bringing this to life! I hope we'll still look back on this show as fondly even further down the line.

 

[ashertaz]

All hail the Batman The Animated Series, a series that still is cooler than many, many movies or animations (or a lot of anime) today. They introduced the Bat to me (i was too little when the movies appeared that failed to understand much of it). In retrospect, it offered the kids a way to see a hero in their 30-ish fathers, seeing that the bat always saved the kids and it also made us come closed to him by adopting Dick Grayson, with whom most of us identified (well, except the part with parents splattered on the circus floor).
So, Happy B Day! So say we all, for we are the Legion.

 

[octafish]

Meh, I was out drinking and trying to womanise when this started. If it wasn't on after 9.30 at night chances are I didn't watch it. I know one thing that the DCAU did right and that is get C.C.H. Pounder to voice Dr. Amanda Waller...Rich boy.

 

[kburns10]

Thank you Batman TAS! It was one of my favorite cartoon series as a kid and spawned one of the few Superman mediums I can stand. I'm also glad to see The Zeta Project get a mention. I was thinking I was one of the few that remembered that show.