As an unrepentant superfan of Batman: The Animated Series, I think that like-minded people will want to know how the new Batman show, Batman: Caped Crusader, stacks up to that legendary cartoon. I won’t beat about the bush - I really enjoyed it, and it compares favorably. But it wasn’t quite what I was expecting based on some of the press releases over the last couple of months. I was expecting the show to be very similar to Batman: The Animated Series, with tragic villains defined by loss, wallowing in despair. And there are elements of that, but for the most part, the villains of the show are not tragic figures. They’re selfish. They’re arrogant. They’re vain. And any struggles they face are a direct result of their own behavior. I also thought it was going to have more extreme content. After all, the TV broadcast regulations of the 1990s were far more strict than the world on online streaming platforms in the 2020s.

But I found Caped Crusader to be quite tame in comparison. Yes, people die, some of them in horrible ways, but there are no scenes that are as harrowing as the most frightening moments from Batman the Animated Series. I think that the creative team took a long hard look at what worked well in Batman the Animated Series and decided when to compete with it and when not to. The first thing that leapt out at me is the music. It’s far more subtle than I was expecting and clearly doesn’t attempt to compete with the work of the late Shirley Walker and her band of composers. If anything, the music is a clear homage to the work of Bernard Herrmann, the composer that worked on Alfred Hitchcock movies. While Danny Elfman’s theme for Batman the Animated Series was loud and bombastic, Frederik Wiedmann’s theme is softer and more suggestive.

There were villain themes, but they weren’t really that distinct. I couldn’t hum, say, Harley Quinn’s theme in the same way that Shirley Walker’s work echoes through my mind. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. Similarly, the show is less vibrant and emotional. Take the title sequence, for instance, rather than being a standalone piece of animation, it’s more a gallery of shots from the episodes, separated by lingering shots of the beautiful background paintings, in sepia tones. Having said that, there are some obvious similarities to Batman the Animated Series. They do reuse a few key shots from that show, and in one episode every headline in a newspaper that Batman combs through is a direct reference to episodes of Batman the Animated Series. See if you can spot them all! I feel like the writers on the show really went out of their way to subvert expectations, while also trying to stay true to the spirit of Batman.

Particularly how he was depicted in the early comic books. And it is kind of ironic that they managed to make the show feel new and fresh by revisiting 80-year-old comic books. Of course, that doesn’t mean they threw out everything that had worked previously. Producers Bruce Timm and James Tucker made quite a big deal about how different their Batman was. This Batman deliberately breaks bones and dangles corrupt city officials in front of oncoming trains - but he was very recognizably Batman. Even their Bruce Wayne - described by Bruce Timm as “weird” and a facade - wasn’t that different to what we had seen before. There was one shot in the first episode, where Bruce joins a party at the Iceberg Lounge and puts on the biggest, most awkward fake smile ever. That genuinely made me laugh. Likewise, when he cracks a joke to Barbara Gordon and doesn’t get

the reaction he expected. He strolls over to another group of partygoers, making the same joke, and with the exact same inflection. It's almost like it was a second take for him. This time he got the result he wanted. His interactions with the people he considers his friends and allies as Bruce Wayne, people like Harvey Dent, Leslie Thompkins, and Lucius Fox, are far more natural, and the facade slips. But, again, I don’t want to suggest that this show retreads old ground. There’s definitely more violence in this series. People get shot, some of them fatally, but it’s never graphic. The staging of the fight scenes is very clear, but it avoids being too flashy. I don’t feel like there were ever any shots that really blew me away; there’s no Batman being dragged through the Gotham City night sky, with the camera arcing around a police blimp.

In fact, there weren’t even any police blimps! No, it feels like it was made by a team that was fully confident in their abilities, and that they didn’t need to use visual tricks to impress the audience. Instead, they focused on clarity. Of course, I would’ve loved to have seen a scene that rivalled the animation in the Batman the Animated Series episode Feat of Clay Part 2. But what we got was consistent and high quality. Some of the trailers made me think that we’d get some flashy editing techniques that resembled comic book panels, but that was only used in the trailer. While I was a little disappointed initially, upon reflection, this was the right choice. At least this way, the audience always knows where to look. Hearing all this about the animation may disappoint some people, but I think there’s a beauty in how straightforward it is. There are very few obvious budget-saving tricks used, and the animation is consistently good.

As much as I loved X-Men ‘97, I found their use of extreme close-ups to save on having to animate the mouths moving a little distracting after a while, but there’s very little of that here. Only one sequence comes to mind off the top of my head, when a frustrated Harvey Dent throws a snow globe of Gotham City at a framed poster, smashing the glass. Rather than showing the glass breaking, the shot lingers on Dent and we hear the glass break. There are bound to be others, but they are less noticeable. When it comes to the cast, there isn’t a weak performance in the whole bunch. When I learned that the actors recorded their lines in isolation during the COVID lockdowns, I feared that some of the performances may come across a little flat. Batman: The Animated Series famously got their cast together in person to record their dialogue, so that the actors could react to each other, making their performances more natural.

But this was a needless concern. Hamish Linklater as Batman sounds how Batman should sound. He’s very clearly influenced by the late Kevin Conroy - as most Batman actors have been and likely always will be - but there’s a detached quality to him, with very little warmth. I know that some people had expressed concern that the show was going to be too grim, dark, and serious, but there are moments of comedy. Catwoman’s episode in particular has many funny and absurd moments. For instance, Catwoman’s Catmobile, with the massive cat face on the front, complete with glowing cats’ eyes, and an engine that literally purrs, is a highlight. As is Selina Kyle’s performance in court when she’s caught for the first time. Likewise, Onomatopoeia’s fight with Batman genuinely made me laugh out loud in a couple of places. Seriously, “Pow” is all I need to say about that.

The thing that I find most striking about the show is that, although it clearly exists in a world with a 1940s aesthetic, it’s just that - an aesthetic. There’s no slavish attention to detail, or references to the prevailing morality of the time. They never even say what year it is. This is a city with oversized props, like the massive hat and umbrella atop the Iceberg Lounge. Weird science: a face-altering serum, electrified knuckle dusters. And the supernatural: a life force-draining vampire and the ghost of an 18th-century highwayman. It’s also a city that is overrun with corruption, and citizens plagued with relatable issues. And they all co-exist seamlessly. Some had expressed concern about the diverse cast as a cynical cash grab, although that felt like a bad faith argument to me. Frankly, I don’t really get that complaint;

most of these characters’ ethnicity is not a key component of their character, so there are no issues with making Commissioner Gordon African American, for instance. There’s no segregation in Gotham, people are free to love who they want to love without discrimination, there’s no reference to the looming threat of War overseas. And they don’t make a big song and dance about it. Because it isn’t set in the 1940s. The world just shared the look and the technology of that time period. People of colour exist and some of them have a position of authority. Some characters are homosexual. There are women in the workplace. And it is not a big deal. By not making a song and dance out of the fact that Commissioner Gordon is African American, or that Harleen Quinzel is a queer Asian American, the show normalises their existence. Which is how it should be handled. And if it makes you uncomfortable I’d ask

that you take a few moments to think about just why that is. If you’re looking for a historically accurate programme about the USA in the 1940s, this is not the show for you. And, frankly, you shouldn’t be looking to get a historical education from a fictional program. No, this show is more about how we respond to pain and loss. It’s the start of Batman’s story of growth and dealing with his trauma through the act of helping people. It’s Harvey Dent’s blind ambition and how his pride led to his downfall. It’s how our own sense of self-worth can be tied up in inconsequential things. It’s about the corruption that has taken root in Gotham City at every level, and how good people, like the Gordons, try to make a difference. Now, if you’re a long-time subscriber to my channel, then you’re probably waiting for me to start talking about the villains.

Note that I will produce more in-depth videos on each of the villains - costumed or otherwise - but the quick general summary is that these villains are not tragic figures. They’re deeply flawed people, and the majority only appear in one episode each, although characters like Dr. Harleen Quinzel and Harvey Dent are recurring characters. The Penguin is the first villain we meet in the series, and they’ve made some bold choices with this version of the character that will take some people by surprise. The Penguin is another character that presents one face to the world, but they are truly a horrific person that doesn’t care about the health and safety of others, even their family members. Clayface crops up in the second episode, and this was one character that I was keenly anticipating. I think they were quite wise in not even trying to compete with Ron Perlman’s seminal version of the character. And Clayface is a great example of the show being less emotional.

Batman: The Animated Series’ Clayface was a tragic figure that audiences felt sorry for. Their Clayface, however, delights in his new form. An early press release said he was motivated by a desire for revenge, but that’s not quite the full truth. He’s lashing out against past rejection and loving every second of his newfound power. Catwoman, meanwhile, is a flighty, light-hearted thief that steals in response to the loss of her family’s fortune after her father was sent to prison for tax evasion. She doesn’t really harm people, but Gotham wants to harm her. Firebug is a weak, meager man who becomes empowered in the presence of flames, but without his flamethrower, he’s nothing. Less than nothing in some ways. Harley Quinn, meanwhile, targets the wealthy elites of Gotham. After learning their secrets as their psychiatrist, Harley Quinn tortures

and brainwashes her targets into giving away their wealth before ending their own lives. There was a lot of excitement for Onomatopoeia when he was featured in the first trailer for the show, and he does have a substantial part in an episode, as a hitman that’s brought to Gotham to assassinate a prominent citizen. Onomatopoeia is mute for the most part, but communicates through sound effect noises - hence the name. He has a group of assistants to back him up and do most of the talking. Some of these scenes are a genuine delight. As much as the early episodes of Batman: The Animated Series had a firm “no supernatural characters” rule, Caped Crusader embraces the supernatural. Case in point, The Gentleman Ghost, is unambiguously a ghost of an 18th-century highwayman. The other supernatural character, Nocturna, is driven by her insatiable appetite for people’s life force.

Then we have Two-Face. Clear comparisons are made between Barbara Gordon, in this show a public defender, assigned to people that can’t afford a lawyer of their own, and Harvey Dent, the district attorney that does favors for the rich elites. Yes, he bends the rules for his wealthy friends, but he draws the line at outright criminality. That is ultimately what leads to his downfall. He compromises his core beliefs in order to succeed, and when he tries to back out, he pays a price. Caped Crusader’s Two-Face isn’t obsessed with duality and chance - instead, he feels as though he was wronged by the mob, that his life was taken from him unjustly. The corruption within Gotham runs too deep, and the only way to clear it out, in his mind, is through violence. And then there are villains that don’t wear fancy costumes or have weird gimmicks.

People like Rupert Thorne, or Detectives Flass and Bullock. And I think there may be a little fan backlash in response to this show's depiction of Harvey Bullock. A character who, while rough around the edges, was a beloved fan favorite. In this series, he is an unrepentant monster. While most episodes can be enjoyed as standalone stories, there are a couple of subplots that run throughout the series. Jim Gordon’s struggle with the corruption within the police department and city hall. Harvey Dent’s mayoral campaign. Bullock and Flass’ rapid descent into criminality. And Alfred’s feelings of guilt. There’s so much more to say about Caped Crusader, but ultimately what you want to know is if it’s worth your time? Undoubtedly yes. I'm going to be talking about Caped Crusader a lot more in future videos, but let's close things out by saying that this series gets a strong recommendation from me.

All 10 episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, 1st August. Stay tuned for even more Batman: Caped Crusader coverage. On launch day, we’ll be dropping TEN episodes of our Podcast, Totally Schway Flip Side, where co-host Mary and I will talk about each episode. This will be a more detailed, spoiler-filled conversation about each episode, so only listen to those once you’ve seen the episodes in question, or if you have no intentions of ever watching them. I’ll be back next Monday with a Caped Crusader villain essay looking at their version of The Penguin. And I hope to see you then.

Batman Caped Crusader Is Everything I Wanted (Almost!)

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