Skip to main content

Review: Beware the Batman - Animated TV Series

I first wrote about the 26 part TV series, Beware the Batman in my Animation and Video blog when the initial trailer was released back in June of 2013. At the time I was underwhelmed with the shows CGI and almost immaculate Gotham City streets.

For some reason the show was only ever aired at odd times on late night TV here in Australia, which seems to have been it's fate for the second half of the series in the USA too. As a result I only ever caught two or three episodes before the show disappeared. Apparently being declared a financial failure by Cartoon Network.



While the episodes I saw weren't particularly mind blowing they were reasonably solid Batman stories in a darker tone than the previous animated series Batman, The Brave and the Bold. Batman, in particular, is a much angrier and more focused hero and is voiced extremely well by Anthony Ruivivar. The only thing that really bugged me about this version of Batman is the shape of his cowl and the extremely pointy, flared out ears - not a lot of forehead in the character design.

Anyway, I happened along the DVD of the first half of Season 1, Beware the Batman - Shadows of Gotham, in my local department store and thought I'd give it a try. Several months later I happened to find the second half of Season 1, Beware the Batman - Dark Justice, in the same department store and bought that as well... to see how it ends.

Overall I would say Beware the Batman is a very under rated series. For the most part I always found each episode engaging and the characters of Batman/Bruce Wayne are as good a version as any I've seen to date in an animated series.

Also a real highlight is Kurtwood Smith as Lieutenant Gordon, who's character arc is fairly typical of modern versions of Gordon. Initially hostile towards Batman but eventually reconciles that bringing him in isn't as beneficial as just keeping an eye on things and accepting his help when necessary. Despite that his character is a standout in the series.

I must admit I'm not a fan of this version of Alfred Pennyworth (JB Blanc) depicted here as an ex secret agent. There's nothing particularly wrong with it as such but for a guy in his 60's he sure can not only take a punch but really hit hard too. In an early episode you see him go toe to toe with Bruce in an apparent training exercise. Seriously, if I'm fit enough to take on Batman in my 60's I'll be one happy camper.

Disappointingly this is yet another series with no Robin. Instead we get Katana (Sumalee Montano), a sword wielding spy from Alfred's past. Except for a really lame 'Clarke Kent' like disguise the character is a great addition and eventual side kick for Batman (that's not really a spoiler you can tell it'll happen from the moment she appears). My only question is how did she make it through 26 episodes without so much as a single drop of blood on her sword. I don't think any villain got so much as a scratch.

The villains aren't your classic Batman rogues gallery. To be honest I've never heard of any of them other than Ra's Al Ghul (Lance Reddick) who makes a brief appearance mid season and Killer Croc (Wade Williams) who also appears in a few episodes.

I wasn't a big fan of Anarchy (Wallace Langham) who is supposed to be the seasons major villain but really doesn't get enough screen time to feel like that's his role. Apparently he was chosen so as not to make this series 'another Joker story' but if they had used Joker instead I think the stories would have been stronger. Anarchy is too low key and doesn't really live up to his name. He's too calculated.

Surprisingly my favorite foes were Professor Pyg (Brian George) and Mr Toad (Udo Kier). Depicted as Eco-terrorists they are quite possibly the silliest characters of the series (and I rolled my eyes when I saw them in the trailer) but the banter between Pyg and Toad and their adversaries provided some of the best humor of the series.

The only other character that really caught my attention was Barbara Gordon (Tara Strong) played as an extremely young computer hacker who eventually becomes an ally of Batman as 'Oracle' (again not really a spoiler). I was hoping she'd eventually become Bat Girl. You can see that was probably the intention over the course of the series, as Katana trains her in hand to hand combat, but sadly it was probably a storyline that we would have been seen in a second series (sorry to spoil that for you but at least you're not sitting in hope like I was).

Overall there were no really stand out episodes for me. Although there were a few low point episodes - anything with Metamorpho (Adam Baldwin) and  Humphrey Dumpler (Matt Jones) for a start - both highly annoying characters. However most episodes were fairly strong in their storyline. Not overly complex but interesting enough to see how they play out. I was more interested in seeing how the series character arcs played out than the individual episodes stories.

If you like a darker, more serious Batman and you haven't been into recent incarnations of the character in animation then this might be well worth watching. It would have been great to see a second season of the show with some of Batman's more well known villains, as I think the choice of foes is really what let the show down. They needed at least one familiar face in this 'C list' rogues gallery, if not Joker then one of the other top tier characters (of which Ra's isn't one of them despite Batman Begins).

A good series for the collection and well worth a few watch throughs for Batman alone.




Buy Gifts and Apparel featuring art by TET.

Popular posts from this blog

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Course Review: YouTube for Bosses - Sunny Lenarduzzi. How to grow your YouTube Channel into a Business

YouTube for Bosses Free Mug...  or the most expensive mug  you'll ever buy? I've been subscribed to  Sunny Lenarduzzi's YouTube channel for a few years, learning a lot on how to grow a following on sites like YouTube and Instagram. If you have any interest in growing your own YouTube channel I'd highly recommend watching some of Sunny's videos on the subject.  Definitely explore her 2019 back catalogue for the most useful information. This year she's been on a bit of a 'being authentic' pivot that, personally, doesn't resonate all that much with me (but probably speaks volumes to anyone with similar experience). I'm not saying she shouldn't or isn't being authentic, it's just I didn't subscribe to hear stories about her life journey. To get back on track, Sunny runs a successful online business with her flagship course, YouTube for Bosses , a stand alone paid course that does act as something of a gateway to further paid (but opt

Embarrassing Yourself with Doof Doof Music

Ever since Spinal Tap popularized the notion of turning an amp up to eleven audio systems have been rising to the challenge of louder, more awesome sound. In particular, car audio systems have embraced the notion of the bigger the noise the better the sound must surely be. What I'd like to know is, if these sound systems are so good, why do they make all music sound the same... Doof, Doof, Doof? You've all heard them. Pimped up cars, with audio systems seemingly worth more than gold, volume blasting way past eleven. Sound waves booming long before you make a positive visual on the car... Doof, Doof, Doof. It has to be the audio system right? Surely all these people can't be playing the same tune? Doof, Doof, Doof. Could it be that the more money spent on a car sound system the less musical range it will actually play? Maybe these people can't afford to buy music after purchasing the audio system so they all play the same demo track? Doof, doof, doof. In my own car I hav

One Week on Light n' Easy #lightneasy

My partner, Enigma, and I recently decided to try Light n' Easy to replace all our daily meals in an effort to eat healthier (and not have to think at all about cooking evening meals). Enigma is about to embark on her third week of their full menu but I caved after one and opted just to get the dinners.

The Braille Skateboarding App - How it Changed My Mind on Switch Skating

My Profile on the Braille Skateboarding App. Braille Skateboarding launched it's new Skateboarding App worldwide on November 23rd, 2020. About a month prior to that they did a 'soft launch' via email for anyone living in Australia. I'm guessing this was to give the app a final test in the real world before launching it proper. Rather than explain what it is, watch Aaron Kyro, founder of Braille Skateboarding, run you through the app in the launch video below.  In a nutshell the app is virtually everything Braille has to offer accessed right from your phone, from tutorials to the Braille Army Community. The app is free but you can unlock more features if you upgrade to a paid membership. Braille App Trick List. One of the apps unique free features is keeping track of the tricks you've learned and giving you an overall score so you have some way to measure your progression. There is an extensive list of tricks, covering all types of skateboarding, categorized by diff

The Lego Man - He's got all that!

Who would have thought that owning one of the worlds largest, private Lego collections could take you so far. Tom Lucieer of Angaston, South Australia, not only has met the Queen (of England) but is a frequent guest of her majesty and family when they are in Australia. He's also met Prince Charles, Lady Diana and Camila Parker-Bowles. Not only that, he grew up with TV Vet, Dr Harry, and is a friend of the Irwin family (yes, that's Steve Irwin's family). Tom will happily tell you all this as part of the guided tour of his collection, which, aside from Lego, includes much railway memorabilia and colourful anecdotes about days gone by, his achievements and more. Frequently he will finish each particular monologue with the phrase, "Have you got that?", just to check that he hasn't confused you because, as he points out, his display and the stories behind it are a lot to take in at once. In the photo you can see Tom holding a special award, which I think is for bei