THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS! REMEMBERING 'BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES'

Gotham's ultimate guardian, BATMAN, patrols the rooftops. Images: WARNER BROTHERS ANIMATION.

There had been several successful animated series in which Bob Kane's legendary and distinctive crime fighting vigilante hero of the night, BATMAN, had been successfully involved, most notably during the seventies, but it would be the early nineties interpretation of the character-all stylistically noir, and combining the very best elements of it's creators early work, merged into a kind of updated, filmic treatment (of the kind exemplary set by Tim Burton in his then recent movie incarnations for the Dark Knight)- that would make BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES such an artistic and commercial triumph, as well as a highly respective tribute to its creator, when it debuted in 1992.

Here was a BATMAN series not played for laughs or cartoon simplistic: darker and more menacing than we'd seen before, well voiced by lead star Kevin Conroy, often involved in the kind of expertly staged action and drama we'd wanted to see done in live-action, in conflict with a memorable array of old and new villains, most notable being the brilliant and inspired performance of STAR WARS actor Mark Hamill in a completely stunning psychologically twisted interpretation of the Caped Crusader's arch-nemesis, the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker, who, to many fans even today, remains the best actor to have inhabited the role, even if in the animated sense. Other old favourites locking swords, guns and high-tech weaponry against the hero of the night, equally well voiced by Hollywood's top vocal talents, would be Two-Face (Richard Moll), the Penguin (Paul Williams), Mister Freeze (Michael Ansara), Poison Ivy (Diane Pershing), the Mad Hatter (Roddy McDowall), Clayface (Ron Perlman), and, launching the series in an excellent two-parter that really set the tone for the series to come, the ultra sexy Catwoman (Adrienne Barbeau), in a persona similar to that realised by Christopher Nolan and Anne Hathaway in their recent worldwide smash hit conclusion to the Dark Knight movie trilogy.

Batman and his diabolical nemesis, the Joker.

Batman: The Animated Series - YouTube

The series, as well as having terrific animation (directed by the likes of emerging talents Boyd Kirkland Kevin Altieri and Bruce W. Timms (who developed the innovative show with Eric Radomski)) and a stirring music score from the late Shirley Newman (obviously taking some fine cues and tributes from Danny Elfman's sterling work for Tim Burton's first two BATMAN movies) had some clever and inventive, often classic, scripts, from special contributors including Paul Dini, MARVEL COMICS and DC legends Archie Goodwin and Len Wein, Martin Pasko and Jerry Robinson, many of which expertly explored the mysterious and multi-layered facets of the Dark Knight: his origins (via his true persona as orphaned millionaire-to-be Bruce Wayne), legacy and his almost apocalyptic thirst in fighting crime. Also well handled were experimental and ambitious episodes that didn't feature the titular hero, or at least putting him in a minor role, as other iconic supporting characters got their chance in the limelight, like the Wayne family's loyal butler, Alfred (voice with snobby but likable authority by Efram Zimbalist Jr.) and the Batmobile's secret mechanic. There was even a great episode where the Dark Knight's most fearsome baddies all gathered round to remember the time when they fell short of eliminating the pesky bat threat once and for all, in the excellent I Almost Got 'Im...

Distinctive key art for the early 1992 series.

Truly a revolutionary series, lasting into 1995, and spawning two stylish theatrical or straight to DVD movies (THE MASK OF THE PHANTASM and BATMAN & MISTER FREEZE: SUB ZERO), the series sadly lost a touch of its animation and scripting quality in later episodes, obviously dumbed down a percentage under orders from WARNER BROTHERS (wanting to make the seres more popular and accessible for the little 'un's), as Batman's equally legendary sidekick, the often painfully annoying Robin (voiced by Loren Lester), made his debut, followed shortly after by the sprightly and shapely form of Batgirl (Melissa Gilbert). It was here that I lost interest in the series-for me it's Batman on his own or not at all- but I respected all the quality work that had been done on the series previous episodes, recognising the fact that this had been a well-crafted show that would have long-lasting legs in future repeats and DVD sales, and, even more importantly, further revitalising the comic worlds supreme hero for years to come...

Episode Guide list: Batman:TAS Retrospective - Digital Polyphony

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES is available on DVD.