On September 5, 1992, Batman: The Animated Series premiered on Fox Kids, introducing the world to a vision of The Dark Knight that appealed to all age groups. Created by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, with writers including Paul Dini and a voice cast centered on Kevin Conroy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Loren Lester, Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Mark Hamill, and more, Batman The Animated Series was both a distillation of everything that made The Caped Crusader popular for decades as well as an inspiration for countless TV shows, comics, movies, and of course fans, in the years that followed.
Personally, BTAS was the thing that not only made me a Batman fan, but got me into superheroes in general. From its initial season to its rebranded second season of The Adventures of Batman & Robin to its update in The New Batman Adventures, I was obsessed with Timm and company’s interpretation of The Dark Knight. In my eyes, it’s the version of the character that I see first when I think about Batman. Every interpretation is ultimately compared to this version, and in its balance of all ages thrills with a mature storytelling style, the animated series encapsulated everything that makes this character special.
So to celebrate 30 years of Batman: The Animated Series, I’m ranking my 30 favorite episodes from across the series’ 109 episodes that were made from 1992 through 1999. And while this doesn’t include the animated movies, Batman Beyond, or the 3-part “World’s Finest” from Superman: The Animated Series, those stories also have a special place in my heart. [Read more…] about BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES – The 30 Greatest Episodes For 30 Years
The art deco style that Gotham City is rendered in not only gives the show this pulp quality that ties it perfectly with Batman’s influences, it has become synonymous with how Batman fans perceive Gotham City. Alan Burnett, one of the producers on the show, described the show’s look as “dark deco.” Paul Dini, who not only served as the story editor on the show but also wrote some of its best episodes, described it as “what if the 1939 World’s Fair had gone on another sixty years or so” and it really does feel that way. The world of Batman: The Animated Series is a world where supercomputers and rocket cars can co-exist with black-and-white TV screens and rotary dial telephones.
saw Dark Horse and DC Comics come together for the first time for a story that sees Fox Studios’ alien hunter arrive in Gotham, pursuing dangerous game throughout the city until it encounters the most dangerous prize – The Dark Knight. With Batman trying to solve who is behind a string of grisly murders in his city, his search leads him directly to the Predator, only to be badly beaten and nearly killed in his first encounter. Now with Bruce Wayne physically broken and the Predator tearing through Gotham, Batman will have to find a way to beat an enemy unlike any he’s faced before for the sake of his city.