his all-new animated series, The Batman, begins in Bruce Wayne's third year as the caped crusader. Now in his mid-20s, Bruce Wayne (voiced by Romano) has become quite good at dealing with the bad guys as the Batman. He works hard at keeping his alter ego below the public radar, while keeping his billionaire playboy image occasionally in the public eye.
Police Chief Rojas (voiced by Olmos) wants the Dark Knight brought in, despite the fact that Gotham's crime statistics are the lowest in the country. The problem is that the cops barely get a glimpse of him, let alone get a chance to arrest him. Given the assignment of capturing Batman is Detective Ethan Bennett (voiced by Harris), a close friend of Bruce Wayne's who doesn't know about his friend's extracurricular activities.
No sooner does Ethan meet his new by-the-book partner, Detective Ellen Yin (voiced by Ming-Na) then there's trouble afoot at Arkham Asylum. Someone has released all the inmates and taken over the asylum. When the police try to close in, a giant jack-in-the-box explodes, taking out the bridge that leads to the building. Ellen and Ethan jump into action when they get the call, as does Bruce, who takes off to the scene.
First to arrive, Batman finds an orderly who has been gassed and now has a permanent smile on his face. When he comes face to face with the Joker (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), he discovers there's a diabolical mind behind the flashy clothes. The Joker gets away, but Batman knows he hasn't seen the last of this villain.
Batman realizes he needs a sample of the Joker Gas in order to save the orderly and anyone else who might have been exposed to the gas. In trying to track down the Joker, Batman soon finds the Joker's nefarious plot is much larger than he ever could have imagined. The Joker plans on putting a happy face on everyone in Gotham.
Timeless and stylish
The Kids' WB!'s new series, based on the classic Batman comics, is a stylish 30-minute animated series with a nice edge and plenty of voice talent. While the world may not have needed another Batman show, the producers do an excellent job of capturing the mood and making the half-hour adventure series entertaining to watch. It's fast-paced and distinctively drawn.
While Rino Romano's voice doesn't seem quite right at first for Bruce/Batman, he quickly inhabits the character. This young Batman's mission is clear, but he wears the pain of the loss of his parents just as clearly. Offering good voice support are Duncan as Alfred, Harris as Ethan, Ming-Na as Ellen and Olmos as Chief Rojas.
The only real complaint is that the story is all-too familiar. The well-written story is exciting and fast-paced, but there's no doubt where it's going. It's an unavoidable pitfall to mining such familiar territory, despite the presence of some fresh elements. While there's no bat-signal, there are plenty of experimental bat-gadgets and an amped-up Batmobile. Also, Bruce's best bud, Ethan, and his skeptical partner, Ellen, create an opportunity to update the story in a refreshing way.
Any tale about a superhero lives and dies based on its villains, and judging on the series premiere, the Joker is creatively animated and comes to life courtesy of Richardson. It bodes well for the series to start off with one of its strongest villains and to do such a good job at recreating him. Future villains will be voiced by Clancy Brown, Robert Englund, Ron Perlman and Frank Gorshin (who played the Riddler on the 1966 Batman series). Adam West, notable for being the original Batman, will voice Mayor Grange.
The animation is excellent, offering a unique and stylish look. The colorful pallet accentuates the action, but not at the cost of losing its moody feel. The new theme song by the Edge complements this stylish incarnation of the classic story.
