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Is TAS version of Batman the best version of Batman?

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Yes. Because he was by far the most human. Probably the only cartoon show of my childhood that still holds out, outside of Animaniacs.

Let's see here... "I had a bad day too, once." Check. "I didn't count on being happy." Check. Ace's Death. Check.

OK I think my work is done here.

Ashby said:
TAS Batman is basically Jean Luc Picard.
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I like you.
 
It is by far the 2nd best Batman.

Nothing comes even close to Morrison's Batman though (assuming we are allowing comics). He is the best Batman in all of Batman.
 
So good that later games/comics adopted some of things the show came up with. The show was just simply amazing, and DC hasn't lived up to it in any kind of tv/movie media since.


Just take great scripts, then add in the classic movie theme/other great music and it's not hard to see why it's so beloved.
 
Yes. I can still hear a lot of the lines in my head. Best Batman, best Joker.

All the characters were pretty great before the redesign. Even Poison Ivy and Catwoman.

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Also, I much prefer Batman: TAS vs : The New Batman Adventures

All the villains got transformed into this cartoony, ridiculous look. The animation still looked great at times, but I did NOT like Joker having black eyes. I'm glad they reverted back to his more realistic look in Justice League.

I also really disliked the animation quality of Batman Beyond. It looked like a futuristic TBNA but the animation got even worse and even more simplistic/less detailed.

Again, the Justice Leagues that came after that more than made up for it.
 
Yeah sure. But...

Unpopular opinion: Batman Beyond > Batman TAS

I just dig the futuristic high school setting, seeing Wayne as a mentor figure, all the improvements to the suit, AND THE JOKER GANG!.

Also, Terry + Dana made for a great couple. :-)

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TAS is amazing but I prefer Batman Beyond. Not a popular opinion, though, I realise that. At the time of its release I hated Batman Beyond but it's one that grew on me years later on a rewatch.
 
zoukka said:
And GAF took it to hyperbole warp drive.
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If you say so.

Eh, I'll add more. Besides the fact that "overrated" has always been an impotent criticism lacking substance of any kind, it seems doubly weird to complain about GAF treating a show as best in class that had already been treated as best in class long before GAF existed. I think a far better tactic is to simply discuss why you find the work lacking or undeserving of praise it has received.
 
Absolutely not.

Nolan bros > Dennis O'Neil > Grant Morrison > Steve Englehart > Whoever wrote the 2 Burton movies > Scott Snyder >Greg Rucka > Billy Finger > Ed Brubaker>>>>>>>>>> TAS writers

It's the tackiest though.
 
TAS and the related cartoons got me to love DC as a kid, even if it isn't obviously perfect the level of effort put into the writing and animation and voice-acting was damn good.

As for Batman... he was characterized pretty brilliantly but as he got older through Batman Beyond and the JLU Epilogue I wish he had softened more considering he chose to retire and his relationships with the bat family were either strained or torn apart, but I guess that's how they chose to write this specific version of Batman. I really would like more interpretations of the character where Bruce has more fun with what he does and positively improves his own life as he builds up his family, which was apparent in many episodes of TAS and JL/U, while balanced with the gritty aspects of Batman.
 
True Savior said:
Absolutely not.

Nolan bros > Dennis O'Neil > Grant Morrison > Steve Englehart > Whoever wrote the 2 Burton movies > Scott Snyder >Greg Rucka > Billy Finger > Ed Brubaker>>>>>>>>>> TAS writers

It's the tackiest though.
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What? Wait seriously what? Christopher has a brother? What was his involvement with the TDK trilogy? This is blowing my mind!
 
I remember winning Mask of the Phantasm on VHS when I was in elementary school and just loving it. I think it's the best adaptation of Batman put on film. Perfect tone, music, and especially art direction. I loved it as a kid, and even more so as an adult. I can appreciate its more adult tones that I never noticed as a child.
 
Cindro said:
I'm one of the crazies (
read: enlightened
) who thinks this:

4637392-batman-the-brave-and-the-bold-batman.jpg


... is just as good as TAS. Two sides of the same coin! Whereas the animated series portrayal is as definitive as it gets for '80s era and onward Batman, The Brave and the Bold is the definitive Silver Age version, and it NEVER gets the amount of love and respect it deserves. A damn shame.

But yes, TAS still rules and has a fantastic version of the character.
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Agreed.
 
Quintessential version of Batman, taking every good aspect of the character from the decades of comics, the movies(up to that point), setting and such and making one version that encompasses the whole. It didn't overplay camp, but could be strange and bizarre, and it didn't overplay realism, but could be dark and serious. I think it was the best of all worlds in one tight package and is TOTALLY my favorite version of Batman(same for the Elfman theme).
 
ViewtifulJC said:
This is where I plug my BTAS retrospective with top 25 ranking

One thing I just wanna point out as my absolute favorite thing about BTAS's generally masterful streamlining of over 50 years of Batman characterizations, is Batman's humanist attitude, particularly in the first three seasons before they made his voice gruffer to contrast with Batgirl/Robin/Nightwing. There are numerous occasions where Batman shows genuine concern for the well being and mental state of the rogues he fights. Its the way he so often refers to his rogues by their real name(Nigma, Victor, Pamela, Copplepot, Harvey, Selena), humanizing them as people and not just colorful cartoons for him to beat him. He so desperately wants to believe Pamela has reformed in "House & Garden", even though he knows better and is eventually proven right. In the first part of "Two-Face", Harvey barks at Bruce to get away from him as he goes to an elevator to go meet the crime boss who's blackmailing him. Bruce pleads in one of my favorite Kevin Conroy line deliveries, "You're in trouble, aren't you?" "My friend, you don't know the half of it" Harvey sadly remarks back and the elevator doors close. Late, in episode 2 of this incredibly tragic, best in series episode, Batman reaches Two-Face, and instead of punching him or getting angry and shit, he begs him, "Harvey...lets get out of here." Even after he's taken away, clearly insane and justly arrested for crimes he's committed, Bruce still believes in his innate goodness. Commissioner Gordon asks Batman if he thinks there’s any hope for Harvey, to which Batman responds, “Where there’s love, there’s hope.” With a coin in hand, Batman walks up to a fountain and tosses it in, adding, “But a little luck wouldn’t help. For you, Harvey.” The coin comes up heads.

My favorite moment in the series is end of one of the best episode, "Harley's Holiday". This is an episode where Harley finally gets out, "reformed", and like five minutes after she buys this pink dress she's caught back in a world of crime and craziness, and ends up right back in Arkham Asylum. Batman(and Robin) spend most of the episode cleaning after her, actually trying to help Harley. She asks why, why he put his neck out for a person who's constantly been a thorn in his side.

"I know what's it like to try and rebuild a life." Batman replies. He opens up a bag he's carrying, and its that goddamn pink dress Harley was just trying to buy at the beginning of the episode. "I had a bad day too...once."

Bruce Wayne had a really terrible, awful, no good, very bad day that completely shattered his world. A random desperate act of crime caused an unimaginable amount of emotional torment on a small child, and he had a realization, "This is wrong. Nobody should feel like this. This can never happen to anyone again.". He dedicated his life to making sure nobody else would die violent, unjust deaths like this while he's around. He believes every life is sacred(including the Joker), and he doesn't off on beating up "punks" as Frank Miller's ever popular DKR Batman likes to say(of course the whole POINT of DKR Batman was his was supposed to be a contrast to the real Batman, an old cynical Bruce Wayne beat down by decades of death and disappointment, but that's another rant for another day). If everybody just decided to be good and live in peace, he could retire tomorrow. And its an impossible mission, but he's dedicated to believing the best in people. And unlike Superman, who's tragedy happen when he was a baby and its mostly in retrospect, Batman is born out of tragedy, depression, grief, hopelessness. He's been down that hole, and he clawed his way out of it. He emphasizes with Harvey and Harley and Pamela and Jarvis and Victor in a real way, and wants the best for them. It's a humanistic take on Batman I find very refreshing.
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Garlador said:
Yeah, pretty much my thoughts on Zack Snyder and his claim that Batman should be okay with "manslaughter" at the very least.

It misses one of the DEFINING traits of Batman - he is empathetic as HELL to everyone. Including his villains and adversaries. He's not just trying to STOP them from killing people or committing crimes; he's actively trying to help them, reform them, and get them the treatment and care they need to become functional members of society again. Almost all of them had "one bad day" that drove them over the deep end, and he fully understands that.

It's why Batman in TAS is the best, because he's not just a violent guy in a suit beating up criminals or killing badguys. He's not an emotionally detached dispenser of street justice. He's defined by sympathy, compassion, kindness, and deeply personal and human qualities. Gotham looks at his rogues gallery as freaks, dangers, and menaces to society; he sees them as PEOPLE, damaged but not beyond hope.

And that, more than any cool costume, more than any martial arts move, more than busting any crime ring, is what defines Batman to me, and TAS nailed it.

"Bruce, good ol' Bruce. You never give up on me."
"Let me help you, Hagan. Together we can find a cure!"
"I know what it's like to try and rebuild a life. I had a bad day too... once."
"I saw what happened to your wife... I'm sorry."
"All your power and money has bought you an empire of misery."
"A world free of crime? You mean free of choice? Compassion? Free of humanity?"
"I still believe that somewhere inside that monster is my old friend."

Batman is more than a broody, muscled guy in a silly costume punching crime in the face. The animated series got this. I wish more individuals who are given the honor of bringing him to life on screen would remember this as well.
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zoukka said:
It was a decent kids cartoon.

Then I came to NeoGAF and people praise it like it's a milestone in moving pictures.
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zoukka said:
It was a decent kids cartoon.

Then I came to NeoGAF and people praise it like it's a milestone in moving pictures.
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it fucking IS a milestone in moving pictures

there was nothing like it before and hasn't been anything like it since. the sophistication, animation quality, artistic design, writing, MUSIC... they treated the material with so much respect I'm still amazed to this day that it was made.

today superhero (and most) cartoons are made with a bottom of the barrel budget and shit out just to sell toys. while I know the point of Batman TAS was to sell toys and make money above all, it's a fact that the people behind the show, like Dini and Timm, treated Batman with the utmost care and genuine emotion. Which is why you can hear Dini reduced to fucking tears when he thinks back on Heart of Ice.

Batman TAS is a masterpiece. They don't make shows like that anymore.
 
zoukka said:
It was a decent kids cartoon.

Then I came to NeoGAF and people praise it like it's a milestone in moving pictures.
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I don't think Batman TAS's love is restricted to just NeoGAF.

Also you need to remember how different Batman TAS was compared to any other cartoon of its age. For example, in the Spider-Man cartoon that ran right around the same time, nobody could use real guns and Spidey was never allowed to even throw a punch because think of the children
 
It's certainly the best adaptation of the character, and it added so much to the franchise. It's hard to think of the characters in the comics without hearing the voice actors from the show. The backstory of Mr. Freeze, and the creation of Harley Quinn were also great additions. And I appreciate how serious and dark things could get for a kids show.

The only flaw I can think of was the animation style change for The New Batman Adventures.

Outside of that, The show looked gorgeous, Timm and Dini were very respectful to the source material, while giving the show its own identity, and the voice acting was iconic.
 
If you include mask of phantasm then yes. Only this film really showed the inner turmoil of becoming batman and how he considered a life beyond it. It's also pretty good series wise because you really see the detective side as well as batman showing sympathy as in the great me freeze episode.
 
supermarioworldE said:
The only flaw I can think of was the animation style change for The New Batman Adventures.
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With a few exceptions, New Batman Adventures just seemed like a step down in quality across the board. The animation and character designs weren't as good and the stories weren't that great either. Technically that era of the series did help user in the Worlds Finest animated film - the Batman v Superman we deserved.
 
Unspeakable Evil said:
Seeing how most people agree. What do you guys think comes in second?

Don't worry. I'll write a Spiderfamily story where Miles gets MJ pregnant!
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I like what Scott has done with the character.

I think anyone who softens him up a bit and let him be a father figure and friend will always work for me.

Morrison did good work, but then think of his Bat-god from JLA which is awesome, but it's where prep-time Bats shines brightest.
 
People forget a lot of the chaff in BTAS. There's some real weird shit in there - like, Batman in my Basement? Night of the Ninja? That one where Batman has amnesia and is forced into a slave labor camp in the desert? History sort of paints over the fact that there were some just plain bad episodes.

But when it was on point, it was on point. Definitely the best concentrated dose of Batman, straddling that line of old corny comic book and modern broody antihero.
 
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