Batman: The Animated Series

Holy Batman: The Animated Series Toys, Batman!

btas-toys-news-catwoman-batman

This news makes me insanely happy. Among DC’s new action figures are the Batman: The Animated Series version of Catwoman (still my favorite version of the the character’s costume). Although I have the 3.5in. figure from the original series, its less-than-ideal mold limits how you can pose the figure without it toppling over. Also announced are figures from the revamped New Batman Adventures (the final season of BTAS that featured different designs for several of the characters) including Batman, Mr. Freeze, and Two-Face. You can find the full press release, including news on all the various other toys and figures DC the company plans to release this year, inside.

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Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

  • Title: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
  • IMDB: link

Batman: Mystery of the BatwomanBatman: Mystery of the Batwoman was the third and final straight-to-DVD animated film put out by Warner Bros. Animation following the cancellation of Batman: The Animated Series (Mask of the Phantasm doesn’t fit into this group as it was made a decade earlier and saw a limited theatrical release). The movie keeps the Bruce Timm style of the series as well as most of the show’s regular voice cast including Kevin Conroy returning as the voice of Batman.

The show returns familiar villains the Penguin (David Ogden Stiers) and Rupert Thorne (John Vernon) as well as introducing mid-level gangster Carlton Duquesne (Kevin Michael Richardson) and his impetuous daughter Kathy (Kimberly Brooks), who acts as Bruce Wayne’s love interest for the movie. The movie also introduces a new version of Batwoman (Kyra Sedgwick) who uses lethal force to stop Penguin and Thorne’s illegal arm sales leading her into confrontation with Batman.

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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

  • Title: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
  • IMDB: link

“I need it to be different now.  I know I made a promise, but I didn’t see this coming.  I didn’t count on being happy.”

The return of Bruce Wayne’s (Kevin Conroy) lost love (Dana Delany) to Gotham and the arrival of a new mysterious villain are the ingredients to what is, at least so far, the best Batman film ever made.

Taking pieces from both Frank Miller’s Barman: Year One and Mike Barr’s Batman: Year Two this animated flick gives us a new villain for Batman to fight and ghosts from the past which must be confronted.  The best scenes of the film involve the flashbacks of Bruce Wayne weighing his new feelings for Andrea (Delany) versus the vow he made to his parents.  Of all the Batman movies made Mask of the Phantasm does the best job of capturing the continually tortured soul of Bruce Wayne on screen.

Also included are flashbacks scenes of Bruce Wayne’s first night out as a vigilante, with missed success (something missing from Batman Begins) and a look back at the first moment Bruce Wayne donned his famous costume in one of the best Batman scenes ever.  Neither Tim Burton nor Christopher Nolan have given us anything as perfect in this simple shadow non-reveal reveal of Batman’s first appearance.

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Batman: The Animated Series Redux

  • Title: Batman: The Animated Series – Volume Four
  • tv.com: link

After a couple of years working on the animated Superman cartoon Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and their team returned to the mean streets of Gotham to present The New Batman Superman Adventures.  The hourlong block was divided into one episode of Superman and one of Batman, including a few crossover episodes. 

The new Batman episodes revamped the look of the show into a darker and sleeker look while keeping the original style.  Dick Grayson had moved on, Tim Drake would become the new Robin, Batgirl joined the team, and Batman took to the streets of Gotham to pursue the cowardly lot of villains.  For reviews of previous seasons click here for Season One, Season Two, and Season Three.

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