By

John McGee

For the first time in the three premieres Gotham has had, the story was moved forward more than it was stalling for setup.

Let’s start with the good news.

I got what I needed from Penguin—asserting his authoritative voice and realizing he’s on top, and no longer letting people push him around. He was magnificent in the opener.

Barbara Kean, ever the crazy lady, now runs a club with Theo Galavan’s sister (who happens to be one of those “dead” characters that the writers weren’t ACTUALLY willing to kill off—Theo ran her through with a sword last season and she’s living to tell the tale) and just let me tell you—Barbara is one sexy murderer.

Jim Gordon, after discovering that Lee has moved on to another man, has spent the last 6 months brooding in the Batcave and catching villains. Har har, but they still haven’t dialed up and answer for this major character problem they’ve let unravel. He’s doing Batman’s job and it doesn’t bother him one bit. It bothers me, though. Gordon was supposed to work his way up as a cop, through and through, not ascend the ranks in as little as a single season and get bored with the job after realizing he had all his goals. Now he’s a bounty hunter catching the escaped Arkham inmates from last season for the right price. Harvey Bullock is the only good detective left in Gotham. (Who would’ve thought that this “lackadaisical” man from the very first episode of the show would turn out the better detective and better man than Gordon in a mere 2 seasons? Jim is far too quick to judge character.)

Ms. Peabody is clearly Court of Owls.

Turns out Vicki Vale’s mother got an intro this episode, and look for her to be a major factor in this Season 3. Sadly the idea that Vicki got it all from her mom makes her less of a strong individual character, but thinking about the future doesn’t rob Vale Sr. of the present, which was quite strong indeed. Despite realizing later on that Fish Mooney was using her, Vale proved to be the mirror of the unease felt among Gotham’s citizens after the events of last season.

Selina is getting even better with age. Really growing up. She works with Fish Mooney (again) but mostly for the pay. After witnessing the would-be death of Ivy (here comes Sexy Ivy!!!) expect her to retaliate against Fish in her sneaky little ways.

Inevitably it is time for the bad news.

I guess I had it coming—I watched zero trailers or clips for Season 3, so I was holding out hope, probably foolishly, that they wouldn’t be so prevalent. Sadly, the Court of Owls is not only out in the open, but Bruce knows more than he should. Last time he played tough billionaire kid, he was nearly sacrificed. Now he’s playing tough billionaire kid again, and Alfred got another concussion and he’s been kidnapped. Yay.

I’m not too hot on the conflict It all centered on Fish Mooney. Sure, the monsters are a threat, but she’s being treated like this is the Falcone era. She should stay dead! Just because Pinkett-Smith can’t make a good movie or even just act well, it doesn’t mean that has to affect us by making us suffer through more of this character (and the “performance” behind it).

And David Mazouz, after watching Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, has still learned nothing. He’s bringing zero maturation to the role of Bruce. He’s a little more calm and quiet, but still…just a whiny little whippersnapper.

All in all, it was a good start coupled with inevitable hiccups.

With this whole Court of Owls thing, I invite you to friendly debates @_DCWorldBatman2 but I don’t convince easily. DC Comics has unlimited, majestic potential that shouldn’t be squandered for dumbed down adaptations. The Court was supposed to be a secret organization that never revealed itself to anyone but its victims just before they killed them. Bruce was supposed to realize they didn’t exist, and instead they’re inviting him into their house. *facepalm* Come on! There’s no way a little extra effort in the writing department can’t do the Court better by their source material, which is something that would make Gotham infinitely better if it ever used any.

Newbies, I encourage you to binge Gotham if you haven’t already and watch Season 3. It’s still the most creative and cool show on TV. A great departure from the generic crime/comedy crap that plagues our screens today, even if I have some complaints about what it’s doing to source material (ignoring it) it’s still the best show on TV by far.

Score 8/10

By

Andrew Kiess

Christmas With The Joker is the second produced episode of Batman The Animated Series, and was directed by Kent Butterworth and written by Eddie Gorodetsky. It starred Kevin Conroy as Batman, Lorem Lester as Robin, and Mark Hamill as The Joker. It originally aired as the 38^th episode on November 13^th, 1992.

In Christmas With The Joker, it’s Christmas Eve and the Joker, using a rocket disguised as a Christmas Tree, escapes Arkham Asylum. When settling down for a viewing of It’s A Wonderful Life, Bruce Wayne and his ward, Dick Grayson, are surprised to see that Joker has taken control of all the broadcast signals in Gotham City. Joker has kidnapped the “Awful Lawful Family” of Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Summer Gleeson, and publicly challenges the dynamic duo that if they do not find him by midnight, the trio will die. Searching for clues that the Joker has left behind, Batman and Robin spring into a chase across Gotham to find the clown, but Joker has a few tricks of his own (surprise!) to throw off our heroes.

Batman The Animated Series was still finding its stride when this episode went into production following On Leather Wings, but Christmas With The Joker is a fun change of pace for longtime fans of this series. This episode provides a unique, if not somewhat familiar tone. This episode’s claim to fame is being the first episode produced featuring The Joker (originally voiced by Tim Curry, but re-recorded to feature the voice of Mark Hamill) as well as the debut of Robin, but it’s the episode’s similarity to Joker’s debut in the Bill Dozier Batman series that stands out. In the two-part episode The Joker Is Wild/Batman is Riled, Joker escapes from prison via a booby-trapped catapult hidden in a base in the prison’s baseball diamond, similar to the hidden rocket he uses in Christmas With The Joker. Both episodes also feature Joker broadcasting a kidnapping over a pirated signal (which is, perhaps coincidentally, also featured in Scott Snyder’s Joker’s debut in the arc Death of the Family). The Animated Series is famous for its more dramatic leanings, but this episode is wildly entertaining, although it is not necessarily, as Batman says, “relentlessly cheerful”, as the Joker is out for blood.

Christmas With The Joker is the lone contribution to the series by both Butterworth and Gorodetsky. This most likely is the cause for its uncharacteristic tone, as well as some uncharacteristic artistic choices. The episode makes use of wider shots and larger “sets” than is typical for the series. The animation in this episode is also uncharacteristically subpar, as the movement is slower and choppier than what viewers expect from this series. This is obviously not the tone that Bruce Timm and company ultimately wanted, and the way that the episode plays on its own corniness may turn off some viewers. This episode also highlights in my eyes the necessity for this Joker to have a Harley Quinn to play off of, as it seems strangely wrong to see Joker play the lone wolf, but Mark Hamill’s presence always is elevating to the production as a whole, and Robin’s presence reminds me that Dick Grayson was underutilized in the series.

Overall, Christmas With The Joker is a fun episode that offers a throwback feel to longtime Batman fans, but is bogged down by the earliness of its production. Longtime fans can find enjoyment in it, while seeing the growing pains of a show that will soon begin to perform at a higher level.

By

Andrew Kiss

1992. The DC Comics brand is in an identity crisis. The summer cast a shadow with the release of Batman Returns, a movie that remains divisive among fans to this day, and the death of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster at the age of 78. Knightfall is still a year away and Image Comics was making both DC and Marvel seem dated. I am only one-year-old, but little did I know that the most influential piece of my comic book background was also in its infancy.

This is the year that Batman: The Animated Series first shown its spotlight into the living rooms of fans. On September 6^th, On Leather Wings, the pilot episode of the series was debuted (although, it was not the first episode to be aired. That distinction goes to The Cat and The Claw). This was the beginning of a change in superhero animation, which up until this point, was defined by Superfriends. But the creators of Batman looked deeper in the catalogue for influence.

Bruce Timm, the show’s primary artist, looked to Max Fleischer’s Superman technicolor cartoon from 1941. Although Superman is mostly remembered for giving the Man of Steel his power of flight (because Fleischer thought it too awkward to see Superman bouncing around too much), it was its unique style, created by the art of rotoscope animation, that caught Timm’s eye. It provided a unique look. For Batman’s unique look, Timm would draw Batman on black paper.

This creative decision provided a heaviness, and that heaviness is on display early in On Leather Wings. This episode tells the story of mad scientist who has turned into the villain known as Man-Bat. Man-Bat is committing crime across Gotham City, and the police force, of course, mistakes these crimes as being the product of Batman. Batman finds himself in a race with the police to catch Man-Bat, and, hopefully cure him, but with Detective Harvey Bullock leading a task force to capture him, Batman finds himself as both hunter and hunted.

Simply put, On Leather Wings is not the strongest episode of the series. But it has the elements of what will become arguably the greatest non-comic book version of the Dark Knight. The strengths of this episode shine brightly on the dark paper. The animation is beautiful, with the lighting and shadows creating a sense of dread, and at times, horror, at the 1950s style monster movie theme takes over the episode. This tone is intensified with our first taste of Shirley Walker’s complete orchestral score. Kevin Conroy’s first outing as Batman is also solid, providing some memorable moments, and is complemented by the unsung performance of the series, the late-great Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon. Where this episode fails is in the lackluster supporting cast of characters, with some hammy performances and uncharacteristic moments in the script, such as Man-Bat having a clichéd villain monologue before Batman (obviously) saves the day.

Even though this episode does not quite hit the ground running, the promise of what is to come is there. It will take a few more episodes, but this series will soon become the cornerstone to the DC Animated Universe that will carry through nearly the next two decades, introducing a generation of fans to the characters from the world of Batman and DC Comics. I am excited to start this ride over from the beginning, and am looking forward to continuing it with all of you.