Rating:  -
A good start to producing the animated series on Dvd. But, this needs a lot more extras. Extra episodes, extra extras, like deleted scenes, watching the actors rehearse, or reading the scripts would be fun, interviews with the cast, and, since this is for kids :) maybe a few dvd-rom games.
There's just so much more they could do with these DVDs. I'd like to see them take advantage of the opportunities.
Kevin Conroy is awesome. He IS Batman. The artwork is near flawless. I am so drawn into the entire ambience, that I have to catch myself, remembering this is a cartoon. It's not live action. Which, after the dismal Batman & Robin, it's very easy to understand why the animated series seems like live characters, and Batman & Robin seemed more cartoony than the animated series.
Despite the shortage of episodes and extras, I still give this 4 out of 5 stars, or a 92 of 100.
Rating:  -
While not up to par with the following seasons, the first season of Batman was one of the best things on at the time, and still is. Fun, clever, and atmospheric.
Rating:  -
It is about time that WB came out with some of the animated series! The stories are among the best tales of the Dark Knight! The DVD extras however leave ALOT to be desired. The game that is on there is a joke, and the only bigger joke is the "how to draw batman segment" which was horrible.
Despite the DVD extra "jokes" that are on there, I would say that this is a must for any bat-fan.
Rating: -
The episodes on this dvd are pretty good. They don't reach the greatness that the series does later on but they're a good start. I enjoyed the interviews but the games are pointless and that space should have been used for another episode. I hope this dvd sells enough for them to warrant releasing the others on dvd. This time they should put a whole lot more episodes on the set. I definately recommend this dvd as it's a great start to a great series.
Rating: -
The only thing not to love about the animated Batman series is the choppy animation, itself. Everything else is stellar. Bruce Timm's artwork deliberately hearkens back to the 1940's Max Fleischer Superman shorts, and the clever stories appeal to the kids but are sophisticated enough to hold the attention of adults.
The best thing about the entire series is the "kinder, gentler" approach to the caped superhero. As opposed to Tim Burton's dark just-this-side-of-a-psycho interpretation, the animated Batman develops something of a rapport with his adversaries. He comes to understand them before even attempting to bring them in, and he tries the easy approach first - granted, it generally fails, but at least he tries. His defeat of Gotham's various criminals is invariably brought about by Batman's psychological understanding of them.
The next best thing is the new interpretation of old villains, and the introduction of several Bob Kane originals who never saw screen time anywhere. In the latter category, the Scarecrow and Poison Ivy are magnificent. The Scarecrow story on this DVD introduced Scarecrow as Kane did - as an inadequate little man who uses his advanced knowledge of chemistry to incapacitate his opponents with fear, making himself feel bigger by comparison. Beginning as a mere bankrobber, later stories saw him evolve into a more psychotic extortionist. Poison Ivy, who Kane introduced but rarely used (if I'm not mistaken, he actually only had her in a single story) - and who didn't appear often in post-Kane comics, either - is given a complete makeover and a credible psychosis of her own. Her introductory story is one of the best in the animated series, and is present in this collection. Similarly, "Manbat," a potentially silly figure, is given adult character and motivation in this series, even if he is largely a Dr. Jekyll knockoff.
The greatest - and most pleasant - surprise is Mark Hamill's Joker, which is as perfect a vocal interpretation as anyone could ask for. The Joker of the animated series is the closest anyone has come to the original Kane version, the best and the most satisfying. "Christmas With the Joker" is an episode made mostly for the kids, though adults will probably enjoy it too - it's one of the few that goes really over the top and indulges itself a bit in juvenile comic-strip-ism. Joker's other story, his introductory piece, is much better, both more frightening and more humorous - which is the way the Joker really should be.
Don't worry about buying this one, if you don't have kids as an excuse. Adults will enjoy these great Batman stories probably even more than the kids. Trust me, if you love Batman, the animated series was the best he ever got, outside of the comic book itself.
Indulge yourself!
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