In 1992, to capitalize on the success of Tim Burton’s Batman, Warner Bros. Animation produced Batman: The Animated Series (B:TAS). Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski at the time when there was a boom of superhero cartoons, B:TAS remains as timely as it was first aired, not just because of its Art Deco-based art design and Timm’s simple yet fluid animation, there was a maturity in the writing that didn’t talk down the kid-centric target audience. Although not every episode was five-star material, the show had some of the best storytelling towards Batman and his world, which even made an impact on the comics themselves.
As much as Timm would revisit the character through the subsequent decades – as well as many other DC superheroes, paving the way for the DC Animated Universe – he has never been able to recreate the lighting in a bottle that was Batman: The Animated Series. With his latest venture with the Dark Knight Detective, he was not interested in a direct continuation of the show that made him a household name. If you have seen Timm’s animated short Batman: Strange Days, which celebrated the character’s 75th anniversary, Batman: Caped Crusader seems like an extension of that three-minute short.
Whereas The Animated Series took a mishmash of inspirations from Tim Burton’s live-action films and the Superman theatrical cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s, Caped Crusader leans harder as a 1940s-set period piece with a darker, noir aesthetic. Taking cues from the Batman comics from that era, the ten-episode season focuses on a young Bruce Wayne (voiced by Hamish Linklater) during the early stages of his crime-fighting career in Gotham City.
For as many different interpretations there have been on Batman, a certain section of the fandom will view this show and compare it to The Animated Series, which will forever cast a shadow, no matter how much Caped Crusader successfully changes things up. With head writer Ed Brubaker – and a writing staff including Greg Rucka, Marc Bernardin, Halley Gross, etc. – the show relies on serialized storytelling, focusing on episodic detective cases that build up to a larger narrative over the season, whilst still maintaining that villain-of-the-week aspect like any other Batman show.
Considering that Batman has the best rogues gallery, Caped Crusader wasn’t going to stick with the usual players, even mixing up the line-up with more obscure villains, and if you were going to see iconic characters to battle our hero, don’t expect them to resemble their comic book counterparts. From the first episode that introduces Oswalda Cobblepot AKA the Penguin (Minnie Driver) who makes a strong first impression, whilst Clayface has quite the makeover, resembling more like The Shadow, a major inspiration for Bob Kane and Bill Finger when they created Batman. That said, many will be divided over the total reinvention of Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung), who steers so far away from the original creation by Timm and Paul Dini, especially when there is no Joker to be seen… or is there?
Another aspect that sadly falls short is Batman himself. This is not to discredit Hamish Linklater who does a serviceable if flat vocal performance as the brooding vigilante, but there isn’t much beyond with what the writers do with the character, despite a whole episode that tries to delve into his psychology, and yes, we do see another version of the Waynes getting gunned down. That cold persona is even reflected in Bruce’s relationship with his trusted butler Alfred (Jason Watkins), which should be the emotional core and yet it can be perfectly summed up by Bruce referring to him as “Pennyworth”.
Fortunately, Batman is surrounded by a compelling supporting cast, most of which work under the GCPD, such as Commissioner James Gordon and Renee Montoya, who seem to be the only good cops trying to fight off the criminals and the corruption that rules Gotham. In fact, the Gordon who seems to be the closest ally to Batman is James’ daughter Barbara (Krystal Joy Brown). Instead of becoming Batgirl (or Oracle, for that matter), she is a public defender who has a strong sense of justice, despite often being at odds with her father, though she loves and respects him. This change of profession for the character sets up an interesting conflict with the District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Diedrich Bader), whose origin story into Two-Face is a tale as old as time, but the melancholic outcome sums up what the show is all about.
Going back to The Animated Series, of which its Fleischer-inspired animation is still cinematic, even in the realm of children’s television, the Bruce Timm style is commonplace now, so it doesn’t feel as refreshing. While there is some striking imagery which uses noir shadows and expressionist art direction, as well as sequences that explore other pulp territories such as the supernatural, the action itself is rather flat, no matter how Tommy guns are fired, and the Batmobile rushes to its destination.
Stream Batman: Caped Crusader on Prime Video.
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