By Jack Ransom August 7, 2024
As is the case for many people, Batman: The Animated Series to me is the definitive adaption of the Dark Knight and the voice cast are always what I hear in my head when I’m reading the comics and the tone balance of darker and more mature themes, alongside a family friendly splash of comic book pulp nailed the essence of the Bat and his rogue’s gallery. Batman: Caped Crusader leans heavier into the darker essence of the character, with its emphasis on horror imagery, as well as not having to pull back the punches to cater for a network TV audience.
Synopsis
Somewhat of a spiritual successor to the legendary Batman: The Animated Series. Batman: Caped Crusader is set in a 40’s Gotham City and sees affluent philanthropist Bruce Wayne transform into the Batman, where his crusade for justice spawn’s unforeseen ramifications and sees him encounter many a strange and lethal foe.
Review
Pretty much after the first two-three episodes, I was locked into this and knew the character was in safe hands with a stellar team behind the cowl. The modern DC Animated Universe as we know it was helped forged by Bruce Timm, who returns as a showrunner here, and he certainly brings his familiar The Animated Series mechanics to the proceedings. Sharp 25-minute episodes, which blend ‘villain of the week’ throwback vibes, alongside an overarching story that culminates in the finale two episodes. Whilst narratively speaking it doesn’t hit some of the dramatic highs seen in The Animated Series, there is some palpable drama surrounding Harvey Dent’s arc, as well as a welcome focus on the GCPD (Jim & Barbara Gordon, Renee Montoya and the devious duo of Det.’s Bullock & Flass), a welcome and fresh switch up to certain characters (with Penguin and Harley Quinn being the most notable, the latter being my personal favourite switch up) and a glorious amount of deep cuts and reference for comic book geeks like myself (I can’t believe we got appearances from Gentleman Ghost and Onomatopoeia).
The animation style is simplistic yet effective. It’s a slicker and sharper edged spin on The Animated Series (more akin to The New Batman Adventures). Where those series’ felt timeless with their Burton-esque usage of retro-futurism, Caped Crusader douses us in the liquor and cigarette smoke-tinged noir of the 40’s. The backdrops and location interiors perfectly replicate the time zone and the costumes and appearances of Batman, and his villainous adversaries slip into the era, yet are also undeniably distinct (especially when they directly adapt the old pages – I’m looking at you Clayface). The action is solid and scrappy, there are a smattering of decent car chases, and the score is strong… though I’m sorry, the opening credits are not a patch on the chills that The Animated Series brings. Though they do set the moody tone effectively!
Voice acting-wise the cast line up does a great job. Hamish Linklater might just be the most emotionless, hardened vocal performance Batman has had in animated storytelling, yet he ups the suave when switching to Bruce for his daily interactions. Jason Watkins is a fittingly uppity yet caring Alfred, Diedrich Bader’s Harvey Dent, balances his genuine sincerity and dedication to the people of Gotham, as well as his growing morally flexible and reliability on corruption and violence to win his campaign. Erik Morgan Stuart & Krystal Joy Brown are a strong Jim and Barbara duo and Michelle C. Bonilla’s Montoya lays down the law. The rest of the supporting players also deliver, with notable standouts including Dan Donohue as Basil Karlo/Clayface and Jamie Chung as Harleen Quinzell.
Batman: Caped Crusader is a welcome return for the World’s Greatest Detective on the animated small screen. The moody, darkness-tinged noir atmosphere of 40’s Gotham, the fan pleasing deep cut villains and solid voice cast make this well worth a watch for comic book fans. The simplistic nature of the episodes and multiple villain appearances make for a fitting retro throwback (though a couple of them are weaker compared to others), the series is easy to binge through. Event though The Animated Series still delivers stronger character work, so far this is off to a strong start. Bring on Season 2!
Star Rating
Batman: Caped Crusader is streaming now on Prime Video
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