Poll
Question:
Which series do you prefer?
Option 1: Batman the Animated Series
votes: 67
Option 2: The Batman
votes: 6
I finished Batman the Animated Series and have started The Batman. I like The Batman better, but I know many folks have a special spot in their heart for the other. I'm just curious about what you all think?
I feel for you. You are obviously delusional. Please report to a professional your preference and submit yourself for treatment. :closedeyes:
Xenolith......I....I....never speak to me again. We can't have our forums polluted with obvious crazies like you.
Spoiler
Just to be absolutely clear, I don't actually hate you. That is completely unconscionable, though. ;)
It's the sign! This proves it! The world is coming to an end! Quick, hide the women! :ph34r:
Spoiler
I understand that different people have different view points, but I'll have to agree with Benton on this one. ;)
Maybe he was kidding, I mean he didn't vote. That's it for sure. Because... The Batman isn't as good. I could believe someone might prefer Batman Beyond MAYBE, but THE? THE has nothing on Batman!
Well...I like calling him "the Batman" more, but that's it. The acting alone makes it about a bajillion times cooler.
The Brave and The Bold is pretty good too.
but original TAS was just amazing.
aaah, the first two-face, or clay face episodes^^
or the 'Almost Got 'Im' one^^
That was so great :)
Nope, not kidding at all. :D Part of the problem may be that I started with the JLA/JLU, then went to Superman, and finished with Batman the Animated Series. BtAS was on the air while I was in college (translated: I didn't watch it) so I think I'm missing that nostalgic feeling that some folks have.
It could be that I'll hate The Batman by the end of season 5, but I'm only two episodes into season 2 and I think the episodes are fun. I'd rank Superman and JLA/JLU above The Batman.
Quote from: Xenolith on February 17, 2009, 02:02:06 PM
Nope, not kidding at all. :D Part of the problem may be that I started with the JLA/JLU, then went to Superman, and finished with Batman the Animated Series. BtAS was on the air while I was in college (translated: I didn't watch it) so I think I'm missing that nostalgic feeling that some folks have.
It could be that I'll hate The Batman by the end of season 5, but I'm only two episodes into season 2 and I think the episodes are fun. I'd rank Superman and JLA/JLU above The Batman.
Possibly, but unlike other television shows of the past, Batman: TAS is one of the few shows to live up to what you remember it to be. Also, Superman was a PHENOMENAL show. Not nearly as good as Batman: TAS, but it was still fantastic.
I think TAS may well have been the best Batman ever. This has nothing to do with nostalgia- it was not by any means the first televised, or even animated, version of the character I ever watched. I just think it was the best done. The creators drew from every period of Batman's comic book existence to create the definitive version of the character. Even his voice was perfect- the only time he's ever sounded right to me. And the dark, stylized version of Gotham City- drawing from a combination of early Batman, late Golden Age Batman, and various more modern versions- just perfect.
Didn't think much of the Batman episodes from the Superman/Batman cartoon, though. For one thing, I thought the villain redesigns, while perhaps scarier, were less distinctive.
As for The Batman, while I like the name (though I'd have rather seen that name used for a live-action, black and white "film noir"-ish Batman series based in the '30s), the episodes I saw didn't leave any stong feelings one way or the other, to be honest.
Before i start my rampageing, let me put on my bullet proof vest. I'll say the batman. Batman TAS has got to be one of the worst animated series i have ever seen. I cant stand the animation(everything is too squared), i found the story lines too over the top, and i just didn't like the batman himself in that. I think it was just overall too many quiet pan over scenes, not enough dialogue.
On the other side The Batman was indeniably cheesy. I found most of the villains well made and well designed. But, never the less, it was cheesy.
You want my favorite animated batman, fine. I'll say JLA/JLU, then The Batman, then Batman Beyond, then Super Friends, and last though somehow not least, Batman TAS.
Okay, all of my keflar is on. Fire away.
P.S. Superman TAS was (for me) the polar opposite of Batman TAS. Superman TAS, one heck of a show!
I...don't know what to say to that. Is it possible to respond to such blatant irrationality with rationality? If so, I can't manage it. :P
Okay. Stop right there. Watch this. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bz10cJFcYs)
The characterization of the villains in Batman: TAS is stellar. Each villain felt unique, not just because they each had their own gimmick but because each schtick was so well-developed it was true madness. For instance, check out Batman: TAS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRdDqSJNLs) Mr. Freeze versus the Batman's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLTYhzHJpE&feature=PlayList&p=C9C11AD60AD1307F&playnext=1&index=13). To say nothing of the (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORdXgi6ivEc) Joker. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QPGqqLYSjg&feature=related) (Forgive me if I could've picked a much better TB Joker, but seriously, he can't hold a candle to Hamil.)
I think the Hamil front is what i forgot. That character made Batman The Animated Series. I will forwardly give it that. Mark Hamil is the best Joker in the world, as is the guy who did the voice of batman in that and JLA/U. There is also Harley Quinn who originated on Batman TAS. That was ground breaking. The Mr. Freeze comparison did nothing for me either. Both are TERRIBLY corny, but The batman's Freeze looks so freakin cool(if you'll parden the punn). Also i have taken out the "worst animated series i have ever seen. However i still stand my ground. The Batman was fantastic. (But just to give you something to use against me, Batman vs Dracula had to be called the quality of Batman and Robin, in animated format. Not so cheesy, just bad.)
TAS Mr. Freeze corny!?!?! *collapses in paroxysm* He's one of the most tragic and compelling of comic book villains!
I believe Timm and Dini won an emmy for the first episode with mr. freeze.
This is madness!
I too prefer Superman TAS to Batman TAS and way prefer the TAS Batman from JLA/JLU but....I find The Batman so bad to be basically unwatchable. They change characters just to change them and in every instance I've seen make them much worse. Even my kids couldn't take it after awhile.
I have to go with The Batmen as well. Batman TAS has always been one of my least favorite;however, I liked JLA/JLU version of Batman and I did I mention I LOVE Superman TAS. (Runs for cover... got to watch out for those snipers). :P
Batman TAS....The series was beautiful in design, story and execution...And this is coming from somebody who is not a fan of Batman (I have never been and I'm still not, but I just love those Timm Batman cartoons)....I don't think it will ever be topped...Justice League is a close second, though(IMHO).
"The Batman" series is one of the worst offenders of bad character design (the Joker and Riddler to name two...Just horrible)...I also found the stories to be a bit lame...I just couldn't get into the show.
Plus...Batman with claws is not Batman, it's...Well...Darkclaw.
Dana
Quote from: cmdrkoenig67 on February 19, 2009, 07:26:03 AMPlus...Batman with claws is not Batman, it's...Well...Darkclaw.
Dana
Actually, I'm gonna have to say I'm cool with claws. They're very utilitarian and intimidating. They assist in wall climbing, offense, his gloves are probably metal-lined so he can catch blades without hurting himself. Come on, you have to admit that if his hands weren't protected beyond the fabric, batarangs would be the most idiotic weapon ever. He'd slice his own hands off.
Speaking of which, I like TAS's gadgets more. They're crazy, but not too crazy--there was an episode of TB where Catwoman used a batarang shaped remote control to make a bat-robot go crazy in the Batcave. TAS wasn't a sci-fi; the gadgets were all very practical, which made the show feel very real.
B:TAS was very good, especially the first season. And the voice-acting is some of the best I've heard on a weekly cartoon this side of The Simpsons. I think the quality of the writing took a serious hit by the 3rd season, though (when the show was re-titled The New Batman Adventures).
As for The Batman... I find that it's an okay show. I think it gets a lot of undeserved flak for not being B:TAS, but that show was a real hard act to follow, even all these years later. Viewed on its own merits, I think The Batman's writing is age-appropriate and solid (if unremarkable), the animation is much more fluid than most children's TV cartoon fare (and dare I say it, technically more accomplished than even its predecessor's), and outside of some very questionable design decisions (Rasta-Joker, for one), I think the show's designers have done a decent job of creating their own distinct visual style without falling prey to the tendency to stick with what has gone before.
I may not like Jeff Matsuda's character designs, but I laud him for moving away from the "Bruce Timm House of Design" and going his own route. The "Timm-look" in animation only ever looks right to me when Timm has a hand in the production or direction of the show... in the hands of other producers and directors, attempts to ape Timm's aesthetic (without it being balanced by Timm's excellent sense of movement and timing) usually end up looking gimmick-y and ho-hum.
Okay, just to clarify, you CANNOT judge B:TAS based on its "third season." The New Batman Adventures were terrible compared to what came before, and they weren't actually contiguous. They are pretty much the only blight on the Timmverse. It should be excised from all reasoned discussions of the material.
i loved the third season. especially the sprang homage episode. why isn't the brave and the bold an option? so far, that would be a good contender vs timm.
anyone watch the gotham girls shows?
Quote from: bearded on February 19, 2009, 11:18:52 PManyone watch the gotham girls shows?
Those were the web-broadcasts, right (unless they also made TV versions which I'm unaware of)?
They should have spun that off into its own full-fledged show. Maybe it could have found a following with young female viewers (along with the obvious male comic book fan contingent, of course).
Brave and the Bold was not an option because I didn't know anything about it. :(
I just finished watching The Batman episode "Swamped." I love the cajun Killer Croc. I think the character designs are very good. It is over the top action, but its okay with me. Afred is a riot.
BtAS is definately true to the source. BTW, the Sprang/Miller tribute was in the fourth season unless there was one I had forgotten about in season 3. I just watched it earlier this week.
Season 4 is what I meant then, it's the one where they changed everything and the writing took a nosedive.
BTAS by far, although The Batman improved in later seasons.
I liked even the 4 season, it had some great episodes:
Legends of the dark knight (loved the DKR part)
Mad Love
Over the edge etc.
sorry but the answer is simple, TAS hands down. any other thought in your head you should be beaten with a very large shoe
Go ahead, smack away! I hate to say it, i got a really thick head. Me is Stubborn. Which brings me to a question, Am you Bizarro's Mommy?
Zulu's analysis nailed it. BTAS in terms of overall stroytelling an production value is far superior, but my son who is an absolute Bat-fanatic loved The Batman. And my wife, who is not a big superhero fan sees the merits of all the animated versions (including Brave and the Bold).
Super Friends. With Casey Kasem as Robin.
Quote from: The Hitman on February 21, 2009, 03:33:22 PM
Super Friends. With Casey Kasem as Robin.
Lmao that's awesome, I completely forgot what he sounded like until I read that,lol.
Batman the Animated series hands down - Batman's Suit in the cartoon is the best i've ever seen it designed - It is dark on the outside so when he needs to cloak up he can but the underside O the cape is blue & he has his yellow & black target bat logo on the chest with a cool gray tone for the rest of the suit - Dark/Campy/Awesome :blink:
Bat's getting his groove on
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/hulkgray/yowsersbatman.jpg)
On one hand you have The Batman, on the other you have TAS which spawned 14 years of animated continuity. The Batman had Harley Quinn as a character, TAS gave birth to Harley Quinn, a character so popular she was adopted into the DC verse. The Batman lasted 5 seasons, TAS spawned the entire DCAU verse: Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League (Unlimited) etc...
I've been watching The Batman, and I enjoy it well enough. I agree that the animation from TAS was pretty hit-or-miss, but you can not deny its writing, voice acting, design and character portrayal where top-notch and influenced animation tremendously.
I heard an (uninformed) analysis recently on how the Watchmen isn't that different from comics today. Of course, the commentator completely missed the fact that it is because of the Watchmen that comics are like that today. A similar argument can be made for TAS.
Quote from: Kommando on March 09, 2009, 05:46:28 AM
On one hand you have The Batman, on the other you have TAS which spawned 14 years of animated continuity. The Batman had Harley Quinn as a character, TAS gave birth to Harley Quinn, a character so popular she was adopted into the DC verse. The Batman lasted 5 seasons, TAS spawned the entire DCAU verse: Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League (Unlimited) etc...
Good point Kommando. While you can't always (usually?) judge a show's worth by its success, for B:TAS, the proof is in the pudding.
I agree with that analogy, but taken as an individual series, B:tAS was four seasons long. They figured out how to make it better in Superman, and nailed the formula in the JLA/I cartoon.
Even though B:tAS was four seasons long, I'd bet it had more episodes than The Batman. I think each of the B:tAS seasons had around 26 episode, and The Batman had around 13 each season. 104 vs. 72? Does that sound right?
Do NOT count "Season 4". It is a different series really, and should not be considered part of Batman: TAS. So, it's actually 85 to 72.
I think it's actually season 5. The New Batman Adventures was really a different animal that tried to play on the original's popularity. It even used the same opening. Not nearly as good.
Ready to throw rotting veggies at me, I liked the New Batman Adventures MORE than Batman the Animated Series and The Batman.
Quote from: docdelorean88 on March 16, 2009, 01:49:37 AM
Ready to throw rotting veggies at me, I liked the New Batman Adventures MORE than Batman the Animated Series and The Batman.
*SPLAT!*
Terrible art? Check!
Equally terrible character designs? Check!
Kiddie storylines? Check!
Universally weaker writing? Check!
Annoying replacement for Robin? Check!
Highly inappropriate subtext between Batman and Batgirl? Check!
And best of all, Catwoman's inexplicable undead pallor....Big Bluish-White Check!
At least batman spoke more than 10 yes 10 words an episode in this one! :mellow: :P :D :) :lol:
What, you want soliloquies? Batman ain't chatty, but you still got to know the character wonderfully in the TAS.
That is season 4 - not season 5, I believe.
The catwoman change was really weird. That, the Batgirl stuff mentioned above, Nighmullet, and Robin, the Twerp-Wonder killed the entire 4-year run for me.
Yeah, ha, Nightmullet. According to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Batman:_The_Animated_Series_episodes
You could classify the "New Batman Adventures" as season 5 and 6, but it is in the DVD volume 4. Still, not the same show at all. :angry:
Oh, I see. I thought each of the DVDs I owned was one season. Sorry for the confusion.
Quote from: Xenolith on March 16, 2009, 08:02:47 PM
Oh, I see. I thought each of the DVDs I owned was one season. Sorry for the confusion.
S'okay, I thought the same thing, and I think I said as much earlier in this very thread! :unsure:
I liked Batman: TAS the whole way through and I didn't realize it changed. but I was a kid... just a kid...
Well, for all their talk about "not making a kids show, but kids just being part of the audience," Timm and co. sorta' sold out and did exactly that with "New Batman Adventures." It annoys me because instead of two more years of awesome, we got two more years of powerful mediocrity.
Quote from: BentonGrey on March 17, 2009, 01:48:10 AM
Well, for all their talk about "not making a kids show, but kids just being part of the audience," Timm and co. sorta' sold out and did exactly that with "New Batman Adventures." It annoys me because instead of two more years of awesome, we got two more years of powerful mediocrity.
But was it ever as bad as what they (the mysterious, nebulous "they") did to poor Krypto? :(
Ha, I wouldn't know, I avoided that one like the plague. :D
It's also worth noting that "New Batman" came out a few years AFTER the end of the good series. So, you may not have actually caught it, BWPS. I think it came out right around the time of Batman and Robin...and I can only assume that some of the evil from that...project...infected the Timmverse at the time..
BTAS only has 80-something percent vote over "The Batman"?
No. "The Batman" was good, but BTAS kicked it's Jackie-Chan-Adventure-style-ripoff hiney.
And be thankful you didn't put B&B on there. I'd have stabbed anyone who liked that more then BTAS right in the face.
Quote from: Tomato on March 18, 2009, 02:07:08 AM
And be thankful you didn't put B&B on there. I'd have stabbed anyone who liked that more then BTAS right in the face.
:o Ahem... Cough...(dive out of the way from knife!) :unsure:
*sigh* I'm going to take a page out of Benton's book here...
Vastly inferior character development? Check
Horrifically simple graphic style? Check
Terrible anti-verse designs Check
Uninspired voice acting? Check
Complete disconnect from the source material? Check
Failure to utilize the limited story potential in the episodes? Check
Characters made so unlikeable I can almost sympathize with Benton? Check
Quote from: Tomato on March 18, 2009, 04:04:12 AM
*sigh* I'm going to take a page out of Benton's book here...
Vastly inferior character development? Check
Horrifically simple graphic style? Check
Terrible anti-verse designs Check
Uninspired voice acting? Check
Complete disconnect from the source material? Check
Failure to utilize the limited story potential in the episodes? Check
Characters made so unlikeable I can almost sympathize with Benton? Check
Haha, yeah....I agree, even though I sometimes like the show...it just isn't in the same universe as B:TAS. It's like comparing the Mona Lisa to a really nice drawing of a cat your three year old son made...that may be one really sweet looking cat, but it just ain't high art.
By the way, I'm glad someone else agrees with me on the anti-verse designs...they were REALLY weak.
Well, it doesn't help that pretty much the ENTIRE reason I sat through the first season was for the Anti-verse stuff... I've always been a bit of a CSA groupie. I'd really been looking forward to seeing what they did with the CSA designs for characters that never really got an official look in the comics, and B&B hardly impressed me.
Yeah, the skins and skope the community did for anti-verse characters in the DCUG were about a hundred times better than their color reversed versions.
anyone got any shots of the the B&B anti verse
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/bravebold/guides/reviews/12deepcover/
I think the simplistic design was out of necessity more than anything. They get a whopping 5 minutes or less to establish that this is the mirror universe where good is evil and all the heroes and villains have analogs. While they get more screen time with Owlman and Red Hood, the rest have to be recognizable to the viewer who may not be as familiar with Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Blue Beetle (good grief that's a lot of colors) and others outside of the one or two episodes they appeared in during the season.
Seriously, Bats, Red Hood, and Silver Cyclone are the stars of this episode. The rest is just icing.
Yeah, but I would argue that there are ways of doing that without just being cheap about it with a palette swap. All you really had to do was take the basic design of Blue Beetle, for instance, change the logo, change a few minor costume details and give his eyes a more menacing look. Evil Blue Beetle, Bam! Plus, keeping the original blue tones for the character actually HELP kids recognize these heroes, they'll notice colors well before they notice a different shoulderpad shape.
Precisely. I understand the restrictions that they are working with, but I don't think that is really a good enough excuse. They could have done better, but they only did what they always do.
I'm nearly done with The Batman season 3, which changed the theme music and introduced (The) Batgirl. The series has taken a dip in quality. Not so much because of those changes, but because the show has deviated away from The Batman doing stuff. Now all he does is fight, stand menacingly, and drive his car. More often than not, The Batgirl is the main character. I do like the interaction between The Batgril and The Batman, but its not enough to offset the absense of The Batman in the stories.
The main thing I liked about TAS was the art style, that was simply beyond awesome. The Batman has good stoies, but the art just sucks in comparison.
Batman TAS had better art and far better stories and characterization IMHO. It was more faithful to the comics version and one of the best Joker version ever. The Batman was irregular, some good episodes, some awful. I liked the design of the main characters, specially Bats and the Justice Leaguers, but hated the villains...The Joker was horrible.
Why did this topic go to three pages?
April 11, 2009, 11:06:08 PM
B:TAS, if only because I just can't accept Bruce Wayne with a pointy chin.
Good point. He just doesn't look right with the chin.
B:TAS is the best out of the two, but that doesn't The Batman was that bad. IMO, they messed up the villains and THAT was made the show so weak. Poison Ivy was a teenager, Joker was not Joker. The Riddler looked like Marlyn Manson (and he was best out of all of them).
Um...how is it wrong to state a PREFERENCE?
It is if I dislike it. :p
Quote from: Spe-Dog on August 29, 2010, 06:48:44 PM
Um...how is it wrong to state a PREFERENCE?
VERY wrong. :P
Quote from: Spe-Dog on August 29, 2010, 06:48:44 PM
Um...how is it wrong to state a PREFERENCE?
It's morally wrong on a personal level to feel that something with a high moral, intrinsic value (in this case Batman: The Animated Series) is somehow less valuable than something of less or no intrinsic moral value (in this case The Batman, who fought Dracula)
Where's the face that makes me not seem serious.... :P
At the risk of getting my head lopped off, I chose Batman: TAS. The first season or two of The Batman, was okay, but once they changed the theme song and brought in Batgirl it seemed like they lighten up a bit and the stories got sillier. Lighter is not always a bad thing, but the overall quality seemed to dip a bit and it seemed to remind me a bit of the 60's TV show for some reason. Aside from the episode, Artifacts, it really didn't seem worth my time, even with the near constant stream of guest stars they had in the final season.