Today is Thanksgiving, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. I want to start off by stating what I am thankful for. I'm thankful for my health, especially after losing so much weight. I am down to my high school weight and I plan on staying there. I'm thankful for having a job, especially in this economy, and that I work with a lot of good people. Most of all, I'm thankful for my family coming together this day to be with each other and share a wonderful meal. I hope that all my readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and for my international readers who may not celebrate Thanksgiving, I believe Thanksgiving is mostly an American holiday, may you take the time and give thanks for all that is good in your life.
One last thing, for any readers who are going shopping of Black Friday, please be careful. I swear, every year you see a story on the news people going nuts on Black Friday. I love how the day after we give thanks for what we have, we have the day that celebrates materialism. People literally camping out all night waiting for the store to open and actually fighting each other over stuff. Oh well, at least we can some great deals for Christmas presents.
I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Remembering With Rose Colored Glasses: Batman the Animated Series
There are shows that define a generation, and one of the shows that defined mine is Batman the Animated Series. The show came out originally in 1992, and it's still considered one of the best cartoon series of all time. The show laid the ground work for other DC Comics shows such as The New Batman Adventures, Superman, The Animated Series, Static Shock, Batman Beyond, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
The show's art style is dark, befitting a show about the urban crime fighter. I can best describe it as if Edward Hopper's famous painting, Nighthawks, became a show. The artists painted on a black canvas to make it so dark. Also, the time period of the show is strange, the producer's wanted it to look timeless. People's dress code, plus most technology, looks like it belongs in the 30's or 40's. It is a little weird, but it does give tribute to Batman's roots in pulp fiction and noir. The art style did change for the fourth and final season to match the art style of Superman TAS. In all honesty, I have mixed feelings about the final season's art style, but I think I'll save those thoughts for another day.
Let's start talking about the main hero, Batman, voiced by Kevin Conroy. Like Adam West before him, Kevin Conroy has become synonymous with Batman after this show. Kevin did an amazing job, sounding light-hearted as Bruce Wayne as well as dark and intimidating as Batman. The show's version of Bruce Wayne is more of a slightly clumsy businessman instead of a shallow playboy. The show's version of Batman is perfect. Capable fighter and escape artist, Batman is, well, Batman. One thing the show does well with the character is showing how the death of Bruce's parents affected him.
Batman's allies are also great, all the actors did a good job with them. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. brings much dignity, dry humor, and fatherly/grandfatherly advice to Alfred, Batman's butler, and life long friend. Robin, voiced by Loren Lester, isn't a complete joke like previous versions. He can handle himself against bad guys, but he does need to be saved now and again. The character is a college student but still has childish moments. Melissa Gilbert's Barbara Gordon doesn't appear much until The New Batman Adventures, though she is shown to be a capable hero in the episodes she is in.
The villains of this series, I could do an entire article on them alone. The show reinvented some villains such as Mr. Freeze and Clayface and created Harley Quinn, Joker's girlfriend, and henchwoman. Because there are so many, I'll just talk about Batman's main villain, the Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill, and one that was created by the show. Like Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill is the voice of Joker. Hamill brought nuance to his laughs, each one would reflect the mood of the Joker. Batman TAS version of Joker is the perfect balance of all versions of Joker. Cesar Romero's prankster, Jack Nicholson's gangster, Heath Ledger's anarchist, and Jared Leto's psycho; even though Ledger and Leto played Joker when Batman TAS ended years before. The other villain is Baby-Doll aka Mary Dahl. Mary Dahl was an actress with a genetic disease that makes her look like a toddler. Dahl had a show that was a cross between Leave It to Beaver and Full House, with Dahl playing "the baby" despite being 29-years-old. Dahl later attempts to become a serious actress but is unable to become one because of her physical disability and goes crazy. Her episode has some very touching monologs about what it is like living as a little person and that pretending to be a child is easier than living as an adult.
While I think people can enjoy every episode, though some of the episodes of the first season you can skip, and in truth only half of the fourth season is worth watching. I'll just mention some of my favorite episodes:
The show's art style is dark, befitting a show about the urban crime fighter. I can best describe it as if Edward Hopper's famous painting, Nighthawks, became a show. The artists painted on a black canvas to make it so dark. Also, the time period of the show is strange, the producer's wanted it to look timeless. People's dress code, plus most technology, looks like it belongs in the 30's or 40's. It is a little weird, but it does give tribute to Batman's roots in pulp fiction and noir. The art style did change for the fourth and final season to match the art style of Superman TAS. In all honesty, I have mixed feelings about the final season's art style, but I think I'll save those thoughts for another day.
Let's start talking about the main hero, Batman, voiced by Kevin Conroy. Like Adam West before him, Kevin Conroy has become synonymous with Batman after this show. Kevin did an amazing job, sounding light-hearted as Bruce Wayne as well as dark and intimidating as Batman. The show's version of Bruce Wayne is more of a slightly clumsy businessman instead of a shallow playboy. The show's version of Batman is perfect. Capable fighter and escape artist, Batman is, well, Batman. One thing the show does well with the character is showing how the death of Bruce's parents affected him.
Batman's allies are also great, all the actors did a good job with them. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. brings much dignity, dry humor, and fatherly/grandfatherly advice to Alfred, Batman's butler, and life long friend. Robin, voiced by Loren Lester, isn't a complete joke like previous versions. He can handle himself against bad guys, but he does need to be saved now and again. The character is a college student but still has childish moments. Melissa Gilbert's Barbara Gordon doesn't appear much until The New Batman Adventures, though she is shown to be a capable hero in the episodes she is in.
The villains of this series, I could do an entire article on them alone. The show reinvented some villains such as Mr. Freeze and Clayface and created Harley Quinn, Joker's girlfriend, and henchwoman. Because there are so many, I'll just talk about Batman's main villain, the Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill, and one that was created by the show. Like Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill is the voice of Joker. Hamill brought nuance to his laughs, each one would reflect the mood of the Joker. Batman TAS version of Joker is the perfect balance of all versions of Joker. Cesar Romero's prankster, Jack Nicholson's gangster, Heath Ledger's anarchist, and Jared Leto's psycho; even though Ledger and Leto played Joker when Batman TAS ended years before. The other villain is Baby-Doll aka Mary Dahl. Mary Dahl was an actress with a genetic disease that makes her look like a toddler. Dahl had a show that was a cross between Leave It to Beaver and Full House, with Dahl playing "the baby" despite being 29-years-old. Dahl later attempts to become a serious actress but is unable to become one because of her physical disability and goes crazy. Her episode has some very touching monologs about what it is like living as a little person and that pretending to be a child is easier than living as an adult.
While I think people can enjoy every episode, though some of the episodes of the first season you can skip, and in truth only half of the fourth season is worth watching. I'll just mention some of my favorite episodes:
- "Heart of Ice" - This is the episode that reinvented the origin of Mister Freeze in this very sympathetic retelling. This version is a scientist who turns to crime to save his dying wife despite the fact he can only survive in sub-zero temperatures.
- "Beware the Gray Ghost" - Batman teams up with actor Simon Trent, voiced by Adam West, who played Bruce's childhood hero the Gray Ghost. The show honors Adam West's Batman and is a must watch.
- "Perchance to Dream" - Bruce Wayne wakes up one morning to find that his parents are alive, he's engaged to Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), and someone else is Batman. His life is now perfect, right?
- "Almost Got 'Im" - Joker, Penguin, Two-face, Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy play poker together and talk about who came the closest to killing Batman.
- "Birds of a Feather" - Penguin tries to go straight, but he ends up being the butt of a joke by a spoiled socialite.
- "Sideshow" - Killer Croc, who looks like a human crocodile, meets a group of former circus freaks who offer him a chance to live a life without crime.
- "Trial" - Batman's rogues put him on trial to see if Batman is the reason why Gotham City has so many costume criminals.
- "Baby-Doll" - An unusual episode that has monologs that make the episode a must see.
The series had two movie tie-ins, Batman: Mask of the Phantasam and Batman: Sub-Zero. The former is a prequel to the series while the latter deals with Mr. Freeze and his wife Nora. Both movies are a must see, and along with the regular episodes, can be purchased on DVD. Batman The Animated Series helped me become a fan of Batman as well as a fan of comics.
I'm Colin, and these are the ramblings of a guy in his twenties.
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