The DCAU Weekly Review – The New Batman Adventures

The New Batman Adventures

Batman is back!!!  The follow-up to Batman: the Animated Series and the series that crosses over with Superman: the Animated Series.  When WB started their own network and children’s animated programing block they gradually reacquired the distribution rights for their WB properties from Fox Kids.  Syndication for shows like Tiny Toons and Animaniacs which found success on Fox Kids, moved over to Kids’ WB.  BtAS originally aired on Fox Kids and with the transfer to Kids’ WB it was given a new episode order.  

 

The creators had already moved onto Superman by this time.  With the new series the creators took the opportunity to revamp the art design.  There are lots of theories, interviews, statements about the reasons for the change.  The most practical answer was the new animation style was cheaper and quicker.  It more matched StAS style.  The creators had learned a lot from the original run of BtAS and were able to streamline the process.  

 

There were some improvements made to certain character designs while others were missteps.  Instead of tackling each new character design episode by episode we’ll attack them head on before the episode reviews.    Overall the changes were tolerable but the original versions are the preferred option. 

 

The episode stories were actually much darker in nature to a show that was already rather grim for a children’s cartoon.  It was as if they upped the story quality to make-up for the mistakes on character design. 

 

Let’s take a look at each of these changes.

Batman/Bruce Wayne

Batman’s change isn’t bad, no real complaints.  His costume is all black, his utility belt is a toned down brown instead of bright yellow.  He’s a little bulkier.  Overall it’s still the classic Batman.  The bat insignia on his chest doesn’t have the yellow background either.  

Bruce Wayne is drastically different.  It’s not a bad design but takes getting used to when compared to the original.  I wouldn’t call it an improvement but it certainly wasn’t a terrible change.  This Wayne is a bit prettier, more believable as a billionaire playboy.  

Alfred Pennyworth

A total screw-up, the original was well rounded and this more angular Alfred just looks bad.  There wasn’t much they could do with his redesign if they wanted consistency with the rest of the new character looks but new Alfred is a fail.  Collateral damage of a new style.

Batgirl/Barbara Gordon

There wasn’t much changed here.  They slimmed her down a little and changed the costume.  The original was more gray, blue, yellow.  The new one is more black, blue, yellow.  This is a lateral move.  One could even make the argument that she just changed costumes and wasn’t really redesigned at all.  Her alter ego Barbara Gordon has almost no change compared to the original.  

Clayface

Lateral move, no complaints.  He went from brown to dark brown.  No true changes.  

Ponytail...ugg!

Mullet, angry face!

Nightwing/Robin/Dick Grayson

This was a fail but not for the reasons it should have been.  The new Nightwing costume is pretty cool.  It’s the mullet we all hate and ponytail.  It might be a complaint that’s been regurgitated to oblivion but it’s really that bad of a design.   We hate the mullet!  It was a mistake.  The original Robin hair was fine.  Changing something, just to change it is never a good idea.  We see Dick Grayson as Robin in a flashback and it’s adequate.  Nothing crazy.  That means when they made him Nightwing, that’s where the wrong ideas were implemented.  The mullet almost killed a character who we loved so much in BtAS.  

 

Commissioner Gordon

Such a terrible change.  He looks like the results after bariatric surgery.  His giant head and small body make him far from a menacing police presence.  He’s now a frail old man who shouldn’t be allowed to drive let alone run an entire metropolitan police force.  This is a major screw-up on the creators part and almost a character ruining change.  

 

Harvey Bullock

This was a terrible change.  Wrong on every level.  The original was Bullock was a bit slovenly but still looked tough and menacing.  The new design just has him as fat, no lines, no discernable facial features.  The outfit even lacks any real definition.  All of it was poorly done.  Seeing him in the show is so jarring, it can take you out of the episode.  The creators completely ruined the look of a great character.  It’s changes like this that make people hate the new design.

 

Officer/Detective Renee Montoya

Lateral move, no real complaints.  She was also promoted from officer to detective, which made her changes more digestible.  She wasn’t in the Gotham PD officer uniform anymore.  She was wearing a detective suit.  

 

Catwoman/Selena Kyle

The original Catwoman was h-o-t.  Really hot.  A form fitting gray suit and a mask with black components showed off her facial features and other attributes.  It was one of the more believable costumes in the DCAU.  The change to an all black suit with a whited out jaw and black lip stick works.  She also has white eyes instead of real eyes. She’s is also more petite.  It’s more comic booky and still shows off her womanly features.  It’s a lateral move.  No real complaints. The original is better but the change isn’t anything horrible.  

 

Two-Face

The original is preferred but the change isn’t terrible.  This is another lateral move.  The creators were likely getting lazy and didn’t want to keep changing everyone’s looks.  That’s a benefit to the fans because there were serious missteps.  

 

Mr. Freeze

This is almost a good change but the original was so well done that it was hard to beat.  The original could have been drawn by Max Fleischer himself.  The new Freeze is rather bland in comparison.  It doesn’t fail by itself, it fails in comparison to something that was so well done the first time, it shouldn’t have been changed.  

 

Joker

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG! All of it is wrong.  His hair looks stupid, he has no lips.  Somehow his costume was the same and looks wrong.  The angular features are just horrible. Whoever made this design and whoever approved it should be kicked in the balls.  The original is far superior and actually menacing.  The new look is only salvaged by the fact that Mark Hamill was still the voice of the Joker.  His design is so bad, that if it wasn’t for Mark Hamill doing the voice, it could have tanked all the new episodes.  

Harley Quinn

They didn’t really change her.  So that’s a win for everyone.  

 

Poison Ivy

The new looking Poisons Ivy isn’t terrible but her original version was far better.  She was much sexier looking and more human looking.  The all white look makes her more super power like instead of a human who uses plant-based weapons.  This is mostly a tolerable fail.  We can live with it but would rather have the original version. 

 

Killer Croc

This might be a controversial opinion but the original Killer Croc was a better look.  The creators made the new Croc more crocodile looking with the green and lizard look.  They get an A for effort in the change but while the original Croc didn’t really look like a crocodile with his blue tones, it somehow worked better.  

 

Baby Doll

We hate Baby Doll on all versions, so this redesign doesn’t even matter to us.  She’s just a terrible character.  So they get a win by default.

 

Scarecrow

This was an improvement in spades!!! He’s far scarier and menacing.  The original scarecrow wasn’t very scary.  This new darker one with a poorly lit face could have been one of Batman’s top rogues if he was designed that way in the original run.  You can almost love the redesigns when you see changes like this.  

 

The Mad Hatter

This is a slim victory for the creators.  He’s shorter and weirder looking.  He’s a little scarier, the dark green over blue isn’t a bad choice. The original version might have just been a poor design from the start which probably helped make this new design work out.   

 

Bane

Another lateral move.  They bulked him up and darkened his costume from the original.  He’s a bit more S&M looking in the new design but there’s no complaints about the change.  

 

The Riddler

This was a big fail.  Riddler actually had two different redesigns on the new show.  He looked different in a dream sequence then his actual TNBA appearance.  The Riddler we get is far better than the dream sequence but falls short of the original.  The original Riddler was just so sharp looking.   The anorexic redesign is not a menacing villain or even someone who a person could believe is any type of threat to anyone.  

 

The Penguin

A vast improvement.  They ditched the Danny Devito Batman Returns look and made him a socialite.  He’s sleek with his top hat and tux.  All the choices made were improvements and actually match the voice of Paul Williams.  Nothing but love for this change.  

 

Scarface

His new look makes him terrible.  Much like the Bullock changes, his were all wrong, from the face to the clothes. The original was fine, no reason to make the change. 

The Ventriloquist

Also a misstep.  His head is totally different.  His hair and glasses are all wrong.  They completely screwed up a character who was drawn very well in the original version.  One of the worst changes made. 

 

Talhia Al Ghul

The original was better but her change was tolerable.  Ultimately we’d label this a loss.  She had a better face in her original design.  

 

Ra’s Al Ghul

He wasn’t changed much either.  So no real complaints.  Of all the male villains, Ra’s was the least affected.  Perhaps the creators learned to stop messing with the character designs because they were making them worse.  

 

Veronica Vreeland

No major changes but the original was better looking.  She looks close enough to the original that we’ll call this a lateral change.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com