The Versions of Batman in the Comics & Other Media

Post-Crisis Batman
Batman of the Burton-Schumacher Films
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman Begins & The Dark Knight

Post-Crisis Batman

Soon after Crisis on Infinite Earths permanently changed the DC Universe, Frank Miller’s mini-series, The Dark Knight Returns was released. This mini-series has probably had more impact on the Batman character than anything since Detective Comics #27 & #38. From this point on, Batman was redefined along the lines of the ultra-violent Marvel Comics characters who were so popular at the time—Wolverine & Punisher.

Two new Batman titles were introduced in the post-crisis period, Legends of the Dark Knight in 1989 & Shadow of the Bat in 1992. This brought Batman’s solo monthly titles to four, equal to Superman’s count at the time.

Additionally, Nightwing, Robin, Catwoman, & Batgirl all received their own successful monthly titles in the post-Crisis period.

In 1988, readers voted for & received the death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, at the hands of the Joker. 1988 was a grisly year for the Joker. He also crippled Barbara Gordon in 1988. Barbara would later become Oracle, tactical leader of the Birds of Prey. In 1993, even as Superman faced Doomsday, Batman’s back was broken by the super-villain Bane in the Knightfall storyline. Jean Paul Valley (Azrael) stepped in to assume the role of Batman.

Tim Drake was introduced & became the third Robin in 1989. Stephanie Brown (Spoiler) first appeared in 1992 & became Batgirl in 2009. Bane debuted in 1993. Cassandra Cain premiered in 1999.

Batman of the Burton-Schumacher Films

Batman (1989)

Released in 1989, Batman was directed by Tim Burton, who also directed Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes (2001), & Alice in Wonderland (2010). Batman stars Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, & Jack Nicholson. Batman also features notable supporting roles for Michael Gough & Jack Palance. In the months prior to Batman’s release, Batmania raged through America as it had in 1966. With a pricetag of $48 million, Batman grossed $43 million in its opening weekend, which was a record at the time. With competition from Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade & Ghostbusters II, Batman seemed a shoe-in to come in third place in 1989. However, Batman, to the surprise of many, was the highest grossing film of 1989. Batman won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

Comic fans raucously protested the casting choices of the producers. Bill Murray was considered for the role of the Caped Crusader & fans took clamorous exception. When Michael Keaton was finally cast, fans wrote thousands of letters of objection to Warner Brothers. Concern abounded that Batman would not be treated seriously & that the film would be a comedy. After the film’s release, most agreed that Keaton put in a good performance. However, seeing Keaton as Bruce Wayne, it is difficult to picture him as an athlete “far exceeding the Olympic level.”

Jack Nicholson also gave an outstanding performance, but his part nevertheless presents three problems. First, being much older than Keaton, he gives the appearance that the Joker is much older. Most agree that Batman & the Joker are about the same age & should have been so on the silver screen. Additionally, the real name of the comic book Joker has never been revealed, & the Clown Prince of Crime is not the murderer of young Bruce’s parents.

Batman’s costume in the film is cool, but it is at odds with the original version, which is gray & blue, rather than all black. Furthermore, in the film, the Dark Knight Detective’s bat-shaped chest emblem is given some extra lines to add a tail to the famous symbol. This was corrected in the subsequent Batman films.

In a move similar to the one Pierce Brosnan made when taking over as James Bond, Batman is too dark in an overreaction against the unpopularly light-toned 1960s Adam West TV series. In the scene in which Batman destroys Axis Chemical, the film implies that Batman has killed people. The film also implies that Batman is trying to kill the Joker in the climax when he fires several rockets & machine gun bursts at the clown. This is as untrue to the character of Batman as Adam West’s Batman ever was. In fact, it is less true. Furthermore, Batman does not use guns. And Alfred letting Vicki Vale into the Batcave without Bruce’s permission is simply not in character.
Warner Brothers snubbed Adam West egregiously by not offering him a part (or at least, a cameo) in the film.
Interestingly, Tim Burton has said that Batman is okay, but parts of it are boring. If an artist finds his own work boring, how can he expect anyone else to like it...?
Finally, Batman focuses too much on the insignificant & rather sleazy character, Alexander Knox.

Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Returns, released in 1992 & directed by Tim Burton, stars Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, & Christopher Walken. Batman Returns grossed $267 million worldwide & was the third-highest grossing film of 1992 in the United States. Batman Returns received Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects & Best Makeup.

Batman Returns has so many problems, it is difficult to know where to start. The biggest problem for me is the villains. Burton completely destroyed the character of the Penguin & mostly destroyed Catwoman too. Two of Batman’s greatest, most ingenious arch-villains are painted as buffoonish, pathetic, inept caricatures. And why is Christopher Walken (Max Shreck, purportedly named after the actor who portrayed Count Orlock in Nosferatu) in this film at all? You already have two super-villains; why do you need another villain? And an idiotic one at that?

In addition, the character of Batman is also mishandled. As Roger Ebert pointed out, film noir & super-heroes do not mix. Batman comes off looking as if he is as big a creep as the villains.
Batman Returns returns the Caped Crusader’s bat-shaped chest emblem to its original comic book appearance.

Batman Forever (1995)

Released in 1995, Batman Forever was directed by Joel Schumacher (who directed The Lost Boys, 8 mm, The Client, Phone Booth, St Elmo’s Fire, & Batman & Robin) & stars Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, & Chris O’Donnell. Michael Gough & Pat Hingle reprise their roles as Alfred & Commissioner Gordon. Batman Forever was the second-highest-grossing of the Burton-Schumacher Batman films, as well as the second-highest domestically grossing film of 1995. Batman Forever received Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography & Best Sound.

Batman Forever was intentionally lighter in tone than the Burton films, due to the perceived poor performance of Batman Returns.

Jim Carrey’s performance is a bit overdone. Tommy Lee Jones steals the spotlight as Two-Face. Jones was cast as Harvey Dent/Two-Face despite Billy Dee Williams’ playing the part in Batman. Val Kilmer’s performance is at least as good as Keaton’s, & Kilmer looks the part more (despite the comic book Bruce having black hair).

Batman & Robin

Released in 1997, Batman & Robin was directed by Joel Schumacher (who directed The Lost Boys, 8 mm, The Client, Phone Booth, St Elmo’s Fire, & Batman Forever) & stars George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, & John Glover. Chris O’Donnell, Michael Gough, & Pat Hingle reprise their roles as Robin, Alfred, & Commissioner Gordon. Batman & Robin was the lowest-grossing of the Burton-Schumacher Batman films (and is the lowest-grossing live-action Batman film to date), pulling in $238 million worldwide against a $125-million production budget.

Much of the backstory of Mr Freeze was taken from the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Heart of Ice.”

My criticisms of Batman & Robin follow:

George Clooney’s acting. (Both Shumacher & Clooney have admitted they were going for a gay portrayal of the Dark Knight.)
Alicia Silverstone’s acting.
The bat-costumes are beyond over-the-top.
Batgirl being a relative of Alfred rather than Commissioner Gordon’s daughter.

Despite my criticisms of Batman & Robin, I believe the film is by-and-large unjustly deprecated. It’s still better than Batman Returns or either of the Nolan/Bale films.

Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series technically only ran for two seasons, from 1992 to 1995 for a total of 85 episodes, 65 in the first season & an additional 20 in the second. 80 of the 85 episodes had aired by November, 1994. Five of the second-season episodes did not air until September, 1995; thus for an entire year of the show’s first two “seasons,” only five new episodes aired. These five episodes are sometimes called the show’s third season. The first season of Batman: The Animated Series had no onscreen title. During the second season, the series was titled The Adventures of Batman & Robin, & these episodes do feature Robin more extensively.

At the end of the first season of Superman: The Animated Series (1996-1997), Warner Brothers decided to produce 24 more episodes of Batman, calling the show The New Batman Adventures. While this was technically a different series from the original, it had virtually the same production crew & voice cast. Despite the three-year gap in production (two years in airing) & a revamped artistic style, most consider this a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series. The New Batman Adventures aired from 1997 to 1999. (Many also divide these 24 episodes into two “seasons” due to a two-month hiatus between the airing of the first 13 & the next 11 episodes.)

Although many people contributed to Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce Timm & Paul Dini are often seen as the primary creative forces behind the show. Batman: The Animated Series was based partly on the Tim Burton Batman films, the Batman comics over the years, & the Fleischer Superman animated shorts of the 1940s.

Batman: The Animated Series is significant for a number of reasons. Directly responsible for the Warner Brothers animated series Batman Beyond (1999-2001), Static Shock (2000-2004), The Zeta Project (2001-2002), Justice League (2001-2004), & Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006), Batman: The Animated Series was the premiere series of the DC Animated Universe. The DCAU is a shared continuity consisting of the above series, which is similar to but distinct from the continuity of DC characters appearing in the comics & other media. Also included in the DCAU are the theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm & the direct-to-video films, Batman & Mr Freeze: SubZero, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, & Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. In addition, many believe that Batman: The Animated Series presents the single best interpretation of Batman & his supporting cast outside of comic books. Furthermore, Batman: The Animated Series has been just as influential to public perception & comic interpretation of the Caped Crusader as any other medium, if not more so. Batman: The Animated Series is responsible for the character of Harley Quinn’s introduction to the comics, as well as the radical revamping of Mr Freeze.

Kevin Conroy provided the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in every single one of the character’s appearances in every one of the various DCAU series as well as a few other, non-DCAU related animated films. Conroy therefore lays claim to having performed the Dark Knight over a longer time period & for more total airtime than any other performer. This is rather the reverse of the case of Bud Collyer & Superman. Collyer was the first performer to portray the Man of Steel, but because of the long run of the radio serial in addition to later performances of the character in other media, Collyer never relinquished the title. In contrast, many performers played the role of Batman prior to Conroy, but the success & diversity of the DCAU has surpassed that of any other interpretation in any other medium.

My Favorite Episodes of Batman: The Animated Series by Season (three per season)

Season	Batman: The Animated Series episode
First	“Heart of Ice” (1x03)
First	“Beware the Gray Ghost” (1x32)
First	“Almost Got ’Im” (1x35)
First	“Heart of Steel” (1x39 & 1x40)
First	“The Demon’s Quest” (1x57 & 1x58)
Third	“Harley’s Holiday” (3x06)
Third	“Batgirl Returns” (3x08)
Third	“Deep Freeze” (3x10)
Fifth	“You Scratch My Back” (5x05)
Fifth	“Joker’s Millions” (5x07)
Fifth	“The Demon Within” (5x10)
Sixth	“The Ultimate Thrill” (6x01)
Sixth	“Old Wounds” (6x05)
Sixth	“Girls’ Night Out” (6x07)

Notes on favorite episodes

First Season Favorite Episodes

“Heart of Ice” (1x03)

“Heart of Ice,” which first aired on September 7, 1992, is the first episode of Batman: The Animated Series to be written by Paul Dini & directed by Bruce Timm & was the first episode of the show to win an Emmy (for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program).
“Heart of Ice” is also the first episode of Batman: The Animated Series to feature Mark Hamill in the voice cast, although he voices ruthless businessman Ferris Boyle in this episode. Hamill would soon become the series’ one-and-only Joker, a role he would reprise many times in many shows over the years to come.
Michael Ansara, who portrayed Klingon Captain Kang in Star Trek: TOS & DS9 as well as Killer Kane on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, voices Mr Freeze in “Heart of Ice.”
“Heart of Ice” introduces significant changes to the character of Mr Freeze as presented in the comics & in the 1960s Batman TV series. Freeze’s real name is changed to Victor Fries & the character is given a backstory involving an ill wife, which makes Mr Freeze a far more sympathetic character. These changes were so popular that DC retconned them into the Batman comics, & they showed up in the 1997 film, Batman & Robin.

“Beware the Gray Ghost” (1x32)

This episode features.

“Almost Got ’Im” (1x35)

This episode features.

“Heart of Steel” (1x39 & 1x40)

This episode features.

“The Demon’s Quest” (1x57 & 1x58)

This episode features.

Batman: The Animated Series Second Season Favorite Episodes

“Harley’s Holiday” (3x06)

This episode features.

“Deep Freeze” (3x10)

This episode features.

“Batgirl Returns” (3x08)

This episode features.

“You Scratch My Back” (5x05)

This episode features.

“Joker’s Millions” (5x07)

This episode features.

“The Demon Within” (5x10)

This episode features.

“The Ultimate Thrill” (6x01)

This episode features.

“Old Wounds” (6x05)

This episode features.

“Girls’ Night Out” (6x07)

This episode features.

Batman Begins & The Dark Knight

Batman Begins

Batman was produced in order to market the Batman series to international audiences, something that became superfluous with the series’ unexpected, overwhelming success. The Batman film did not perform terribly well at the box office.

The Batman film features all four of the Dark Knight Detective’s primary antagonists—Joker, Penguin, Riddler, & Catwoman (played by Lee Meriwether, as Julie Newmar had previous commitments).

The film’s greater budget allowed several props, later used on the series, to be fabricated, which would otherwise have been prohibitively expensive for television at the time—the Batboat, Batcopter, Batcycle, & the Riddler—s suit (as opposed to his tights).

The Dark Knight

Batman was produced in order to market the Batman series to international audiences, something that became superfluous with the series’ unexpected, overwhelming success. The Batman film did not perform terribly well at the box office.

The Batman film features all four of the Dark Knight Detective’s primary antagonists—Joker, Penguin, Riddler, & Catwoman (played by Lee Meriwether, as Julie Newmar had previous commitments).

The film’s greater budget allowed several props, later used on the series, to be fabricated, which would otherwise have been prohibitively expensive for television at the time—the Batboat, Batcopter, Batcycle, & the Riddler—s suit (as opposed to his tights).

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