DC Animated Universe (1992-2006)

Just watched "Beware the Gray Ghost". Really quite splendid, genuinely affecting.

That one was great, I loved the whole concept of that and with Adam West it was 200% more awesome.

Wish it was all on NETFLIX INSTANT. I'd love to revisit all the Timm shows again. Heck, wish I could listen to some of the eps with the commentaries.

Rankings:

JUSTICE LEAGUE - Yeah, I was very surprised by how well it turned out. Season 1 was weak, like S1 ENT weak, but the rest were flat out brilliant.
BATMAN: TAS - The definitive Batman show.
SUPERMAN: TAS - The definitive Superman show.
BATMAN BEYOND - Not bad at all, but not as great as it could have been as a whole.

The best entries in the BEYOND canon were the RETURN OF THE JOKER DTV and the "Epilogue" episode of JLU -- a sin neither of them were included in the Batman Beyond "Complete" Series DVD set.

I think it's greatest weakness was the mere presence of Old Bruce Wayne overshadowing McGinnis. I give props to Timm and Dini for trying to work the protagonist but having Bruce around just diverted your attention away from the lead. At least that's how it was for me. I was far more interested in Old Bruce. It's like if TNG had Kirk as a supporting player, that's just going to be a real distraction. Especially with Conroy still voicing.

Makeshift Python wrote:

I think it's greatest weakness was the mere presence of Old Bruce Wayne overshadowing McGinnis. I give props to Timm and Dini for trying to work the protagonist but having Bruce around just diverted your attention away from the lead. At least that's how it was for me. I was far more interested in Old Bruce. It's like if TNG had Kirk as a supporting player, that's just going to be a real distraction. Especially with Conroy still voicing.

Yeah, I'll agree with that. I think the show might work differently if you were part of the target demo, which was supposed to attract people who hadn't already been watching BATMAN. You'd identify with Terry more. As Bat-fans however, you're living vicariously through Terry the same way Bruce is.

Netflix now has B:TAS. They didn't when I checked a few days ago. At least I couldn't find it.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Netflix now has B:TAS. They didn't when I checked a few days ago. At least I couldn't find it.

You mean the discs? For a moment I thought you implied Instant, and was disappointed to see it wasn't.

Quote :

So did Judith and Garfield ever sue Chris Nolan for lifting their "fear toxin in the water supply" plot, or did that first appear in the comics?

No, that's originally from BTAS -- but all writing for a character like Batman is work-for-hire anyway. The writers don't own the ideas, DC does. So when someone like Nolan wants to do a movie with Scarecrow in it, DC will hand his writers what they consider the best Scarecrow stories (from either comics or otherwise) for the writers to draw inspiration from.

Just watched "Last Son of Krypton" (the 3-part premiere of Superman Animated) with my girl, and man can I not reiterate strong enough how much Bruce Timm GETS Superman, more than maybe anyone around these days except maybe Grant Morrison. I mean, Superman TAS is definitely in my top 5 incarnations of the character -- down to earth, believable, heroic, yet badass -- it's just a great show.

Like I say, not as good as BATMAN but it's damn well made and definitely my favorite incarnation of Superman. It's really what we should be seeing more of in the flicks.

Also Batman and Superman really fit in with the art deco style Timm utilizes. Just goes together well.

After hearing that apparently the entire plot of MAN OF STEEL is basically just 10 seasons of Smallville condensed into two hours, with a young Clark brooding and angsting about whether he should be a hero, "Last Son of Krypton" is like gold. It's why I liked CAPTAIN AMERICA. It's a breath of fresh air to have heros who are HEROIC. And punching. God damn do I want Superman to punch something. Back in the 30s that's all he ever did, just solve the world's injustices one punch at a time.

Agreed, it just makes me want to wait for the sequel when Superman is already Superman. Unless Snyder and Nolan truly have something great in their hands I'm pretty skeptical of what I'm hearing.

Also want to throw a shout out to the TAS version of Toyman, the only incarnation of the villain I enjoy and that's due to his high creep level.

I typed out a DCAU timeline and I can't find the file. Anyone care to post it? It included placing the films.

Off memory it goes, by the dvds,
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 1
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 2
BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 3
BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 1
(Superman: Brainiac Attacks)*
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 2
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 3/BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 4 (concurrent after the Superman episode "World's Finest")
BATMAN: MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN
(Superman: Doomsday)*
JUSTICE LEAGUE SEASON 1
JUSTICE LEAGUE SEASON 2
(Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths)*
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED SEASON 1 (sans "Epilogue")
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED SEASON 2
BATMAN BEYOND SEASON 1
BATMAN BEYOND SEASON 2
BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER
BATMAN BEYOND SEASON 3
"Epilogue" (from JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED SEASON 2)

*not technically part of the DCAU, but adapted from stories/designs originally intended for the DCAU