TV Review: Beware the Batman

Recently, Cartoon Network began airing their brand-new computer animated caped crusader show, Beware the Batman.  It is the first Batman show to debut after the end of the much beloved Brave and the Bold series.  Between that and the iconic 90s Batman: The Animated Series, this show has big shoes to fill.  Recently my husband and I sat down to watch the first three episodes, and I am here to report my findings!

Sadly, my opinion on the show thus far is a resounding "meh".

Batman is a part of our culture, as are his gallery of freakish enemies.  Starting in the 1960s, Batman has been a household name.  His struggles, the thematic content of his war on crime, are all part of something that society as a whole can identify with.  Each villain represents a concept larger than themselves.  Two-face wrestles with the good and evil in his soul, The Penguin yearns for wealth and recognition, and the legendary Joker is the embodiment of chaos itself.  

It's obvious that the show creators wanted to do something different.  Batman and his most famous foes have been recycled endlessly.  And so the Beware the Batman crew decided to change things up; they looked to the comics and Batman's (much) lesser known foes to inspire their new series.  In theory, not a bad idea at all.

Some parts of this I really enjoy.  Heavily inspired by Frank Miller's timeless Batman: Year One, BTBM shows us a much less experienced Batman.  This is a nice change from Brave and the Bold's sometimes ridiculously silly Batman, who has a mech, and a lightsaber, and practically never struggles to defeat a foe.  That Batman was an elder statesman, this Batman is fighting tooth and nail to survive.  If he takes a hit, he goes down.  There are long time consequences to injury.  He's still considered a criminal by the GCPD, and has yet to gain the trust of James Gordon, much less the world.  It's a refreshing direction. 

The tone is nice too.  There's a huge emphasis on Bruce's capacities as a detective.  Some properties have Batman relying too heavily on his super computer, so it is cool to see him use some old school Sherlock Holmes style deduction and investigation.  There is a lot more emphasis on Bruce Wayne as a separate person from Batman, with his own life and responsibilities running Wayne Enterprises.  Somehow, it all comes off feeling a little James Bond inspired.

I am much less thrilled with the villains.  

As I said, the creators turned to the comics to find lesser known villains.  But did they pick the right villains?  I'm not so sure.  First, there's Professor Pyg and his sidekick, Mr. Toad.

I'll let you guess who's who.

Professor Pyg was invented during Grant Morrison's recently finished 8-year run on the comic.  If you know Grant Morrison's work, you might already be worried.  He's known for creating ultra-violent, almost psychedelic characters, and Pyg is no exception.  In the comics, he melts masks onto peoples faces, sometimes while engaging in Buffalo Bill-esque dance routines.  But you don't have to worry about seeing that here: the character has been entirely changed.  He is now an eco-terrorist, fighting for vengeance on behalf of animal-kind.  Sound a bit familiar?

Pictured: Ivy is not amused.

Next we have Magpie....

.....who enjoys fetish gear, running along rooftops, gymnastics, and flirting with Batman.  Wait a minute....

You stole my shtick!  

And finally, we have Anarky, revealed in the third episode and built up to be Batman's main nemesis throughout the series.

 He vows as an agent of chaos to battle Batman's rigid system of justice and order at every turn!  Oh for crying out loud...

To their credit, the personalities and modus operandi of the characters are all completely different than their villainous predecessor, but if the motivation was going to be exactly the same, what was the point of changing them at all? 

For comparison's sake, I feel like Batman Beyond did a MUCH better job of establishing an all new rogues gallery with unique and interesting motivations.  Then again, Beyond had the help of the legendary Bruce Timm, so there's that.

And then there's Alfred, Bruce Wayne's ever faithful butler and surrogate father figure.  His history may be filled with mystery and adventurous exploits (which provides a basis for his field medic experience), but you'd never guess it from his personality.  Ever the gentlemen, prim and proper, slight of build, with a dry wit that keeps Bruce grounded....

...or I guess he could be a big beefy brute and Bruce's bodyguard.  That's cool.

They also introduce a character called Miss Yamashiro, who is based on Katana, a member of The Outsiders, a teen team that Batman traditionally mentors.  Here she is Alfred's (adult) goddaughter, who he brings in to protect Bruce after he's injured in the first episode.  As of now, I'm not quite sure how I feel about her, but it's nice that they have a capable, intelligent female character who isn't completely cuckoo for coco puffs.

Overall, it just feels like the BTBM team are trying too darned hard to be different, and then becoming frustrated when they don't hit the classic Batman beats.  While Bruce does flex some impressive detective muscles and fighting techniques, he lacks any real personality, which is usually derived from his dark and sarcastic sense of humor.  As you might guess, that's completely missing here.  I might give it a couple of more episodes Before I totally give up, but I'm not optimistic.

I give Beware the Batman a C-.