Batman: The Animated Series is the acclaimed animated, Emmy-winning television series that made the world take a double take on the Dark Knight Detective's world, and made everyone salivate for the continuing adventures of Batman. The original 85 episodes aired from 1992 to 1995 and are dubbed "the Dark Deco Era" of the series' run. Batman: The Animated Series, Volume 3 is another 4-disc set that gives us the remaining 29 episodes (yes, 29, not 28 as the box indicates... someone at Warner Bros. didn't catch the boo-boo) before it changed styles to reflect a more streamlined-look in the likes of the new animated series that followed in 1996—Superman: The Animated Series.


More Nutcases From Arkham Asylum

It is said that good villains help define the hero. If so, Batman's colourful palette ranging from the criminally insane to mastermind geniuses will always make sure he never has a dull night.

Ra's al Ghul (voiced by David Warner) makes his full animated appearance (he made a brief, shadowy appearance back in “Off Balance”) in “The Demon's Quest, Pts.1 & 2”. Ra's tests the mettle of Batman—or “Detective” as he is called—to see if he is worthy enough to wed his daughter, Talia. We also learn that Ra's al Ghul has prolonged his life throughout the centuries by means of the Lazarus Pit. Ra's is one of Batman's most formidable foes that can both mentally and physically challenge him. He has also deuced Batman's secret identity. This story is adapted from the comic book written by Dennis O'Neil in Batman #232. Ra's makes another appearance in “Showdown” showcasing one of his past lives in the old west and crossing the path of another DC character—the bounty hunter Jonah Hex!

“Read My Lips” brings the animated debut of Scarface & the Ventriloquist (voiced by George Dzundza). Scarface is a cunning mob boss that has been baffling the Gotham City police with his heists while the Ventriloquist, a meek and timid man, serves his boss the best way he can. Here's the catch… Scarface is a wodden dummy!

Bane, the man famous for breaking the back of Batman in the comic books, was slightly reinterpreted for the animated show. He became a strong-arm, hitman-for-hire and is hired by crime boss Rupert Thorne to get rid of Batman in “Bane”.

Maxie Zeus, a third, maybe even fourth tier villain, makes a surprising animated appearance in “Fire From Olympus”. Maximillian Zeus went insane believing he is the Greek god Zeus and that Batman is Hades. His powerful giant laser gun was created to use on the pitiful mortals who had the gall to oppose him.

The creators also created a couple of new characters for the show such as Baby-Doll (“Baby-Doll”), a disgruntled former child actor whose growth spurt stopped at the age of an eight-year old, and Lock-Up (“Lock-Up”), a sadistic prison guard who takes too much pleasure in guarding the inmates of Arkham Asylum.

Luckily for Batman, a new ally appeared to help him. Batgirl (voiced by Melissa Gilbert) emerged when her father Commissioner Gordon was in trouble in “Shadow of the Bat, Pts. 1 & 2”, and has continued to be of service to ridding the corruption within Gotham City.


Stellar To The End

Ever since its debut, Batman: The Animated Series delivered incredible stories, thanks, in part, to the mature writing that captured the gritty feel of the comic book. Parents embraced it, and children were thrilled with the action. It also explored different aspects of the character that hasn't been seen before in any previous animated translations.

The voice actors continued to make this animated world feel as real as it can get. In other words, they took this job seriously as their portrayals show a reverence for what they were doing. Kevin Conroy will always be Batman. His take on the character is bang-on using dry wit and an intimidating presence that seems larger than life.

Even though this was the end of the “Dark Deco” era, the series was retitled from 1997 to 1999 under a new look and new style in The New Batman Adventures, with 24 new episodes appearing as part of The New Batman/Superman Adventures line-up. Here's hoping for Volume 4.

The animated series took great strides in developing these characters to the delight of both animation and comic book fans. It's just wonderful to know that there are excellent Batman tales outside of comic books that can be relived and enjoyed for the purity that it was created for in the first place—to entertain.


A Little Bat-Trivia

The episodes never aired in production order as seen by the listings on these DVD sets. This was because the animation was farmed out to different studios, and the producers were forced to air the ones that came back. Most of the time it wasn't the ones they wanted. That's why there are some discrepancies to characters' first appearances on television. The production list is the true one to follow. In the meantime, here's the episode list as they appeared on TV.

Season One (September 1992 to August 1993)
1. The Cat and the Claw (Pt. 1)
2. On Leather Wings
3. Heart of Ice
4. Feat of Clay (Pt. 1)
5. Feat of Clay (Pt. 2)
6. It's Never Too Late
7. Joker's Favor
8. The Cat and the Claw (Pt. 2)
9. Pretty Poison
10. Nothing to Fear
11. Be a Clown
12. Appointment in Crime Alley
13. P.O.V.
14. The Clock King
15. The Last Laugh
16. Eternal Youth
17. Two-Face (Pt. 1)
18. Two-Face (Pt. 2)
19. Fear of Victory
20. I've Got Batman in My Basement
21. Vendetta
22. Prophecy of Doom
23. The Forgotten
24. Mad as a Hatter
25. The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy
26. Perchance to Dream
27. The Underdwellers
28. Night of the Ninja
29. The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne
30. Tyger, Tyger
31. Dreams in Darkness
32. Beware the Gray Ghost
33. Cat Scratch Fever
34. I Am the Night
35. Almost Got 'Im
36. Moon of the Wolf
37. Terror in the Sky
38. Christmas With the Joker
39. Heart of Steel (Pt. 1)
40. Heart of Steel, (Pt. 2)
41. If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?
42. Joker's Wild
43. His Silicon Soul
44. Off Balance
45. What is Reality?
46. The Laughing Fish
47. Harley and Ivy
48. The Mechanic
49. The Man Who Killed Batman
50. Zatanna
51. Robin's Reckoning (Pt. 1)
52. Birds of a Feather
53. Robin's Reckoning (Pt. 2)
54. Blind as a Bat
55. Day of the Samurai
56. See No Evil
57. The Demon's Quest
58. The Demon's Quest, Part II
59. Read My Lips
60. Fire From Olympus

Season 2 (September 1993 to August 1994)
1. Shadow of the Bat (Pt. 1)
2. Shadow of the Bat (Pt. 2)
3. Mudslide
4. The Worry Men
5. Paging the Crime Doctor
6. House And Garden
7. Sideshow
8. Avatar
9. Trial
10. Harlequinade

Season 3 (September 1994 to November 1994)
1. Bane
2. Second Chance
3. Riddler's Reform
4. Baby-Doll
5. Time Out of Joint
6. Harley's Holiday
7. Make 'Em Laugh
8. Batgirl Returns
9. Lock-Up
10. Deep Freeze

Season 4 (September 1995)
1. The Terrible Trio
2. Showdown
3. Catwalk
4. A Bullet for Bullock
5. The Lion & the Unicorn

Clive Revill, the first voice of Alfred Pennyworth, only did the first three episodes on this series—“On Leather Wings”, “Christmas With the Joker,” and “Nothing To Fear”—yet these episodes were scattered through its episodic run. If you ever wondered why Alfred's voice sounded differently, that's the reason.

I'm so anal, it's pathetic.



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Disk One:
Shadow of the Bat Part One
Shadow of the Bat Part Two
Blind as a Bat
The Demon's Quest Part One
The Demon's Quest Part Two
His Silicon Soul
Fire From Olympus

Disk Two:
Read My Lips
The Worry Men
Sideshow
A Bullet For Bullock
Trial
Avatar
House & Garden

Disk Three:
The Terrible Trio
Harlequinade
Time Out of Joint
Catwalk
Bane
Baby-Doll
The Lion and the Unicorn

Disk Four:
Showdown
Riddler's Reform
Second Chance
Harley's Holiday
Lock-Up
Make 'Em Laugh
Deep Freeze
Batgirl Returns

Also Included:
• Commentary on "Harlequinade", "Read My Lips", and "House & Garden"
• Featurettes:
— "Gotham's New Knight": a look at the evolution of the animated Batgirl


Related Reviews
Batman: The Animated Series, Volume 1
Batman: The Animated Series, Volume 2
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Batman Beyond
The Adventures of Batman and Robin: Robin's Reckoning
Batman Animated: The Book
Justice League: Secret Origins
Justice League: Justice On Trial


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8