The Quick and Dirties: Holy Batman Day 2017!

Batman Day 2017 is finally here! To celebrate, I did what Bat-Geek does, gathered up all my Bat-stuff and took a pic.

I also spent all week catching up on some of the Batman fare I haven't seen, and well, this is what I think of it...

Batman & Bill

(2017)

If you're a Bat-fan like me, or actually pay attention to the opening credits of what you're watching, you're familiar with the credit "Based on characters created by Bob Kane." About a year or so ago, that well-known line was replaced with "Based on characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger." This documentary tells the story of how that came to be. It was an accepted part of Batman lore that Bob Kane gifted The Dark Knight to the world all on his own. Kane himself would often tell anyone who would listen. As it turns out, he had more than a little help. It's part sad biography of the reclusive, but talented, Finger, and part triumph of perseverance as it took a number of people to get Finger the credit he so richly deserves. Many of those people are interviewed, along with a number of comic book fans and insiders. Most prominently featured is Marc Tyler Nobleman, who wrote the book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, which inspired this film. In fact, it also becomes a bit of a biography of him. Finger and Kane, both deceased, are heard through taped interviews and excerpts of their writing. It's all a bit one-sided as no one comes to Kane's defense, as he is clearly the villain of the piece. Curiously, no one currently from DC Comics shows up on the screen even though they eventually wind up on the good guys' side. It's an excellent documentary that most Bat-fans will never see, but it's arguably the most important Batman movie ever made.

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

(2016)

Four of Gotham's greatest villains, Joker (Jeff Bergman), Penguin (William Salyers), Riddler (Wally Wingert), and Catwoman (THE Julie Newmar) have teamed up to steal The Replication Ray from the Acme Atomic Energy Laboratory. It can make a perfect replica of anyone, or anything, and of course, they've got some diabolical plans for it. As it always is, it's up to The Dynamic Duo to stop them. The big deal about this movie is that it's a return to the Batman series I grew up with. It comes complete with a campy tone filled to the brim with jokes, rarely seen characters such as Chief O'Hara (Thomas Lennon) and Aunt Harriet (Lynne Marie Stewart)), the red Batphone and dozens of ridiculous Bat gadgets. More important than any of that is that our heroes, Batman and Robin, are once again played by Adam West (RIP) and Burt Ward, respectively. In all, it's a near perfect match for the style of the old TV show with a little new millennia flair thrown in. This means when our heroes punch someone we do get "POW!" and "BANG!" Every now and again, other very funny things pop up on the screen. Batman is once again a chipper, boy scout type with a fondness for double entendre and referring to people as "old chum." The return of Julie Newmar is just as welcome, still sporting her classic Catwoman voice. If you can appreciate the old series and/or the 1966 Batman: The Movie then, like me, you'll have a blast watching it. If not, you'll roll your eyes a lot and think it's stupid. In that case, shame on you.

Batman: The Killing Joke

(2016)

We kick things off with Batgirl (Tara Strong) as she is out patrolling Gotham and comes across a robbery. This leads to her squaring off with a bad guy who develops an obsession with her which leads to her taking the mission to stop him a bit too personal. Batman (Kevin Conroy) decides she should be sidelined. After the kind of argument between the two that ends in the exact opposite of an argument, she agrees and retires from crime fighting. Meanwhile, Batman investigates a murder and it appears The Joker (Mark Hamill) is responsible. True to the title, the Clown Prince of Crime is in a particularly nasty mood. The movie combines humor and mature themes, effectively. For some, this pairing may not work quite as well. That's because despite the jokes, this is a dark, gritty affair, rendering the jokes morbid, at best. Another issue people seem to be having is with a rather odd ending. I loved it, but understand why others would think its anticlimactic. It certainly requires thinking. This is a shift from the rest of the film which is based on rather visceral action. Mark Hamill gives one of his very best performances as the character he's best known for besides Luke Skywalker. Kevin Conroy is again great as Batman while Tara Strong and Ray Wise shine as Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon. This is a polarizing film and I'm on the side that really likes it.

Batman: Bad Blood

(2016)

Batman (Jason O'Mara) shows up to help out Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski), not to be confused with Batgirl, at a warehouse trying to take down a group of baddies led by someone calling himself The Heretic (Travis Willingham). Things get hectic and, in the process of saving Batwoman, Batman is caught inside when the place explodes. With him missing for a extended amount of time, and possibly dead, Nightwing (Sean Maher) decides to don the Batsuit in order to keep Gotham's bad guys on their toes while he, Batwoman, and Robin AKA Damian Wayne (Stuart Allan) try to find The Caped Crusader, or at least find out what happened to him. This is the latest in the new Robin saga which also features Batman vs. Robin, and Son of Batman. Though a decent effort, it suffers from the lack of Batman. More to the point, it suffers from the absence of interaction between Batman and Robin. This version of The Boy Wonder is an antagonistic little prick with deep seated issues for he and Batman to work through. The film tries to replace one contentious relationship with another by having Nightwing also stand in for Batman as Robin's uneasy partner in crime fighting. It works okay, but doesn't have the bite of his relationship with the actual Batman. Still, it's not a bad effort, just a step down from the previous two entries involving Damian Wayne.

Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts

(2015)

In Gotham, some number of years in the future, a bunch of the city's animal themed villains have joined forces to terrorize the city. This includes Penguin (Dana Snyder), who leads the bunch, along with Killer Croc (John DiMaggio), Cheetah (Laura Bailey), Man-Bat (Phil LaMarr), and Silverback (Keith Szarabajka). They call themselves "The Animalitia." Rather than go it alone to stop them, Batman (Roger Craig Smith) enlists the aid of Nightwing (Will Friedle), Green Arrow (Chris Diamantopoulos), and Flash (Charlie Schlatter). The movie ditches all the psychological examination of the character in favor of more of a focus on action. That action, along with the look, is clearly inspired by anime and is the best part of the movie. The story is pretty straightforward and works fairly well. The issue is with its portrayal of all those extra heroes. It maintains Batman superiority by making all of them rather incompetent unless he's standing right next to them, or at the very least, acting on his orders. Overall, it's still a pretty good film, just not a particularly memorable entry into the canon.

Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem

(2015)

As you might imagine, Halloween night in Gotham is a pretty wild affair. On this one, monster themed baddies, Scarecrow (Brian T. Delaney), Solomon Grundy (Fred Tatasciore), Clayface (Dave B. Mitchell), and Silver Banshee (Kari Wuhrer) are out to take over the city. As in Animal Instincts, Batman (Roger Craig Smith) joins up with a roster of other heroes to take them on. Green Arrow (Chris Diamantopoulos) is back again. Others on the team this time around are Red Robin (Yuri Lowenthal) and Cyborg (Khari Payton). Of course, this battle isn't so straight up as there is another villain pulling the strings, Joker (Troy Baker). The plot is classic Joker trying to control Gotham and the world through some crazy scheme, but it works really well. A big reason for this is Baker's stand-out work as Joker. He's a character that lends himself to actors chewing as much scenery as possible. Baker manages to find the right balance and the movie is better for it. The action works really well and characters other than Batman and Joker are well-represented. It's a nice step up from Animal Instincts.

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