As far as animation goes, Batman: The Animated Series is the definitive Batman classic. Created by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, the show premiered in 1992 to critical acclaim and massive audience appeal. It won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and went on to become an all-time fan favourite. I have to resist the urge to continue extolling the virtues of Batman: The Animated Series since that isn’t the focus of this article. It will suffice to say that the show was an absolute masterpiece revered across generations.
In 2004, Warner Bros released The Batman. It was the first stand-alone animated Batman show since the conclusion of Batman: The Animated Series that did not share continuity with the 1992 classic. Both shows differed in many aspects, allowing the newer adaptation to assume an identity of its own. While the 1992 classic featured soft textures and slow-gliding motion, the 2004 adaptation had a sleeker, angular art style and adopted more spontaneity in its animation. As opposed to the brooding, ominous tone of the iconic BTAS theme music, The Batman went for punchier rock themes (the first composed by The Edge, the latter by Andy Sturmer).
The Batman wound down the age of its characters across the board. It featured youthful versions of Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon, as well as juvenile versions of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. The creators also took the liberty of reinventing a few of Batman’s antagonists. The show’s version of Mr Freeze, for example, was devoid of moral ambiguity, stripped of revenge plots and simply portrayed as a cold-hearted crook. The same went for Man-Bat and Killer Croc. While psychological complexity is usually what defines Batman’s supervillains, this approach has its perks too. It incorporates nuance by depicting two different strains of villains—troubled people who become evil in dire circumstances and those who turn bad by sheer choice. Characters like Joker, Scarface, Clayface and Riddler remained fundamentally unmodified.
Although The Batman was also an award-winning show and a masterpiece in its own right, it never quite rose to the same level of pop culture influence as Batman: The Animated Series. That said, I do believe the 2004 adaptation has one clear advantage over BTAS. In my preteens, I watched pretty much all the animated Batman shows I could get my hands on. At the time, I found I was always more inclined towards The Batman than Batman: The Animated Series. The 2004 adaptation has an era-specific charm that speaks to a new generation of audiences in a way the 1992 classic would not. The sleeker design, younger characters, vibrant music and spontaneous animation are more aesthetically appealing to a new age of superhero TV buffs.
I have since developed a good sense of appreciation for classics, and I now love Batman: The Animated Series, so this is how I’d like to end the debate. BTAS is no doubt an all-time classic, but The Batman is the cult classic for a new era.
