Batman: The Caped Crusader (2024) Review

By JOHN BILLINGER

Tiger Media Network

After three years of Warner Bros. nearly canceling this project while greenlighting “Velma” for a second season, the new Batman animated show has finally been released. It’s “Batman: Caped Crusader,” created by Bruce Timm (one of the creators of “Batman: The Animated Series”) and James Tucker (creator of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”). After being shunned by HBO Max, the show found a new home on Amazon Prime and had all its episodes released on August 1, 2024. And I watched all 10 episodes on the premiere day. 

The show has thus far received very positive reviews, and I concur for the most part. I have my criticisms. I confess that I am an aficionado of the original animated series. I (as well as other people) consider that show to be the definitive Batman show, and sadly I don’t think that any other show will ever take that away. With that said, I did keep an open mind, and I was impressed. But I still have my criticisms.

Here’s the official synopsis for the two people who don’t know what Batman is.

Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human: The Batman. His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications.

There’s a bit more to it. The show focuses more on the supporting characters (Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Renne Montoya) than on the title character. And it’s also a straight-up period piece. At least, I think it is. It’s going for a timeline 1940s aesthetic, much like the original show. But unlike the original show (which included enough 90s things for it to be considered to be set in the 90s), I am 100% convinced that this show is set in the 1940s. Specifically, post-war ’46-’49.

Let’s discuss the positives first.

I love, love, love, love the fact that they made it set in the 40s. Batman is a character that I always felt was better suited to be put in the past. I look at some of the modern Batman stuff, and I feel like they’re making him out to be like Iron Man too much. Granted, one could argue that Batman is Iron Man (being one of the inspirations of the latter character), but unlike Iron Man who is rooted in the science fiction of the 1960s, Batman has his roots in the pulps of the 1930s. He should be like characters such as The Shadow or Green Hornet. And the Batman in this show is undoubtedly cut from that cloth.

Especially since Batman and some of his rouges gallery in this show use the classic character designs from the 30s and 40s that were designed by the likes of Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, and so on. I’m a big fan of those older comics, and seeing them in an actual show was awesome. It was almost like reading those older stories again for the first time. They even feature a ton of easter eggs. It’ll take too long to list them all, but a highlight was an episode featuring all the Robins (including Julie Madison).

And the plots in each of these episodes were really good (with the exception of the first episode, which was just ok). Bruce Timm and James Tucker are said to be huge fans of old-school film noir, and you can definitely see that influence here with a touch of old school horror from the likes of Universal and Hammer. Additionally, while the show does feature the same familiar faces you’ve come to expect, they’ve added enough new spins on characters to keep you guessing what’s going to happen.

The art style is also really good. It’s basically Bruce Timm’s classic art style but more modernized and influenced by the classic comics. With that said, the animation, while good on the action scenes, falls a little flat when it’s just dialogue. I understand that there are plenty of reasons for this (including budget), but it’s a slight nitpick I have. However, it pains me that the HBO Max series “Velma” clearly had a better animation budget than this show. HBO Max was also where this show was initially supposed to premiere. I suppose that goes to show you where Warner Bros. has its priorities.

As for criticisms, the big oneI have is that this particular version of the Batman character didn’t do much for me. It’s not that his voice actor, Hamish Linklater, was bad (far from it), it’s just that this character is just the same kind of Batman we always get. This is odd because the show did a ton of new spins on a lot of the other characters, and seeing the title character not get that treatment is odd. I think to differentiate him from the other versions, they should’ve had him use a gun much like his actual Golden Age counterpart, and have him go through a character arc where he realizes that using a gun and killing people is bad. Would that have been controversial with the fans? Yes, but it would’ve been different, and would’ve been in line with emulating the classic comics. As it is, he’s fine, but there was potential.

I also wish that we got to see more of the villains featured. I really like this version of Catwoman they had, and I thought through the promotional marketing that she would be a big part of the show, but she was only in one episode and that was it. I thought that there was going to be this huge interconnected storyline with all the villains, but we didn’t get that. I suppose for the first season that would’ve been a bit much, but I still feel a little misled. With that said, I think that the next season will have that big interconnected storyline—just a feeling.

With all this said, this is still a perfect start. I don’t do ratings that often, but I give this show an 8 out of 10. Check it out. I can’t wait to see what they do next.