Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 49-54 Reviews

I was going to split this for two blogs but decided to ultimately cover the last six episodes of this animated series in just the one.

Episode 49: Superman's Pal

Ah, Jimmy Olsen. He's not had many episodes focusing on him but as we head towards the final few episodes of the show, we finally get one where he's in the spotlight. Mainly because Angela Chen decided to misquote him and get him some notoriety as Superman's BFF. It's also enough to have intern Tina use him in Metallo's latest scheme to kill the Man of Steel. As an episode, it's mildly diverting, not the best use for Metallo but still rather decent though. 7/10

Episode 50: A Fish Story

With this episode, we can mark another League member off the list. I'd like to think had this series ran for another few episodes that maybe we would've seen either Wonder Woman or Cyborg but at least we got to see Aquaman (Miguel Ferrer) who spent the episode either being a prisoner of Lex Luthor or threatening to take vengeance on Earth dwellers for endangering Atlantis. I did like his rapport with Lois in this episode and at least they didn't make him and Superman too hostile towards one another, which is a good thing. 7/10

Episode 51: Unity

And she's back. Like Batman: The Animated Series with Batgirl, this show really did use Supergirl rather sparingly (and there's even a reference to Barbara in this episode) and that probably worked in the character's favour. In this episode we saw Kara being bored by Smallville and excited for her visit to Metropolis while at the same time also battling a parasitic alien named Unity with her cousin as well. It's a fun second outing for the character and I do like the bond we see Kara having with Jonathan and Martha in this one. 7/10

Episode 52: The Demon Reborn

So this is like the fifth episode we've had with Batman then? If this show had produced another season, we probably would've gotten another appearance, right? I'm not complaining though this one isn't quite as great as his previous appearances. Villain wise, this time around it's Ras and Talia (the former being mentioned in Knight Time) as they kidnap Superman in order to restore Ras back to full health. I did like the scenes between Batman and Lois and Superman playing on Ras's devotion to his daughter in order to outsmart him as well. 8/10

Episode 53: Legacy, Part 1

It's the series finale and who deserves to be the main baddie here? Zod? Doomsday? Brainiac? Lex? Nope, Darkseid as the episode opens up with him and Superman actually working together. It seems that off screen Darkseid got a hold of Superman and brainwashed him into believing that he's Darkseid's son with help from Granny Goodness. It's a pretty good scheme and one that nearly works as well when Superman decided to invade Earth with an army and only Lois and Supergirl to try and talk sense into him. There's a subplot with a Superman robot that Lex quickly sees through and decides to use Superman's sudden turn to his own advantage. 8/10

Episode 54: Legacy, Part 2

The last episode and it's an interesting one to end things on. For example, Superman takes his fight with Darkseid to Apokolips and beats the snot out of the latter, thereby liberating a planet of people who don't want to be free, given how they still embrace Darkseid while back on Earth, his relationship with humanity has been somewhat severed. There's a nice final moment with him and Lois but I can't help being slightly annoyed that she never figured out his real identity before the series ended. Lex got a few bad moments in there too and Supergirl showed her own maturity during one scene with her cousin. For a final episode, it does hit the spot though. 8/10

I guess that's it for the Superman reviews for now. Hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I did watching the series again.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 41-44 Reviews

And now, a continuation of a heroine's debut, more time in Gotham and another baddies causes mayhem for two episodes.

Episode 41: Little Girl Lost, Part 2

The second part to this introduction for Supergirl shifts the focus a bit to Superman being captured by Granny Goodness and the Furies and forced to face Darkseid on Apokolips. It feels a little jarring as I don't think Darkseid was particularly needed for this story but there are some great scenes as Granny soon feels the consequences of failure. As for Supergirl, it's a good round off for her debut onto the series as she somewhat saves Metropolis from a meteorite. Also, there's Jimmy clearly falling for her like Lois has done with Superman. 7/10

Episode 42: Where There's Smoke

Like Granny Goodness and the Furies, I'm actually surprised that Volcana hasn't appeared on Supergirl yet (get on that, CW) and while I'm not hugely familiar with the latter character, this was a good opening episode for her. She could've gone the same way as Livewire but in spite of her crimes and fiery nature, I think this episode did a great balancing act between establishing how dangerous Volcana could be while giving her sympathetic backstory. I am however a little surprised that Superman did send Volcana to a nice beach instead of some kind of prison that could contain her abilities but not enough for the episode to jar though. 7/10

Episode 43: Knight Time

Not a lot of time has passed since the World's Finest three parter, so I was a little surprised that we got another venture into Batman territory but I'm not complaining though. This episode some impressive moments - the use of five Batman villains such as Roxy Rocket, the Penguin, Mad Hatter, Riddler and Bane, only for Brainiac to be the main threat of the episode, given that he took Bruce Wayne captive and was using nanites for his sinister purposes. I did like the team up of Superman and Robin and having the former impersonate Batman was pretty amusing as well. A very enjoyable episode. 8/10

Episode 44: New Kids In Town

With Brainiac being the main baddie of the previous episode, I was a little surprised that he was also the main baddie for this one but eh, whatever. This time around, he decided to back into the past and kill Clark Kent during his high school years. Only this time, he had other trouble as Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Chameleon Boy also went into the past to help Clark from stopping Brianiac with some pretty impressive fight scenes taking place at Kent farm. It's a nice enough episode, though there's the obvious case of wiping most of the characters memories and Lana isn't as well served here as she has been in previous appearances. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Obsession, Little Big Head Man, Absolute Power and In Brightest Day.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 29-32 Reviews

With this batch of episodes, there's a delightful three part crossover event while a certain Doctor also makes the rounds in Metropolis.

Episode 29: World's Finest, Part 1

Let's be honest, we all wanted to see both the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight share some screen time together and now we're at the latter half of the former's second season, the timing seemed perfect. The episode opened with the Joker and Harley Quinn breaking into an antiques place and stealing a dragon made of Kryptonite. They soon traded Gotham City for Metropolis and didn't waste time in striking a deal with Lex Luthor in order to kill Superman. It also didn't take long for Batman and Superman to initially butt heads over dealing with the Joker while figuring out each other's identities. There's also a romantic subplot with Bruce and Lois that I'm less keen on but overall doesn't spoil the enjoyment of this trilogy. 8/10

Episode 30: World's Finest, Part 2

The middle part of the trilogy sees Lois and Bruce's date getting interrupted as the Joker and Harley actually make a move, kidnap Lois and use her as bait to lure in Superman. Yep, the Joker has fun taunting the Man of Steel and even gets to weaken him with Kryptonite before he realises that Batman has actually followed him to Metropolis. There's a delightful fight in the background between Harley and Mercy (their rivalry in this trilogy is pretty amusing) as both Lex and the Joker try to deal with their superhero problems as the ending of this one puts both our heroes in various predicaments. 8/10

Episode 31: World's Finest, Part 3

The final part of the trilogy had both Batman and Superman's team up/rivalry strengthened as the two banded together to save Metropolis from being destroyed by the dissolved Joker/Lex partnership. It wasn't too shocking to see the two baddies turn on one another and while this episode ended with the Joker lost to the waters, Lex under hot water with Bruce Wayne and the media, at least Mercy got to have the last laugh with Harley being sent back to Arkham Asylum. I did like that Lois actually figured out that Bruce and Batman were the same as well as being content with her and Bruce calling it quits too. Now, does this mean she's not far off from learning the truth about Clark and Superman? 8/10

Episode 32: The Hand Of Fate

After a trilogy with the Dark Knight and his Clown Prince nemesis, I'm actually surprised the next episode featured another famous hero to be paired with Superman. This time around it's Doctor Fate (George Del Hoyo) who needed a bit of motivating from his wife, Inza in order to help Superman save the city from a demon named Karkull. It's a solid enough set piece as both Superman and Fate work well enough together but I think after the big trilogy we had just gotten, this episode feels a little underwhelming by comparison. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Bizarro's World, Prototype, The Late Mr Kent and Heavy Metal.

My Review of Batman And Harley Quinn (2017)

Written by Bruce Timm & James Krieg
Directed by Sam Liu

Harley Quinn: "You think I'm just some dizzy airhead that don't know nothin'. Do you know what I am?"
Batman: "My punishment for dropping out of med school."

I should've reviewed this one last month but after the overwhelmingly negative reviews for it, I wasn't particularly in a rush to watch and I certainly had no intention of buying it either but with Gotham back, it got me in the mood to finally seek it out and eh, I wish I hadn't bothered.

The main plot involves a team up between Poison Ivy (Paget Brewster) and Floronic Man (Kevin Michael Richardson) coming up with a diabolical scheme to turn the whole planet into plant creature based on the same formula used on Swamp Thing (John DiMaggio) and in order to stop them, both Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Nightwing (Loren Lester) have to team up with an unlikely person. Actually, a very likely person considering the title of this animated movie.

Yup, because the character hasn't had enough with last year's Suicide Squad (where she was endlessly enjoyable) and the current DC Rebirth comics shoehorning her into as many releases as possible, Harley Quinn finds herself reporting for duty and grudgingly helping the Dynamic Duo to stop her former BFF from completing her insane scheme with Woodrue.

Voiced by Melissa Raunch from The Big Bang Theory, this version of Harley Quinn is certainly a bit hard to take at times. While the manic pixie girl element of the character is somewhat toned down, the more bolshy and aggressive side certainly got ramped up throughout this movie. There's one particularly unpleasant tryst scene with Nightwing that wasn't needed or added anything to the story and the scene where Harley is passing wind in the Batmobile also takes things to a new low.

On the other hand, she does keep both Batman and Nightwing on their toes and there's a nice moment in a dive bar in Bludhaven where she gets to strut her vocal chords in one genuinely entertaining scene. Other than that, the movie really goes overboard with Harley's petulant side and Batman's a bit too joyless even for him at times.

As for the main plot, neither Poison Ivy nor Floronic Man are given much to really do. Their scheme is bonkers and while Harley's method for getting through to Ivy at least makes some sense given their relationship, the mostly off screen way of dealing with Floronic Man, coupled with a disappointing cameo from Swamp Thing just ends the overall plot on an extremely poor note. One of the worst resolutions I've seen in a bit.

- This is meant to be set within the Batman: The Animated Series universe, specifically around The New Batman Adventures era.
- Harley was seen working in the sleazy Superbabes bar. On the plus side, I did love the allusions to Batman 66 during her musical moment here.
- Nice glances at both STAR labs and ARGUS pretty early into the story as well as a few brief cameos from previous animated series.
- A post credit sequence sees Harley getting her own therapy talk show, which definitely wasn't earned. I assume Ivy was sent back to Arkham.

I get that Harley has been flavour of the month for quite a long while but surely, a much more compelling story could've been forged here with her and the Dynamic Duo's pairing. I'll give it points for not actually featuring the Joker or barely mentioning him at all but it's easy to see why so many fans took exception with this particular movie. It's not exactly The Killing Joke in terms of controversial but it's also a massive misfire and waste of it's main characters. Batman And Harley Quinn could've been a fun addition to the particular animated universe it inhabits but it's too much of a mess for even that. A really poor cash in. If you have to watch it, download but don't buy it.

Rating: 5 out of 10

The New Batman Adventures/Batman Beyond - Mystery Of The Batwoman & Return Of The Joker Reviews

Rounding off my final reviews of The New Batman Adventures are not one but two movies (plus a mini-scene for the hell of it) that also sees me dipping my toes into the world of Batman Beyond as well. Without further ado here goes ....

Return Of The Joker (2000)

It might be a while before I get around to watching/reviewing Batman Beyond but watching this movie as part of my rewatch of The New Batman Adventures was certainly a good way of getting the ball rolling. It's amazing but not implausible that Terry McGinnis's version of the uncaped Crusader spent more time not being aware of his mentor's most iconic of villains until the arrival of the Jokerz gang (featuring by the Clown Prince's granddaughters, the two Dee Dees) in Gotham brought up memories from the past, including Bruce Wayne being attacked in the Batcave by the 'Joker' himself and Terry's own loved ones being targeted as well. It led to some rather gruesome flashbacks where we learned that years ago, both the Joker and Harley kidnapped and brainwashed Tim Drake's Robin into being their son (Joker Jr) and it not only scarred Tim, but also Batman and Batgirl in the process. Having this information meant that the eventual reveal as to whom the new Joker was made a lot of sense and led to a satisfying final battle between the new Clown Prince (of sorts) and Batfake himself (I like Terry's Batman but I had to get that in there). It's a strong movie, incorporating successful elements from both shows with some nice little Easter eggs thrown into the mix as well. It's also pretty dark as well, maybe one of the darkest animated movies done in this universe too. 8/10

Mystery Of The Batwoman (2003)

As both Penguin and Bullock mention - do we really need another Bat person on the scene? Well, for this movie, it would seem yes. Anyone hoping for a faithful adaptation of the comic versions of Batwoman (this movie preceeded the more well known Kate Kane version) might be slightly disappointed but personally, I loved the concept behind this movie's version of Batwoman. Having three different kinds of women - computer geek Roxanne Ballatine, detective Sonia Alcana and daughter of gangter, Kathy Duquesne (who also gets romantically involved with Bruce), all with sound motives to get back at Rupert Thorne, the Penguin and Carlton Duquesne by posing as the vigilante worked a treat and design wise, I quite liked the grey and pink look for Batwoman as well. I also liked that with the exception of Kathy, that the movie didn't go overboard with trying to sell a Batman/Batwoman romance though. Also, much as I liked seeing Bane, I'm not really sure he was all that needed for the movie but he was still better served here than Batman & Robin though. 8/10

Chase Me (2003)

Needless to say I am a bit of an unashamed Batman/Catwoman shipper and while the latter appeared in enough (ish) episodes in Batman: The Animated Series, I really felt she could've been better used and featured in at least a few more episodes in The New Batman Adventures. Added as an extra for the Mystery Of The Batwoman DVD, Paul Dini came up with a delightful six minute scene where Batman literally tears through half of Gotham chasing Catwoman while brooding at a party. The scene is gorgeously shot and while there isn't a trace of dialogue in the slightest, there's some truly beautiful jazz music to really heighten the mood instead. It's a wonderful little vignette for the complicated lovers. 9/10

I'll get around to watching and reviewing Batman Beyond at some point. Not going to confirm when though.

The New Batman Adventures - Episodes 21-24 Reviews

It's sort of the final blog for this series but there will be one more after. However, it is the final batch of episodes to delve into.

Episode 21: Chemistry

You wait ages for an episode with Poison Ivy (amid a few cameo appearances and a team up story) and then you get one and it's not quite as great as you'd hope for. I mean, sure it's consistent with the sort of thing Ivy would do (using plant like creatures to marry/eventually kill rich corrupt types) but aside from a not really well explored relationship of sorts with Bruce and plant duplicate Susan, I don't really feel this episode was able to sell Bruce nearly giving up the cape so well and Ivy has been better used in past episodes. Not a great one I'm afraid. 7/10

Episode 22: Judgement Day

Now this was a surprising episode. In fact, I'd say it was the most surprising the show has ever done really (and that includes The Animated Series). The idea of Two Face coming up with another personality (well, Harvey Dent more so) and then actively seeking terror on various villains (Penguin, Croc, Riddler, even himself) was a pretty fantastic twist along with his eventual alliance with corrupt Corcoran nearly resulting in the latter's death but eventual public downfall. It's a genius episode, full of brilliant pathos and one that almost could've survived without Batman. 9/10

Episode 23: Beware The Creeper

And then there's this bonkers edition. It's interesting that the last two episodes are so focused on both the Joker and Harley. When we're not seeing the damaging side of their relationship, we're getting a history lesson as to how the Joker became the man he did (but no reveal on his real name) before he inflicted a similar fate to reporter Jack Ryder. This resulted in Jack becoming the Creeper - a hilariously OTT creation who spent most of the episode trying it on with Harley and trying to kill the Joker. I did like that there was a cure of sorts for his condition and that they didn't go down the obvious villain route with the character too. 8/10

Episode 24: Mad Love

With the previous episode focusing on the Joker's transformation, this one was more focused on Harley and how she went from a promising therapist at Arkham to the Joker's henchwoman and lover. It's a brilliant enough backstory with present day Harley trying to prove her love for the Clown Prince by almost killing Batman, only to realise that her Puddin' had been manipulating her all along. To be fair. I love the Joker/Harley relationship and I accept it for what it is - a purely toxic relationship and one that Harley even by the end of this episode just couldn't quite break herself out of. Still a superb piece of television though. 9/10

Next and final blog will cover the movies Mystery Of The Batwoman and Return Of The Joker as well as the mini scene, Chase Me.

The New Batman Adventures - Episodes 17-20 Reviews

Now, this was more like it. After a slew of fairly disappointing episodes, the latest batch I've watched contained some of the more stronger and downright imaginative episodes to boot.

Episode 17: Animal Act

It's been a while since we've had both an episode delving into Dick Grayson's former circus stomping ground and the Mad Hatter and this episode gave us both and did it pretty well. Okay, anyone expecting another Robin's Reckoning might be a bit disappointed but it's still a good one with the focus on Batman and Nightwing (Robin is a little sidelined here) working against Tetch who has decided to use the animal and workers of Haly's circus for his own schemes, until a particular animal is then used to finally thwart him. A fun episode. 7/10

Episode 18: Old Wounds

One of the more tense episodes we've had. One of the noticeable things about The New Batman Adventures has been the strained relationship between Bruce and Dick and I liked that this episode actually had Nightwing tell the new Robin exactly what went down here. I do like that Batgirl found out Batman and Robin's identities and vice versa and Joker was used pretty well in the story but Batman was a massive dick in the flashbacks but the episode's attempts of showing how Dick had grown out of being the sidekick was done extremely well though and I did love the final shot here too. 8/10

Episode 19: Legends Of The Dark Knight

Oh wow, I just really loved this one. If ever there was an episode so delightfully meta and pithy, it was this little gem as three kids - Matt, Joel and Carrie all told their own versions of who Batman truly is and the results were just delightful. The use of 50s style Batman and Robin fighting the Joker was a beautiful nod to a certain series while Joel's comments about Batman's attire harkened to the likes of Schumacher's movies while Carrie imagined that she was actually Robin and there was also a decent use of a Mutant leader and Firefly as well. Easily the best episode after Holiday Knights for me. 9/10

Episode 20: Girls Nite Out

Anyone call for a sort of but not really sequel of sorts to Harley & Ivy? Well, even if you didn't, we got one anyways. With Batman relegated to a cameo, Robin/Nightwing nowhere to be seen and Superman also a no show, it was up to Batgirl and Supergirl to save Gotham from a chaotic courtesy of Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and the slightly annoying but sparky, Livewire. It's a fun episode, filled with female solidarity and I seriously could do with more episodes with Batgirl and Supergirl teaming up and fighting crime. 8/10

Next blog will cover Chemistry, Judgment Day, Beware the Creeper and Mad Love.

The New Batman Adventures - Episodes 13-16 Reviews

Fourth blog and I have to admit with the exception of one episode, this batch were mostly on the clunker end of the scale to be honest.

Episode 13: Love Is A Croc

One of two team up episodes in a row where things start well and then inevitably go wrong. Here, it's the rather unlikely pairing of both Killer Croc and Baby Doll as the latter feels a connection to the former's isolation from people and springs him free in order to become the Bonnie & Clyde of Gotham. The team up works for a while but Croc did tire of Doll's clingy behaviour and she retaliated by trying to blow the city up. It wasn't a terrible episode but I wasn't particularly excited by it either. 6/10

Episode 14: The Ultimate Thrill

The second team up to go awry this week was both the Penguin and reckless former stunt woman turned criminal Roxy Rocket in a slightly better story than the previous episode. On the plus side, the pairing isn't built on an ill fated romance of sorts and as a side antagonist, Roxy is pretty funny at times, even if the flirting with Batman doesn't really work. A little better than the previous episode but slightly forgettable though. 6/10

Episode 15: Cult Of The Cat

Now this is more like it. While You Scratch My Back wasn't exactly a classic and technically neither is this one, this felt like a far better episode for Catwoman than we've had in a while. Adding into the fact that we've got a creepy cat worshipping cult led by Thomas Blake (who sadly didn't become Catman in this episode) and a great battle of wits between Batman and Catwoman, this was probably one of the most enjoyable episodes from the series. Still not really digging Catwoman's revamped look though. 8/10

Episode 16: Critters

Probably the worst episode of the series (well, I still have eight to go), this was just one of those installments, I couldn't wait to end. I'm not really a fan of mutated bugs/animal type of stories I suppose and this one had them in spades thanks to the rather nuts Farmer Brown and his daughter. I guess there was some great moments with Batman, Batgirl, Robin and Bullock but other than that, it was a pretty terrible episode. 4/10

Next blog will cover Animal Act, Old Wounds, Legends Of The Dark Knight and Girls Nite Out.

The New Batman Adventures - Episodes 9-12 Reviews

Third blog and we've got a few interesting minor villains and a maybe death of a beloved crime fighter? All is not what it seems, folks.

Episode 9: Mean Seasons

The media industry is cutthroat and horrible - hardly an original premise and the modelling industry especially being age unfriendly? Never would've guessed. It might sound like I'm being snarky here but this turned out to be an episode that took a fairly old hat premise and did something pretty great with it. Having former model Paige Monroe turn into a slightly Grim Reaper-ish, Calender Girl and seek revenge on those who destroyed her career did make for a great episode and the team up of just Batman and Batgirl worked pretty well within the context as well. A surprising gem here. 8/10

Episode 10: The Demon Within

An episode focusing on a magical, evil bratty kid wasn't exactly something I was clamouring for but like the previous episode, I was plenty surprised by this one. I mean, Klarion was an annoying little shit but he had a cat that could morph into something to what Selina became in Tyger, Tyger and picked up a magical branding iron to control a demon named Etrigan to get one over on his also magical 'uncle' Jason. The episode was chocked full of decent humour, some nice visual, a great comeuppance and also a pretty good role for Robin as well (well, mostly Tim). 8/10

Episode 11: Over The Edge

Oh no - Batgirl's dead. At least this was what the episode wanted us to believe for the majority of it as it looked like the Scarecrow had sent Barbara hurtling towards her death and had Gordon gunning for Batman, Robin and Nightwing. Of course, it turned out that Barbara was actually fighting the effects of Scarecrow's fear gas but while the episode did seem like an unintended sequel of sorts to Perchance To Dream (and not as riveting as that one), I did like the inclusion of Bane in this one as well as the cameos from Harley, Riddler, Mad Hatter and Ventriloquist and the actual last scene between Barbara and her father was a brilliant ending for the episode. 7/10

Episode 12: Torch Song

Yeah, this one wasn't a favourite of mine. While Calender Girl and Klarion turned out to be fun minor antagonists, I have to admit that jilted Firefly guy wanting revenge on his popstar girlfriend Cassidy was more annoying than threatening to watch. Sure, he had some choice moments and I felt bad enough for Cassidy but the episode was probably the weakest of the bunch so far for me. Good use of the Batman/Batgirl dynamic though. 5/10

Next blog will cover Love Is A Croc, The Ultimate Thrill, Cult Of The Cat and Critters.

The New Batman Adventures - Episodes 5-8 Reviews

Second blog and this time around, we've got some unlikely team ups, a villain coming quids in and the first signs of young love in strange circumstances.

Episode 5: You Scratch My Back

One of my favourite characters returned here and with a strangely Gothic look to boot. I'm always happy to see Selina Kyle/Catwoman on the show and after the events of Catwalk, it did seem like things were more antagonistic between her and Batman than before. Of course for the most part, Selina teamed up with Nightwing (this episode being the first one to properly utilise the character) and while I didn't really dig the flirting with the pair of them, I did like that Nightwing wasn't so easily taken in by Catwoman as the episode initially led us into believing. It's a strong episode, even if Selina's look is a little too severe and different from what we saw with her in The Animated Series. 7/10

Episode 6: Double Talk

Okay, I think I need to admit - I just don't care about the Ventriloquist all that much and to be honest the preceeding series have done slightly better near redemptive episodes (like the Harley Quinn ones) that this one just didn't really do it for me. I did appreciate the use of psychological warfare on Arnold to get him to resume his role with Scarface and having Lucious Fox pop up wasn't a bad thing either but episode wise, this was a rather dull one, 5/10

Episode 7: Joker's Millions

I really loved this one. The last Joker episode we had before this one (excluding his vignette in Holiday Knights) was great but sort of lacking something and this seemed like a return to form for the character. I just love that despite being the most dangerous criminal in Gotham, even the Joker's shitless of the IRS and the fact that a former crime rival managed to dupe him into spending millions of fake money was a delicious twist as well, along with that hilarious auditioning for a replacement for Harley as well. Throw in some cameos for the Penguin and Poison Ivy and this one was a gem. 8/10

Episode 8: Growing Pains

I have to admit that while I like Tim's version of Robin, I didn't really miss his absence in the previous episodes. That being said, I actually think this might have been his strongest episode going as his connection to amnesiac girl 'Annie' actually worked pretty well along with the unexpected reintroduction of Clayface and the connection the latter had to the little girl. It was a great use for the character (even though Batman felt sidelined in this one a little) and seeing Tim's slightly darker side as well even worked within the narrative. 9/10

Next blog will cover Mean Seasons, The Demon Within, Over The Edge and Torch Song.

The New Batman Adventures - Episodes 1-4 Reviews

Last year I tackled Batman: The Animated Series and with Gotham's first season now completed, my attention is now going to be focused on The New Batman Adventures for the next few weeks.

Episode 1: Holiday Knights

Let's get one thing out of the way - this was a continuation of The Animated Series, airing two years later after that show finished up and it mostly had all of the characters going through an overhaul look wise. This opening episode on the other hand, is largely set during the Christmas season with four villains vying to make things difficult for our heroes. Harley and Ivy teamed up to put Bruce under a love spell and get a shopping spree while trying to kill Batman, then Barbara, Bullock and Renee had to deal with Clayface during a mall scene and then Batman and Robin (the Tim Drake version) try and stop the Joker going on a killing spree before the New Year kicks in. It's a wonderfully festive and bonkers opening episode. 9/10

Episode 2: Sins Of The Father

This is a weird one. In the first episode, we saw Tim Drake's Robin fighting alongside Batman against the Joker, but this is the episode that gives him a back story (deadbeat father involved over his head in crime) that ended up being connected to Two Face - one of the few villains (along with Harley) that wasn't radically altered as well. It's a solid episode, even if Tim is a little bit too much of a smart arse in parts. The end scene though where Dick showed up to watch the newly established gang of Batman, Robin and Batgirl was nice though. 7/10

Episode 3: Cold Comfort

He had two episodes on The Animated Series and got a movie but it seems like Mr Freeze turned out to be too good a character to stay away from and here was a solid if not an amazing episode for him. In this one, we learned that Nora was cured, rejected him and remarried and Victor spiralled back into crime by kidnapping scientists and attempting to kill Bruce Wayne's loved ones. It's not exactly a Heart Of Ice in terms of  doing anything innovative but I do like the new dynamic with Batman and Batgirl in this one and Freeze's new abilities are interesting. 7/10

Episode 4: Never Fear

Keeping with the returns, this time around a rather bulked up version of the Scarecrow resurfaced and like with Mr Freeze, it wasn't his best one. However, I do find his new look pretty intimidating and his fear toxin this time around managed to bring out a slightly homicidal version of Batman with Robin being forced to step in to save his friend from crossing the line. Out of the first few episodes, this was probably the best one for Tim's version of the Boy Wonder. 7/10

Next blog will cover You Scratch My Back, Double Talk, Joker's Millions and Growing Pains