DCEU Blog - DC's Future, The Penguin Casting, Stargirl Cancelled And More

Another busy month for DC fans and following the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as heads of DC Studios, things are certainly moving along.

James Gunn and Peter Safran have made it crystal clear that only they and David Zaslav know what the full plan for DC will be.

However Gunn has stated we'll start to learn stuff about this upcoming plan over the next few months while Zaslav has stated there won't be four Batmen in the DC Universe. Take what you will from that.

Joker: Folie A Deux has officially gone into production and hopefully we'll get a look of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga fairly soon.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods will apparently be two hours and ten minutes long. The cast will be writing a tie in comic book, due for release early next year to coincide with the movie.

Cristin Milioti has been cast as Sofia Falcone for The Penguin HBO Max series and will be Oswald's main antagonist as she gets out of Arkham after serving a decade long sentence. Filming begins in January for the series.

Other characters who'll factor into the series will be Alberto Falcone, Mike Stone, Francis Cobblepot and Victor Aguilar. The latter is an original character for the series.

Warner Brothers Television Studios are close to striking an animation deal with Amazon for DC branded content.

Quick reminder the first half of the fourth season of Doom Patrol will stream on HBO Max from December 8th.

Stargirl has officially been cancelled after three seasons. 

DC will be factoring into this week's CCXP event after all with booths for Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, The Flash and Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. 

Batman: The Animated Series star Kevin Conroy passed away earlier in the month at the age of 66. 

DC Comics will have another major comic event in 2023 titled Dawn Of The DCU, spanning multiple titles and serving as another jumping on point for readers.

The Sandman was renewed by Netflix for a second season earlier in  the month.

That's it for the month. Let's see what the last month of 2022 brings for the brand.

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

Batman: The Animated Series - Mask Of The Phantasm/Batman & Mr Freeze: Sub-Zero Reviews

To round off my final reviews for Batman: The Animated Series, I decided to have a look at the two movies that followed the show.

Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)

The first feature to come out and overall, not a bad one as such. For those hoping for some flashbacks to the very beginning of Bruce Wayne taking on the mantle of Batman, this movie satisfied there with a few flashbacks of the would be Dark Knight embracing his destiny/promise to deceased parents and beginning his campaign to take out the criminals of Gotham. Of course, during these flashbacks, Bruce met a woman named Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany), fell in love and lost her twice through issues both of them were facing. Now in the present day, a mysterious vigilante known as the Phantasm has arrived in Gotham, seeking out criminals and acting like the angel of death towards them in the process. It doesn't take much to join the dots as to whom the Phantasm really is as the movie progresses and we learn more and more about Andrea and her father's dodgy dealings. The inclusion of the Joker is fun, but the movie essentially doesn't need him and it does seem like his contribution came down to the network wanting a familiar threat thrown into the mix. The romance between Bruce and Andrea is okay but perhaps could've been better had the series itself had referenced it beforehand. It's a solid movie with some great lines but honestly the story itself probably would've justified an episode in the series itself. 7/10

Batman & Mr Freeze: Sub-Zero (1998)

Much better however was this movie. Originally meant as a tie in to Batman & Robin, the movie was delayed by a year due to the poor performance of Joel Schumacher's other take on the Dark Knight franchise. Taking off where Deep Freeze left off though, Victor seemed to be living a peaceful life in a cold environment with his wife, some polar bears and a kid he befriended and took in, until a submarine kind of ruined things and he needed to recruit a former co-worker and kidnap Barbara Gordon (now voiced by Mary Kay Bergman) in order to finally cure Nora once and for all. It's a tense movie with some great moments and Freeze's desperation certainly makes him a lot more hostile than he was in his television episodes, although this movie did actually end with his goal being achieved somewhat differently than he imagined. It's also a good movie in developing that somewhat implied attraction between Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson as well, given that they're more or less a couple in this movie while Bruce spent a little time with a now blonde Veronica Vreeland but it's mainly the antics of the cold hearted Freeze that are the highlight of a thoroughly enjoyable movie. 8/10

That's it for now, but I will at some point cover The New Batman Adventures in a series of blogs and discuss other animated versions/movies as well.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 81-85 Reviews

The fourth and final season of Batman: The Animated Series was the shortest and it certainly had a mixed bag, in terms of episodes.

Episode 81: The Terrible Trio

What does that fox, vulture and shark say? Who cares really as this episode took three idiotic rich guys who decided to embark on a bit of petty crime in order to sate their need for excitement with one of them willing to kill his girlfriend after she accidentally deduced that they robbed her father. It's an okay opening episode, but we've had better ones (The Cat And The Claw, Shadow Of The Bat etc) and as a set of one-off antagonists, this particular trio are not ones that I would be in a hurry to ever see again to be honest. 6/10

Episode 82: Showdown

I honestly thought following the events of Avatar that the series was done with Ras Al Ghul but it seems that the writers had at least one more story for him and interestingly, one that did not feature Talia as well. I guess it's believable for a man who's lived for several centuries that he would've fathered more than one child and this episode has some nice flashbacks to his other child's altercations with the famous Jonah Hex. It's a surprising twist in the episode and while Ras has had better adventures (namely The Demon's Quest two parter), this was a decent final run for his character on the show. 7/10

Episode 83: Catwalk

I am the cat that walks alone - these are words that became apparent for both Catwoman and Selina Kyle in the final appearance for the character in the series and it's an unusual exit episode for the character. I knew realistically that it was unlikely the series would end with her and Bruce Wayne/Batman ever settling down and this episode certainly ended their truce as Selina realised that she couldn't give up her identity as Catwoman any more than Bruce would ever be able to give up his identity as Batman. I'm not sure if the episode needed a double-cross/near kill from Scarface and the Ventriloquist but their appearance in the episode and hostile alliance with Catwoman certainly didn't hurt the episode in any way. It's an interesting exit episode for Catwoman and the best episode from this final season as well if I'm being honest. 9/10

Episode 84: A Bullet For Bullock

With so little episodes left to go, there's time for another team up of unlikely characters and this time around, it's the pairing of Batman and Bullock himself. I've never been the biggest fan of Bullock but this was a truly great episode for him as he had to team up with the Caped Crusader in order to avoid being killed and with the amount of enemies that Bullock's made, it really could've been anyone who could've taken him out. Of course, the actual would be killer is pretty obvious within the first five minutes of the episode but the episode is joy just to see both Bullock and Batman having to work together and trust each other. The fact that it's set during Christmas is interesting too, though probably not as iconic as Christmas With The Joker. Still though, a very enjoyable episode. 8/10

Episode 85: The Lion And The Unicorn

The series finale and one I'm wondering why so low key? I mean it's great to have a tie to the opening episodes with Red Claw's return (though her plot here is no different than before) and I appreciate taking the action to London and giving us some backstory on Alfred but for a final episode, it's a bit too small as a story. I know the series often had tonnes of episodes with various Rogue Gallery members appearing together and what not but perhaps one more of them or even another altercation with the Joker would've been a better series ender. That being said, this is a solid episode, just not a spectacular one for the series though. 7/10

The next and final blog relating to Batman: The Animated Series will cover the TV movies, Mask Of The Phantasm and Sub-Zero.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 76-80 Reviews

The third season came rather quickly and it ended as quickly too as the final five episodes see a few more Rogue returns and the start of another interesting alliance as well.

Episode 76: Harley's Holiday

It might have taken the show it's sweet time but we finally got an episode with Harley Quinn that not only didn't feature the Joker but as far as I can remember, it didn't actually mention him either. It's a bonkers episode with Harley's attempts of going straight not lasting and all because of a misunderstanding with a paid/unpaid dress and briefly taking Veronica Vreeland (less annoying in this episode compared to past appearances) hostage. I really felt bad for Harley here. While she did almost give into her crime committing ways a little too quickly, it did feel like she actually wanted to change for the better and even Batman seemed to sympathise with her plight as well. The last scene between Harley and Batman is priceless, especially for the shared reaction of disbelief between Robin and Poison Ivy. 9/10

Episode 77: Make 'Em Laugh

Speaking of the Joker - this was an interesting episode for him. At first it just appeared that a bunch of light entertainment people were unsuccessfully trying their hands at crime, then it looked like the Mad Hatter was controlling them, only for it then to be revealed that it was the Joker involved all along. I found the fact that the reason behind this escapade was something more mundane (a disguised Joker losing a comedy competition, gets revenge on the judges by ruining their reputations) worked pretty well in the episode's favour but the ending did seem to go a little overboard with the Clown Prince getting royally embarrassed as he was being arrested. Still, at least he didn't get royally spanked like Robin did in this one. 8/10

Episode 78: Batgirl Returns

Maybe it was the success of Harley & Ivy, but whoever thought of an episode where Batgirl and Catwoman team up to solve a crime, you have my thanks. As a team, the pair of them work so well, that you don't actually miss the Dynamic Duo (handy considering that Batman's relegated to a dream sequence/Bruce is in Paris on business and Robin's kind of a third wheel here) and while it was a little predictable that Catwoman always intended to steal the Jade cat, my only disappointment is that Batgirl didn't allow her to get revenge on Roland Daggett once and for all. On the plus side, I really liked that this episode implied another future team up between Selina and Barbara. It's just a shame that it never came to pass but at least we'll always have this episode. 9/10

Episode 79: Lock Up

Now this was an interesting one. I was a little curious to see an episode where perhaps the residents of Arkham Asylum (Harley, Scarecrow and Ventriloquist/Scarface) were being mistreated and they were at the hands of the volatile/power mad, Lyle Bolton who then became crazed vigilante named Lock-Up. The same vigilante who then kidnapped Summer, Gordon, some doctor and the Mayor in order to set a crazed example before he ended up being eventually taken out by Batman and Robin and locked up in Arkham himself. Like Baby Doll before it, it's one of those episode I found more interesting than expected. 8/10

Episode 80: Deep Freeze

The third season came to the conclusion of bringing back someone we really hadn't seen for ages. With the likes of Killer Croc, Clayface and even the Riddler, part of Mr Freeze's impact has been down to the fact that he didn't appear a lot in the series. In fact, this was his second and final appearance (of sorts) and while he's not strictly the antagonist of the episode (that would be Walter and his daft plot to freeze Gotham), there was some nice enough continuity to his previous adventure and he seemed initially taken in with Walter's offer before coming to his senses courtesy of the Dynamic Duo. The last image of the story as Freeze found himself relocated to the perfect (for him) environment is certainly striking. 8/10

Next blog I will be focusing on The Terrible Trio, Showdown, Catwalk, A Bullet For Bullock and The Lion And The Unicorn.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 71-75 Reviews

And just like that, I've managed to get to the third season where a new title sequence and name was put in place to highlight that the show was more about Batman & Robin than just one of them. As for the first five episodes, a little bit of a mixed bag.

Episode 71: Bane

I have to admit over the years, I've gone from not liking the character of Bane (my first experience of him was his appearance in 1997's Batman & Robin) to finding the character more interesting thanks to Tom Hardy's take on the character in The Dark Knight Rises. For his only appearance on this show, the character (voiced by Henry Siva), Bane managed to hospitalise Killer Croc, use Robin as bait and nearly did some damage to Batman, mainly at the behest of Rupert Thorne and the overly ambitious Candace. As an episode, it's not bad but not as engaging as I hoped it would be though. 7/10

Episode 72: Second Chance

Following his antics in Shadow Of The Bat, this episode attempted to follow the trope of seeing if Two-Face could be reformed as a character and when he went missing, both Batman and Robin were perhaps a little too hasty to accuse both Rupert Thorne and the Penguin for his disappearance. It's a solid story but not one that particularly does anything too new with Dent's struggles with his duality. Still though, I liked the reminder of Dent's friendship with Bruce, something which the final scene of the episode highlighted rather nicely. 7/10

Episode 73: Riddler's Reform

It's rather a shame that the Riddler didn't have more episodes to his name in the series but on the other hand, perhaps that's also the reason why his three episodes (excluding the cameos in The Worry Men and Trial) have effect that they do then. This episode in particular saw Nygma toying with the idea of going on the straight and narrow or at least making people think he was while he continued to commit more crimes before eventually being outsmarted by Batman. The end scene in particular when Nygma is sent back to Arkham is surprisingly unsettling but as a final story for the character, it's excellent. 9/10

Episode 74: Baby Doll

I have to admit, this wasn't an episode I thought I would particularly enjoy. The premise didn't strictly excite me but the execution of it though was wonderful. A former child star (who still looked like a child) wanting to recapture the fame she had with a cheesy television show by holding her former co-stars hostage shouldn't have worked but there was a genuine sense of pathos to this story with Baby Doll being irritatingly cutesy, surprisingly menacing and even tragic as well during the final moments. A surprising gem really. 8/10

Episode 75: Time Out Of Joint

Out of the five episodes here, this one I found the weakest of the bunch. I liked the Clock King's debut story but for some reason (and despite the playing around with time), this story seemed to lack the same spark that his first story had, even with the continuity of the Clock King wanting to finish off Mayor Hill once and for all. It's not a bad story as such but it's just not that great either. I was expecting something a lot better than what we got here.  6/10

Next blog I'll focus on Harley's Holiday, Make 'Em Laugh, Batgirl Returns, Lock Up and Deep Freeze.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 66-70 Reviews

And just when it seemed like the second season was beginning, it also came to something of an end but at least with a slew of interesting episodes, one of which included the most bizarre TV trial since the Sixth Doctor had to endure one for fourteen weeks back in 1986.

Episode 66: House & Garden

I've made no bones about the fact that I've enjoyed any episode that's featured Poison Ivy but I have to admit that while I've always found sympathy for her character, this was without a doubt her darkest episode going. Holding a professor captive and using him to live out an idyllic family life on her own terms was actually the creepiest thing I've seen any of the Rogue Gallery members do in the series and even then, there seemed to be a tiny part of Ivy that actually wanted redemption. As an episode, it's bloody fantastic with a subplot involving Dick being used as leverage and while the plant monster did look a little rubbish, this was still an incredible episode. 10/10.

Episode 67: Sideshow

Like Clayface, I'm oddly impressed (and excluding his appearance of sorts in Almost Got 'Im) that this show took it's time to give audiences another story with Killer Croc. His second one was a little more original than his first but like with Birds Of A Feather and House & Garden, there was a tease of Croc perhaps redeeming himself when a freak show of people befriended and sheltered him before reverting to his usual type. I found the nonchalance of him admitting to being himself at the end rather refreshing and this was one of two episodes in the batch where the action was away from Gotham as well. 7/10

Episode 68: Avatar

Yay, another Ras and Talia episode but not as good as either Off Balance or The Demon's Quest. Mainly because it felt a little too familiar in some respects. We had Ras going on another mad quest to sustain his immortality and Talia being forced to pick between her father and Batman once again. It also didn't help that Ubu still is little more than stereotypically written but the plot involving the Egyptian goddess Thoth Khepera was interesting enough and I liked the setting as well. A good one but previous episodes involving this volatile father/daughter duo have been better. 8/10

Episode 69: Trial

Clearly the show loves putting as many members of the Rogue Gallery together as humanly possible. If they're not appearing briefly in certain episodes like Fear Of Victory, Joker's Wild or Fire From Olympus or more prominently like five of them did in Almost Got 'Im. Then there's Trial, which decided to feature nine of them together for the fun of kidnapping Batman and anti-vigilante lawyer, Janet Van Dorm for a trial in which the former could be blamed and sentenced for creating them. In this episode alone we had the Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, the Riddler, the Mad Hatter, the Ventriloquist/Scarface. It's an absolute madcap episode and while I felt they could've thrown in some cameos from the Penguin and possibly Catwoman and Robin as Batman's other defence (maybe they would've had this been a two parter), there's no denying how much of a joy this episode was to watch. 10/10

Episode 70: Harlequinade

Given how much of an impact Harley Quinn has had in the Batman universe, aside from Harley & Ivy, she hasn't had really an episode that's really been hers. Technically this one isn't totally hers either as she's mostly sprang from Arkham Asylum so that she can help Batman and Robin locate her Puddin'. The grudging alliance between the Dynamic Duo and Harley was a highlight throughout the episode along with the momentary realisation from Harley that perhaps her relationship with the Joker might be unhealthy after all when he revealed his true colours. It seems if there's one thing Harley loves more than her Clown Prince, it's those hyenas of hers and her fellow criminals (Ivy in particular) but of course, the episode did end with her and the Joker settling their differences when he formed a new respect for her. 9/10

Next blog I'll focus on Bane, Second Chance, Riddler's Reform, Baby Doll and Time Out Of Joint.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 61-65 Reviews

It's the start of the second season and with that, there's the arrival of a new ally, a few returns from the Rogue Gallery and the sibling of another baddie showing up as well.

Episodes 61 & 62: Shadow Of The Bat

When Robin debuted in this series, he showed with little fanfare in an episode that wasn't really about him and it took a while before he was given a two-parter to outline his origins but with Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, it was a different kettle of fish. I liked how her origin as Batgirl was almost unintentional but also as a direct result of Two-Face and Gil Mason and her teaming up with both Batman and Robin in order to prove her father's innocence showed that she was a natural and welcomed fit for the show. The fact that she's actually used only sparingly probably helped as well. 8/10

Episode 63: Mudslide

I'm actually surprised we didn't get a reprise from Clayface earlier than this episode but not only was this as great as Feat Of Clay, it was arguably a little better with one of Hagan's famous roles currently mirroring his own predicament (even with a lovelorn doctor as well trying to cure him) but while I did feel a little sympathy for him (he very nearly got cured), the fact that he so easily reverts to crime kind of indicates that even if he did become normal again, he'd still be a nasty piece of work. I did like the fight scenes with him and Batman in this one and the final scene did seem to give him a definite ending. 9/10

Episode 64: The Worry Men

The return of the Mad Hatter in probably one of his least interesting episodes. I mean, the whole with using handmaid dolls, courtesy of Veronica Vreeland to fleece money out of Gotham's elite isn't a bad plot and I did like the use of puppets resembling certain baddies but as an episode, Tetch has had better ones and the only real compelling thing was that his own little scheme ended up being used against him when his scheme was foiled by Batman and the natives whom he had been using as well. Not a bad episode but we've had better from Jervis though. 7/10

Episode 65: Paging The Crime Doctor

In a lot of ways, this episode feels like a reminder of Appointment In Crime Alley. For starters, you've got Leslie Thompkins in a prominent role/kidnapped by the baddies of the piece and also a moment that delved into Bruce's family past, but that's more noticeable at the end of the episode. More interesting you've also got the rivalry between Rupert Thorne and his struck off doctor brother, Matt, which the episode nicely explored. I actually would go as far as to say this was probably the best episode for Rupert Thorne so far in the series as a whole. 8/10

Next blog I'll focus on House And Garden, Sideshow, Avatar, Trial and Harleqinade.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 56-60 Reviews

Yeah, I've decided I'll be doing two blogs a week as I want to finish up watch/reviewing Batman: The Animated Series this month, so here's my second blog this week in relation to the show.

Episode 56: See No Evil

I got to admit, this isn't a favourite of mine. It's a reasonably straightforward enough story though with a released criminal using technology to make himself invisible to commit some petty crimes as well as steal his daughter from his ex-wife. There are some nice little sequences during the fights Batman has to have with the invisible Sam but overall, it's a fairly okay episode. Watchable enough but definitely something of a weak one though. 6/10

Episodes 57 & 58: The Demon's Quest

Given their intriguing debut in Off Balance, it was only fair that we would get another encounter with Ras Al Ghul and his daughter, Talia and this two parter didn't disappoint. I liked that Ras wasn't above kidnapping Robin and pretending his own daughter was a hostage in order to test Batman out as an heir (to the demon?) and the various scenes, mostly the fight scenes between the demon and the detective were the highlights of the episodes along with Talia's conflict with her loyalty to her father and growing attraction to Batman as well. The only downside is that Robin had bugger all to do and Ras's right hand man Ubu was just annoying throughout both episodes. 9/10

Episode 59: Read My Lips

I like a good ventriloquist and I certainly did enjoy this episode with Scarface (not an original name but I'll allow it) being a typical gangster in wooden form and the power struggle between him and his 'dummy' was certainly amusing enough to watch before one of them ended up in the slammer and one of them ended up in a far worse state. The ending to this episode was suitably creepy and hinted that we haven't seen the last of Scarface just yet though. 7/10

Episode 60: Fire From Olympus

This was an interesting episode. It's the finale for the first season of this show and instead of trotting out a familiar Rogue Gallery member (though three of them appear at the end for thematic reasons in Arkham), instead the focus was on Batman facing off a shipping magnate named Maxie who believed that he was a reincarnation of Zeus. Throughout the episode, Maxie nearly  put his girlfriend and Gotham in danger because of his delusions before his eventual defeat. As an episode, it's certainly better than expected with Maxie being surprisingly sympathetic along with being dangerous as anything. 8/10

Next blog I'll focus on Shadow Of The Bat, Mudslide, The Worry Men and Paging The Crime Doctor.

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 51-55 Reviews

Another interesting selection of episodes with a two parter dedicated to the Boy Wonder and another bird related character popping up in two episodes along with the return of another enemy too.

Episodes 51 & 52: Robin's Reckoning

I've always been a fan of the Boy Wonder and this show's version has always been the way Robin as a character should be handled (hint to Zach Snyder if a version of the character materialises in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice). This fantastic two parter focused on highlighting the death of Dick Grayson's parents by Tony Zucco's malicious actions and Robin's attempts of getting even with the man, even when it placed him in direct conflict with Batman. The two parter is absolutely fantastic with some great scenes between the Dynamic Duo - easily their best scenes from the entire scenes as a whole. Superb. 9/10

Episode 53: Birds Of A Feather

I might not have been so keen on his previous episodes but this one (and the one following it) marked a noticeable improvement on solo outings for the Penguin. I loved the idea of the character trying to reform upon being released from prison and realising his fellow cohorts weren't there to celebrate, only for the high society he desperately wanted to impress (Veronica Vreeland and her snooty pals) to reject and ridicule him. It's actually because of this that I didn't blame the Penguin for relapsing and trying to kill Veronica and Pierce. As an episode, it's also delightfully (and literally) theatrical as well. 8/10.

Episode 54: Blind As A Bat

Keeping with the good run, I was surprised to see another Penguin episode straightaway but then again, I am reviewing these on transmission rather than production/DVD order. This one saw Batman becoming temporarily blinded and being forced to fight the Penguin and his cronies while at a major disadvantage as Gotham got held to ransom for a bit as well. It's a great episode with some nice moments as even blinded, the Dark Knight proved that he was still a match against the Penguin. 8/10

Episode 55: Day Of The Samurai

Kyodi was clearly a successful adversary in Night Of The Ninja that a follow up appearance for him was required and this episode provided it. Not only was the action transferred to Japan, upon Bruce/Batman having to rescue a student from Kyodi for his former mentor but there was also a great plot involving Kyodi's mission into learning a killer blow and using Alfred as bait in order to take out Batman once and for all at a volcanic location. As a follow up, this was certainly a better episode than it's predecessor. 8/10

Next blog, I'll focus on See No Evil, The Demon's Quest, Read My Lips and Fire From Olympus.