A new animated Batman show, The Caped Crusader, was released a few days ago, and while I’ve only had the chance to see the first episode (life and university work are getting in the way again), I do want to talk about it—very briefly—because I have a lot of thoughts! Though, mostly, I’m just happy that there is a new animated Batman show.

In the 1990s and 2000s, there was nearly always an ongoing Batman show, the best and most famous of which was Batman: The Animated Series (TAS). This was followed by The New Adventures, Batman Beyond, The Batman, Brave and the Bold and a brief CG animated series called Beware the Batman. And then nothing. There were other DC animated shows and several animated movies as well, but no Bat-centric series. Arguably, having a break is a good idea, and there was (probably) some burnout as well. But on the other hand, I like Batman animated shows and I want to see more of them. And now, at last, I can!

For years there has been talk about Bruce Timm – the producer of Batman: TAS – creating a new animated Batman series. I always took this to mean a return to the DC Animated Universe (X-Men ‘97 style), and whilst a part of me does want that, I’m glad it’s not. First, because needless revivals of classic and brilliant shows tend to mess up or fail to recapture “the magic” (to use a slightly cliche phrase). But also, because I want to see new interpretations of the mythos, and this was that.

Perhaps to avoid the (inevitable) comparisons with Batman: TAS, The Caped Crusader is set in the 1930s and has a Detective Noir vibe and aesthetic (which I guess is fairly common for Batman but still). The lack of a giant supercomputer in the Batcave was somewhat jarring, and most made the time setting apparent to me. The whole product, generally, put me in mind of an animated short Bruce Timm produced for Batman’s 75th anniversary, in which a 1930s-era Batman battles with Dr Hugo Strange. Regardless, comparisons to TAS are inevitable, and the most striking difference between them is the violence. TAS could never depict anything overtly terrible and often had otherwise unnecessary scenes to confirm that no characters were excessively harmed. The Caped Crusader, by comparison, does not pull its punches and includes some pretty brutal murders.

As for the first episode, it’s fine. It’s not the strongest Batman output, and there were some odd moments. Batman nodding to Barbara through the car windshield felt a bit strange (as did her nonchalant comments about it at the end). I also thought the use of Naval Artillery to commit arson was goofy. You’re telling me that no one noticed a gigantic canon firing exploding shells at the city? No detective work should have been required to identify the culprit. Still, ever the optimist, I’m sure the show will improve.

That said, after the first episode, I have a horrible feeling that they might be setting up a Batman-Batgirl relationship, which Bruce Timm has a history of pushing and of which I am not a fan.

-Dexter