DC Animated TV – DCs Earth-9

Batman Beyond – S1 Ep4 – Golem Review

In this episode we have the classic tale of the bullied school nerd being given the opportunity for revenge and eventually going crazy with power.

There are a few events which lead to Willie Watt taking to the dark side. Rejection from his school boy crush Blade, being picked on by school bully, Nash and being antagonised by his Dad all add up to his anger. He steals a robot from his Dad’s work called The Golem which he can control by using a visor and first on his agenda is to hit Nash right where it hurts. His car!!

I really enjoyed this episode and it’s definitely the best so far. Subtle elements remind you that this is set in the future and I appreciate how these things aren’t thrown at you. It’s all very natural. We also see more of Terry’s personality and private life in this too which is important in us building a connection with his character. Even though they’re not friends, Terry springs to Willie’s defence several times which was nice to see. I feel like we are seeing Terry gain more control over his Bat-abilities too which again is portrayed subtly which doesn’t give you the repetition of watching someone’s ‘journey’.

As Willie increasingly gains control over The Golem he becomes another great villain introduced in the series. I must also mention that I loved the additional vocal talent of Seth Green as Nash and Scott McAfee as Willie for this episode. I’m quickly learning that this show is not going to disappoint!

Animated Reviews, Batman Beyond, DC Animated TV

Batman Beyond – S1 Ep3 – Blackout REview

In this episode we see Terry stupidly attempting to live any kind of normal life. His night off doesn’t go to plan and it’s not long before Bruce calls upon him to fight off a new villain.

Meet Inque. An oily, slimy, sultry shapeshifter who is recruited by Derek Powers to destroy a rival company. Inque was great and her introduction brought in some great fight scenes. We also got to see Terry show of his smarts as he quickly realised that she doesn’t like water and begins to use this against her.

I still find myself excited by Terry’s bat suit and in Blackout we may have possibly witnessed a new disguise for Bruce too which is more fitting for a detective. Bruce really holds up his part of this new team by putting his detective skills into practice. There was a nice scene at the end of the of the episode where we meet Barbara Gordon for the first time. An older version than what we are used to seeing but the brief interaction she has with Bruce shows off how much history they have. More of this please!!!

Batman Beyond, DC Animated TV

Batman Beyond – S1 Ep2 – Rebirth: Part 2 Review

“You’re pretty strong for someone who thinks they’re Batman”

An action packed second episode completely has you hooked by the end (if you wasn’t already). This was a brilliant episode and it really sets the tone for what’s to come.

Bruce figures out what Derek Powers is up to and isn’t happy that he’s experimenting with nerve gas under his company’s name. He sets Terry off on a mission to pass on the evidence to Commissioner Barbara Gordon, but Derek Powers appears to be one step ahead.

There are excellent combat scenes mixed in with some very witty one liners as Terry steals that sexy Batsuit on a mission to put a stop to Powers’ antics. This suit is so awesome and takes Batman’s strength and skills to a whole new level. It actually makes this an even more exciting viewing experience as you watch him do things like seemingly make batarangs appear out of thin air.

Bruce does his best to put up resistance to Terry’s bat desires but by the end of the episode gives in and takes on the Alfred role of being Terry’s guide. He loosens up the grumpy even more and we start the journey of their relationship as Bruce officially welcomes Terry to his world.

Powers’ bragging about his nerve gas backfires on him. His own evidence shows that the gas doesn’t mix well with humans, but luckily for him, he comes out glowing! Oh and a special mention to Mr Fixx, Powers’ right hand man. Love this character. He’s scary as hell and made it to the top of Terry’s list. I’m so excited for more!!!

Batman Beyond, DC Animated TV

Batman Beyond – S1 Ep1 – Rebirth: Part 1 Review

Here is the introduction to a new chapter in the Batman story. A world where Bruce Wayne has grown old and is physically unable to maintain his vigilante lifestyle.

Episode 1 really sets up the story well. We initially get to see Bruce in action but also witness just how much it takes out of him. After rescuing a damsel in distress he hangs up the bat suit and vows to never wear it again. Can we just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful that suit is!!! It’s so sleek and it instantly indicates that this something fresh and new.

Skip 20 years ahead and we meet Terry McGinnis. He’s balsy, full of angst and seems to easily attract trouble. You immediately realise he’s destined for greater things when he takes on a copycat group of villains called The Jokers. This leads him to his first meeting with Bruce Wayne who, with the aid of a walking stick, helps fight them off. Terry innocently quickly discovers the batcave which is probably going to come in very handy to him as the story progresses.

The animation is pretty typical of it’s time and I liked that it’s futuristic but doesn’t give us ridiculous and unbelievable visions of what the future would look like. The antagonist is clearly going to be Bruce Wayne’s business partner, Derek Powers and he’s already made an enemy in Terry. This was a brilliant first episode and really does leave you eager for more.

Batman - The Animated Series, DC Animated TV, TV Reviews

Batman: TAS – S1 – Prophecy Of Doom Review

Would you trust your money with a man who claims to know when the great fall will happen….of course not, so why are Gotham’s most wealthy doing just that?

Everyone is have a great time on a casino ship that is until a bomb in the boiler room goes off and they have to get to the lifeboats. The casino patron’s watch as the ship sinks into the sea.

In a fancy restaurant Bruce Wayne is having dinner with a banking friend of his Ethan Clark and his daughter Lisa Clark. Ethan tells Bruce about a fortune tell who warned him not to go on a recent gambling cruise which sunk. Lisa is not so sure and believes that this fortune teller named Nostromos is full of baloney. Ethan reminds Lisa of other predictions by Nostromos that did in fact come true.

Outside Lisa confides in Bruce that she thinks Nostromos could be making his predictions come true by nefarious means. Her father won’t make any moves financially without Nostromos’ approval and he has even joined a secret society to support this purveyor of predictions. You can see Bruce take all this information in and I predict that Nostromos will receive a visit from a bat.

At a meeting of the secret society Nostromos speaks a load of rubbish and the crowd are lapping it all up. Well all but one, Bruce is there and as instantly singled out by Nostromos. He claims the messenger of death is crying out for Bruce.

Back at the batcave Batman analyses Nostromos’ finger prints he got from the meeting. The Batcomputer finds a match and they belong to career criminal and con man Carl Flowers. The Batcomputer also shows Carl’s old partner Lucas a special effects man who was arrested for fraud but never convicted.

As Bruce is about to use his private elevator at Wayne Enterprises a security guard tells him it had just been repaired. Bruce is unaware of any issues with his elevator. As it nears the top of the building we see someone throw a spanner into its gears and pours acid on the cable. As the elevator falls Bruce now dressed as Batman (I’m so glad he had time to change) uses his Batgrapple to reach the top and go after the saboteur. After a long chase the masked saboteur manages to escape by throwing acid on to a gas pipe, with Batman distracted he gets away.

Lucas (the saboteur) is explaining to Nostromos or should I say Carl that he didn’t know Batman would show up at Wayne Towers. Carl is angry that Bruce survived as his death would of made the stupid…sorry I mean the secret society give him even more money. Ethan calls Nostromos and tells him that Bruce has seen the light (I’m sure he has).

Bruce goes all Basil Karlo on Nostromos and acts like his near death experience has shown him that Nostromos has a divine connection and he begs for forgiveness. Ethan asks if Bruce can now become a full member of the secret society, Nostromos agree as he knows how big Bruce’s pockets are. Lisa sees this and is disappointed in Bruce and she tells Nostromos that he has ripped off his last victim. Bruce wants to tell Lisa the truth but he can’t break character now or give away who he really is.

As Ethan drives Bruce to a meeting he explains that Nostromos has predicted a great fall, an economical collapse but every member of the society has donated a lot of money to a trust fund that will guard against it. Nostromos controls the fund but he can’t spend any of it without Ethan’s signature.

At the meeting Nostromos declares that the great fall with happen very soon and as he speaks of all that will happen he starts to levitate. As this is happening Lisa has snuck in to the meeting and she finds Lucas literally pulling the strings. He is using his special effect experience to hoist Nostromos up in the air with wires from a control room. Lisa goes to tell everyone the truth but Lucas catches her before anyone sees her.

Alfred is shocked to find out Bruce has donated $10 million dollars to the Trust fund. Bruce explains he had to so he could keep the act going. He is worried that Ethan will undergo a spiritual crisis that will make him sign the money away to Nostromos.

Ethan visits Nostromos and tells him he can’t find Lisa. Nostromos tell him that Lisa is fine and he sees Ethan joining her soon. Nostromos levitates again and asks that the fund be converted into gold bullion so it is protected from the great fall. He just happens to have the correct paperwork for Ethan to sign so that can happen straight away. Ethan is reluctant so Nostromos shows him Lisa tied to a planet on a planetarium set he uses in some of his tricks. He warns that if Ethan doesn’t sign Lisa will pay as Lucas has set the building up with enough explosives to create a supernova.

Suddenly Nostromos starts to fly all over the place but this time neither he nor Lucas are in control. Batman is using that particular special effect against him. Both Lucas and Nostromos climb up to a catwalk to find Batman. Lucas is blinded by spotlights and Batman swoops in to kick him over. He fights Lucas who is nearly a match for him. As this is going on Nostromos starts playing with levers and buttons in the control room. This sends all the planets in the planetarium spinning at a very fast pace and they starts smashing into each other. Batman and Lucas fall from the catwalk and start fighting again but this time inside the planets, Batman knocks Lucas off and he falls into another planet. Nostromos tries to get away but he is run over by the planet earth. Batman frees Lisa just in time and he reunites her with her very embarrassed and foolish father. Lucas and Nostromos are sent to prison for life.

As a child I’m sure I was looking out for The Joker or Catwoman rather than a fake psychic. But now I can appreciate a different kind of villain, a villain who was just a con man with a very handy partner. These kind of episodes make the ones with Batman’s rogues a lot more special.