The first thing you’ll notice about Beware the Batman is the CG animation style. Batman is rather shiny here. The art style may take some getting used to as well. Hips are impossibly tiny and waists are even narrower. Sometimes the minimalist style makes things look silly. Take a look at Batman in his custom bat helmet in this series and tell me you don’t see a LEGO guy. Sometimes facial expressions seem stiff as well, which is unfortunate. I spent quite a bit of time in one particular episode trying to figure out exactly how Sapphire, a woman caught in a tragic romance, felt about her lover. I certainly couldn’t pick out much from her face in many key scenes. Let’s say your significant other has been turned into a hideous beast before your eyes. Your face should reflect some sort of reaction, and you shouldn’t have the same expression you would have while you’re reading the paper. Even Batman’s classic scowl just doesn’t quite bend the corner of his lips down quite as far as you’d need it to. Heck, I think I missed some scowls, which is crazy for a Batman cartoon. At least the animation is overall pretty nice, though sometimes it seems like we’re getting a rough cut that lacks some in between animation frames. But there are some really great fight scenes that play out like they’ve been motion-captured from an action movie. The fighting and action looks realistic for the most part, which makes the fight scenes something to look forward to.
Well, until people pull out their Nerf guns, that is. I suppose there’s some sort of effort to not put guns in children’s shows, so all weapons like shotguns and handguns are colorful and rounded looking. It’s a little amusing and hard to take seriously when you think that Bruce’s parents were murdered by something that should be firing a foam dart.
Another thing that Batman fans will notice is the extreme dearth of any recognizable villains. While these are, in fact, real villains from Batman’s comic history, it’s hard to believe as the first few episodes roll out. Seriously, a Wind in the Willlows style pig and toad villain pair? An egg-shaped guy named Humphrey Dumpler? A dude just named "The Whale?" This series certainly digs deep and rolls out the lamer villains. Don’t fear that the entire series is just a parade of filler villains, however, as Ra's al Ghul and his league of assassins do feature prominently in this first season.
I’ve got to admit, another thing that bugged me about this series was how lame Batman’s lines are, on average. Someone says, "Sorry" and Batman replies, "Yes, you are." Oh man, that one kills on the playground, I know. He does have some moments of brilliance (relative to those lame comebacks), and it’s during these times that I’m shouting, "THERE YOU GO BATMAN!" like he just scored a touchdown. Then, of course, there’s Batman’s voice, but there’s not much we can do about that. Kevin Conroy was legendary as Batman (and still is), but we’ve got to accept that we can’t always have our favorite voice actors. Anthony Ruivivar does do a decent job here in Beware the Batman. "It’s just not the same," is about all we need to say on this point.
The series does, however, have a continuous story arc, which I am a huge fan of in cartoons. Sure, they’re a little harder to watch out of order, but it does allow for some great character development and more intricate storylines. They’ve also done some interesting things with Alfred, who is now more of a soldier turned bodyguard than a butler for Bruce Wayne. There’s actually a bit of tension in their relationship as Alfred struggles with the limits of his role and Bruce’s cold stand-offish nature, while also trying to do what’s best for Bruce. He’s a tough character, and someone you expect to see butting heads in a pub more than you expect to see with a towel over his arm, waiting on a pampered billionaire. Another new main character is introduced to the Wayne household with the mysterious Tatsu. She also struggles a bit with her role and relationship to Bruce, and with secrets of her own, which makes the whole dynamic between the three of them interesting.
Many of the series' problems, however, seem to vanish around the 6th episode or so. Somehow the jokes get funnier, and the villains get a little less fairytale oriented. Cypher is a particularly good example of a villain that gives Batman some tough decisions to make without adding a layer of toys or other themes that are hard to take seriously. By this time, Batman’s, Alfred’s and Tatsu’s pasts have been explored and fleshed out, leading to a great cliffhanger.
Beware the Batman breaks away from its traditional past in a lot of ways. Throw away your old Bat expectations for this show. It’s a good time, but it’s not my favorite Batman. That being said, it might still be due to my culture shock with this new iteration of the series. Get into this series at least up to the halfway mark before you pass any judgments.
