Batman: The Animated Series – Dick Grayson’s Homecoming

Welcome to the nineteenth installment of Adventure(s) Time, a look back at a classic animated series and a related issue of its comic tie-in. Suggestions are always welcome, so if you have pairings you’d like to see, let me know in the comments. This week, we’re examining the Haley Circus…and how it became implicated in two separate robbery sprees.

RELATED: Which Batman: The Animated Series Episode is an Overlooked Classic?

The Haley Circus (spelled with an “e” in this canon) has been a part of Dick Grayson’s backstory since the beginning, and the tale of the Flying Graysons’ death in the big top was rather faithfully recreated on Batman: The Animated Series in the “Robin’s Reckoning” episodes. During the initial run of the series, however, that was it for Haley’s Circus. Writer Ty Templeton, meanwhile, a devoted Bat-fan and longtime writer of the tie-in comic, had a habit of pulling in elements from the past and using them as the starting point for current-day stories. In Batman & Robin Adventures #15 (February 1997), Ty Templeton and artist Brandon Kruse present a story that has the Haley Circus return to Gotham, years after Dick Grayson left to become Robin.

Oh, yeah…and Deadman was there, too.

Within the opening pages of the issue, we discover the Haley Circus has set up its tents in Gotham, apparently unannounced, just a few blocks away from the home of Wayne Industries executive, Lucius Fox. Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson stop by, allowing Dick his first chance in years to see his “boyhood home.” Dick discovers that the role of trapeze artist has been taken by Boston Brand, an irritable grouch who goes by “Deadman” while performing. Boston makes it clear that he has no time for Dick; his animus explained by years of resentment (after consistently being compared to the Flying Graysons), and just a general hatred of rich people.

Not long after arriving at the circus, Alfred informs Bruce and Dick of a police report originating from Lucius Fox’s home. As Batman and Robin, they apprehend four burglars. Two of them are locals; the other two are Haley Circus employees. Dick researches previous stops of the circus, and sees a pattern of burglaries in homes close to the big top. Dick declares this is a case he must work alone, and Bruce isn’t seen again until the final page of the story. This is the most Robin-centric issue of the run, giving fans who never got that rumored Robin animated series in the ‘90s a chance to see Dick Grayson work solo.

With Mr. Haley’s permission, Dick returns to the circus as a trapeze artist. The most obvious suspect in the robberies is Boston Brand, even though the other circus employees, including Boston’s girlfriend Linda, insist he’s a decent guy. Boston does little to endear himself to Dick, however, going out of his way to embarrass Dick whenever he can.

While snooping around Boston’s room, Dick is attacked by a freed lion, providing Dick even more evidence that Boston is up to something. After voicing his suspicions to Mr. Haley, Dick discovers Boston is leaving the circus after tonight’s show. As the Deadman prepares for his performance, Dick returns to his room, and during the second investigation of Boston’s chest, discovers a collection of priceless jewelry. Dick can now crack the case — but he doesn’t like the answers.

RELATED: Batman: The Animated Series Pop! Vinyls Go Rogue with New Funko Toys

Since there was nothing in the chest minutes earlier, the culprit has to be the one person who knew Dick was returning to Boston’s room — Mr. Haley. This begs the question of why Dick was looking through the same chest twice, when he knew Boston didn’t have a chance to return to his room (so what was he expecting to find?), but, uh…look over here! It seems that Haley isn’t the only rat in this circus; Boston’s gal pal Linda has been in on the scheme since the beginning.

While Mr. Haley is given a sympathetic motive for his crimes, Linda is pure evil. Not only is she willing to kill anyone who interferes with her plan, but she’s also arranged for her boyfriend to die tonight, right after he’s framed for her crimes. Mr. Haley is given a redemption moment when he punches the pistol out of Linda’s hands, allowing Dick a chance to rescue Deadman before the rope Linda cut earlier kills him.

After telling Deadman the truth about Linda, and calling the cops on Mr. Haley, Dick is left alone, contemplating the advice Deadman gave him earlier — “You can’t trust anyone and life stinks.” He feels that way until Bruce emerges from the shadows, offering his ward a sympathetic ear and the assurance that he knew Dick could take care of things.

The plot isn’t airtight, but it’s all very touching, and the way Templeton structures the climax so that Dick is now able to save someone from falling from the ropes (after years of blaming himself for not rescuing his parents) is a great character moment. Dick Grayson narrates the issue, bringing a sense of sentimentality and nostalgia to the story…in-between the investigation and circus animal fights, of course.

Months after the publication of this comic, Batman: The Animated Series was revamped as The New Batman Adventures, moving the continuity closer to the comics, with a more intense Batman, a new kid Robin named Tim Drake, and Dick Grayson as the independent hero Nightwing. And if the thought of having Dick investigating the Haley Circus while reflecting on his past was good enough for the tie-in comic, the animated series could also make it work, right?

The result is a notably unpopular episode, one dismissed by producer Bruce Timm as one of the weakest DC Animated Universe episodes ever created. “Animal Act” originally aired on September 26th, 1998, from writer Hilary J. Bader (who wrote a large percentage of the DCAU episodes in the late ‘90s), and director Curt Geda. The animation is provided by Koko and Dong Yang Animation, two of the best studios to work on this batch of episodes. The story opens with Batman and Robin on a rooftop patrol, their evening interrupted by Nightwing’s sudden appearance.

Batman’s dismissive of Nightwing as soon as he arrives, chastising him for his allegedly noisy entrance. Batman’s attitude towards his former ward doesn’t change much during the episode, even though this follows their reconciliation in the “Old Wounds” episode. This is the harsher Batman from the late Denny O’Neil era of the comics, an interpretation that made its way into the concurrent New Adventures episodes. While the producers were more willing to portray Batman as cold and antisocial in these episodes, the plots during this run tend to be much lighter than the standard Animated Series fare. Case in point, this episode, which features animals from Haley’s Circus breaking free and committing robberies across Gotham.

RELATED: In Nightwing: The New Order, Dick Grayson Kills the DC Universe

The premise is downright silly, but what the episode has in its favor is consistently fluid animation. Batman himself looks particularly nice in this episode, even though he’s not exactly the center of the story. Much like the preceding Adventures comic, Dick Grayson is the hero with a personal stake in this crime spree. And while Ty Templeton’s story had Batman stepping off the case and allowing Dick Grayson the freedom he needed to investigate the crimes, in Hilary J. Bader’s plot, Batman’s consistently looming over Dick’s shoulder, second guessing him and implying that Dick’s too close to the case to see what’s happening.

Batman’s working theory is that Dick’s childhood friend Miranda, now the circus’ animal trainer, is freeing the animals at night and sending them off on a crime spree. The story does treat Miranda as the likely culprit…which is a pretty clear sign that she’s only here as a red herring. Some emotion is added to the story, when Dick reflects on his past with the circus, and there’s some hint of romance between Dick and Miranda (voiced by Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos, by the way), but most of these scenes come across as filler until the next circus animal attack.

And the true culprit behind these crimes? The Wheel of Arbitrary Batman Villains has been spun, and it turns out the secret scoundrel is none other than the Mad Hatter. This week, he’s disguised himself as a clown while furtively overseeing his fiendish, and frankly dumb, scheme.

And while actor Roddy McDowall is as excellent as ever in this role, he’s given the weakest Mad Hatter material yet, making this a sad farewell for McDowall’s interpretation. The best Mad Hatter stories have him attempting to find some happiness for himself, or as a defense mechanism, distracting Batman with manufactured images of a life Batman knows he can’t have. What’s Hatter’s scheme here? To brainwash animals into stealing electronic equipment that he’ll use in his future schemes. That’s pretty lame all around. And the ending of the episode, a play on the old joke about the circus employee who’s content cleaning elephant dung because it’s “still show business” — who thought this was a good idea? Wouldn’t a final farewell between Dick and Miranda, or an apology from Batman to Nightwing, or pretty much anything, be better than this?

The Wrap-Up

Design-y

The opening of “Animal Act” is a lovely example of the red sky effect seen in the New Adventures episodes. The new color schemes for Batman and Robin also look great here. Plus, there’s a classic “all shadow” appearance by Batman during one of his conversations with Nightwing.

And even though the series didn’t embrace retro designs during the New Adventures era, the design of Harvey Bullock’s police car looks like something from the original run of episodes.

Continuity Notes

• In “Animal Act,” the Mad Hatter claims his mind control devices only work on humans in close proximity, but when used on animals, the mind control chips can work over great distances. However, the very first time we saw the Hatter use his mind control technology on humans, back in his first appearance in “Mad as a Hatter”, the two thugs who were ordered by him to go jump off a bridge traveled several miles while still under his control.
• In previous appearances, the mind control devices used by the Mad Hatter on humans have been rather small. Growing smaller with each appearance, actually. In this episode, the devices he plants on the circus animals (who have smaller brains than humans) are massive in comparison.
• When “Animal Act” aired, Ty Templeton stated online he was pleased nothing in the episode contradicted the story in Batman & Robin Adventures #15.
• When Deadman later appeared on the Justice League Unlimited series, Batman was already familiar with him. Since there was no great reason in that episode to establish a history between Batman and Deadman, many fans interpreted it as a nod towards this issue of Batman & Robin Adventures, and a later Deadman appearance in Batman: Gotham Adventures #6.

“Huh?” Moment

If the Haley Circus has been in financial trouble since Dick Grayson left as a young man…that’s been at least ten years! Has Mr. Haley really been running this scam for over a decade without being caught? And if the robberies are going to continue, how does framing and killing Deadman solve anything? Won’t Linda have to find, and kill, a new patsy for each town the circus visits?

Battle of the Big Top Returns

These two stories have a similar starting point, and even hit many of the same beats, but “Animal Act” appears to be a case of a solid premise that’s simply squandered. Some fans fight vociferously against the idea that the New Adventures episodes were more kid-friendly, but how else can you describe an episode that has Batman and friends facing off against a menagerie of brainwashed circus animals? Not every episode has to be deep, and there are sillier episodes that older fans do enjoy, but using what could’ve been an excellent character piece for Dick Grayson and wasting it on goofy hijinks is hard to forgive. And when the mature, caring Batman of Ty Templeton’s story is contrasted against the unfeeling jerk in the animated adventure, there’s no contest. The superior tale of Dick Grayson’s return to his roots can be found in Batman & Robin Adventures.

That’s all for this week. If you’d like to suggest a future cartoon/comics pairing, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.

The post Batman: The Animated Series – Dick Grayson’s Homecoming appeared first on CBR.

via http://www.cbr.com/batman-animated-series-dick-grayson/
G. Kendall

Which Batman: The Animated Series Episode is an Overlooked Classic?

Welcome to the seventeenth installment of Adventure(s) Time, an examination of a beloved animated series and a related issue of its comic tie-in. Suggestions are always welcome, so if you have a specific episode/issue combination in mind, just leave a comment and let me know.

RELATED: Batman: The Animated Series Pop! Vinyls Go Rogue with New Funko Toys

This week, we’re examining a personal favorite. “Sideshow” is the sixty-sixth episode of Batman: The Animated Series, originally airing on May 3, 1994. It’s written by Michael Reaves & Brynne Stephens, and directed by Boyd Kirkland. Kirkland was one of the finest directors on the show (and a sought-after animator who later produced series like Wolverine and the X-Men), although he occasionally had bad luck with the overseas studios chosen to animate his work. “Sideshow,” however, is animated by Dong Yang Animation, which consistently provided great work for the series.

“Sideshow,” best remembered as the “Killer Croc meets the Circus Freaks” episode, is in many ways a visual masterpiece for the series. One of only two episodes not set in Gotham City, “Sideshow” inverts the visual expectations for a Batman episode by switching the setting from the urban neo-noir of Gotham for the bucolic splendor of the countryside. As Batman pursues Croc (who’s escaped from a prison transport) throughout the rural environment, he passes beautiful images of deer, forests, and tranquil streams. He also encounters the dangers of impossibly high cliffs and dangerous drops, all dramatized with impressive long pans that emphasize just how hazardous the locale truly is.

RELATED: Batman: The Animated Series & The Mad Hatter’s Insane Obsession

During Batman’s pursuit of Croc, you’ll notice that the score entirely drops out for several minutes. Batman: The Animated Series was always judicious in its use of music, even having internal rules like “no music during dialogue exchanges” and “no music while Batman’s in the Batcave,” but this episode utilizes that restraint to incredible effect. Emphasizing just how out of his element Batman truly is, the familiar themes we’d likely hear as he pursues the villain are missing, replaced by sparse bird calls and cricket chirps. It’s the soundtrack to nature, not Gotham City, and the bravery of the producers to avoid standard TV music tropes beautifully complements the scene. Almost every second of a typical children’s television show is scored because networks believe music must constantly be present to maintain a kid’s attention. Batman: The Animated Series is notable for junking that rule, and “Sideshow” is the clearest example of this paying off in dividends.

When music does appear in the episode, it’s used to subtly enhance the story. The score that accompanies the lives of the former circus freaks, now living as a farm collective, has hints of melancholy, but is never too dour. In fact, the notes perk up periodically during the cast’s interactions with Croc, selling the idea that just maybe Croc could reform and join their group. He can’t, of course, but using the score to tease the audience with the possibility is ingenious.

Much of “Sideshow” is spent subverting just what the audience expects from a Batman episode. Superficially, the concept of former sideshow attraction/criminal Killer Croc meeting reflections of his past would seem to be ideal for an examination of the character, a story that hints at his inner depths and raises the possibility that he could one day reform. Even the title card plays into this theme, with its image of Croc’s shackled hand standing before a spotlight-enhanced circus cage. Given that Croc really was a circus freak at one point, evoking sympathy for him, dramatizing his isolation and proving that he isn’t a monster after all, is certainly in the tradition of this series. Over sixty episodes in, however, it could also border on the cliché.

Instead, “Sideshow” is a play on the dark fable of the scorpion and the frog, a story about a scorpion staying true to its malevolent nature, regardless of circumstance. Even though this episode is structured beat by beat to make Croc sympathetic (even giving Croc a moment to reconsider, before stealing the troupe’s $50,000 savings, as he reflects on their collection of circus posters), the moral of the tale is that Croc is what he is, and no amount of kindness or understanding is going to change that. Many of the villains in this series have that one moment where they could’ve avoided a life of crime, if just a singular event had turned out differently. Sometimes, Batman/Bruce Wayne inadvertently is the one who sets that sequence into motion, like when Bruce arranged to meet with Jervis Tetch on the worst day of his life. There’s a moment here, when Croc has yet to run off with the troupe’s savings, where Batman arrives to blow his cover. A traditional Batman story would lead you to believe that Croc wouldn’t have gone through with the theft if Batman hadn’t interfered; that he would’ve enjoyed the quiet life on the farm with his new friends. But…no. That isn’t Croc. He is physically deformed, but there’s no heart of gold here. The point the story is making is rather clear — Croc was always going to split with the cash, regardless of Batman’s arrival.

Early in the episode, when Croc appears to be making friends with the group, he’s told by Billy the Seal Boy, “you can be yourself here.” In the closing, after Croc has been exposed and subdued by Batman, Billy tearfully asks Croc how he could betray his friends. “You said you could be yourself out here remember?” Croc answers. “Well, I guess that’s what I was doing. Being myself.”

For some reason, “Sideshow” is rarely cited at the top of the “Best of Batman” lists, but every element of the episode makes it a classic. It’s one of the smartest episodes of the show’s entire run, and the way the animation and music enhance the story remains remarkable to this day.

Over a year before “Sideshow” aired, an early issue of the tie-in comic presented another tale of Killer Croc potentially making friends and discovering a new purpose in life. Batman Adventures #7 (April 1993) presents “Raging Lizard!”, the story of Killer Croc’s attempt at making a semi-legitimate living as an underground fighter. The issue opens with Batman, doing what he does in so many of the Kelley Puckett/Mike Parobeck stories, fighting his way through a crowd of well-dressed gangsters. He’s searching for a made man known only as “Mobster,” who’s arrived in Gotham after skipping a murder warrant in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Croc is enjoying the glory of the underground wrestling game, until his trainer/pal Mick informs him that this “Mobster” wants a piece of the outfit. The new player is bringing his own fighter, the Masked Marauder, into the league. When Croc hears the news, he instantly flashes back to his last encounter with Marauder, during his initial run as a fighter. The Masked Marauder, who is inhumanly large and strong (details never explained in the story; I kept waiting for the revelation that he’s Bane in disguise), handed Killer Croc a humiliating defeat in the past.

Croc’s so distressed by the Marauder’s arrival that he plans on leaving town, until Mick arrives (with a live chicken, which could be a prop in Croc’s training, or just his lunch) and convinces Croc to give his fans the fight they deserve. Batman, meanwhile, is tearing through the underworld to find Mobster, whose real name is non-dramatically revealed as Mandrake, making the initial mystery surrounding the generic “Mobster” moniker simply an odd plot element. Batman learns of Mandrake’s connection to the underground fight club and soon arrives…right in the middle of Croc’s pathetic rematch with the Marauder.

While Mick tries to talk a dazed Killer Croc back into lucidity, Batman is now the one who must face the comically oversized Marauder. The crowd has dispersed, but Mick convinces Croc to continue the fight for the purest motivation of them all…revenge. Croc’s newfound courage enables him to defeat the Masked Marauder, and inadvertently save Batman, who’s free to apprehend Mandrake. Batman offers Croc a chance to go free, given that he’s already captured the man he came for, and Croc and Mick exit with the championship belt.

“Raging Lizard!” is one of the silliest issues of the original Batman Adventures run, relying on the slapstick of Croc facing a menagerie of goofy-looking wrestlers to sell much of the humor. It’s a fine demonstration of Parobeck’s cartooning skills, intercut with a fun montage of even more Batman vs. mobster action, but it’s pretty shallow and there doesn’t seem to be too much to the joke.

The Wrap-Up

Design-y

The design of Billy the Seal Boy just might be the most anime the show ever got, looking as if he’s on vacation from an Osamu Tezuka cartoon. The visual swerve of the episode, abandoning Gotham for the country, is also impressive.

Continuity Notes

• When Batman was impersonating Killer Croc in “Almost Got ’Im,” he had Croc boast about once throwing a “really big rock” at Batman. In this episode, Croc does indeed throw a sizeable rock at the hero.
• “Sideshow” was inspired by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ “A View from the Grave!” from Detective Comics #410. In this issue, Batman pursues a death row escapee named Kano Wiggins, not Killer Croc, to the cabin home of sideshow acts, which includes a seal boy and a strongman.
• Continuing the “Is Croc Dumb or Not?” debate, “Sideshow” portrays Croc as rather crafty, and occasionally sarcastic.
• In the opening of “Sideshow,” Croc is on his way to Levitz Prison, a nod to DC’s longtime writer/editor/executive Paul Levitz.
• “The Demon’s Quest, Part II” is the only other episode not set in Gotham City, by the way.

Over the Kiddies’ Heads

The title “Raging Lizard!” is of course a play on the Scorsese classic Raging Bull, even though the film is about a boxer, and the comic has Croc as a wrestler.

Battle of the Curveball Killer Croc Portrayals

Both stories make an effort to show a different side of Croc’s personality, with “Sideshow” teasing the idea that familial acceptance might change the villain, and “Raging Lizard!” focusing on Croc’s embrace of celebrity, and exhibiting an emotion he’s never shown before — fear. There’s a lot of potential in the premise behind “Raging Lizard!”, but since the story is played mostly for laughs, the audience doesn’t receive any real insight into Croc’s personality. In fairness, it’s not trying to be deep, and the creators weren’t likely thinking of the issue as the definitive Killer Croc story. “Sideshow,” meanwhile, sums up the character perfectly, and works as a clever twist on most of the standard Batman: The Animated Series tropes. It’s one of the greatest episodes, and has been unusually underrated over the years.

That’s all for this week. If you have suggestions for an episode you’d like to see paired with its’ comic tie-in cousin, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.

The post Which Batman: The Animated Series Episode is an Overlooked Classic? appeared first on CBR.

via http://www.cbr.com/batman-animated-series-overlooked-classic/
G. Kendall