MCF's Essential DCAU

1992 was a good year for me. After four years of wearing suits, of going to an all-boys Catholic high school, I finally graduated. I would be going to a college, no longer bound by a dress code, and I would be seeing females on a regular basis again. 1992 would also bring Batman: The Animated Series, easily the greatest incarnation of the character on the small screen. I recorded it faithfully every day, and looked forward to watching it when I got home from school. As I was studying art and graphic design and considering a career as a comic book artist, many of my new college friends shared my interest. None of us knew how long the show would last, or that it would spawn several spinoffs and related shows from the same creative team that would collectively become the DC Animated Universe.

The look of BTAS and all related shows derives from the signature style of Bruce Timm. With an economy of line, simplified geometric forms, and emphasis on shadows, he brought to life visuals that combined many influences, from Frank Miller to Jack Kirby. Another notable contributor to BTAS was writer Paul Dini, who is currently part of the team bringing us Lost each week. Batman also had prominent voice talent, especially Kevin Conroy as Batman and Bruce Wayne. There was a clear distinction between the gravely, all-business bass tones of the caped vigilante and the more carefree, casual tones of the billionaire playboy. Conroy GOT the dichotomy of the character, and would play him for 14 years. Mark Hamill breathed life into his career and into Joker, although with Batman's extensive rogues gallery many episodes would rank higher in my estimation than Joker episodes.

BTAS spawned a theatrical film, Mask of the Phantasm, and two home releases, SubZero and Mystery of the Batwoman. Timm and company moved on to the Superman Animated Series in 1996, and were asked to create new Batman episodes as well. In 1997 that show became The New Batman/Superman Adventures. Some days an episode might feature one character or the other, but there were also notable crossover episodes, including a three-part story chronicling their first clash and eventual respect for one another, despite vastly different attitudes and methods. The Batman character designs were refined for this new season, and it became known officially as The New Batman Adventures, though fans lean toward the name “Gotham Knights”.

In 1999, something new premiered in prime time and moved to Saturday mornings. Batman Beyond leapt roughly 50 years into the future, to a time when Bruce Wayne had grown old and retired, and crime ran rampant in Gotham. Wayne, still voiced by Conroy, finds a new protégé in young Terry McGinnis, voiced by Will Friedle. Terry learns Bruce's secret and steals a cybernetic Bat-suit to avenge his father's murder. Bruce is reluctant at first but McGinnis slowly convinces him and proves that the world still needs a Batman and, with some training, he could fill the cowl. Batman Beyond ran for three years and produced one film, Return of the Joker. Flashbacks in that movie serve to conclude the story of the characters from Gotham Knights, which never had a real finale. Batman Beyond would end without a real finale as well, and Terry's story would also conclude in another series.

2001 would bring Justice League. Conroy reprised his role as Batman once more. Superman, voiced by Tim Daly on his own series and by Christopher McDonald for two episodes of Batman Beyond, would now be played by George Newbern. Rounding out the team of superheroes were Wonder Woman(Susan Eisenberg), Flash(Michael Rosenbaum), Green Lantern(Phil LaMarr), Martian Manhunter(Carl Lumbly), and Hawkgirl(Maria Canals). The most mature and serious approach to these characters yet, the show ran for two seasons and built upon the shows that preceded it while bringing in many elements of the comics. It would get another three seasons in the form of Justice League Unlimited, which brought in nearly every hero in the DC universe. The team expands from its original roster of seven to a veritable army, with powers and abilities to address any crisis. The series tackled topics such as the characters' personal relationships, the villains' motivations, the world's natural fear and distrust of them, and the very real danger of power corrupting. Characters lived, loved and died in an epic 39 episodes that ended leaving me wanting more. Appropriately, the last frame belongs to Batman, but I'll not spoil the finale here.

Other shows featured these characters, and some crossed over. Static Shock and The Zeta Project had notable ties to the DCAU, although they were aimed at a younger audience and lacked Timm's particular style. The recent film Brainiac Attacks does utilize the Superman character designs and some of the original voice actors, but many elements of the story contradict DCAU “canon” enough to consider it an ”Elseworld”. Newer DC shows with different creative teams such as The Batman, Krypto the Superdog, Teen Titans, and the upcoming Legion of Superheroes are not part of the DCAU. Have these shows aimed at younger audiences replaced the tight continuity and storytelling of the Timm era? Time will tell if we've seen the last of it after an impressive 14 year run.

I'll conclude with a list of my personal favorite episodes:

Batman: The Animated Series
Heart of Ice
Feat of Clay Part I and Part II
Perchance To Dream
Beware the Gray Ghost
Robin's Reckoning: Part I and Part II
Almost Got ‘Im
His Silicon Soul
The Demon's Quest: Part I and Part II

The New Batman Adventures
Cold Comfort
The Demon Within
Over the Edge
Legends of the Dark Knight
Old Wounds

Superman: The Animated Series
Speed Demons
World's Finest: Part I
The Late Mr. Kent
Apokolips... Now! Part I and Part II
Knight Time
New Kids in Town
Demon Reborn
Legacy Part I and Part II

Batman Beyond
Golem
Meltdown
Shriek
Dead Man's Hand
The Call Part I and Part II

Justice League
Legends Part I and Part II
Injustice for All Part I and Part II
Twilight Part I and Part II
A Better World Part I and Part II
Hereafter Part I and Part II

Justice League Unlimited
For the Man Who Has Everything
The Greatest Story Never Told
The Return
Ultimatum
The Once and Future Thing Part 2; Time, Warped
Clash
Divided We Fall
Epilogue
The Great Brain Robbery
Far From Home
Destroyer