Batman: TAS

 

 First of all, I must apologize on getting this to you so late. In the end I decided to just put out two posts this Friday and none last week because.....reasons.

  So, in our extremely late 2nd post (3rd week) of Superhero September we'll be talking about the 2nd most popular superhero of all time, Batman. Or specifically, his most critically acclaimed cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series. Batman TAS was the show that started off the DCAU, and it was thanks to it that we had the groundbreaking writing and shared continuity in comic book cartoons of the 90s. This is something that only makes sense considering Batman was (after Superman) the superhero that originally defined the genre back in the 30s. And I'm going to be honest here, Superman, especially when he's overpowered is extremely fun to watch, but he doesn't have as much of the same character depth as Batman. Where as Spider-Man was my favourite Marvel hero, Batman is my favourite DC which is why I'm more excited than ever to write this.

  Batman:TAS interestingly enough, went through a name change every season. season 1 was the only one actually called Batman:The Animated Series, season 2 was titled Adventures of Batman and Robin, and season 3 was entitled The New Batman Adventures. The season 2 name change was to signify they were including Robin more often (a decision I believe helped the show a lot) and the season 3 name change was to signify their return from hiatus (as well as a change in art style). The first two seasons aired from 1992 to 1995 before the show was cancelled. New episodes were made from 1997 to 1999 to air alongside Superman:TAS, before it was cancelled again. This version of Batman would live on for several more years however, in the Justice League series. Both of those series are for other articles however. 

  

  Batman:TAS was a groundbreaker among superhero cartoons as it was really the first to treat its' young audience as mature consumers; dealing with much darker and more serious storylines and character issues than any superhero cartoon had before. This was a big risk, but the show handled it well and has won four Emmy Awards for that. Like the many cartoons of the time that were entitled *insert superhero name here*:TAS, the show was the first of it'[s franchise to adapt plenty of comic book characters and plot ideas; as a matter of fact, it actually created a character that would be later adopted by the comics, Harley Quinn. Speaking of the many superhero cartoons of the 90s, Batman:TAS was the first, and it was its' success that inspired the shared continuity (and production staff) of the DCAU to begin with. 

Overall, this was a genius cartoon that crafted out a genre. A must-see if you haven't seen it already, and a must-rewatch if you have. 92/100.