Sep 13 2008
I May Be Biased
Among the other treasures bestowed upon me on the anniversary of my birth was Batman: Gotham Knight . So, with Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier in my collection, I’m all caught up on DC and Warner Brothers’ straight-to-DVD saga. In case you were keeping count.
Unlike The New Frontier, this film, which collects six different stories about the Bat from acclaimed writers and anime directors, seems to be explicitly targeted towards a more mature audience. The dark tone of the Holy One, Blessed Be He is faithfully preserved throughout each story featuring (among others) Killer Croc, Scarecrow, and Deadshot. And while every chapter is connected to every other one, we are also treated to seeing six different directors’ visions of who the Dark Knight is–what makes Him question Himself, what other citizens consider Him to be, what He looks like. All good stuff.
The animation is, not-surprisingly, very well done and clearly on par with Japanese anime, and the voice acting, featuring none other than Kevin Conroy, doesn’t disappoint. But the biggest selling point for Gotham Knight (at least for the “special edition” version) lies in how Warner Bros. decided to include four complete episodes of Batman: The Animated Series . Plus, the cover is shiny.
So, to answer your question–yes, Virginia, you should buy Batman: Gotham Knight .
Stumble It!
Sadly I have nothing to add about the eyebrow situation, but if Conroy does the voice, I’m there. I own way too many DVDs of animated cartoon shows to be a 20-something woman without children, but it does make me say that Conroy is the best.