Customer Reviews

Batman: The Animated Series Volume 4

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

These episodes were produced two years after the original Batman: Animated series ended, and were made for the KidsWB Saturday morning block, which was still relatively new at that time. What's notable about these episodes is that the character designs have been totally revamped, and this was when the "DC animated universe" really began, as Batman stories would often cross-over with the Superman series and vice-versa.

The real shame about The New Batman Adventures is that KidsWB basically stopped production after 24 episodes, so we don't get to see the new revamps as much as we'd like (ex. Riddler, unfortunately, only shows up in minor cameos). A host of new villains and femme fatales appear, including Calendar Girl, Roxy Rocket, and the (dreaded) Farmer Brown and his mutant farm animals. Etrigan and The Creeper make their first animated appearances, but only get an episode each (Etrigan was later fleshed out in Justice League). Most telling is that certain plot threads feel rushed, including the introduction of Tim Drake as the new Robin, the departure and return of Dick Grayson as Nightwing, and even a new twist involving Two-Face. There just weren't enough episode to tell everything the staff wanted to tell (and maybe they told one Joker story too many).

Are these episodes as good as the original B:TAS? Overall, no. It's more about comic book fights and action now. Bruce Wayne's a little stiffer and darker, and the stories have lost that humanizing touch the best B:TAS episodes had (with exceptions of course). Is the quality still there? Yes. This is still excellent entertainment for kids and adults alike, and new viewers may be surprised at how mature these episodes feel compared to the stuff on KidsWB these days.

Definitely pick up vol. 4. It's a nice supplement to the initial 3 volumes, and continues the animated legacy of Batman nicely. Here's hoping Batman Beyond gets the box set treatment next.

New adventures await you and the Gotham Knights in Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Four - The New Batman Adventures! Revamped from the dark deco days of the original series with a simpler yet stylized new look, the New Batman Adventures featured the Gotham Knights: Batman & Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing in some of their most memorable episodes. Introducing the voices of Mathew Valencia as Tim Drake, the new Robin and Tara Charendoff-Strong (replacing Melissa Gilbert-Brinkman) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, this 4-disc (521 min.) set contains all 24 episodes from the series which include classics "You Scratch My Back", "Old Wounds" and fan-favorite "Over the Edge". Other highlights include "Legends of the Dark Knight" which acknowledges the works of Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Frank Miller. Not to mention "Never Fear" featuring the most horrific version of the Scarecrow (chillingly voiced by Jeffrey Combs) ever animated. The New Batman Adventures not only refined the designs of the characters (a "taste great/less filling" matter of opinion) but also how the stories were presented to viewers. The show's pacing and even balance of mature melodrama and stylized action would serve as a blueprint for the success of future shows Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited. Here are the contents of this set:

Disc 1:
Holiday Knights
Sins of the Father
Cold Comfort
Double Talk
You Scratch My Back
Never Fear

Disc 2:
Joker's Millions
Growing Pains
Love Is a Croc
Torch Song
The Ultimate Thrill
Over the Edge

Disc 3:
Mean Seasons
Critters
Cult of the Cat
Animal Act
Old Wounds
The Demon Within

Disc 4:
Legends of the Dark Knight
Girls' Night Out
Mad Love
Chemistry
Beware the Creeper
Judgment Day

Special Features:
Commentary: On "Over the Edge", "Critters" and "Legends of the Dark Knight" by Bruce Timm (Producer), Paul Dini (Producer), Glen Murakami (Art Director), James Tucker (Storyboards), Dan Riba (Director) and Moderator Jason Hillhouse.

Featurette: "Arkham's Finest": Inside Batman's Rogue Gallery.


Worth the wait, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The episodes compiled in this fourth collection of the animated Batman series is from the Kids WB New Batman Adventures, which hit Saturday mornings a while after the classic Batman: The Animated Series was over with. Most of the voice cast was retained (including Kevin Conroy as the Dark Knight), but the animation underwent a complete overhaul, which would be seen on the animated Superman series as well as the current Justice League Unlimited. The animation transformation isn't for everyone, but it works for the most part, and the storytelling is still top notch. In the episodes collected here, we learn why Dick Grayson quit being Robin and became Nightwing, and we also see the origin of the new Robin, Tim Drake. DC character the Creeper makes his animated debut, and there's a delicious new, and horrifying, twist and look to the Scarecrow (voiced by Jeffrey Combs). The "World's Finest" episodes are here as well, which is the first (of many) cross overs with Batman and Superman as they team up to take down the Joker and Lex Luthor. However, this volume does have it's share of low points. The attempted new twist on Two-Face doesn't work, and the re-vamped animation is definitely going to be a downer for some. However, the strikingly mature tone of these episodes (including a nightmare-esque scenario where Batgirl is killed and Commissioner Gordon launches a full scale attack against Batman and co.) makes this set worth owning for longtime Bat-fans, and this is most certainly better than what's being passed off as a Batman cartoon these days.

Continuing the storyline from the original Batman: The Animated Series, we find Bruce Wayne still fighting the good fight in Gotham with a brand new Robin and Batgirl by his side. Dick Grayson (the first Robin) has meanwhile left The Dark Knight and established his own identity as Nightwing but still fights with Batman occassionally.

This set is a mixed bag. While not as classic as the "dark deco" episodes, there are some gems among this collection:

DISC 1

Holiday Knights - Three different tales that take place during the Christmas and New Year holidays where Batman, Robin and Batgirl faces off with Poision Ivy, Harley Quinn, Clayface and The Joker!

Sins Of The Father - Tim Drake, an orphan left homeless by his criminal father, stumbles across a confrontation between Batman and Two-Face. A series of events follow that lead to a new Robin.

Cold Comfort - On the heels of the animated feature "SubZero", Mr. Freeze unexpectedly returns to seek cold revenge! His fate on the heels of that tale will shock you!

Double Talk - The Ventriliquist fights his past as Scarface by trying to go straight but some of his old buds won't leave the past in the past.

You Scratch My Back - The first appearance of Dick Grayson as Nightwing as he forms a dangerous alliance with Catwoman to take down gun smugglers, much to the dismay of Batman.

Never Fear - Exposed to The Scarecrow's new gas that suppresses fear rather than induce it, Batman's rages threaten to turn him into what he swore to fight against.

BONUS: Interactive Arkham Asylum - See files and hear from the creators of Batman: The Animated Series on some of The Dark Knight's more fearsome foes.

DISC 2

Joker's Millions - When a rival crime boss dies from natural causes, he leaves millions of dollars to The Joker....or so it seems!

Growing Pains - Robin, in his first rebellion against Batman, tries to save a girl from a superstrong mysterious individual against Batman's orders.

Love Is A Croc - Feeling they are kindred spirits, Baby Daul helps free Killer Croc only to discover that though they are both viewed as freaks, they are not soulmates.

Torch Song - Unable to cope with rejection by a famous singer, a former stage worker turns his fascination with fire into a dangerous weapon and becomes Firefly!

The Ultimate Thrill - Roxy Rocket, a former stuntwoman who was bored with that world, turns to crime to find the ultimate thrill and seeks the ultimate chase with Batman!

*Over The Edge - One of the best episodes of this version of the series as Batman, Robin and Nightwing face off with....Commisioner Gordon?!

*This episode has alternate commentary from Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami and James Tucker.

DISC 3

Mean Seasons - A crazed former model goes on rampage in Gotham's higher society.

*Critters - Farmer Brown, a brilliant bio-chemist, turns to extortion to continue to fund his research by creating super bugs, animals and other freaks to tear Gotham apart.

*This episode has alternate commentary by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Dan Riba, Glen Murakami and James Tucker.

Cult Of The Cat - Batman & Catwoman become reluctant allies against an insane cult when Catwoman steals a valuable item from them.

Animal Act - Batman & Nightwing team up to find out who is using circus animals to commit robberies. The fingers seemingly point to someone from Nightwing's past but it is someone far more sinister.

Old Wounds - In this story, we finally find out what happened that split up Batman & Robin (Dick Grayson).

The Demon Within - An old friend of Bruce Wayne is under siege by his alter ego, the demon Etrigen!

DISC 4

*Legends Of The Dark Knight - While tracking down Batman and Firefly, three youths tell tales of the Dark Knight. This episode was in tribute to Dick Springer (50's Batman artist) and Frank Miller (80's Batman artist/known best for The Dark Knight Returns).

*This episode has commentary from Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Dan Riba, Glen Murakami and James Tucker.

Girls' Nite Out - With no Robin, Nightwing or Batman, Batgirl teams with Supergirl (from Superman: The Animated Series) to help her take down Poision Ivy, Harley Quinn and Live Wire!

Mad Love - Very grim tale that recounts how Harley Quinn met and joined up with The Joker.

Chemistry - Bruce Wayne unexpectedly marries but becomes Batman again when one of his oldest friends goes missing. Plus, an old foe returns and revelations about his new wife!

Beware The Creeper - Reporter Jack Ryder gets exposed to the same toxic chemicals that created The Joker! Now, Batman must decide if The Creeper is a threat or an ally.

Judgement Day - A new hero named The Judge is taking out Gotham's Underworld....but using lethal means to do so! This brings him into confrontation with Batman and the revelations about The Judge are interesting to say the least.

I have to say this version of the series is a mixed bag. While some eppys are okay, some are very good while a couple just stunk! My faves from this volume are Over The Edge, Sins Of The Father, Mad Love (the darkest of all the eppys in this volume) and Growing Pains.

As for the revamps, I can accept the changes to the Bat-team. The worst change without question was The Joker! Thank God they went back to closer to what he looked like in the original series when they made Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker and of course, Justice League! The best change was The Scarecrow. He actually looks menacing in this version.

Overall, this set is still a must have if you wish to see all the Batman episodes outside of Batman Beyond or Justice League. Until the Batman Beyond set is released, this volume will round out Bruce's journey nicely!

This was my favorite season of the Batman animated series. I loved the character redesigns and the addition of the Batgirl and the Tim Drake Robin to the supporting cast, which added a lot of humor to the proceedings. There are some fantastic episodes in this set, particularly "Over the Edge," in which the death of Batgirl prompts Commissioner Gordon to hunt down Batman, "Legends of the Dark Knight," which features vignettes in the style of legendary Batman artists Dick Sprang and Frank Miller (of Sin City fame), "Girl's Night Out," which teams Batgirl and Supergirl against Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and "Mad Love," which finally reveals Harley Quinn's origin.

Unfortunately, all of the season's episodes are NOT included in this set. Contrary to what other reviewers have written, NONE of the Superman cross-over episodes (the three part "World's Finest" and the two part "The Demon Reborn") are included in this set. For "World's Finest," you must either buy the stand-alone DVD or volume 2 of the Superman animated series collection. "The Demon Reborn" will presumably be included on the not-yet-released third volume of the Superman series. Including all of these episodes in both the Batman and Superman collections would have been a nice gesture. Instead, Warner Bros.' decison to place the episodes only in the arguably less popular Superman collections feels like an obvious ploy to squeeze more dollars out of Batman fans.

Additionally, some packaging and production issues blemish this otherwise excellent set. Dust particles and other visual artifacts can be seen in every episode. And while remastered, pristine video quality might have been too much to ask for, an insert or booklet with episode descriptions (only the episode titles are given) woud have been much appreciated.

Overall, a four star rating. The episodes themselves are of five star quality, but the production and packaging issues drop the rating a notch.

This series is definitley not as good as the previous three volumes. I think this volume should be considered seperate from the previous three volumes, because the changes the animated series made. Number one, the animation itself looked awefully cheap, when compared to the previous version. Why change the animation ... for the worse. Number two, why in the world did Batgirl seem to become Batman's partner? Too many episodes had her in them ... TOO MANY! The third and final reason this volume of episodes lacked ... stories. Don't get me wrong, some of the episodes were very solid, such as, Sins Of The Father, Over The Edge, Animal Act, and Old Wounds. However a number of the other episodes really stunk, none more than the weirdest story ever, The Demon Within.

I enjoyed the fact that Dick Grayson became Nightwing, and Tim Drake became Robin ... so much, that I feel that a better series than Batman Beyond, would have been a Nightwing series. The Old Wounds episode would have been a great bridge story for this!

It's about time!!! WB has finally gotten off of their butts and finally got these episodes out. Now, if we could just get them to release the soundtracks to these episodes, I'd be in absolute heaven.

I, personally, don't get what the thumbs-down reviewers mean by "cheap animation". These episodes were WAY more animated; smoother and swifter. In the previous seasons, you never saw Batman do moves like he does here. Batgirl takes little back-steps to give her some leverage before springing into jumps. Tim Drake (the New Robin) uses his size to give him the edge while taking out huge thugs. Nightwing's combat style is a little more graceful and acrobatic than Batman's. All these little details add to a very realistic animation. These prior reviewers must have been watching this show with their eyes closed.

The story-telling was for a much more mature audience. Just look at the Scarecrow; the guy's got a lynch around his neck! Occasionally, a plotline will take a turn and become almost Hitchcockian. The story-telling stays on the edge throughout, constantly challenging the boundaries of a "normal" animated series.

As far as the visual style, while this version evolved from the previous seasons, WB really showed hesitation in straying at all from (Character Designer) Bruce Timm's rendition of this universe, and with good reason. It works, and it works REALLY well.

This is the last collection of the animated Batman shows (unless you count the Batman Beyond, the Justice League show, or the new series simply called "The Batman", none of which have seen boxed set form.)

Jumping ahead a few years from the original "Batman: The Animated Series", this set of episodes also covered the period of time when the show jumped from airing on Fox networks to the WB network. It's often called "The New Batman Adventures" or "Batman: Gotham Knights".

Darker and grittier than previous incarnations, these are the episodes that show a young Dick Grayson growing into the new hero Nightwing. Batgirl becoming a hero in her own right, and Batman gaining a new Robin in the form of Timothy Drake.
[...]
The New Batman Adventures
1. Holiday Knights
2. Sins of the Father
3. Cold Comfort
4. Never Fear
5. You Scratch My Back
6. Double Talk
7. Joker's Millions
8. Growing Pains
9. Mean Seasons
10. The Demon Within
11. Over the Edge
12. Torch Song
13. Love is a Croc
14. The Ultimate Thrill
15. Critters
16. Cult of the Cat
17. Animal Act
18. Old Wounds
19. Legends of the Dark Knight
20. Girl's Night Out
21. Chemistry
22. Judgement Day
23. Beware the Creeper
24. Mad Love

There are 5 additional episodes after "Mad Love", but technically these are part of "Superman: The Animated Series". 3 of these have been released on DVD as "Batman/Superman: World's Finest". The remaining two are "Knight Time" and "The Demon Reborn".

These Batman episodes are the last of the series and aired a few years after the episodes from Volumes 1, 2, and 3 aired - but they're perfect! The episodes are written by same writters from the previous volumes, and that's already telling you they're cool stories! The villains are the same and the running time is approximately the same. True, there are some new villains - but that's good because it introduces other characters from the comics, as well as some made-up villains just for the show. The action and suspense is the same, and the only difference is that the animation is slightly different because some characters got new looks and outfits. The changes are noticible and fit the characters. After all, these episodes do take place two years after the ones on Volumes 1, 2, and 3. The only really big change in animation was the Scarecrow's look - he looks completely different, but much better. Some episodes plots are where Bruce Wayne gets married, when Batgirl dies, when Mr. Freeze returns, when Baby-Doll and Killer Croc team-up, when Livewire (a villain from "Superman, the Animated Series") comes to Gotham, when the Joker becomes a millionare, and many more awesome episode plots and ideas. The Special Features are mostly episode commentaries, but that's still cool. Below are the episodes and special features included in this set and the grade I give them.

Disc 1:
1) Holiday Knights = A++
2) Sins Of The Father = A
3) Cold Comfort = A+
4) Double Talk = A+
5) You Scratch My Back = A-
6) Never Fear = A+
SPECIAL FEATURES: "Interactive Arkham Asylum" - Show creators talk about Batman villains.

Disc 2:
7) Joker's Millions = A+
8) Growing Pains = A++
9) Love Is A Croc = A
10) Torch Song = A
11) The Ultimate Thrill = A-
12) Over The Edge = A++
SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary on "Over The Edge."

Disc 3:
13) Mean Seasons = A
14) Critters = A-
15) Cult Of The Cat = A-
16) Animal Act = A+
17) Old Wounds = A
18) The Demon Within = A-
SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary on "Critters."

Disc 4:
19) Legends Of The Dark Knight = B+
20) Girls's Night Out = A+
21) Mad Love (Harley's origin episode) = A++
22) Chemistry = A++
23) Beware The Creeper = A-
24) Judgment Day = A++
SPECIAL FEATURES: A) Commentary on "Legends Of The Dark Knight." B) Previous/Trailers

Buy this volume, you'll love. Even though there are fewer episodes than the previous volumes - the stories are incredible! This set also features the "new Robin" - Tim Drake. Unfortunately, the spoken languages are ONLY English and French. The subtitles, however, are English, French, and Spanish. Buy this volume, you'll enjoy it!

While still largely enjoyable, and even occasionally extraordinary, the fourth volume simple cannot compare on nearly any level to the previous three, leaving a largely disappointed audience.
The more angular character designs range from interesting (scarecrow) to just kind of annoying (the Joker) and sadly most of it falls into the latter category, since Batman: The Animated Series was already pretty stylized to begin with.