Product Details

• Actors: Rino Romano, Alastair Duncan, Evan Sabara, Danielle Judovits, Kevin Michael Richardson
• Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: CW Television Network
• DVD Release Date: February 7, 2006
• Run Time: 276 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000CEXFZ6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,479 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Batman: The Complete First Season (DC Comics Kids Collection)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

The Batman is an action-packed animated series that chronicles the life of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman who lands him in a variety of precarious situations. The newly anointed Caped Crusader of Gotham City confronts updated versions of familiar foes such as The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze and The Riddler. In this series, the Dark Knight takes his war on crime to the next level utilizing brand new Bat-gadgets and a 21st Century-styled Batmobile operated by his remote-controlled invention the "Batwave." The Batman currently airs on Cartoon Network and Kids WB.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 122 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Very rough, uniquely decent December 21, 2005

By Simon

Format:DVD

This set collects the first 13 episodes of The Batman, the newest incarnation of the Dark Knight. Warner Home Video has finally wised up, ditched the meager single discs and given fans and collectors an affordable way to get this series on dvd.

But wait...are there any fans and collectors? The general bat-fan will tell you this show sucks, while the small but vocal die-hards will pump The Batman for all its worth. This is a very difficult show to rate. Not only does it feel like Batman as envisioned by corporate focus groups, but the general writing is way below par compared to the classic Batman: Animated series.

In my opinion, these problems are mostly confined to the first season. This is definitely the show at its worst, and the newer seasons have been much more kinetic and entertaining. It's painful here to watch Bruce eat nachos and cast opera aside for bubblegum pop. It's painful to watch him resort to an endless array of bat-gadgets to take down foes. But the show has occasional moments of brilliance. When Batman slips into a coma after being thrashed by Bane, there's a very poignant look at the night of his parents' murder. The villain designs, wacky and grotesque as they may be, are fiercely original and fun if you go in with the right expectations. And the season finale, written by Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman, brings the show to a near-BTAS level with a brand new interpretation of Clayface. It's really worth checking out.

Again, this is a difficult recommendation. Season 1 is mostly weak, and I can't blame anyone for shunning it. However, the second season onwards is definitely worth looking into. I at least give kudos to WB for giving us The Batman in a season set that has more appeal to adult collectors. For those on the fence, check out season 2 when/if it is eventually released, then go back and see if you'd like season 1 for completion purposes. In the meanwhile, rent for the Clayface finale.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It's for a new audience-some of it works, some doesn't May 26, 2005

By Spiehler

Format:DVD

If you're going to have any chance of liking this show, you have to completely forget about "Batman: The Animated Series." BTAS was, is, and will remain one of TV's crowning achievements in animation. This new series doesn't aspire to anything that lofty-it's kid-vid. Judge it that way.

I'm 40 years old with a 10-year-old superhero-loving daughter. We watch the show together. We understand this show is a new riff. It has something of an anime influence, and it works. The show looks awesome. The theme music, by The Edge of U2, is very cool. Let's look at the characters. (BTW-don't look for Comissioner Gordon, Batgirl, Robin, Bullock, Montoya-they're not here. At least, not yet)

Batman/Bruce Wayne: He's young, he's just starting, he makes mistakes, and he's still having fun.

Alfred: One of the best parts of this show. Really captures the complex fellow that Alfred is.

Villains on this disc:

Joker: A Joker who is Bruce's equal in hand-to-hand combat? Neither my daughter or I care for this take on Batman's biggest foe.

Bane: Interesting version. Tad over-the-top, but what the heck. The episode does highlight Bruce's brainpower over brawn. The introduction of Rupert Thorne is a nice touch.

Penguin. This one flat-out-works. You really get a feel for what makes Oswald Cobblepot tick. They take the high-society-wannabee aspect of Paul Williams from BTAS, and add a true sense of menace.

Other villains from later in the series:

Catwoman: Get the costume right. My daughter and I call her Mousewoman.

Mr. Freeze: Worst of all the reimaginings. They've taken the most incredible tragic character from BTAS (and the DC Universe in general) and reduced him to a common jewel thief. Pathetic.

Clayface: Awesome. The two-part origin special may be the best episode so far. The production team really found their feet on this one. A Gotham cop gone horribly wrong through no fault of his own. Hearkens back to BTAS's treatment of Victor Fries.

Riddler: Loved it. Looks cool, and so far seems to be Batman's intellectual equal.

Bottom line: Batman can survive any reworking. From the camp of the '60s TV show to Frank Miller's brooding Dark Knight, the icon remains. "The Batman" is a update for a new audience, no more, no less. If you're expecting the glories of BTAS, save your money, and buy the BTAS box sets instead. If you're looking for a little kid-friendly fun, give it a whirl. Although at only three episodes on the disc, you might want to wait. For a better value for kid-friendly superhero action, try the six-episode "Static Shock: The New Kid."

45 of 55 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Just Because It's a Cartoon Doesn't Mean the Characters Need to Be Flat January 31, 2006

By Tom Birkenstock

Format:DVD

Let's start with what I do like. The style of the cartoon is actually pretty good. At first I was a little turned off by the whole "X-treme" Batman, but considering this is Bruce Wayne in his younger days I think it works.

However, the characters are reduced to nothing. Batman has absolutely no edge to him. In the original series we got to know his past and saw him really struggle with the death of his parents, and lets be honest, the best thing about Batman is that he's the first superhero who's given a real motive. In this series the death of his parents are brough up a few times, but as a driving force it's generally ignored.

The villians are all one-note characters. In the original series each villian had some kind of conflict. It wasn't just good versus evil; it was about that in-between grey. The Man-Bat is just some mad scientist. Mr. Freeze is just some jewel thief. They're run of the mill pedestrian characters. The only exception is Clay Face. Lets hope this new version of Clay Face is pointing to a new direction to the series. Maybe the writers will wise up and give us some good stories. Until then I'll be watching the DVDs of the original Batman: The Animated Series.