Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham is one of the more edgy Batman cartoons that I have seen in some time. It’s one of the more darker takes for the Batman character and one that introduces a few new elements to the Batman series mix. The first thing you will notice is that the series is set right in the middle of Batman’s young career. He is beyond the point of Batman: Year One, but not quite the confident crime fighter, who doesn’t make many mistakes. Another difference, and something that might be setting up the recently announced ‘Gotham’ show, is how Alfred is more than just a butler in Bruce Wayne’s life; he is his trainer. He is no longer an old man, but an ex-military gent who knows how to put the hurt on people. It’s an interesting take and something that brings a new element to the Batman universe, as well as Alfred.
Shifting gears, let’s talk about the episodes.
The show starts out in one of the more disturbing beginnings that I’ve seen that isn’t rated PG-13, as Batman is introduced in this series by catching a pair of robbers. The disturbing part? Batman dislocates his shoulder after being blindsided by one of the robbers and then pops it back into place. The episode keeps rolling from that point on, as we’re introduced to our first pair of villains. They are a man dressed as a pig (Professor Pyg) and his toad friend (Mister Toad), two eco-terrorists, seeking their revenge on those who abuse animals (sounds like something honorable, but they turn on the ‘mean’ quick). I won’t tell you how things end, just expect a lot of good fights, and some very nice surprises (it’s the beginning of Batman’s career, so things are bound to be rough).
From that point on, the episodes just keep rolling from there, as you get more of the same, rough and dark style. We have dark and mysterious characters rearing their heads in the show, such as the League of Assassins. You’ll also see episodes involving a woman named MagPie, who is literally crazy to the point where she’ll bury someone alive to try to get them out of the way (and that is a very disturbing episode). Other notable mentions in this first volume is the appearance of Jim and Barbara Gordon, though they don’t hang around long enough to be completely relevant in the first part of the this multi-volume DVD release. You’ll also get a big name character, who you’ve seen before in previous cartoons (won’t ruin it), that has ties to Alfred and Batman’s eventual assistant in the show.
The overall body of work with the story and characters is very nicely done and very contained. One of the bigger issues with the Batman series is just how much content creators of the cartoons usually have to play with in stories. What it ends up being is a very large world with no beautifully woven material intertwined into the series, rather just a lot of the same-old-same-old, where Batman faces a villain that he has faced before (with the results ending the same). Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham doesn’t have a problem with limiting its villains, keeping the focus on the stories of its major characters and developing them properly. It’s beautiful, though limiting, and comes across as far more than the typical Batman M.O.. In this volume you won’t find the Joker. You won’t find Two-Face or Penguin. You’ll find a small amount of villains, who are battling a small amount of heroes. It’s a fresh way to do things and it works well for this particular series because it keeps the world of Gotham a lot smaller than usual.
Now, if I had to change anything it would have to be including more of Jim Gordon. While I wouldn’t want an instant relationship formed between cop and vigilante, I think it’s important they start building a solid relationship that would eventual form into a powerful team between the future commissioner and Batman. As it stands in this first volume, it just never gets going.
As for the animation, I’m just not a huge fan of this style. I know the upcoming Star Wars: Rebels is done the same way, as were a few prior cartoons, but it always seems a bit plain and bland visually. After watching the show for the past few days, I’ve kinda gotten used to it and I have to admit that this style works really well for a Batman cartoon. It especially works well for a cartoon that is mostly dark with great shadows and mysterious lighting (as silly as that sounds). Still, I do prefer the hand drawn stuff over this, but for Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham, it’s definitely acceptable. Related to the animation is the frame rate, which I must compliment the creators for nailing. It’s not as choppy as other cartoons of this type.
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Anyway, I liked the presentation, though not incredibly thrilled by it.
As for features, there aren’t any. I would have loved to see the behind the scenes with maybe the voice overs or the actual creation process, but sadly nothing. It is a cartoon for kids, so I’m not going to knock it too much, but something for us big kids would have been nice.