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Batman - The Animated Series, Volume Two (DC Comics Classic Collection)
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Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Find all by Warner Home Video
Directed By: Bruce Timm
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Theatrical Release: September 5, 1992
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $44.98
Online Sale Price: $37.99
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Starring: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill
Fight crime day and night alongside the Dark Knight with this deluxe 4-disc set packed with 28 heroic adventures from the acclaimed series! Filled with gripping plots, multidimensional characters and superb voice talent, this Emmy-winning series has defined Batman for legions of fans. Enjoy amazing encounters with Catwoman, duels with the Penguin, contests with the Riddler and of course, battles of wit with the Joker - plus Exclusive Extras from the minds that conceived this cutting-edge version of the classic hero! Grab your cape and swing into action with this quintessential Batman compilation!
User Submitted Batman - The Animated Series, Volume Two (DC Comics Classic Collection) Reviews
October 3, 2008
I love this show
When I was a kid I would wake up on Saturday morning to watch BATMAN, and I loved it. Now that I'm an adult I love that I'm able to share this great and pioneering series with young people (and just sit and watch it myself). This was a cartoon that did not feel like a cartoon. Each show is like a small movie, and as the series got older the better the animation got, the better the acting got and the better the action an stories. Overall: great fun for kids of all ages!
September 12, 2008
The original Dark Knight for children of the 90's
After the absolutely stunning run of action cartoons in the 80's, the 90's were suffering from a serious backlash against "violent" programming and there were no exciting cartoons left on the air.
That is until this absolute masterpiece of a cartoon series began airing in 1992. This series hit the ground running with astounding story-telling and a dynamic visual style that was brought off with a new animation technique that was developed specifically for this show.
Stylistically, the show is set in a 1940's art-deco esque Gotham with a modern twist that is perfectly accented by the noir-film style that each episode is produced with. The story telling is dark and exciting, yet never too violent or scary for young-ones (no blood etc.) and the writers absolutely nailed the character of Batman and his cast of Rogues who are brought to life with astounding voice acting.
If you like Batman, this is the best television series/DVD collection they have made to date.
This second season collection includes the classic episodes: Perchance to Dream, Night of the Ninja, Day of the Samurai, Joker's Wild, and the fan favourite Almost Got 'im which features Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc. all discussing the time they came closest to getting the Bat. A MUST HAVE for Batman fans!
September 7, 2008
The best animated show, featuring its best episode.
Batman the Animated series is probably the best animated show to be released which makes it a must own for adults and kids alike. This season especially since it includes "Almost got Im" which is the finest episode the show made. Plus the featurette on the voice actors is great. Buy this with confidence.
September 5, 2008
Batman at His Best
Yes, I love the new Christopher Nolan movies. But I have to admit, this animated incarnation of Batman from the early nineties will always be the definitive version of the character for me. I readily admit I'm biased, as I grew up watching these shows, and seeing them today brings me back to a simpler time in my life. But even now, as an adult, I am amazed at how well the storytelling on display holds up over a decade later.
This set builds upon the solid foundation laid by the first volume (which is also well worth a purchase), coming across as almost universially strong. The writers and artist had clearly found their groove. The characterizations are stronger and more nuanced, the animation is more consistant, and even the weaker episodes here are leagues better than some of the clunkers found on the first set.
Special praise needs to be handed out to the voice cast, which is uniformly excellent. Kevin Conroy IS Batman. Period, the end. He switches between the playboy Bruce Wayne and driven Dark Knight with ease, and his "Batman voice" is nowhere near as grating as Christian Bale's. All of the villains' voices ooze personality without sounding like characitures. The performers really make you believe the characters have feelings and souls underneath their brightly colored costumes. And of course, special praise should be given to Mark Hamill's absolutely inspired take on the Joker, which you can hear numerous times throughout this set.
Although almost all the episodes on this set are good, standouts for me include:
-"Robin's Reckoning," the Emmy-winning exploration of the Boy Wonder's origins (although Part I is definitely sronger than Part II)
-"The Laughing Fish," a pretty straightforward adaptation of the seventies comic tale in which Joker tries to collect royalties on fish he has mutated to look like him
-"If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?," the Riddler's origin story and a far more interesting take on the character than the laughing buffoon seen in the Adam West TV series or the mid-nineties film
-"Almost Got 'Im," a brilliantly told series of vignettes in which each member of Batman's rogues gallery relates how they almost took out the Bat (Penguin and Joker's are the best tales)
-"Harley and Ivy," which is a fan-favorite and definitely in my top 5 list of all time great episodes. The always fun Harley Quinn (voiced to a T by Arleen Sorken) is thrown out by the Joker and teams up with Poison Ivy on a seemingly unstoppable crime spree. This episode is a riot, but it also features a rather adult and complex portrayal of the Joker-Harley relationship, where he's clearly the abusive boyfriend but they both genuinely love each other. Plus, who knew Poison Ivy could be so funny?
With 28 episodes on the set you get a lot of bang for your buck, and the featurettes and commentaries are an insightful look into the creation of the series (I genuinely wish there were more of them). Any Batman fan should purchase this set, as it features an adult take on the character without the disturbing violence and imagery seen in the recent films, making it perfect for family viewing. Both kids and adults will be entranced.
September 2, 2008
Adventures of the Dark Knight
This review focuses on Burton's Batman (Batman89, Batman Returns), Nolan's Batman (Batman Begins, the Dark Knight), and 1992 original Batman: The Animated Series. I'm excluding Schumacher's Batman (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin), the 1960's Batman series, and "The Batman", simply because I believe they are the weakest representations.
To be perfectly honest, I love Burton, Nolan, and BTAS equally. All three interpretations are so different, that they cannot be compared. And it is really annoying that I find people on YouTube trying to see which one is better (most opinions are biased). So here it goes with MY opinions:
BATMAN: Michael Keaton, Kevin Conroy, and Christian Bale have given us excellent performances. Conroy (from BTAS) has the perfect voice for Batman, though the physical depiction seems a bit too much. Bale really acts well as Bruce Wayne, but his voice for Batman is too deep and goofy. To me, Keaton is the ultimate "Bruce". He has the awkwardness and the eccentricity of the character, and plus his hoarse voice for the Bat is far superior to Bale's. It's too bad that he doesn't get that much screen time in both of Burton's films.
VILLAINS: Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Clayface, Mad Hatter, Scarface, Killer Croc, Bane, Baby Doll, Penguin, Clock King, Harley Quinn, Professor Milo, Poison Ivy, and Rupert Thorne appear only on BTAS, and they are marvelous in their own right.
The Scarecrow was better portrayed in BTAS (voice by Henry Polic II) than he was in Begins. Cillian Murphy looked too young as Doctor Crane, and the actual villain was much underused in the film. Two-Face had the scariest appearance in TDK; Aaron Eckhardt was flawless. However, Two-Face in BTAS (Richard Moll) had a much better origin. Years of suppressing anger can do that, you know. Ra's al Ghul is much more interesting in BTAS (David Warner); Liam Neeson's performance in BB was just above average as he wasn't very believable to me. The Penguin, one of my favorite Batman villains, has been blessed with both BReturns and BTAS. Danny Devito and Paul Williams have done superb jobs with this antagonist. Same goes with Catwoman: Michelle Pfeiffer had the better dialogue and better catsuit, while Adrienne Barbeau was a better Selina Kyle, and her chemistry with Batman is deeper.
Finally, for the Joker we have Jack Nicholson (B89), Mark Hamill (BTAS), and Heath Ledger (TDK). All three of them are perfect. Nicholson has the best dialogue, Hamill has the best laugh and look, and Ledger has the best sadism. Three different worlds, three different performances. People on YouTube should understand that.
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: I couldn't see Michael Caine as Alfred, so it's thumbs down from me. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Michael Gough are the ideal Alfred's. Aaron Eckhardt is truly a one-of-a-kind Harvey Dent. I Believe in Harvey Dent! Billy Dee Williams was great in B89, also, and he had the tough and virtuous personality, as did Richard Moll in BTAS. Gary Oldman and Bob Hastings are the definitive Commissioner Gordon's; Pat Hingle is the weakest, but certainly not at all terrible. He's just a bit too short. Morgan Freeman is the one and only Lucius Fox; Brock Peters of BTAS had the better persona, but Freeman had the better chemistry with Batman.
GOTHAM CITY: Burton captured the dark and gothic feel of the hellish city perfectly. It looks as if "Hell came sprouting out of the concrete and kept right on growing. You gotta give credit to Anton Furst, the film's art director, for creating this atmospheric universe. Gotham in BTAS also has its advantages. The towering skyline, the dangerous alleys, and the red sky make it all more mesmerizing. Nolan's Gotham looks hellish, too, but it looks too much like Chicago (filming location for both BB and TDK). But other than that, it succeeds in creating a Faustian nightmare.
EVERYTHING ELSE: The gadgets in BTAS were the most realistic, while the Batmobile for B89 was better-looking. Keaton's Batsuit is classic, while Conroy's cape and cowl is ultimately frightening. The heroines (Basinger, Holmes, and Gyllenhaal) are lovely additions, although I wish Basinger would stop screaming throughout B89. And let's not forget the music: let's give it up for Danny Elfman, Shirley Walker, James Newton Howard, and Hans Zimmer. These are the composers who gave us those catchy Batman themes. We will never forget them or their work.
CONCLUSION: Burton's universe, Nolan's universe, and Timm's universe are near ideal. I love them equally, really. I can't wait for the next film.
July 28, 2008
Another great option for young Batman fans
You can read my review of Volume One. Rest assured there's plenty to enjoy in Volume Two.
I have two boys (a 5 year old and a 4 year old). They are too young to watch the Batman movies -- Batman Begins and The Dark Knight -- but that doesn't stop them from enjoying the Caped Crusader. These DVD collections are meant for die-hard fans but young children can enjoy them, too.
June 2, 2008
great fun!
This is a must have series for any Batman fan, and even if your not, give it a try. It was fun for the whole family and my husband said he felt like a kid again, waiting for the next episode. We all really enjoyed this!
April 23, 2008
Great season, great show
This is probably one of my all time favorite things to watch. Period. Even though this volume is the weakest out of the four DVD sets, these episodes were and still are better than anything you'll see on Saturday morning.
This volume should be noted for the episode "Harley & Ivy," which I think really fleshed Harley out into a character that was essential to Batman continuity. And you can be sure that people noticed seeing as her character was added to the comics after this cartoon aired.
Overall, not as great as the other volumes, but still worth every penny and every one of the five stars I have given it. This is a show that does not disappoint.
-Matt
January 2, 2008
Batman - The Animated Series, Volume Two
Really good set of DVDs for all the family to enjoy. Story lines are great and continue on well from the first series.
August 20, 2007
Remind us why it's good; then make it better
These DVDs are the only ridiculously overpriced cartoon series I would purchase (or ask for as gifts) before marketers came to their senses and realized almost no season of anything should be worth more than 15 to 20 dollars.
The guys who made this bothered to read Batman books. Old ones. New ones. Good ones. Dorky ones. Then they thought about what made it cool. They borrowed all the fun parts of the first Tim Burton movie, then made one of the first multi-emmy winning cartoons ever. Now that they had made Batman cool again, they didn't stop. Filming each episode like a mini-movie (as they describe in excellent commentaries), they decide to dig up old DC comics characters, like Zatarra, the Grey Ghost (voiced by Adam West), and the Creeper, and then they create new characters that fit so well into the cannon that they get spin-offs, like Bullock, Montoya, and of course Harley Quinn. But the best part is probably how they manage to take dopey things, like Robin, who never really made sense as a side kick (let's dress a kid in bright red and name him after a bird) and manage to make it serious and cool.
This set and each of the other three are excellent. The extras are fine, commentaries most of all, but these guys went on to make Batman Beyond, and then Justice League, again taking strange and semi-unknown characters (Martian Manhunter and the Atom for example) and making them very cool. I can't recommend it enough if you haven't seen them, and if you have, you'll want to keep them.
Almost every episode is excellent
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