Beware the Batman will be the fifth animated Batman series since, well, Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, but it’s the first to employ the much-maligned CG animation recently utilized in Green Lantern: The Animated Series.
While we’ve previously seen two teaser posters – one more preliminary, the other more official – today we’re finally getting our first look at footage in the form of a teaser trailer.
The thing that immediately stands out about the trailer is its blatant resemblance to the aforementioned Batman: The Animated Series. Computer-generated imagery aside, the dark, moody aesthetic (vaguely akin to “dark deco“) and the tall, thin, and elegant font are both quite clearly an attempt at harkening back to that beloved series of yore.
Yes, the trailer is essentially just a clip of the Batmobile driving down a tunnel, but more than that, it gives us a pretty excellent idea of what we can expect from the show both visually and tonally.
It’s telling you — in no uncertain terms — to forget the purposefully goofy Batman from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Forget the anime-inspired Batman from The Batman. This Batman lives in the darkness and says things like, “Beware my wrath,” which is only a slightly less cool than, “I am vengeance! I am the night! I – am Batman!”
In fact, the entire teaser trailer almost seems like a beat-for-beat visual callback to the opening sequence of Batman: The Animated Series, particularly the part where the Batmobile is driving down a tunnel. Check it out below (starting at 0:20):
Sure, the show is computer-generated, and that’s sort of annoying because traditional 2D animation is becoming a thing of the past, despite how beautiful and interesting it can be. If it were up to me, the majority of animated projects would be traditionally animated.
However, being computer-generated doesn’t automatically make a TV show bad. 3D animation isn’t even inherently worse than 2D animation – it’s just easier to be lazy with.
Furthermore, the animation and the models in Beware the Batman, unlike Green Lantern, actually appear to be detailed and drenched in shadow, reflection, etc. The point I’m trying to make is: lets not condemn this show a year away from its premiere, solely for the reason that computers were used in its design.
What do you guys think of the teaser trailer? Let us know in the comments.
Beware the Batman will likely premiere in 2013.
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Follow me on Twitter @benandrewmoore.
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Eyyu…………..this batman looks stinks………….the batman from tas rockz………..its just like the cartoon movie incredibles….and no robin,no night wing,and most of all batsy’s one and only super enemy is “THE JOKER”…even superman couldnt stop him……….if he was there the show was dead onn……….my bat sense says its a big flopp…..
Sigh…. Classic first impressions right here.
Don’t see everything you want of a show in a teaser, and you condemn it right from the get go….
This is just terrible, sorry. Essentially all the series before brave and the bold were amazing with regards to animation and feel.Such as the ones taz posted, as well as many others such as batman beyond. I personally, and I know many others just can not watch a show when they destroy it with the new 3D style.
@Sonic:
I watched a trailer of brave&bold I thought it was terrible what they did to “batman” I then watched a episode also terrible. This style just seems to look like a toddler edition of the batman.
Batman brv and bold was like something that should have been in the 60 s the batman my fav
I wish the animators could agree on one Batman. Stop changing the length of the horns on his cowl, his jaw line… ect. Bruce Wayne is two completely different personas. Playboy millionaire and haunted vigilante. Let him be both. But when he has the suit on he’s Batman. He’s fierce and calculated. He’s not cracking jokes and making puns. He inflicts fear into the very core of men. When DC comes out with a different show that he’s in he is always different not just by his appearance but with his personality as well. I just wish they would have a core of who and what he is, and then let the writers run wild with different situations to place him in. Just an opinion. He’s still the best character around. And the 3D aspect will definitely take some getting used to. But 99% of the time, for me at least, it’s the story that captures your attention… Amazing visuals are a bonus.
We should be happy there are going back to a dark design, they should know by now that’s what works, the 3d doesn’t but maybe we will get really good storylines out of this
I too don’t find this Batman any more convincing than Batman Beyond. However, I think it would have been clever to involve the Dynamic Duo- that’s what I enjoyed about The Batman and TAS. And on a another point although the animation is new and computer generated, the best cartoon batman would have to be Young Justice’s Batman (also from animated films like Batman: Under the Ref Hood) Does anyone relate to this? I just don’t think this Batman will be as dark as I think, and I want Dark!
I too don’t find this Batman any more convincing than Batman Beyond. However, I think it would have been clever to involve the Dynamic Duo- that’s what I enjoyed about The Batman and TAS. And on a another point although the animation is new and computer generated, the best cartoon batman appearance for me, would have to be Young Justice’s Batman (also from animated films like Batman: Under the Ref Hood) due to his dark personality witnessed and the figure to go with. I agree with MrWayneMan there just needs to be one in a single generation. Does anyone relate to this? I just don’t think this Batman will be as dark as I think, and I want Dark!