The Batman - The Complete First Season
The Batman DVDs

Buy Now

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.

 

Season 1: 2004-2005

Season one comprised 13 episodes, aired over a period of eight months between September 2004 and May 2005. These episodes were released on The Complete First Season DVD in March 2006.

Title	Villain(s)	Production #	Episode #	Director	Writer	Airdate
"The Bat in the Belfry"	The Joker and Rupert Thorne	101	1	Seung Eun-Kim	Duane Capizzi	September 11, 2004
Summary: After stopping a heist by Rupert Thorne, Batman returns to the Batcave to learn that all criminals in Arkham Asylum have mysteriously been released. Batman finds out that it's a crazed clown named, "The Joker" who released them, and he plans to make a blimp full of Joker Gas to explode over Gotham so that every citizen turns into a lunatic.
"Traction"	Bane	102	2	Sam Liu	Adam Beechen	September 18, 2004
Summary: Three mob bosses want revenge on Batman because he constantly took down their operations. They call in a very mysterious man named Bane to finish him off, once and for all. Bane may seem like a normal criminal, but he has a secret, a secret so powerful that it could destroy all of Gotham. After their first encounter, Bane easily takes down Batman, breaking many of his bones. Now, Batman must think of a new way to stop this menace.
"Call of the Cobblepot"	The Penguin	103	3	Brandon Vietti	Steven Melching	September 25, 2004
Summary: After a strange vulture starts to steal diamonds and jewels, Batman decides to find out who's behind this. It turns out that the crook is the rude and selfish Osward Cobblepot, aka Penguin, whom attends Bruce Wayne's party. Alfred tries to catch Penguin for his misbehavior at the party, but unfortunatley, Penguin catches Alfred. Batman must find Penguin's mansion and save Alfred, as well as defeat Penguin and return all the jewels and gems he's stolen.
"The Man Who Would Be Bat"	Man-Bat	104	4	Seung Eun-Kim	Thomas Pugsley, Greg Klein	October 2, 2004
Summary: A flock of bats lead Yin and Bennett to Wayne Industries, where Bruce has a scientist named Dr. Langstrom working on a project related to bats. In truth, Langstrom actually develops a serum that can turn him into the "Man-Bat", so he will be feared. Man-Bat goes out of control and flies out into the city, feeding on animal blood.
"The Big Chill"	Mr. Freeze	105	5	Brandon Vietti	Greg Weisman	October 30, 2004
Summary: Using his new ice powers, Mr. Freeze steals the most rarest and valuable diamonds all over Gotham. When him and Batman first cross paths, he tells the Bat he's the reason why he's a cryogenic monster. It's because of a much earlier chase between them, which led to a cryogenics lab. He will stop at nothing to make Gotham his own personal domain, unless the Batman can think of a way to stop this menace.
"The Cat and the Bat"	Catwoman and Hideto Katsu	106	6	Sam Liu	Adam Beechen	November 6, 2004
Summary: After ensuing in a lenghty chase with his new foe, Catwoman, Batman's utility belt gets stolen from him. Now, with his belt in the wrong hands, Batman must figure out how to find the cat burglar before she puts his belt to no good use.
"The Big Heat"	Firefly	107	7	Seung Eun-Kim	Christopher Yost, J.D. Murray	November 13, 2004
Summary: Batman meets Firefly, a man who dresses in a heavily-armored fly ensemble and has a turbo-enhanced jetpack. Firefly breaks into numerous Gotham companies, destroying their technology, and takes to the skies when Batman arrives. As the Bat finds out, he's no easy foe to bring down. Meanwhile, Bruce meets up with Mayor Grange, who tells him that he's going to have to give his father's charity work to GothCorp instead of Wayne Enterprises due to his lifestyle.
"Q&A"	Cluemaster	108	8	Brandon Vietti	Steven Melching	November 20, 2004
Summary: Arthur Brown, an intelligent man now calling himself the Cluemaster, plans revenge upon the people involved in the "Think Thank Thunk" game show for letting his opponent win years ago. Can Batman stop him and save Cluemaster's hostages?
"The Big Dummy"	Ventriloquist and Scarface and Rhino and Mugsy	109	9	Sam Liu	Robert Goodman	November 27, 2004
Summary: Arnold Wesker is a ventriloquist who controls Scarface, a living puppet that has a whole other personality. Together, they pull off bank heists and Scarface promises this is their final one. Scarface, along with two knuckle head muscles, plan on stealing a gold reserve from Gotham Bank. Batman tries to stop the puppet and his lackeys. Meanwhile, Alfred plays matchmaker for Bruce.
"Topsy Turvy"	The Joker	110	10	Seung Eun-Kim	Adam Beechen	February 12, 2005
Summary: Joker is out of Arkham. He's going after everyone responsible for getting him arrested, turning them into playing cards ... with the Batman being his main target.
"Bird of Prey"	The Penguin	111	11	Brandon Vietti	Steven Melching	February 5, 2005
Summary: Penguin is jealous of Bruce Wayne's wealth and breaks into Wayne Manor. He kidnaps Alfred and ransacks the place while Bruce is doing an interview. Batman arrives to help right in time, only to get chained up by Penguin as well. Can Batman find a way out of this crazy mess?
"The Rubber Face of Comedy"	The Joker and Punch and Judy	112	12	Sam Liu	Greg Weisman	April 30, 2005
Summary: Joker's back in town and has a new invention, Joker putty, that can morph anything and everything into rubber or putty. Meanwhile, Chief Rojas tells his Detectives to stop both Joker and the Batman once and for all, saying both of them have no place in Gotham.
"The Clay Face of Tragedy"	Clayface	113	13	Seung Eun-Kim	Greg Weisman	May 7, 2005
Summary: Leaving off after the previous episode, Ethan transforms into the monstrous Clayface by Joker's putty. After having the whole town fear and loathe him as Clayface, he targets the man he despises the most, Chief Rojas. When Batman and Yin realize who he is, they will have to work together to keep Ethan from becoming anything like Joker.

As an added gag bonus, Batman: The Animated Series producers Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, and Glen Murakami appear as escaped inmates at Arkham Asylum in "The Bat in the Belfry".