Who says this is only for kids?

Beware the Batman is a brand new multi-part series produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, which is running on Cartoon Network from July 13th. The first is titled Hunted, which sees the Caped Crusader test his mettle against two new villains, Pyg and Mister Frog, and we also meet a brand new style of butler in the shape of ex-MI6 man, Alfred. But lets talk about the look of the animation first.

With some heavy, sharp angled styling, this is a very pleasing animation to look at, and the animators have done a great job on motion. There were one or two jerky looking scenes, when the action dial was cranked up, but it was nothing in the grand scheme of things. The sound was perhaps the best thing about these latest Batmanian animations, because holy mackerel readers, it was extremely good. I caught it in 5.1 and everything was crystal clear, with each of the speakers getting a workout.

Beware the Batman
Cartoon Network
Cast
Anthony Ruivivar, Sumalee Montano and JB Blanc
Release Date
13 July, 2013
Influx Grade: A

The actors used were also well cast as each suited their characters well. For some reason all the villains had British accents (being a Brit myself, I’m beginning to get a complex!) in a bid to make more menacing a bad guy, and it worked rather well. The talents of Anthony Ruivivar (Starship Troopers) were used for our hero, The Batman/Bruce Wayne, and he did a wonderful job. His voice has a decent timbre to it, as if you could almost feel his manly cleft chin through his convincing delivery.

JB Blanc (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) is well known in the video game world for his voices, and handles the role of Alfred Pennyworth with ease. This version of Alfred the butler is way different from his normal persona, as he is ex-MI6, and acts and looks a bit like a London gangster. A real tough cookie. He is concerned about both Bruce and Batman, in equal measure, and wants only to keep him/them safe.

Batman has a pair of unusual villains, in keeping with every other Batman story ever written, and they go by the names of Pyg, and Mister frog. You get no guesses as to why they are so named. Frog has a super-shout, that when used, anyone in it’s path is blown off their feet. Pyg uses standard weapons but he is rather inventive with their usage, as he sets up booby traps and explosives for his victims to find. Alfred gets injured during a fight near the end and out of concern for his employer, he hires a bodyguard, in the shape a Japanese warrior named Katana.

This may be on Cartoon Network but this is a show for fans of Batman, as it has great moody, dark settings, and retaining the gloomy Gotham City look we all know and love. The characters are all good, the writing is also well done, as they cram in plenty, in an action packed 30 minutes. It may not be better than Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, directed by Jay Oliva, but this isn’t a Frank Miller movie. But it’s damned close in feeling. This is not to be missed if you happen to be a fan of the Batman.

Grade: A

Nav Qateel

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