User Reviews

Lets start with what we know.

This was the first Batman series using 100% computer generated graphics. At the time, DC claimed that they had solved the problem of "textureless plasticy" characters.

Turns out they were wrong. The series bombed and if you do the research you will see that the timeslot was changed to a new slot so obscure that, as one reviewer wrote at the time, said "it was almost as though they wanted as few children as possible to see it."

What we also know is that, after its demise, the show has become a cult hit of sorts. This is because, as strange as the animation is, the writing and script were first-rate. Novel, original clever. Lots of WOW factor.

And the voice actors? Brilliant.

As I said, a hard show to review.

Taking all Batman animated shows, there wasn't any that was actually bad. Yes, The Batman from 2004-2008 was not that good in animation and design but in all was a nice show. So when I saw this going full CGI, and some of the design paths they optioned, I thought this will probably be the first bad animated series about Dark Knight. I was wrong.

I was wrong and I was wrong in the worst way possible because I thought it would be bad based only on animation method and presentation that I actually forgot that Batman's quality, and most of DC stuff generally, isn't actually based in perfect visual design but in characters, stories and the way they are told.

So yeah, it's CGI, and yeah, Batman's cowl and profile looks weird and too much stylized, but that's about bad as it goes. CGI itself is in fact really good, animations and all. It' kinda videogamey, but in a good way. It feels pretty damn fresh. Sure, it could be a bit more detailed and with more filters and effects, and if somehow we ever get the second season (probably never) that would probably be updated. I would really like that DC tries this method again because there is some pretty solid stuff that you can do this way, just need a bit more polish, but they were on a right track.

But I understand that this CGI just wasn't some people's cup of tea. Beside that, overall Batman quality is still there with acting, stories and characters.

Though I guess there are some novelties and oddities around those characters. Whole thing looks a bit more influenced by Batman: Earth One graphic novel than standard Batman comic run. For example, Alfred is a tough ex MI6 agent, not a washed out stage actor and your classical "jeeves" butler. Prof. Pyg is also wildly different as he is not a rambling homicidal psychopath but a gentleman eco-terrorist that loves animals. There are more and some characters are the same as always, some are not. But all in all they are interesting. If I could pick one odd out it would probably be Anarky. He acts too much as provocateur and Joker-like instigator and I personally didn't find that much interesting. Then again, in contrast, Katana was a very interesting, but good, choice for a Batman sidekick.

Directing was pretty good, though "virtual cameras" were sometimes a bit stiff, pan-shots mostly. Voices were cool and music are overall great.

Stories are mostly connected and well thought out, which in turn makes them interesting and engaging for the audience.

Now, this show had a pretty rough season one as far as TV goes. Not even half season and it was dumped into 3AM slot, which is basically bullet in the head, execution style from Cartoon Network that was on. The show itself was mostly kid friendly in the sense that there was no blood and death, but in essence was a bit dark for younger kids. So I guess that didn't help as well. There is still time to get one more season if DC sort their stuff up internally, but it's mid 2015, no one mentioned anything and it's probably canned for good. TAS, The Batman and Brave and the Bold all got at least few seasons of some truly premium Batman goodness, it's a shame that Beware the Batman didn't got the same chance as those previous shows.

So, like every Batman series that has come out since the '92 Dini-verse, 'fans' have come out of the woodwork to tell everyone how terrible this show is. Between the CGI, the lack of known villains, the different take on Alfred... It's horrible just like The Batman & The Brave and the Bold.

Except, it's not...

The animation is fine. It's not the Dini version, nor the CGI Dini version (aka, Green Lantern), and it's not the hammy tB&tB, nor is it the overstylized 'The Batman' animation. It's its own thing, and it grows on you.

The characters were a little bit more difficult to swallow, especially the elder statesman major domo Alfred. However, in both the comics and the Batman: the Animated Series, they have toyed with the idea of Alfred being former MI-6, so, it's hardly out of canon. It is an interesting take, and one not fully explored before.

Using Katana as a partner did put me off at first, but as the stories have progressed, it makes it seem that they're aiming at assembling the Outsiders, a team thus far never brought together on the big or small screen. Again, the writers are thinking outside of the box, so kudos to them!

The final bit that is putting off a lot of 'fans', is the rogue's gallery. No Joker, no Riddler, no Catwoman. Instead, we're getting a "Who's Who" of "Who in the heck is that?" They've dug deep into the DC vaults for some D-listers to use as the bad guys, characters that I, as a reader of the DCU for my entire life have to go look up--and it works. There's no expectation of how the characters are supposed to act, the characters just 'are'. They can be written in any way the writers wish, which is a GREAT strength of the show.

In summation, if you're expecting any of the previous Batman incarnations, you'll be disappointed. If you are looking for something that is actually reasonably fresh, and can surprise you, then by all means, tune in!

Oh, and don't judge by a single episode or two... as of this writing, the show is a whole six episodes in, and it has be hooked. Hopefully, only better things to come!

I thoroughly enjoyed every episode. The story lines where great. The animation was fantastic. It was dark and broody with lots of wit and humor and clever plot twists. What a shame more seasons were not commissioned. One of the weird side observations I have was the lack of trees bushes and general green vegetation in the Gotham city.

Being the only Batman series set in CGI and having a much darker tone, Beware the Batman sticks out among the post-Batman Beyond series which were both more lighthearted and in traditional animation. The mystery to me is why this only ran for one season of 26 episodes, because this was the best of the bunch.

The series presents some different takes on well known characters like Alfred and Barbera Gordon, and while some Batman purists may find that objectionable I thought it added another layer to Alfred especially, because while he is enjoyable as Bruce's butler he shines as an interesting character here with a pretty wild past.

And we see villains here I don't think have been in any other Batman series, like the chaos loving Anarky who got under my skin several times, because while the Joker has a certain morbid humour to his character Anarky was a madman all the way through with an overly creepy voice performance by Wallace Langham.

Aside from him we have a few other new characters I've not seen like Magpie, Professor Pyg and Toad and a few from the more known rogues gallery like Killer Croc, Ra's Al Ghoul, and almost Two-Face who I guess we could have seen if the show wasn't cancelled like som many good shows are, ending on a cliffhanger.

Check it out, it's a good show that needs more attention.

It's been the same cycle with every new animated interpretation of Batman since TAS. "I don't like the way it looks!" "The writing's not as good!" "They ruined (insert character's name here)!"

A few years go by, cooler heads prevail, and eventually most seem to come around and appreciate each of these shows for what they are rather than holding them to up to their own preconceived notions of what Batman "should" be.

I get it. You're a "hardcore" Batman fan. You know what it's all about and every little nuance of the mythology. But here's the thing - there is no one true Batman. The character's been around so long and gone through so many permutations that there is no definitive version. There are depictions that strike a chord with certain generations for different reasons, but in the end the Adam West show is a valid as Christopher Nolan's films. Each incarnation highlights and honors different aspects of these characters. That's what's so great about Batman. That's why he's survived as long as he has. He's malleable. As long as you keep the cornerstones of his mythology in place, he's pretty flexible when it comes to adaptations.

This is not TAS. I think we can probably all agree that that's still one of the better representations of Batman and the most successful show overall. But we live in a world of hyperbole so if something's not amazing, that means it must suck. I don't think Beware the Batman is as good as TAS. Not by a long shot. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it.

Adjusting to a new look always takes some time, but I've grown to like it. And I think the voice cast is strong. For a show aimed at kids, the writing strikes me as more sophisticated than anything from The Batman - and especially The Brave & The Bold.

I like seeing new villains. I like the detective side of Batman getting more attention. And I like the risks they're taking with characters like Alfred. Borrowing from the Earth One/Sean Connery take definitely sets this apart from previous series. In my opinion, the more traditional take on Alfred makes more sense - but I do admire their decision to do something different.

It's not a perfect show. But I'm interested to see how it evolves. Fans always hate anything new or different. Give it time. When they roll out another new Batman cartoon in a few years, everyone will probably be moaning about the good old days of Beware the Batman.

I thought I was in for a campy, not very well written, shaky 2013 CGI animation version of Batman. The animation is just okay but the story and emphasis on Batman's detective abilities really make this bingeable. It's a fun watch for any Batman fan and the writing is good. Another great take on the story of Batman!

Beware the Batman is Batman done with computer animation. And there's no Joker, no Riddler, no Bane, no Catwoman, no - significant villains here to be found in this show. However it does bring to light some lesser known Batman villains like Dr Pyg, Toad, Anarchy and it ACTUALLY does have Ra's al Ghul. However the writing doesn't compare to the well-rounded and thought-out dialogue of The Animated Series and the animation is stuck between deciding whether it wants to be like Green Lantern: The Animated Series or something else not Bruce Timm related.

Beware means well in using lesser Batman villains in place of crooks like The Joker, but they're just there to serve singular episodes and that's it; they don't leave any particular impact on Batman in the series and Batman's character doesn't respect the Batman we know to look like: this one has character-design similar to Green Lantern:T.A.S. but rips off the bat-suit from Batman Begins.

The good: this series has some good fight sequences and Batman is still badass as per his status-quo. And the voice-acting is not too shabby.

The bad: doesn't do anything special with its more niche rogue-gallery. It's a gimmick that doesn't really pay off.

The so-so: the animation itself doesn't respect the aesthetic demands of a character with the cultural caliber of Batman.

Good, but not all that amazing.

Beware the batman has made waves among fans mainly because of its design and look. While I will admit it that it does get some getting used to over time you will start liking it. Now onto the show itself, I love it. For the first time in a longtime you get to see the detective side of batman with him making many clever observations (eg the one he makes between Tatsu and Alfred). Plus we are getting to see a whole new rogues gallery many of whom have been taken from Grant Morrisson's highly acclaimed batman run *Mr Pyg and Mr. Toad.

I am digging the Tatsu character, though I have never been a fan of hers in the comic books I think she fits marvelously in the show, plus her past is really interesting and I am looking forward to seeing how they will unveil it to us. Alfred is more gruffier and badass and I dig that, it's a new interpretation of one the most enduring comic book characters ever and it's a pretty ballsy move, but till now I think it is working for him. Plus you get to see a new dynamic between Gordon and Batman because Gordon doesn't completely trust Batman yet which is a little bit different from what we are used to, so once again we get to see some pretty interesting chemistry and character dynamic there. Bruce Wayne aka our beloved caped hero hasn't changed much apart from the above mentioned detective skills and hey, we don't want our batsy to change that much now do we?

Even though we have had many batman animated series before this , this one actually feels like something new and different and I appreciate that. 6 episodes in and I am firmly behind this show and I have faith that in time it will become something as special as the original Batman TAS.

This is not Batman the Animated Series. It will NEVER be Batman the Animated Series. That being said, this is still a pretty solid show once you get past the boring bits.

The first few episodes are the worst. Granted, that's not unheard of for a new show, but it's only when an overarching storyline is established that the show starts to take off.

The show seems to take the Batman: Year One approach of giving us a Batman who hasn't quite fleshed out his routine yet. In the early episodes, he makes mistakes in battle and gets clocked more than once which results in a pretty noticeable injury. Anthony Ruivivar is no Kevin Conroy but his Batman sounds right nonetheless. It's his Bruce Wayne that's not quite up to snuff, since there's usually a subtle voice change between the two characters. Still, nothing distracting.

The supporting cast, for the most part, are good as well. The show takes the former MI6 version of Alfred and runs with it, though I'd be lying if I said it would've been stronger if they HADN'T told us about it from the get-go. Lt. Gordon keeps with the Batman: Year One feel in that he doesn't wholly trust Batman at first and even makes a few attempts to arrest him. That and he's Lt. Gordon, not Commissioner Gordon. Katana takes a while to flesh out her character, but eventually the plot allows her to develop a character that is similar but still different from Batman's. If only her costume was the same...

The one character they messed up was Barbara. They took this great female character and turned her into the Barbara Gordon from Frank Miller's All-Star Batman and Robin series: a devoted fangirl who spends just a little too much time thinking about Batman. This is sorted out later when she becomes Oracle (thankfully without taking a bullet to the spine), but not until the post-cancellation episodes.

The villains are a mixed bag. The best of the bunch is Deathstroke, to whom the entire storyline of the post-cancellation season is dedicated. I say he's the best because he'll be involved without you knowing it until you watch the entire arc, after which all the pieces fall into place and you realize just what an awesome villain Glen Murakami made him into. Then again, Glen made him just as awesome in his Teen Titans cartoon, so I think he's just good at it. Second best is Professor Pyg, who's not as violent here as he is in the comics but his professional approach to villainy makes some of his dialog pretty funny to boot. He gets a bit weaker in his final outing in Season 1, mostly due to the generic plot of the episode. For third-placer Anarky, it's the opposite. He starts off as this weak pseudo-Nolan Joker out to spread anarchy and chaos, though in post-cancellation his dialogue's finally ironed out and he becomes engaging, even pairing up with Harvey Dent. Yeah, Harvey Dent's in the series, and I don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone that he goes bad by the end. In fact, he's pretty much rotten from the get- go, constantly at odds with Batman while being best friends with Bruce Wayne. Tobias Whale is more or less your clichéd crime boss character, and Magpie... Well... I really don't know what to say on Magpie. She's the only reoccurring villain who's rather inconsistent. First she's a mental case (you know, ASIDE from the usual mental cases), then she's a pseudo-Catwoman, then she's a DIFFERENT mental case, and then she's just a prop in the background. Fortunately, there are only a few episodes devoted to her, and then she's sort of forgotten about. I like to think she's replaced by Deathstroke.

I once heard from someone that works on this show that it would be getting a second season, and just as well since Episode 26 ends on not one, not two, but FOUR cliffhangers, two of which involve The Terminator himself. I only hope CN takes it off Toonami and puts it back on the afternoon block where Justice League and previous DC shows once stood. And now that it's been almost a year since its cancellation, might as well wish Bob Kane and Bill Finger would rise from the dead and tell WB to stop mucking up their comic adaptations.

i've watched the first three episodes, and the first one was the worst of the three. Don't stop at that one. Batman is more human in this series, Alfred is more interesting, and there are apparently multi-episode plot points such as the stuff going on with the sword-wielding driver. I can't wait for episode 4. i rate episode 1 a 5. episode 2 gets a 6.5

episode 3 gets an 8. If it keeps getting better, it's going to be a real winner, and it's a welcome, darker change from the last series which was ignorant as all get out.

final say: Watch it.

This was a great show. Had multiple episodes story arcs. Great voice cast And featured a great array of lesser known but equally intriguing villians. Shame it got canceled so soon. Great series, which is on par with Batman:TAS,as far as morr mature subject matter and great dark stylistic approach to animation...

A fresh start for CGI Batman with a different supporting team. A shame it didn't get a chance nor a toyline

It's very simple, Beware the Batman is an attempt at rebooting the series. Unfortunately, dialogue is not consistent of characters, weak or just plain stupid.

Plots themselves are pretty straight forward, you can see them a mile away. Then there is hardly any detective work from Bats himself. All of it is almost pushed to Alfred.

Animation is another issue, the feel of the quality of the models and movements gives the impression that this is a budget series, the ugly stepbrother that no one likes. Action sequence which makes up the other third of the show's content is in a word boring. There is hardly any tension or innovation in Batman's moves. It all feels like quick cuts from one move to another.

As a stand alone series it passable but if compared to Batman: The Original Series and even Batman Beyond it is sub-par.

"Beware the Batman" was a show announced at the 2012 SDCC. Many of the fans were skeptical of how this show would turn out considering the show does not include Robin to aid Batman, instead being replaced with another DC character but lesser-known than they boy wonder, Katana. On July 13, 2013 when the show first aired I could imagine the fans high disappointment. As much as I don't agree with their point of views I could see how it wasn't to their liking with lesser-known and "cartoonish" villains. And I have to admit, it was. I stuck around to see the next episode to see if it got any better and boy it did. The second episode included Magpie, a creepy villain whose has a dark, troubled past, similar to Batman. I'm not going to spoil much but Batman is much more gritty, tougher and dark. You get to see how he deals with these types of villains. The animation was also greatly enjoyed and Anthony Ruivivar fits Batman/Bruce Wayne's voice so well and Kurtwood Smith plays an excellent Lieutenant Gordon. I cant wait to see the next episode, and I highly recommend it for any Batman lover.

Seems like the time when i was looking for a series which could at least be compared with Batman the animated series are gone , We had the Bold and the Beautiful last time and now THIS , although the action scene in this series have been done nice there have been plenty of changes which some of die hard BAT Comics and Movie and cartoons fans may not be too comfortable with and even if you get used to those changes there's the script of the 1st episode which didn't look like a batman script , no brain work, not many awesome cool gadget and yeah the Villains , they seem to remind us of the times Dinosaurs and Aliens came in Batman comics and the times when Batman comics were not selling much,it's obviously too quick to tell but so far it's been a let down

Is d*** ..............

I just start watching it because... i thouth its something new. I never knew its from 2013..... So good looking and after 2 episodes i was hooked... I just realizied it was canseled....

Hardvore Batman fans are morons!!!

It's like a first Batman show in 3D .. I really appreciated the Batman Vengeance game on PS2 and it's 3D graphics .. .. though there are some flaws in this show still .. the character animation should've been the same as the original The New Batman Adventures .. the opening music is very good .. it slowly sits in your mind ..

Beware the Batman, where do I start...

this show is amazing! its complex story-lines and three dimensional characters are awesome and i love the whole thing

one thing it took time for me to get used to is the animation. when I first saw Beware the Batman's Batman incarnation i was slightly put off. I didn't know whether to like it or dislike it as it was completely different to any thing I had ever seen before. eventually I learned to like it and now I see it as a cool dark and sleek version of an amazing character.

The story is amazing my favorite episodes being the ones that truly flesh out a villain or hero such as "broken".

the guns were unrealistic though but that is understandable due to the late night showing of the dark knight rises that went horribly wrong

I love nearly every episode and always cant wait for the next episode

the only episode that disappointed me was the season 1 final with Deathstroke. The entire thing became a good guys win and bad guys lose thing and in many cases when characters should of died, they didn't

I think that beware the batman is an amazing show and with a few little tweaks it could be so much better. Fingers crossed for season 2!

I've been a Batfan for...5 some years now, and I know almost the entire mythos by heart, so I consider myself a 'hardcore' batfan. With my credentials out of the way, I can officially say this may be the worse representation of the Dark Knight's earliest years. It makes Gordon look like a total unsuportive jerk (Which he wasn't), it make the weakest attempts to TAS some of the smaller time villain in Gotham (Which fails miserably), and try so very hard to make Batman dark again (Like TAS and The Dark Knight (2008)) But why was this horrid, mistake ridden show put on the air? I have a few theories.

A. Cartoon Network, being the money hungry dogs they are, needed a new Superhero show to make kids forget about 'Teen Titans GO!' (DONT. GET. ME. STARTED.). What's the only logical solution? Look at the past, take what ever worked best, and complete make a mockery out of it. TAS basically revolutionized children's point of view on Bats. It got more serious and even emotionally engaging. But most of all, it showed the kids that Batman is both a Superhero, but also a dark symbol of fear. That's his thing. That's what works for him. THIS on the other hand, trys to take that formula and apply it to the early years of Batman, when Gordon was still a Ltn. But see here, this was already done in BATMAN: YEAR ONE (Which is a far better film than this show. Check it out.)!!! It was dark, it was new, it was Batman the way he should be. You could look at it as a continuation of the film, but even then, the animation will drive you insane it's so bad.

B. They needed something to compete with. Believe me, nothing on Cartoon Network today will ever compete with other children's channels. In he 90's, yes, they gave everyone a run for their money, but today it's awful. One of their biggest competitions is Nickelodeon, who just recently came out with a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show with very similar CGI design (I personally feel the new TMNT show is FAR better than the 2003 series and give the 1987 series a run for is shell. Check it out.) With TMNT generating all this hub-bub, CN needed something to say, "Hey, we're still cool! Look at this!" And they raise up Beware the Batman. What you should do: turn around, walk away, and get your turtle on because that is a WAY better kids show than this.

C. Ehhhhhhh....whatever. What? We have an open timeslot? Throw in some new Batman show. That'll be good. Kid's like Batman.

See my point yet?

All in all, say what you want. As a hardcore Batfan, I can say I was disappointed...throughly. 5 outa' 10.

I'm not a fan of CGI animation, because I think it's just not there yet to give a series like this the textures it requires to set the mood. And also the animation of Batman himself is not one of my favorites. Although the series could have been better with traditional animation, the CG didn't make it worse, so you get used to it quickly. What I really liked about it is that they looked a bit around and used other lesser known villains and they went more into the direction of the Outsiders and not really the Justice League route. Also Alfred gets a bit of an emphasis on his MI6 background and they chose Katara to play a bigger role as sidekick. The stories are also quite good and are held together by a season long arc.

Overall, I can understand how a fan of BTAS might not like this new depiction, because I was skeptical too but after 3 episodes I started to like it.