Welcome to the twenty-fifth edition of Adventure(s) Time, where we look back on a classic animated series and an issue of its tie-in comic with a similar theme. This week -- what happens when you can't tell an episode of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series apart?

RELATED: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Its Lost Sequel

Airing in the fall of 1998 as The New Batman/Superman Adventures, episodes of each series aired interchangeably, with one opening credit sequence to fit both Batman and Superman. Team-ups and crossovers between the heroes were inevitable, although the producers didn't want to lean on the concept as a crutch. There was also a desire to do these inescapable team-ups in as creative a fashion as possible. One of these attempts turned out to be an episode with such an absurd premise, so utterly Silver Age, Bruce Timm and company were reluctant to go through with it. The producers relented, however, providing fans with one of the strangest episodes of Superman: The Animated Series.


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Superman's First Ever Visit to Gotham City

"Knight Time" debuted on October 10, 1998, with a story by Robert Goodman and direction by Curt Geda, who tended to direct the more significant episodes of the series. The forty-third episode of Superman (although any fan could be forgiven for thinking of this as a Batman episode), the story depicts Superman's first visit to Gotham, following the increasingly conspicuous desertion of Batman. He discovers an exasperated Robin, who's barely able to keep track of Gotham's crime wave on his own. Robin explains to Superman (who casually reveals that, yes, he knows his boss' secret ID), that Batman went missing without explanation, and with Batgirl and Nightwing investigating his disappearance, he's been left alone to deal with Gotham crime.

With the Bat-signal at risk of going unanswered once again, Superman makes the decision to adopt Batman's identity and do what he can to help Gotham until this case is solved. Using his superb muscle control to expertly mimic other voices, a first for this canon, Superman shocks Batman's ward with his perfect impersonation. Robin volunteers to help Superman play the role with the correct attitude, which adds some levity to the episode. Superman, meanwhile, is slightly offended by Robin's views on aliens when they pursue the possibility that Bruce Wayne was in fact abducted by tiny men from outer space.

Before they discover that clue, however, Superman and Robin hit Gotham's underworld, which features a Bane, Riddler, and Mad Hatter (all making their final appearances in any of the regular series) alliance inspired by Batman's departure. Mad Hatter is the most likely culprit behind the disappearance, given that Bruce Wayne was behaving oddly during his videotaped goodbye message. (As Robin points out...he's smiling.) Hatter turns out to be innocent of this particular crime, but he does offer the heroes some insights into the tiny robots discovered on Bruce Wayne's phone.

Looking for more clues, Superman's super-hearing picks up the sound of rocket exhaust in Bruce’s farewell message, leading Superman and Robin to investigate Wayne Aerospace. There, they discover Bruce Wayne, still under alien control and preparing for the release of a rocket into orbit. Within moments, Brainiac is revealed as the villain behind the scheme, and Superman's Batman guise is quickly disintegrated under one of the alien's blasts. Brainiac appears to have the upper hand, flying into space with the rocket, but he's rather effortlessly defeated by Superman -- if the creators really wanted to throw kids for a loop, the image of Superman in Batman's outfit, flying through space and shooting heat vision, would've been pretty amusing.

And with a closing compliment towards Robin, and a warning to ensure no traces of Brainiac remain in Bruce’s computer system, Superman is off. Now, is there another way to tell the tale of Batman disappearing from the public eye, leading Superman to team up with one of the Dark Knight’s sidekicks? Mark Millar seemed to think so.

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Truly, A World's Finest Team-Up

Although there was some anticipation for the debut of Superman Adventures, based on the cult success of original writer Scott McCloud’s Zot! series, the only era of the book that truly gained momentum seemed to be the issues written by Mark Millar. The Millar Superman Adventures issues are in many ways the anti-Millar comics, based not in cynicism but in a genuine affection for the hero, and a desire to call back to the mentality of the pre-Crisis Superman tales.

Superman Adventures #25 (November 1998) has Millar joined by penciler Mike Manley and inker Terry Austin, whose bold lines and heavy use of black renders his style unrecognizable. Millar’s approach to writing these one-shot stories was to cram as much plot as possible into twenty-two pages, and he accomplishes the goal this issue by opening with the shocking image of the Mad Hatter holding a battered Bruce Wayne captive.

On the second page, we learn Nightwing is in Louisiana dealing with Killer Croc, and that Robin has also gone missing. (Plus, Alfred informs us that Mad Hatter subdued Bruce Wayne with “sleeping pills in his tuna carpaccio” at an earlier charity event.) The Hatter is demanding Batman surrender his cowl by midnight, exposing his secret identity and completing the villain’s collection of “unique head garments.” Realizing that Batman can’t appear, Superman decides to answer the Bat-signal. Superman is warned by Commissioner Gordon, for the first of many times this issue, that Gotham is not Metropolis, and his style likely won’t work in this seedy town.

Meanwhile, Batgirl is searching for the Hatter on her own.

Superman arrives to offer unsolicited help, and is lectured by Batgirl to remember that, again, he’s in Gotham now. Following her lead, Superman attempts to intimidate an underworld real estate agent into revealing Hatter’s location. The interrogation is fruitless, and a guilty Superman buys the crook coffee as an apology. While reviewing the case, Batgirl suddenly realizes where to locate Mad Hatter.

This leads to two questions -- how was it that Gordon, Bullock, and the other cops seen this issue didn’t know that the Hatter had set up his own TV studio under their noses…and how did Hatter expect Batman to surrender to him in the first place, if he was keeping his location a secret? (Also, are we to believe Superman never intimidates info out of a crook?)

There’s no time to dwell on plot holes, as Batgirl faces off against a mind-controlled GCPD, and Superman must stop a similarly afflicted Robin from his Batwing kamikaze mission.

While Batgirl is able to rescue Bruce, the Mad Hatter escapes into the sewers. A fast-thinking Superman stops by the Batcave to retrieve Batman’s cowl, which prompts the deranged villain into coming out of hiding. Overwhelmed with joy, he’s easily returned to Arkham.

Fans of the DC Animated Universe might recall that the timid Jervis Tetch a) isn’t obsessed with hats in this continuity, and b) isn’t a murderous madman, who’d compel a child to use a fighter jet against innocent Gotham citizens. These discrepancies are at least partially explained by the fact that Millar wasn’t able to view these shows in Scotland, so he had to rely on the tapes sent to him by his editors. Presumably, Millar wasn’t aware of the Hatter’s reinvention in this canon, so he just went with a nastier interpretation of the Silver Age version of Hatter.

The final page coda has all four heroes united on a rooftop, with Batgirl speculating that her boss disapproves of Superman’s “flamboyant, wide-screen tactics.” Batman corrects her, telling Batgirl that it “does us all good to look up in the sky…”

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The Wrap-Up

Design-y

Seeing Clark Kent inside Batman's cowl just emphasizes how close those two designs are, a consequence of such a streamlined design sense. The Superman-in-disguise version of Batman does have a tiny line to indicate a cleft chin, however.

There are also a few images of Gotham City that are somewhat reminiscent of Ted Blackman's designs for the initial run of Batman.

Continuity Notes

Brainiac is able to infect the Wayne corporation's computers, thanks to his partnership with Lex Luthor in the "World's Finest" crossover episodes. Superman previously established that Brainiac infected LexCorp's computers in "Stolen Memories" and "Ghost in the Machine."

I Love the '90s

The video message Bruce Wayne leaves before disappearing is described by Robin as a "vidmail."

Multi-Media

The Easter Island head that Bane hurls at Super-Batman is a nod towards Mike Mignola's design of the Legend logo, from Dark Horse's short-lived imprint. Years earlier, Mignola designed Mr. Freeze for Batman: The Animated Series.

Battle of the Super-Vacations

Both stories hinge on Superman’s tactics being ineffective in Gotham, both feature the Mad Hatter, both have Superman teaming with one of Batman’s associates, and looking at the cover date of Superman Adventures #25, it’s possible it was published within a few days of this episode airing. Was there something in the water, or was this just such an obvious concept that no one could resist it?

If fans are unforgiving of the Adventures story, that’s understandable. Not only does the issue present an unrecognizable interpretation of this canon’s Mad Hatter, but a few of the plot points are also nonsensical. "Knight Time," meanwhile, stays true to its goofy premise and has some entertaining moments. However… the Adventures comic is just more fun. Whether it’s the absurdity of the Hatter brainwashing the GCPD with headdresses, coonskin caps, and Viking helmets, the redemptive finale that dismisses the Gothamites’ bashing of Superman, the way Superman's act of empathy saves the day, or just the fantastic Mike Manley art, the issue is a fantastic use of the characters...even if it would’ve benefitted from a more attentive editor.

That’s all for now. Special thanks to the World's Finest folks for research aid. If you have any suggestions for future installments, just leave a comment or let me know on Twitter.