Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's thirty-eighth installment, an examination of classic animated series and their tie-in comics. These week, we're looking back on two stories that begin with the premise that Ra's al Ghul is dead, with Batman and Talia paired on an adventure. (Thanks to reader Gravity Falls Poland for this suggestion. If you have any cartoon/comics pairings you'd like to see, please let me know in the comments.)

Debuting on May 9, 1994, "Avatar" is the sixty-ninth episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Introduced with a stunning title card evoking historical art from ancient Egypt, until you catch the stylized Batman emblems, Carlos Rodriguez's score draws the audience in with pomp worthy of an old Hollywood epic. Writer Michael Reaves and director Kevin Altieri keep this theme alive throughout "Avatar," pairing Batman and Talia on a journey across the globe.

Egypt, 1898, is the opening setting, as an adventurer risks his life to navigate the tomb of Thoth Khepera. A silent sequence that emphasizes the show's confidence in its directors, you'll notice several sequences in this episode with nearly no scripting at all. Most shows, especially of this era, could never pull this off. The clarity of Batman's animation, and the simple-yet-emotive character designs, more than compensate for a lack of spoken dialogue.

In the present day, Bruce Wayne has donated the Scroll of Osiris to a Gotham museum. Ra's al Ghul and his chief flunky Ubu appear later that night, stunning Batman, who believes Ra's to be dead. Poisoning Batman with a snake bite and stealing the Scroll, the villains disappear. This turns out to be Gotham's only appearance in "Avatar," setting the stage for the globetrotting to follow.

Batman's first stop in tracking Ra's is to visit his daughter, Talia. She's shocked her father is alive, and hurt he's chosen not to contact her. Talia explains the Scroll is the second half of the map Ra's needs for one of his schemes. Batman believes she's sincere and Talia joins him on his quest.

It's not entirely accurate to describe this episode as a romance, although Talia and Batman's doomed relationship is a running subtext. The rest of the episode has them facing danger together, even from Ra's himself. The vocal performance of Talia, while a bit of a caricatured "foreign" accent, makes her a sympathetic partner for Batman. Her conflict over her romantic love of Batman and paternal love for her father is an old trope, but doesn't feel cliché here.

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Kevin Conroy also delivers a fine performance. This is surely a redundant statement by now, but he's particularly great in "Avatar." Batman's affection for Talia is obvious, yet Batman's never truly "softened." He still sounds like Batman, still sounds like someone committed to his job. And even when Conroy is stuck dumping crazy exposition here, it sounds natural. As if this is just everyday stuff for Batman. It's the perfect tone for the character.

The final act has Ra's successfully resurrecting Thoth Khepera, who turns out to be an evil witch-mummy thing. Bruce Timm stepped in to punch up the action, storyboarding Talia and Batman's escape personally. (Check out the Batman Animated book to see the original boards.) Because Thoth is a mummy, the censors actually allow falling debris to flatten her. One of the very few unambiguous "death" scenes on the series.

Due to her dearth of personality, Thoth Khepera is probably the most forgettable aspect of "Avatar." What people remember is the finale, featuring Talia's choice between Batman and Ra's. Realizing Batman will be turning in her father, Talia must choose which man truly has her heart. Turns out, it's the same man who left her for dead minutes earlier.

Some viewers complain about this choice, but characters have to be free to make the "wrong" decisions in fiction. Talia is defined as much by her loyalty to her father as she is her love for Batman. That's largely what makes her an interesting character.

In one of the series' greatest closing scenes, Talia apologizes to Batman, who's left without a horse in the Egyptian desert. Ubu exhibits some humanity, tossing Batman a water bottle, his only means of survival. There's no hint on how Batman will escape. No tease that a Part Two is coming tomorrow. No inner monologue of Batman bemoaning his fate.

He's Batman. He'll deal with this. The creators trust the audience to accept their choice. And thanks to the continuity-light nature of the show, there's no real expectation of a direct follow-up. X-Men or Spider-Man couldn't pull this stunt. Batman does it as if it's no big deal.

Arriving over a year later was Batman Adventures #29 from Kelley Puckett and Dev Madan. (A rare fill-in for artist Mike Parobeck. Madan is nearly indistinguishable from Parobeck, however, perhaps due to the consistent inking of the fantastic Rick Burchett.) "Demon Seed" opens with Batman's shocked reaction to Ra's disappearance.  Even Alfred has to drop his British reserve.

After a week passes, Alfred suggests that Ra's is truly dead this time, gently hinting that now Batman and Talia can pursue their relationship.

Batman instead pursues the case of a stolen "experimental field generator" because he's Batman and that's what he's going to do. Puckett even drops the name of a certain scientist years before the future Internet will embrace the man.

And, by the way, what an amazing shadowy Batman from Madan/Burchett. Who could ever guess this wasn't a Parobeck page?

Talia, meanwhile, is searching Macao, where her father was last seen. Her path crosses with a disguised Bruce Wayne, and the two find themselves on the run from Ra's rivals.

Yeung, the shadowy figure Talia believes is responsible for Ra's disappearance, is tracked to Asia. In Hong Kong, Talia receives the confirmation she'd been dreading.

Thirsty for vengeance, Talia confronts Yeung, who is working for the even more mysterious "Narayan." Yeung reveals why his employer desires the Tesla device, and Talia quickly performs a mental calculation. The device could turn all electromagnetic energy unstable, transforming Earth to a pre-industrial state, the fulfillment of Ra's dreams.

Batman pleads with Talia not to follow her father's insane path. She refuses to listen, pleasing the mystery man waiting in the shadows.

The story's already at page twenty-two, so from there it's quickie fight with henchmen, easy destruction of the device, and another forlorn goodbye between Talia and Batman. As Batman tells Talia, "There's nothing left to say."

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The Wrap-Up

Design-y

Kevin Altieri's episodes tend to have a signature look to them. Batman just seems broader and taller with Altieri direction. Not to mention, that famous chin somehow seems even longer. (And that hawk-like beak on his cowl is present here. Is it possible this actually came from Altieri and not the overseas studios?)

You'll also notice more outfit changes for Bruce in "Avatar" than normal. His bulky, unfashionable brown and yellow suit is replaced with several 1930s vintage outfits.

Continuity Notes

Batman believes Ra's dead at the beginning of "Avatar" because of "The Demon's Quest"'s finale. That episode also had Talia swear that she shares her father's vision, but doesn't believe in his methods. "Demon Seed" ends with Talia embracing those methods, even as Batman warns millions will die.

As for "Avatar"'s assertion that Ra's is willing to sacrifice Talia for his goals, his later DCAU appearances contradict this.  Talia's decision to side with Ra's at this episode's end could justify his change of mind.

Hey, I Know that Voice

Helen Slater provided the voice of Talia for most of her DCAU appearances. No offense to Gal Gadot, but many forget that Slater was the first actress to headline a superhero film back in 1984's Supergirl.

Accomplished British actor David Warner brought the right mix of class and menace to the role of Ra's al Ghul. As recently revealed, an early name kicked around for this part was Patrick Stewart, but the producers didn't think he'd take a voiceover job.

Battle of the Bad Bat-Breakups

The Batman/Talia dynamic requires the audience to root for the impossible.  Talia must betray Ra's, and Batman must drop the angst and open himself up to love.  Since both would severely disrupt the status quo, it's unlikely either will happen.  That means a story's execution has to nimbly distract from the obvious.  How do you keep the audience invested in a fruitless relationship?

"Avatar" is largely an excuse to pair them together, to move the show out of Gotham and adapt the trappings of old-school Hollywood.  (Or Indiana Jones.)  The plot device is largely irrelevant; the villain memorable only for her oddness.  But that final scene, the sting of Talia's betrayal, was one of Batman's finest endings.

"Demon Seed" follows a similar path, right down to Talia making that wrong final choice.  Puckett's conclusion likely does work best within the context of the stories.  In "Avatar," Talia sides with Ra's even after he left her to die with Batman.  "Demon Seed" has her mourning Ra's death, attempting to fulfill his dreams, and reaffirming her devotion when she learns he's actually alive.  Sure, she should be angry at him for the deception, but leaving her for dead would be the greater sin.

As a Talia story, "Demon Seed" is the winner.  She has more of an emotional arc, and her decisions have a more plausible justification.  "Avatar," however, is more entertaining overall.  Globetrotting works best with a full twenty minutes to explore the concept, understandably.  Plus, the visuals are amazing, and the ending!  It sums up the Batman/Talia dynamic perfectly, and leaves the audience with an unforgettable closing shot.  Uniquely Batman, in the best possible way.

Thanks to Gravity Falls Poland for the suggestion.  Any tips of your own? Just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.