The Batman: The Animated Series Episode Bruce Time Won't Watch

Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's sixty-first installment, a look at animated heroes of the past. This week we have another suggestion from Gravity Falls Poland. Honestly, I was planning on pairing these comics/cartoon stories with similar concepts, thinking no one would ever think to suggest them. Gravity Falls Poland proved me wrong again! If you have any to give, all recommendations for future entries are welcome in the comments.

So, debuting on September 30, 1992 is one of the most infamous DC Animated Universe episodes. "I've Got Batman in My Basement" is the bland, kid-friendly Batman producer Bruce Timm fought against during the show's early development. Writers Sam Graham & Chris Hubbell only have this episode as their Batman credit. Which, well, isn't surprising.

Laren Bright is credited as the story editor for the episode, a traditional animation writer who's open about appreciating "pro-social" values in kids' TV. The values-driven approach clashed against Timm's vision of a more serious Batman. Writer Randy Rogel spoke about this last year in Back Issue magazine:

Laren (Bright) and Sean (Derek) came on, [and] they were thinking of it more like it was a kiddies’ show. Brightly colored, and I don’t think Bruce and Eric (Radomski) were receptive to that. They said, “No, no, that’s not the show we’re thinking of."

Now, why does this episode stand out so badly? Alan Burnett is the producer credited with steering the show towards serious drama, not the kids stuff. "Basement" director Frank Paur once told fanzine Animato!, "I think that if we hadn't gotten Alan Burnett to come over, we would have had a lot more shows like this one."

Yet, a number of these mediocre (or just terrible) scripts were already in the drawer. And scripts were needed. Badly. That means scripts no one was that happy with had to go into production.

So, "Basement" marks Penguin's Animated Series debut. And it's not a promising indication of how he'll be treated on this series. (Other episodes treat him quite well. He never becomes a major figure on the show, however.) Essentially, he's no different here than you might expect on the old Filmation Batman cartoon. Yeah, he has that Tim Burton-inspired look, but his portrayal is as dull and generic as could be imagined. His thugs have stolen the Vonalster Fabergé Egg -- Get it? Because he's a penguin and he loves eggs -- and two pint-sized detectives have spotted the hand-off.

Yes, who could forget Sherman Grant and his best friend Roberta? They're the quintessential "Fox Kids Club" kids from the pre-Batman era. Before Fox Kids forged an identity with smart material that also appealed to adults, it was indistinguishable from any other network programming. And Sherman and Roberta are the two precocious kid heroes you'll find in those shows. They have almost no personality, face no real danger, and outside of two harmless neighborhood bullies, lead charmed lives.

Penguin locates the kids, not long before Batman enters. After a gas pellet seriously wounds Batman, Sherman and Roberta sneak him into Sherman's basement. From there, it's a series of "cute" scenes that are nearly intolerable. Wacky fun with the Batmobile! Home Alone-style pranks against the villains! The neighborhood bullies teaming up with the squeaky-clean kids! Aww...

Naturally, the story ends with Batman recovering in time to stop the Penguin. The only real consequence comes in Sherman's mom discovering the mess inside her home. And the bullies are now Sherman's "employees" in a junior detective agency. Now, a story about a villain placing two kids in true danger, and Batman too sick to save the terrified children, is a solid idea. But this is utterly toothless. Here's Bruce Timm's comments to Animato!'s Summer 1993 issue:

I can't even watch that show. It's the epitome of what we don't want to do with Batman. Strangely enough kids like it. The script came in and it was terrible. Normally, I tell the director to do what he can to make it interesting, and nobody could figure out a way to make it interesting. The storyboard artists didn't care, and it shows.

It's amusing to have Timm being so blunt about this episode as early as 1993. "Basement" was still in rotation at the time!

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='How%20The%20Comics%20Told%20This%20Batman%20Story%20Better%20Than%20the%20Animated%20Series']

Now, is there a way to have Batman team up with a perky twelve-year-old fan and not have the story come across as naked pandering? Writer Ty Templeton and penciler Rick Burchett actually pulled it off. Gotham Adventures #3 (August 1998) brings us "Just Another Day," the story of young Batman fanatic Justin Thomas. He obsessively watches the Batman animated series (or maybe it's live-action in this world?), plays the Batman videogame, and collects the action figures.

Speaking of which, Templeton (who's also a great artist) deserves credit for inventing the "action figure variant" cover. Prove me wrong, comments section!

The story opens with an episode of the "in-universe" Batman TV show. Templeton was always great about using the animated continuity to his favor. Here, he brings us a rare appearance of the animated villain, the Red Claw.

Justin is sent to bed without seeing the end of the episode, a traumatic experience for kids in the pre-streaming era. From there, he goes about his day, dreaming about Batman. He fantasizes about Batman and Robin taking out the school bullies. He's too distracted by his action figures to join the other kids in a game of baseball. He's irritating his mother while waiting in the bank line, talking about Batman...it's a pretty accurate description of a lonely kid who's clung to the "adolescent male power fantasy" of superheroes.

You can't just visit a bank in a superhero comic and not expect some trouble, though. This bank just so happens to be the subject of the Scarecrow's latest robbery attempt. Batman and Robin arrive to save the day...only to learn Scarecrow's quite prepared. This time, he's using his fear talents to make everyone, even Batman, terrified of...Batman.

But what if Batman weren't dressed as Batman? Justin is fast enough on his feet to do something about this. His devotion to the Dark Knight makes him immune from the Scarecrow's vibrations. (But what does it say about Robin that Justin apparently loves Batman that much more?) He approaches Batman and removes from his backpack the perfect identity for Batman to use.

Yes, Batman's own childhood hero, the Gray Ghost! Another Templeton callback to the cartoon. One of the show's greatest episodes, and a touching tribute to a child's devotion to his heroes in its own right. From there, Justin receives his own write-up in the newspaper, the validation of his peers, and a silent vigil from Batman over his home that evening. Seriously, beat by beat, that's the same ending of "Basement."

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='Trivia%2C%20Easter%20Eggs%20%26%20Behind%20the%20Scenes%20Info']

The Wrap-Up

Design-y

For all the grief "Basement" gets, it does feature some genuinely impressive Gotham skyline paintings.

Continuity Notes

Kid Bat-freak Justin Thomas previously appeared in one of Templeton's earliest Adventures stories, Batman Adventures #33. Bruce Wayne was dating his mother in that story. (Which also managed to work in another Gray Ghost cameo, in the form of a movie Bruce is taking the family out to see. Helps to explain why Justin keeps an adult-sized Gray Ghost costume in his backpack.)

"Huh?" Moment

We're to believe Sherman is a child genius, who can easily identify a South American vulture by its wingspan...yet can't deduce what Batman means by "capsule...visor." It means there's a capsule in the visor of the car you just rescued your drugged hero from, dummy.

Hey, I Know that Voice

Sherman's mother is voiced by Lindsay Crouse, an accomplished actress who played Professor Maggie Walsh on Buffy. She was also married to acclaimed playwright David Mamet. Sherman is voiced by '80s and '90s child actor Matthew Brooks. He appeared in various sitcoms and films like Beethoven.

Battle of the Precocious Bat-Fans

Okay, we're not faced with a Solomon-like decision here. Even the title card of "Basement" feels lazy. Those title cards are uniformly amazing...until you get to this one. The episode is a reminder of what the series could've been, and how lucky we are that saner voices prevailed. It's in the running for worst DCAU episode ever. Amazingly, some people have given shows like "Superman's Pal" that title. Looking back on that episode, I found it quite enjoyable. This, simply, does not hold up.

"Just Another Day" shows how to execute the idea properly. It's honest about what it's like to be a kid who doesn't fit in, who's latched on to a hero fantasy. And while it's not difficult to guess many of the beats, it succeeds in making you root for the kid. Any of the predictable sappiness is circumvented by genuinely clever writing. It's not hard to guess Templeton loved Batman just as much Justin did growing up. It's a story coming from a real place, not a collection of kids' TV writing clichés. Also, the creators use the continuity of the world perfectly. If you're a fan of The Animated Series, how could you resist that cover?

That’s all for now. Special thanks to The World's Finest for archiving the magazine quotes. If you have any suggestions for the future, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.