Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's forty-seventh installment, a look at classic animated series and their tie-in comic books. This week, we're going back to a legendary episode of Batman: The Animated Series, followed by its comic book sequel. A sequel actually set decades in the future. This was a connection so obscure I thought no one would suggest it.  Reader Gravity Falls Poland, however, did bring it up a few weeks ago.

Originally airing on May 23, 1998, "Over the Edge" is regarded as perhaps the greatest episode of the New Adventures era. Some viewers cite it as their favorite episode, period. It's certainly audacious enough to stay in anyone's memory. The visuals from director Yuichiro Yano and acclaimed Japanese studio TMS remain stunning today, and Paul Dini's brooding script is a classic, featuring a hook the producers flipped over.

What would happen if Gordon discovered Batman's true identity? And what would cause the Commissioner to order a violent raid of Wayne Manor? There's really only one answer, and it involves a secret Barbara has been keeping from her father for years.

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The beats of the story play out like a horrific final episode of the series. The GCPD invading Wayne Manor. The treasures of the Batcave destroyed under the boot of the invaders. Batman, amidst gunfire, rolling his giant penny trophy into the GCPD. Nightwing dropping in to aid Batman and Robin's escape. The trio hiding out in a shady spot, Batman revealing the story behind the episode's shock opening. (Batgirl murdered by the Scarecrow while working a routine case.) From there, Nightwing loses his solo battle with the police, days before Barbara's funeral. Gordon is informed his badge is in jeopardy. A desperate deal is made with Bane. Batman, also driven "over the edge," fruitlessly attempts lethal measures against his opponent. Bane finishes the job, then selects Gordon as his next target. A tragic end plays out for both Gordon and Batman.

Then... Batgirl wakes up. It was all an illusion created by Scarecrow's fear gas. It would've been so easy for fans to dismiss this episode as a cop-out, but this complaint is rarely made. This is likely because Dini's script is sharp enough to provide more than shock value. The episode isn't really about Batgirl's death or Batman's exposure -- it's about Barbara's anxieties and the guilt she harbors, keeping a secret from her father. Rather than serving as a cop-out, the twist is used to make a statement about Batgirl's conflicting motivations. She loves her father, but feels his world would come apart if her secret life were exposed.

The closing sequence of Barbara cooking Jim dinner, attempting to find the courage to tell him the truth, is the perfect conclusion for such a loud episode. The implication is that he already knows, and even though he can't officially condone her vigilante work, he reassures Barbara that he loves her. It's the ideal Jim/Barbara moment, and a great contrast to the emotionality of the previous scenes. The Gordon willing to sacrifice his career to pursue the person he blames for Barbara's death, even willing to use her funeral as a means of entrapping Batman, is the same man quietly embracing his daughter and relieving her worries.

The "imaginary story" has a long tradition in superhero stories. Most were gimmicks, designed to shock kids into parting ways with their dimes. They weren't without merit, they did the job of keeping children entertained, but few had much to offer beyond the shock value. "Over the Edge" has everything you want in an imaginary story. Bold revelations. Daring deaths. Longtime friends turning on one another. A potential end to the entire mythos. Very likely, it could've coasted on the central gimmick. Luckily for the viewer, the creators were too smart to do this.

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"Over the Edge" was apparently inspired by The Simpsons episode "22 Short Films About Springfield," which featured vignettes starring various characters throughout the town. While this wouldn't seem to be an obvious source of inspiration, it does make sense in retrospect. In addition to the high drama surrounding Gordon and Batman, the plot goes out of its way to look in on Gotham, exploring how the city's responding to the revelation. It adds not only humanity but humor to the episode, as Harley Quinn and a few other villains appear on television, demanding demented rich kid Bruce Wayne financially compensate them for pain and suffering.

Not wallowing in grimness, but allowing moments of humor and a conclusion that reaffirms the humanity of the heroes -- this is why "Over the Edge" remains one of the series' best episodes. There's a fantastic hook, beautifully fluid animation, and a creative justification for every choice made. How on earth could anyone hope to follow this up?

Writer Hilary Barta and artist Min Ku attempted in the November 2000 issue of the Batman Beyond tie-in comic.

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"Commissioner of Fear" is set anywhere from forty to fifty years after the events of the original story (depending on which reference you believe for the Beyond series). Barbara is now the commissioner of Gotham, pursuing a lowlife who has information on the kidnapping of a young girl.

Batman assists in the apprehension, but true to her portrayal in the animated series, Barbara rejects the help. Interrogating the criminal atop a roof, she suffers a flashback to the earlier fantasy.

Barbara's emotions swing wildly. She's terrified of the drop one second, willing to kill the punk to get the info she needs the next. She understands she must find the mobster Sweeny Thompson, but knows she's undergoing a periodic relapse of the fear toxin's effects. She turns to Batman for help, explaining that his predecessor Bruce Wayne devised a treatment years earlier.

Batman agrees to help, respecting Barbara's privacy enough to even keep Bruce Wayne in the dark. From there, he follows Barbara throughout Gotham, offering her support through the panic attacks, and ultimately sparing her life when the mobster tosses her from a high-story construction project. The child is saved, and Barbara reaffirms to Terry (as Bruce secretly eavesdrops) that he is truly the Batman now.

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It's a solid idea for a sequel, and the summary paragraphs above make this sound like it had great potential as an actual Beyond episode. Barbara was criminally underused on that series, the concept of her carrying a grudge and earnestly looking to put Batman in jail simply lost along the way. Having Batman win her over while working a case, and closing an episode with the declaration that Terry is the true Batman now would seem to be a perfect season finale.

"Commissioner of Fear," however, has serious problems. Like many issues of the series, the execution feels rushed. There's an effective use of a montage sequence, but many other scenes really do require a slower pace. And Barbara's mental state is rarely convincing, often due to some clumsy transitions. What the heck is happening between these last two panels?

Also, as a Barbara story, allowing Batman to swoop in at the end and rescue her seems debatable. Since it's a story about Barbara conquering her fear, shouldn't the climax grant her a personal victory? Batman flying in to save her might be fine in an average story. Here, it feels as if Barbara is accomplishing almost nothing, yet it's her spotlight tale.

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The Wrap-Up

Design-y

Given how many characters received drastic overhauls, reaction against the redesigns of this era are understandable. But surely most can acknowledge that Gotham's SWAT officers have received a massive upgrade since their debut in the pilot?

Also, "Over the Edge" is notable for some of the best lighting in the series' run. TMS really outdoes itself in the color composition here.

Continuity Notes

Mayor Hamilton Hill and the Riddler make very rare appearances during the New Adventures era. But, given that this is a dream, I guess they didn't appear at all.

I Love the '90s

A parody of Johnnie Cochran, one of O.J. Simpson's defense attorneys (and frequent target of parody in these days), appears with Harley Quinn and the rest of Batman's "victims." This joke character will also appear in the episode "Joker's Millions".

Approved By Broadcast Standards & Practices

One of the most gruesome shots of Batman is the image of Batgirl's body falling off a building and landing atop her father's squad car. Originally, the scene was going to portray the crash as being head-on, but censors ordered it animated from a different angle. Bruce Timm was able to work in a more horrific view of the action -- her father's from inside the car. Amazingly, the network found this less disturbing than the original plan. (Timm has indicated he was stunned they didn't realize how much worse the scene would play this way.)

Battle of the Barbaras

What makes "Over the Edge" so great is its ability to use shock value as a character statement. The nightmare isn't only the worst fate imaginable for Batman fans -- it's the private fear lurking in Barbara's subconscious. Our "gimmick" story is the manifestation of her conflicted loyalties between her father and Batman. It's her personal morality tale, dramatizing her guilt over becoming a vigilante. Barbara, studying to become a cop, and the Commissioner's daughter, living out a fantasy life some part of her is rejecting. That fear is projected into this fantasy, as she imagines herself responsible for the death of two men she loves.

Did the story truly need a sequel? No, but let's not blame the Beyond comic for trying. Since "Over the Edge" says so much about Barbara's psychology, it's a legitimate place to begin an exploration of her character. And while the story has a strong concept, the execution just whimpers out. Perhaps it would've worked better as an actual episode. With not only a musical score but truly talented voice acting selling the story, there's a better chance Barbara's redemption tale could've competed with its inspiration.

That’s all for now. If you have any episodes of an animated series you’d like to see paired with its tie-in comic, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.