Batman Beyond

Intel · Meat Joined: 13 Feb 2009 Posts: 8 Location: FL

Batman Beyond
Review By: Intel
Year: Jan 10, 1999 - Dec 18, 2001.
Produced By: WB Television Network and DC Comics
Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Very High
Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: High
Rating: 9 out of 10

list of some cyberpunk themes:
- distopic future
- megacorporations
- man-machine interface
- AI
- genetic engineering
- hackers
- etc

Story:

20 years after the last batman episode, batman now has an advanced exoskeleton-type suit, but is suffering from age. while fighting a group of kidnappers, he has a heart attack and is forced to use a gun to fend of the criminals. he then give up his batman identity and the story jumps ahead 20 more years to year 2039.
now we shift over to Terry McGinnis, an athletic 16-year-old high school student and ex-troublemaker with a sense of justice. In the pilot episode, Terry saves a fellow passenger on a commuter rail from a member of the Jokerz gang, and then takes on an entire gang of Jokerz to defend his girlfriend, resulting in a high-speed motorcycle chase. the chase ends on the grounds of Wayne Manor, where Terry runs into the elderly Bruce Wayne. Bruce and Terry fend off the Jokerz together, but the fight causes Wayne's heart condition to act up. Terry helps Bruce back to the manor and, while staying there, he discovers the entrance to the Batcave. Chased out by Bruce, Terry comes home to discover that his father had been murdered by the vengeful Jokerz, and later returns to "borrow" the Batsuit to avenge the death of his father. As crime and corruption are beginning once again to rear their ugly heads in Gotham, Bruce ultimately allows Terry to assume the mantle of Batman.

Overview:
We now find gotham to be a huge, sprawling metropolis of skyscrapers, metro-rails, and hover-cars. the wealthy live in the penthouses and crime a poor are left to the ancient alleyways. criminals are now high-tech assasins, genetically-engineered low lifes, CEO's of megacorporations, and even a few rampant AI.

Visuals:
the show is full of grungy buildings, neon signs, and power cables. It also has an interesting mix of japanese and english written on many of the signs. the hover cars and metro rails add a nice touch to the scenes. the show usually takes place at night, adding to the mood, and shows lots of scenes of batman soaring through the skyline with his new flight capabilities.

Conclusion:
It is by far one of the darkest shows to ever run on a daytime children's cartoon channel, and had surprisingly complex themes for its young viewers. If you've never heard of it, just watch the opening video here to see what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlobFExM-UM

Rushnerd · Meat Joined: 22 Apr 2009 Posts: 17 Location: Oregon

Thank you very much for giving this show some recognition. It defiantly had more depth to it the other batman cartoons or any other show on the WB for that matter. A lot of the concepts they dealt with were surprisingly dark or adult, thus warranting this show viewable for a much larger audience.
I remember one of the episodes one of the criminal leaders gets one of his goons to do something by giving him a "pleasure enhancer", a prod that you wave over your frontal lobe to produce endorphins . Defiantly one innovative American series.

SSJKamui · Keyboard Samurai Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 853

I didn't see the series yet, but the review is written very good. Thumbs Up

the pictures I saw from this series looked very interesting. Some cityscapes looked extremely artificial/unrealistic but very interesting, too.

On Wikipedia, I read that the series is influenced by Akira. For example both products feature motorbike gangs dressing as clowns. (the Jokerz in Batman Beyond and the Clowns in Akira.)

Intel · Meat Joined: 13 Feb 2009 Posts: 8 Location: FL

Just so everyone knows, they've begun to re-air the show on Kids-WB and if you have Comcast Digital Cable you can see it on ON DEMAND [go to kids then kids WB and then Batman Beyond] . I think some episodes are also available on Youtube.

Intel · Meat Joined: 13 Feb 2009 Posts: 8 Location: FL

Hammerjack

This was a great show. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There is one episode that I think is especially cyberpunk: Lost Soul. A CEO uploads his consciousness into a computer and continues living and running his company long after his body dies. His plan is to trick his grandson into jacking in so he can take over his grandson's body. After seeing the batsuit though he decides to take that over instead. Or at least, that's how I remember it. Smile

Also, Sentries of the Last Cosmos is a fun episode, though more pulp scifi than cyberpunk. A popular video game creator enlists his diehard fans to carry out some revenge.

the show had a spin-off, the Zeta Project, which was based on the episode of Batman Beyond, Zeta. Good episode, terrible terrible spin-off. It was very bright and kiddy.

Intel · Meat Joined: 13 Feb 2009 Posts: 8 Location: FL

[quote="Hammerjack"]This was a great show. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There is one episode that I think is especially cyberpunk: Lost Soul. A CEO uploads his consciousness into a computer and continues living and running his company long after his body dies. His plan is to trick his grandson into jacking in so he can take over his grandson's body. After seeing the batsuit though he decides to take that over instead. Or at least, that's how I remember it. :)quote]

I remember that episode, but the order is reversed. first he gets the batsuit, then he tries to get his grandson's body. I really liked that episode for the theme of batman being "more than just a suit" because Terri must fight the batsuit with his own body and human engenuity.

SSJKamui · Keyboard Samurai Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 853

XXVinnie

Agreed

*virtual High Five*
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Icarus · Bit-Junkie Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 160 Location: ???

I LOVED this cartoon. I remember the original one from the early 90s too. I feel blessed to have been born at such a time so that I could catch both of them, and still be young enough to find it fascinating.

It may sound weird, but I wouldn't be the same person if I didn't catch all those rad saturday morning cartoons...
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Burnt_Lombard · Awakened Mind Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 1211

I think I was in Middle School when this show came on. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I bet it still holds up, the Batman animated series and Justice League made around the same time are quite good.

Kodyax

This was a very good show that did not get the recognition it rightly deserved. At some point I need to avail myself of the DVDs of the series as the concept was sound. I have my own ideas for re-envisioning it but this is not the place for that. But the series was VERY much a cyberpunk version of the classic vigilante.
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Hildr · Bit-Junkie Joined: 08 Feb 2011 Posts: 175 Location: Canada

the dystopian aspect was very enjoyable, and for those interested, the popular animated series "Justice League Unlimited" had a brief crossover with the Batman Beyond universe.

Episode 13 "the Once and Future Thing, Part 2: Time, Warped"

Episode 26 "Epilogue"
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Kodyax

I don't remember those episodes. If I ever get the DVDs of the series I'll pay attention to those in particular.
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Modern science has made many wonders and many monsters. I wonder though, where would place a humanoid, humanized amphicyon (wolf-bear) like me?

El Phantasmo · Last edited by El Phantasmo on Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:00 am; edited 1 time in total

Okay tonehog, say what you will about me harassing Timothy here but Gunhed was also right. This guys keeps bumping threads for big jugs of nothing.
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