The New Batman/Superman Adventures
| The New Batman/Superman Adventures | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Based on | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Shirley Walker |
| Composers | Michael McCuistion Lolita Ritmanis Shirley Walker Kristopher Carter Harvey Cohen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | The WB (Kids' WB) |
| Release | September 13, 1997 – February 12, 2000 |
| Related | |
The New Batman/Superman Adventures is a name given to a package series that combined Superman: The Animated Series with The New Batman Adventures produced by Warner Bros. Animation.[1] It aired from 1997–2000 on Kids' WB.[2] Although it was part of the DC Animated Universe, each half-hour episode in the hour-and-one-half block featured either a single repeat from the original Superman: The Animated Series run, the original Batman: The Animated Series run, or a brand new story featuring Batman from The New Batman Adventures. These new stories focus more on Batman's supporting cast and introduced new characters such as Tim Drake. The two animated universes were united in the Superman episode "World's Finest", which tells the story of Batman and Superman's first meeting. The new Batman episodes that began airing in the Fall 1997 season were later released as a DVD box set of Batman: The Animated Series as Volume 4. New Superman episodes that later aired in the Fall 1998 season and onward are now considered to be the third season of Superman: The Animated Series.
Production
[edit]In 1997, it was announced that the Batman series would have a revamp, replacing its art style with streamlined designs for more consistent animation, and to maintain similarity with the simultaneously running Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000). The WB wanted more episodes of Batman, so 24 new episodes were produced featuring a format that focused more on Batman's supporting cast. Also, because of the animation similarities, TNBA was aired simultaneously with the Superman series as part of an hour-long segment called The New Batman/Superman Adventures. The shows shared a brand new opening, but TNBA was later given the same opening and closing of BTAS when aired in syndication and released on home video.
Voice Cast
[edit]Main cast
[edit]Regular villains
[edit]| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mark Hamill | The Joker |
| Arleen Sorkin | Harley Quinn |
| Clancy Brown | Lex Luthor |
| Corey Burton | Brainiac |
Recurring characters
[edit]- Bob Hastings – Commissioner Gordon
- Loren Lester – Dick Grayson / Nightwing
- Nicholle Tom – Kara In-Ze / Kara Kent / Supergirl
- Joseph Bologna – SCU Lt. Daniel "Dan" Turpin
- George Dzundza – Perry White
- Mathew Valencia -Tim Drake / Robin
- Lauren Tom – Angela Chen
- David Kaufman – James "Jimmy" Olsen
Recurring villains
[edit]- Ron Perlman – Matt Hagen / Clayface & Jax-Ur
- Michael Ansara – Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze
- Paul Williams – Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin
- Diane Pershing – Dr. Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy
- John Glover – Edward Nygma / The Riddler
- Jeffrey Combs – Prof. Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow
- Richard Moll – Harvey Dent / Two-Face
- George Dzundza – Arnold Wesker / The Ventriloquist / Scarface
- Adrienne Barbeau – Selina Kyle / Catwoman
- Roddy McDowall – Dr. Jervis Tetch / The Mad Hatter
- Henry Silva – Bane
- Brooks Gardner – Waylon Jones / Killer Croc
- Mark Rolston – Garfield Lynns/Firefly
- Laraine Newman – Mary Dahl / Baby Doll
- Charity James – Roxanne Sutton/Roxy Rocket
- Sela Ward – Page Monroe/Calendar Girl
- Stephen Wolfe Smith – Klarion the Witch Boy
- Lori Petty – Leslie Willis / Livewire
- Michael Ironside – Darkseid
- Malcolm McDowell – John Corben / Metallo
- Michael Dorn – Kalibak
- Bruce Weitz – Bruno Mannheim
- Gilbert Gottfried – Mister Mxyzptlk
- Brad Garrett – Lobo
- William H. Macy – Director of the Paranormals Institute
- Bud Cort – Toyman
Episodes
[edit]Note: These are the crossover episodes from the two series.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Series | Original air date | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | "World's Finest" | Toshihiko Masuda | Alan Burnett, Paul Dini and Rich Fogel Story by : Alan Burnett and Paul Dini | Superman: The Animated Series | October 4, 1997 | |||||||||||
| 30 | Steve Gerber Story by : Alan Burnett and Paul Dini | |||||||||||||||
| 31 | Stan Berkowitz Story by : Alan Burnett and Paul Dini | |||||||||||||||
|
The Joker steals a large piece of Kryptonite and then comes to Metropolis, offering to kill Superman for Lex Luthor in exchange for one billion dollars. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne visits Metropolis to negotiate a business deal with Lex. Bruce also uses this opportunity to suit up as Batman and hunt him. Superman, wary of Batman's vigilantism, uses his X-ray vision to discover his identity, while Batman uses a tracking device on Superman's cape to discover his. The Joker kidnaps Lois Lane and uses her as bait in an attempt to kill Superman. He has her bound and gagged in a LexCorp lab and calls Superman telling his location. Superman wears his radiation-proof suit, but Joker uses acid from his boutonnière to melt through the suit. Batman manages to stop him and save the two, causing Lex Luthor to become irritated and give him one last chance to defeat the two. After the Joker fails to defeat Superman and Batman again, Lex Luthor, out of fear that he will be exposed, tries to withdraw from the deal by killing him. This fails and leads instead to the Joker trying to take revenge on Superman by destroying Metropolis in a giant wing, while he uses the other half of the Kryptonite to try to stop him. It is ultimately up to Superman and Batman to stop this madness. Note: The episode was later released on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD as The Batman/Superman Movie: World's Finest. | ||||||||||||||||
| 43 | "Knight Time" | Curt Geda | Robert Goodman | Superman: The Animated Series | October 10, 1998 | |||||||||||
|
Superman comes to Gotham to fill in for Batman, who has mysteriously disappeared. | ||||||||||||||||
| 20 | "Girls' Night Out" | Curt Geda | Hilary J. Bader | The New Batman Adventures | October 17, 1998 | |||||||||||
| 52 | "The Demon Reborn" | Dan Riba | Rich Fogel | Superman: The Animated Series | September 18, 1999 | |||||||||||
|
Ra's al Ghul needs Superman's strength to fully heal, so Batman steps in to stop him. | ||||||||||||||||
Feature film
[edit]- The Batman/Superman Movie: World's Finest (1997) – a direct-to-video compilation of three episodes that originally aired back-to-back-to-back as a single TV special during the second season of Superman: The Animated Series.[3]
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Daytime Television Program | The New Batman/Superman Adventures | Won |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 114–122. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 810–814. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ IMDB, The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest.
- ^ "26th Annual Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
External links
[edit]- DC Animated Universe
- Animated Batman television series
- 1990s American animated television series
- 2000s American animated television series
- Animated Superman television series
- Kids' WB original shows
- 1997 American television series debuts
- 2000 American television series endings
- American children's animated action television series
- American children's animated adventure television series
- American children's animated superhero television series
- Batman: The Animated Series
- Superman: The Animated Series
- Animated television shows based on DC Comics
- Annie Award–winning television shows