Batman: The Animated Series

This episode was a very good introduction to Batman: the animated series! The whole plot is based around one of Batman's oldest villians, Man-Bat. They did a very good design of the character. The voices and sound effects were very good. I enjoyed the characters and the slight comedy. I w o u l d d e f i n e t l y r e c r o m e n d t h i s episode. Ten out of ten. ((I cannot write 100 words about this, so I am typing this to inform you. So yeah... yepp.))

First I'd like to note that this website does not have the episodes numbered correctly...but then again I might be the only person who noticed or cares because I am a Batman fanatic. This episode was the show's very first...although I do remember the episode The Cat and the Claw Part One being run as a sneak peak...but as far as official studio recors go, this is the pilot. The episode was, when I first saw it at age 9, the most incredible thing I had ever seen on TV. It is not my all-time favorite from this series but I still love it just because of the way it captivated and awed me at that age. In this episode we meet Dr. Kurt Langstrom, who makes a reappearance in the episode Terror in the Sky, and his wife Francine. While experimenting with bat DNA, Langstrom turns himself into the hideous Man Bat. Batman must stop him before he kills somebody and also help him find a cure. I love the sytle of this series; the darkness, the brooding, the emotion. Kevin Conroy is the greatest Batman ever in my mind. His voice was absolutely perfect for this show. That voice talents used on this show were so incredible because they weren't just the usual voice-over guys...they were all actual film and stage actors. I could go on and on about how great this episode is but I wont't.

in this ep of batman the animated seires were there is bizzar bat creature going around comitting crimes and the police thinks its batman but bruce must clear his name he lears that the evidence he found was of a human and thing his why investigating he goes to lab that does reaserch on bats and he learns that one of the guys wanted to make himself a bat like a real bat. thing was batman must save him before its too late. and batman gives him a injection that turns him back into a human. this was a good ep

I figured this episode to be very predictable but it turned out not to be as "transparent" as it seems at 1st glance. The story itself was handled extremely well, as we got to see how others relate to Batman in general and this was one of the 1st instances we see Bats is more than stern and batarangs. He's actually quite the thinker as well. There's a little of character developement going on here with Bullock's big mouth and over-eagerness to stamp out the bad and we even get a little foreshadowing with an appearance from Harvey Dent (even flipping his, err Two-Faces trademark coin). FOr what it's worth, that was a treat in and of itself.

The voices were on point as well and the animation was well done as normal. If there was anything holding this episode back, it would have been how Dr. March was covering up for Kirk. I thought he didnt like the guy but here he was covering for him. Oh well, that wasn't enough to ruin an otherwise awesome episode in an always awesome series

This episode, to me, is a masterpiece. It is built on the common framework of the protagonist getting confused with the antagonist until a final resolve, but it is filled with excellent music, cinematography, and animation, all of which build to an episode that is a thrill to watch and unlike just about anything ever seen in the cartoon world.



What is immediately striking to me is the Fleischer-like design in the opening scenes. The designs of the zeppelin and of the city, the tinted painting, all amount to a very retro look that date back to what was accomplished in the Fleischer shorts of the early forties. This is achieved here better than in any episode to follow. The artistic direction continues along these lines in the cinematic angles of Mayor Hill's office and the striking use of shadow employed in just about every scene.



However, the artistic highlight of this episode to me is the scene during which Man-Bat, Batman grappled to his leg, flies alongside the zeppelin in a sequence so well-animated that it's no wonder it was never once matched during the remainder of the series. Not only is the entire blimp animated so that the viewer is immersed in the chase as the camera stays fixed on the Man-Bat, but the angle itself changes, causing animation turnarounds of both the blimp and the Man-Bat. The speed of the final wisp past the top and the rapid movement of Batman's cape provide the final touches.



The music in this episode suits the visual atmosphere perfectly. I'm not so well versed in this area that I could comment on the use of specific instruments and their respective impact on the score, but I can recognize the overall mood that the music creates, and that is one of classic orchestral tension. All throughout the episode the music is an ominous presence the builds up until the climax, when it finally explodes and complements the action and the rush at the final chase scene.



Artistic and musical direction aside, the episode is still a triumph of style over substance, and while the police department's POV is interesting, the actual story is a bit straightforward. This is not a flaw, as it is near impossible for a pilot episode to create a compelling story from barely established characters, but it is not to be viewed with the intent of entering a complex story. It should be viewed, however, as a fascinating introduction to a series that introduced a level of maturity and intelligence to the world of children's animation that had not been seen before.

This episode is great. Definately one of my favorites. I like how crazy the man-bat looks. The whole tranformation sequence is cool. This episode is unique because you dont really get to see Man-Bat all that often. This episode throws a hint of mystery your way as well. Who is the Man-Bat? As the episode progresses you meet a few individuals who could be the guilty suspect. Harvey Dent ( Two Face ) makes his first appearance here and he can be seen flipping a coin which is a trademark of Two Face. Basically, great episode which is worth a good watch.

As the very first episode of the great 'Batman: the Animated Series', this episode shows a huge amount of promise by giving respectable redesigns of famous Batman characters like Bruce Wayne/Batman, Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, and many others. Batman is shown to have two distinct personalities, the bright, cheerful, friendly one in Bruce Wayne, and the dark, gloomy, traumatized one in Batman, and this is done very effectively, and, bizarre as this is, it makes both Batman and Bruce Wayne very believable characters. Alfred Pennyworth is shown to be the kindly, humorous and loyal butler to Batman, as he should be portrayed, and although he doesn't have a very big appearance, he certainly makes a significant one. Gotham's Finest are done well too, in Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock and Harvey Dent. Commissioner Gordon is the hard-working chief of police who will go to any means to protect the city and the law, Harvey Bullock as the bad-tempered, gruff, arrogant cop who hates Batman and always makes clumsy mistakes. As for Harvey Dent(who will later become Two-Face)he has a very minor role, but it is very noticable, since he is flipping the coin, as this prologues the Two-Face story. As for the villain, this is shown in the Man-Bat, and this is a very good choice to start off as the villain, since he fits into the dark, gloomy atmosphere, which the Joker wouldn't do well in, since his episodes are all sort of sickly comedic. As it is not clear who the real villain is at first, the Man-Bat makes it a good mystery, which makes it truly show that Batman is the World's Greatest Detective, and his look is horrific and batlike enough to make him an admirable new version of the Man-Bat character. All the illustrations, direction and music are stunning, making this a very dark episode, surprising for a cartoon, and the animation is very well done. With all this gloss, it is difficult to truly take the story into account, but it is a very good one, and has elements of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and is compelling enough to watch it over and over. Overall, a terrific start to a fantastic series. 5/5.

While Fox made the decision to air the episodes in a dubious order, I shall review tham as I watch them in the order they were produced, starting with the pilot, "On Leather Wings",



While many of my fellow reviewers here seem to find this to be a classic episode and one worthy of high praise, the animation is not quite up to par with what is to come, nor are the voice actors quite there yet. Of course this can be expected from such an early endeavor, as the machine that would eventually churn out one of the best animated Super-Hero series of all time was just beginning. That said, the story is fine, and gives us a nice interpretation of a classic Bat Villain in Man Bat. Sadly it is little more than an origin wrapped ever so neatly in a mystery, but it does it's job fine in introducing the various characters we would eventually come to know and love in Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and of course Batman himself, and Bruce Wayne.



To this day whenever I read a Batman comic it is Kevin Conroy I hear in my head. To me he is the epitome of the voice of Batman, and this comes from a 34 year old man who has been reading comics since he was 8 years old, so high praise indeed. This is also the epitome of what Batman as a whole should be, something neither the movies nor the comics got right for a very long time.



The rating might seem a bit low, but I can assure you I adore this series and I absolutely love what is to come. It is rare that any series comes out of the gate swinging and knocking a homerun out of the park, and this is no different, but it is a fine show from an excellent series.

This episode is probably the best known episode of the Batman animated series, as well as a great episode with a great story-line.

A Man-Bat arrives in Gotham City and starts commiting a series of crimes. The Gotham Police believes Batman, the city's protector is responsable.

Batman must clear his name by finding out who the Man-Bat really is and stop him before it's too late.



This episode has a unique look, similar to those "noir" detective movies, with a little comedy and a lot of action scenes thrown in.

Also, the first couple of minutes of this episode will be seen again later, at the end of the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue".

A great beginning to the Batman series , they were lucky they chose this as the first episode because it is an outstanding example of how good the show is , it was of outstanding quality in plot, writing and animation . It has a good plot of Manbat wreaking havok throughout the city and Batman getting blamed, a dark tone and beautiful animation by Spectrum. It is the perfect episode to introduce you to this show, if you don't know a thing about Batman but are interested in watching the show, this is the episode to watch.

This one of the best epsiodes created for the series, not only was it the pilot but it also feature two individuals that appear to be Bats. This episode was a perfect begining for the series. It was also similar to the begining to the classic Batman movie in 1989 where the newspaper has a drawing of batman that looks like the Man-bat.

On Leather Wings is a promising beginning for those who like the darker tales of Batman. The coloring used in the animation is very dark, and Gotham City is shown mostly in shadow. This is also a very creepy episode, showcasing one of Batman's more freakish foes: a man who has been turned into a giant bat. At the onset of the episode, Batman is being framed for a string of pharmacy burglaries, and the only witness claims that he was attacked by a giant bat. Batman must use his quick-witted detective skills to get to the bottom of this mystery before Detective Bullock's reckless strike team destroys the city trying to collar him. For only a half-hour show, this episode packs in a lot of action and some great dialogue between Batman and his servant, Alfred, and also introduces several key characters to this series, such as Commissioner James Gordan, Mayor Hill, and Harvey Dent, the D.A. who will later become Two-Face. There was some terrific voice-acting at work here, especially for Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman. He really did the gravelly voice for the Dark Knight really well, and there's one scene where he has to make a quick transition from Bruce Wayne's light voice to Batman's rasp. I love it when they do that!

On Leather Wings, is the first episode produced by the creators, this episode really shows the look and feel that will be present in all future episode. Bruce Timm and Eric Rodomski really set the standard for animated television shows with Batman: The Animated Series. Using new techniques like drawing the characters, and backgrounds on black paper, the design was called “Dark- Deco”, and appropriately so. Gotham City is dark, really dark as it should be, it gives you a feeling of paranoia, the suspicion that there is someone hiding in the shadows ready to attack you when you’re not looking.



The Batman in this show, IS the true Batman, at least for me. He is portrayed here as The Vigilante, The Protector of Gotham. When word is out that a bat-like beast is on the loose stealing chemicals from pharmaceutical companies, Batman goes to investigate, and soon finds out that a scientist that studies bats has taken a chemical that turns him into a Man-Bat. The beast escapes and Batman grabs on to it as we take a breath-taking journey thru Gotham, flying over this large city, the animation in this scene is absolutely amazing. Batman eventually stops Man-Bat, he’s bleeding, the only time in the entire series were Batman bleeds. Batman stays with Man-Bat until the chemical wares off, everything is fine for now.



We are introduced to Jim Gordon, and Detective Bullock, who more than willing to believe that Batman causes more problems, than he is solving them. Bullock is great, because he looks lie a dirty cop, but he is a very honest and dedicated one. Gordon is always there prepared to defend Batman, when his motives are questioned.



What I love about this series is that Batman is portrayed as The Vigilante, The Detective, The Scientist, and The Athlete, the previous films didn’t portray him like this, and that’s a mistake in my opinion. The music is absolutely fantastic, the character voices are great, these are real actors, with amazing talent. Kevin Conroy’s voice is amazing as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. This episode features Clive Revill as the voice of Alfred, he is OK, but Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., brings more warmth to the character. The rest of the cast are great, talented people, the producers are lucky to heve this incredible ensemble group.



Bits that I liked:



-Flying thru the city, amazing animation there.

-Batman slamming on the window of the police blimp.

-Man-Bat’s transformation, very creepy.

-Small cameo by Harvey Dent (Two-Face)

-Rene Auberjonois (Dr. March) guest stars, I’m a huge Star Trek fan.

When I first saw this Episode, I was so blown away by it. It was a new kind of Batman. In This Episode we see a darker verison of Batman, It has alot of drama, Action, Adventure, and a bit of senes of Humor. I really enjoy watching this episode, It's worth watching. And it's the only episode that Batman ever bleed.