Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

And so we have come to the very first of what would become many animated features and the only one to be released theatrically. This truly is a masterful film which captures the tragedy of Bruce Wayne. It's not just that he lost his parent at such a tender age, becoming Batman and forgetting his own personal happiness was a destiny he was never able to escape.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Lost Episode

Although its been dubbed by fans as "The Lost Episode" the compilation of animated cut scenes from 1995's The Adventures of Batman and Robin Sega CD game lack a complete plot - as significant story points were covered in the gameplay sections. Still, the 16 minutes of animated segments do contain some fun and in fact violent action scenes that are something any fan of BTAS would want to check out. Poison Ivy, Clayface, Riddler, Harley and of course the Joker are all along for the ride making this a somewhat more gratifying series conclusion than the official one.

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Episode Count: 0613
Series Count: (79 of 81)

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Make 'Em Laugh

I wasn't really feeling this episode about Joker's bid for the "King of Comedy" in Gotham City. Seems like he wouldn't concern himself with something so petty. But introducing Hatter tech did give it a modest boost in enjoyability.  

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Trial

Easily the best part of this episode  was seeing so many villains together and interacting, but lets be honest, the premise of a trial for Batman in Arkham was sort of weak. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman Villain Tiptoes

No, these aren't shows, but these gifs of Bat-foes tip toeing are mighty mesmerizing.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Arkham Redemption

This Robot Chicken parody of The Shawshank Redemption is actually pretty funny and has its own surprising twist ending. Poor Batman. "Buffalo wings, do your thing."

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Bat-Monkey

Its no secret that I love monkeys and Batman, so the combination is pure gold. I loved joker-monkey, the monkey signal, the Banana-mobile, and pretty much everything else about this Robot Chicken short... except for maybe the poo eating.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Man Who Killed Batman

 Spoiler alert. Batman didn't really die. Nevertheless this episode had a clever plot in which the spineless Sid "the Squid," a low level goon nearly, but completely by accident offed the Batman. Instantly, Sid became a target for real goons and supervillains alike trying to become king of the mountain by offing him.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Laughing Fish

 Although I give the slight edge to Joker's Favor, The Laughing Fish is a strong contender for the best Joker episode as well as a one of the series best overall episodes. Like Joker's Favor, this outing demonstrates the Joker's menace by pitting him against normal everyday, semi-helpless individuals who are rendered powerless to do anything but be terrified. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Joker's Wild

 

The Joker does not like cashing in on his intellectual property as demonstrated by his vendetta against the Joker's Wild Casino. And while the initial plot of Joker revenge is not that enticing, there is an interesting twist which elevates this one a notch.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Christmas with the Joker

Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg... It took nearly half of the series run before the second episode to enter production finally got to air. Was it worth the wait? Eh, not really, but it still tends to find its way into the family Christmas rotation.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Almost Got 'Em

This is one of those "classics" that really does deserve its good reputation. The unconventional device of vignettes told by villains over a poker game was a great hook with a great Croc-centric twist. Overall, the Joker tale with Catwoman was the best and I enjoyed her "almost got 'im" line quite a bit.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - DC's World's Funnest: #9

I'm almost at a loss for words. A new low for DC Nation? So glad there is only 1 more of these stinkers to go.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Dreams in Darkness

Aha, and here it is. While the Scarecrow's previous appearances had been good, he hadn't quite hit it out of the park yet. Problem solved. Despite his limited screen time, this was the pinnacle for the animated series' Scarecrow. From the very beginning twist of Batman being committed to Arkham, this was a fun, mind-bending ride as we got to watch Batman lose the ability to separate reality from fantasy. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne

 

Ah Hugo. Hugo Strange was one of the Detectives very first villains dating back to his 1940 debut, but it was over 50 years before his first appearance on screen. Better late than never, but its too bad that after such a wait, this is how Hugo made his debut - looking like a dolt. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Dark Knight Court

Not only did Dark Knight Court cleverly play on the title of one of Batman's best known nicknames, but the episode dished out homages to a number of superheroes who eventually formed the elderly team of Dependables. I will admit, the mash up of Marvel and DC characters onto a single team does make the purist in me a little unconformable, but the parody was still pretty memorable. 

Batman: Assault on Arkham First Look and Trailer

Yahtzee! This looks like another hit.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Last Laugh

Basically, the whole April Fool's themed episode just has Batman trying to stop Joker's poison filled garbage scow. And while this may not be one of the series greats, there is something special about its simplicity - along with the score that you won't be able to get out of your head.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Be a Clown

 While it may not be one of the series worst episodes, I think this may be the worst episode in which the Joker is the primary villain. This was the first episode to feature a returning villain, and after the strong debut in Joker's Favor its a shame that this tale fell so flat.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Joker's Favor

You never want to be in debt to the Joker. The series had its share of great Joker episodes, but for my money Joker's Favor is the cream of the crop. For one thing, this episode introduced Harley Quinn, not only to animation, but this was her very first appearance anywhere. She would later be adapted to the comics, but her origins were here. So along with that historic bit of trivia, Joker's Favor really captured the Joker's sadistic nature in a way that made him a terrifying not only to Batman but to average Joe's like you and me. All it takes is one bad day...