Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

SubZero is a good movie that plays almost like it was a three part episode of the series but it really doesn't rise to the level of epicness of the Mask of the Phantasm. That's not to say its not terribly enjoyable, because it truly is.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Bad Days: Justice League

Its a bad day when the Justice League gets shown up by the Teen Titans.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Shadow of the Bat

 "What's next, weasel woman?" In truth, I am a sucker for Batgirl and this origin story is one of her best onscreen adventures, very much earning her a position in the Bat Family.

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 Demon's Quest

 This epic two-part globetrotting tale introduced Ra's al Ghul not only to me, but to the animated world of DC. True, he did appear in Off Balance, but this outing cemented his status as a worthy A-list villain for the Dark Knight. In many ways, Ra's engineered test played out like a James Bond movie, full of thugs, traps, exotic locales, Talia as the Bond babe, and even a great score. The episode even featured skiing assassins, a Bondian trope.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Histeria!

I gotta give major props to the WB animation wiki for this entry as I had never even heard of the 1998 animated series Histeria! I guess the show's mission was to educate kids about history while entertaining them and so episodes featured historical figures from Teddy Roosevelt to Billy the Kid to Leonardo da Vinci. But tucked away in several episodes were DC comics Easter eggs. The first such egg occurred in the episode featuring inventors. After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone booth, Superman, er, Fuperman wasted no time using the compartment to change into costume.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Boo Wonder

During the fourth season of Animaniacs in 1997, Chicken Boo finally weaseled his way into the dynamic duo while playing homage to the 1960's Batman series. Even though Boo's true identity as a chicken was eventually discovered by Batman, you have to admit, Boo was pretty good in a fight... though honestly Batman must have been an idiot because before donning the Robin garb, Boo was shown hanging out at Wayne Manor without a disguise. Anyways, whatever you do, never call Batman's partner a chicken.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Robin's Reckoning

I am not convinced we will ever see an amazing live action Robin story. Its not that Robin is an impossible character to present, but I definitely think the idea of a teen sidekick plays out a lot better in animation. In any case, regardless of the medium its doubtful a Robin origin could be done much better than it was in this two-part masterpiece.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Mechanic

I remember really hating this episode, which is probably somewhat Penguin related, but it wasn't actually that bad. Granted, Batman's mechanic was an idiot. "I'll take one Batmobile fender please... whats that? why would I know Batman? Doesn't everyone have a Batmobile?" I suppose it would make sense for Batman to have a mechanic, and at least they learned their lesson about ordering parts in a more discreet manor.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?

 

It was nearly half way through the series run that we finally got the introduction to one of the big Bat-foes, the Riddler. And once again, the series proves that it knows how to introduce baddies. While I don't esteem this episode as highly as the great origins of Clayface or Two-Face, this is a personal favorite thanks in no small part to the Minotaur's Maze set and the notorious flying hand of fate. No sharps indeed!

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 - 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 - Night of the Ninja

When I was younger I used to find this episode a little boring. Perhaps it was the lack of a super villain or perhaps I just didn't care much for the training days of the Dark Knight. In any case, this episode has aged well and grown on me quite a bit. I suppose in a post-Batman Begins era, the training of Batman is a lot more relevant and this episode offers an insightful look at how Batman copes with knowing he can be beaten. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Bad Days: Batman

There are a whole series of Bad Days animated shorts which will be covered in the future, and while some of them are funnier than Batman's, this one just may be the awesomest. With visual homages to famous lightning strike in The Dark Knight Returns to The Animated Series to Batman '66, this two and a half minute short released in 2013 had tons of pause worthy moments.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman Begins ...with a B

In yet another jab at Batman, this web-short pokes fun at how everything in the Batcave starts with a "bat" prefix. Thus, Robin exempts himself from having to answer the phone.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman: Fear of the Bat

In this original for the web parody, Robin asks, "Why am I dressed like this?" Good question.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Animaniacs

Over the course of Warner Brothers animation history, there have been some truly amazing parodies and crossover with the heroes of the DC universe. This was not one of those. Instead, the use of the word "robins" during a dramatization of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream led to a poor translation of Batman and Robin saving the day for all of 3 seconds. It appears that the Robin in question was Tim Drake - the sidekick in the comics in 1993, though strangely it was Dick Grayson who was animations Robin of the day in Batman: The Animated Series.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman: The Animated Series

Holy perfection Batman, today is the day! Really, what more can be said about Batman: The Animated Series? The series originally ran from 1992 to 1995 and basically set the standard by which all other superhero series are judged; more than 20 years after its debut, it holds up amazingly well. In fact, my desire to set down and watch the complete series all the way through was one of the primary motivators for this Crisis of Infinite Episodes feature. I am very glad this day has finally come (it only took me nearly three years to get here).

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - DC's World's Funnest #8

Just when you thought you had seen the worst. Maybe Aardman only had a 50 cent budget for this one, but its still no excuse for how bad this was justifying the near lack or "animation." Lets just get those last two clay Batman's over with and never speak of them again.

DC Nation Short Count: 0087