Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 9, 2020 | 5 comments

VOTE in BATMADNESS: The Animated Tournament…

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Welcome to BATMADNESS: The Animated Tournament — your chance to VOTE for the greatest Batman: The Animated Series episode of all time.

Writer Fred Van Lente, a 13th Dimension regular, and his artistic collaborator Ryan Dunlavey have produced The Comic Book History of Animation — a five-part series that debuts Dec. 9 from IDW. To celebrate, we’re holding a tourney to pick the best episode from the greatest comic-book animated series of them all — and YOU get to decide.

Fred and Ryan have seeded eight episodes each for a Sweet 16 and we’ll be pairing them off until we have a champion in January. (Click here to follow the whole tournament.)

— HOW TO VOTE: You can pick your choice two ways: 1) Note it in the comments below; or 2) Take part in our Twitter poll, also below. Votes will be tabulated and the winner will be announced in the following round.

We’re up to MATCH-UP #3:

TWO-FACE (Both parts. Fred’s No. 3 seed) vs. THE MAN WHO KILLED BATMAN (Ryan’s No. 6 seed)

Story by Alan Burnett (Part 1.) Teleplay by Randy Rogel. Directed by Kevin Altieri.

“BTAS did some of its best work in reinventing the villains ignored by Burton and co. — no better than Harvey Dent/Two-Face, played throughout by the bailiff from Night Court, Richard Moll. The climax in the casino is one of the series’ most dramatic — and moving.” — FVL

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Written by Paul Dini. Directed by Bruce Timm.

“The whole Gotham underworld (including the Joker — with Mark Hamill at his most menacing) thinks slimy, bungling “Sid the Squid” has killed the Batman and it’s pretty clear that Sid himself is going to be next. This episode’s a slow burn — Batman is barely in it — and the eponymous Sid and his lowlife friends are all so unlikable you don’t know who to root for, but the payoff in the final minutes makes it all worth it.” — RD

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Now, which do YOU prefer? VOTE!

It's BATMADNESS: The Animated Tournament! MATCH-UP #3: Which of these is the better BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES episode?

— 13th Dimension (@13th_Dimension) December 9, 2020

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For the complete BATMADNESS: The Animated Tournament: Click here.

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NEXT: On Leather Wings (Fred’s No. 4) vs. Read My Lips (Ryan’s No. 5). Click here.