A FRANCO FRIDAYS anniversary salute!
By FRANCO
Batman: The Animated Series was one of the greatest cartoon shows of all time.
Great storytelling. Great aesthetics/visual look to the world. Great characters and continued development throughout the series, which debuted Sept. 5, 1992.
It really straddled the line between the campiness of the Adam West Batman series and the dark Tim Burton version of the Caped Crusader. It gave us a retro-looking world with a grim and gritty atmosphere. The music also really added to the feel.
My favorite episode was Almost Got ‘Im. Best of the series. Which is saying a lot as there were so many good ones. (Would love to hear about your favorite from the series and why!)
I’m lucky enough with comics that I get to meet people in the industry from time to time. I’m always super grateful and humbled by the experiences. I remember being invited to a DC Comics function this one night. Jim Lee and a few other notables were in the room. It was a nice evening and I was pretty chill throughout.
I was introduced to this lady and I kinda freaked out a bit upon learning it was Andrea Romano. Legendary voice director and actor from… well everything. OK, maybe not everything, but a pretty damn impressive list of shows, including the Bruce Timm universe of DC programs and movies. One of the things that made BTAS so good was the voice acting. And that was due to Andrea and her amazing work on this series. I’m sure I made a fool of myself fawning over all of her accomplishments, but she deserves it. (She’s retired now.)
My homage image to the show, but nothing compared to the great Bruce Timm and all of the animators on the series.
All of this to say, on Batman: The Animated Series’ anniversary, that I still have a great appreciation for the greatest cartoon show of all time.
Might be time for another rewatch.
Happy Friday!
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Want more FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS? Come back next week!
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MORE
— How I Learned to Appreciate JACK KIRBY. Click here.
— OF COMICS AND TEACHING: The Bittersweet Pangs of a New School Year. Click here.
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Franco and his forehead have traveled the world and he writes and draws stuff. Franco is the creator, artist and writer of Patrick the Wolf Boy and Aw Yeah Comics! Franco has worked on books/comics, including Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures. Franco was also a high-school teacher and is one of the principal owners of Aw Yeah Comics retail stores. Dan made Franco add that he has won three Eisners.
September 5, 2025
This show was huge in our family. All of my kids grew up on a daily dose of BTAS (BATMAN The Animated Series). Their take on many of the BATMAN ethos I consider classic now. Wasn’t a fan of say their take on Penguin but what they did with Freeze was out of this world. When they changed the style we were done but for those few first seasons….man, it was BATMAN.
Franco, your tribute is great. I enjoy your style a lot. It’s your own but even before reading the article I got the feel of the show. Nice mix!
September 5, 2025
Por supuesto que me pareció notable la serie y los cómics de los 90 con la edición de Scott Peterson.
Hubo mucha espectativa respecto al último intento animado con la precuela sin tanto éxito
September 5, 2025
The look of this series, the writing, the music, just an awesome combination that made BTAS perhaps the best film interpretation of the character. Recall seeing the commercials promoting it before it aired back then and being intrigued. Great, great series. “The Gray Ghost” stands out for me, with a very cool guest voice shot by Adam West. It’s nice the series is available on HBO Max or whatever it’s calling itself this month.
September 5, 2025
I’m with you on “Almost Got’im”, as it’s my favorite episode of the show as well. I had the privilege of meeting Romano at L.A. Comic-Con 2017, hope she’s enjoying her retirement.
September 5, 2025
Totally agree, Mr. Franco! In retrospect, the 90s was a terrific era for animated superhero shows. Besides Batman we had Superman TAS, as well as the 94 Spider-Man series. And let’s not forget the X-men!
September 6, 2025
This is by far the best show. I loved the music and the animation made it so submersible. You would get lost in the show. My oldest son was a baby and I remember holding him while watching this. Wonderful memories.