Superhero fatigue, it's the beginning of the end for an ongoing series of superhero films, and it has already claimed the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'm in a similar boat when it comes to the DC Animated Universe. It really feels like they have stuck to one or two tonal directions for longer than they should have, yes I'm sure it's meant to establish continuity or stuff like that, but it's starting to get old. When I see a new DC cartoon coming out, I'd have a feeling it'd be the most generic thing I'd ever seen, I mean in my personal opinion.
But, it doesn't mean I have to rule out every single DC cartoon. I've been revisiting certain ones to see if they still hold up for me, and I've been able to narrow it down to five... and four of which are from the Timmverse. I'm gonna share five DC cartoons I had revisited, and came out still loving them.
#5: Batman Beyond
Anyone remember The Hub? Back when it was on they used to air reruns of some of the old Timmverse cartoons, Superman and Batman TAS and this. It was through The Hub I got to see these shows, and I liked what I saw... well, Batman TAS is a good show, but honestly kinda overrated, more on that later.
I like this show kinda for the same reasons everyone else does. It has a darker tone compared to Batman TAS, in a way I can't make an example of because I haven't seen much of the show in so long, sorry. But hey, Batman: TAS fans rejoice for an extension of that series, with some teenage drama and a serialized redemption arc that sees the future's Batman earn that title.
Although I wouldn't blame you if you had a better time with Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Compared to Batman: TAS, Batman Beyond had the better movie adaptation, closing the book on Bruce Wayne's story and bringing Joker back in style. Of course I can't do these shows justice in explaining them, just know that I have great respect for them, and if you really wanna know, you're better off watching them for yourself.
#4: Superman TAS
Superman can be considered a lighter inverse of Batman, no wonder people openly rejected Man of Steel. While this has a similar tone to Batman: TAS, Superman does a great job at standing on its own, while going dark whenever it needs to. Superman also has a more nostalgic look and feel to it. Timmverse shows made use of art deco themes and backgrounds, which are generally considered timeless, and since Superman had been a component of popular culture for so long, it's good to keep up tradition, of course that shouldn't deter people from switching things up, in general, sometimes DC fans are a bit too picky when it comes to representing heroes.
Back to the tone, it has a better balance than say, Teen Titans, what with that show's near constant tonal whiplash. You don't have to err to one extreme or the other if you want to do both.
#3: The Batman
Which means, yes, I prefer the 2004 The Batman cartoon to Batman: TAS. Not saying one is better than the other, but I just found The Batman more interesting, then again it was the first Batman cartoon I saw, perhaps with the exception of a tiny portion of Mask of the Phantasm I saw as a kid.
But why do I like it more? It's all in how it handles its tone. Batman: TAS had a more theatric tone, most of the time characters would get into monologues and it had a more straightly-played serious tone. Whereas The Batman had a bit more grit to it, often going hard when it comes to more insane and tragic characters. Ethan Bennett's Clayface, intended to act as a substitute to Two-Face, had some stronger build-up and more horrifying culmination, and they even redeemed him in his last appearance.
That aside, the show's use of more saturated colors and grit lends to a fairly unique show, providing an underlying sense of just how much Gotham is slowly starting to sink, this was Year Three Batman mind you.
They also do a good job portraying the grief Bruce feels for his family, as well as his dynamic with Alfred, which I feel is the strongest in any Batman cartoon I've seen. Though if you want the best experience for the show, stick with the first season and determine if you want to continue.
#2: Static Shock
Even as I started to stray from DC and action cartoons in general back then, I always had a soft spot for Static Shock. It came out closer to the end of the Timmverse, and it really stands well on its own. It is as compelling as it is funny, and it gets right down to the bigger IRL issues, trying to avoid spoilers here, basically summed it up already.
#1: Justice League Unlimited
This surpasses Static Shock because I just got back into the series recently. This is another nostalgic show for me, and that's not all it has going for it. As one of the last Timmverse shows, I get a lot of what made Timm's shows great, from the stories to the general tone. What makes this show great is that you don't necessarily have to read comic books beforehand to understand what's happening.
Not to mention the intro is an utter earworm.
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