In an era that was flush with cartoons fighting for children\u2019s attention<\/a>, Batman: The Animated Series<\/em><\/a> <\/em>stood out by using its timeless take on Gotham City to tell stories that were as stylish and zany as they were serious. The show gave birth to some of DC\u2019s most iconic characters and set a high bar for animated comic book adaptations that many of Warner Bros.\u2019 newer series<\/a> have struggled to reach<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Amazon\u2019s Batman: Caped Crusader <\/em>from cocreators J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm feels like a project created with a deep love for The Animated Series <\/em>and an understanding of what made it fascinating to watch back in the \u201990s. And as often as playing to fans\u2019 nostalgia tends to derail modern superhero stories, Caped Crusader<\/em>\u2019s approach to paying homage to The Animated Series <\/em>is a big part of what makes it work so well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Set in a vision of the 1940s where everyone still speaks like Golden Age comics characters, Batman: Caped Crusader <\/em>tells a familiar tale of how Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater) secretly leads the charge to deal with Gotham\u2019s ever-growing population of costumed super criminals. Whereas The Animated Series <\/em>\u2014 which Timm co-created with Paul Dini \u2014 introduced Batman as a well-seasoned vigilante with some experience under his high-tech utility belt, Caped Crusader<\/em>\u2019s Bruce is new to the hero game, and still learning how to wield his status as a shadowy urban legend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rather than fancy gadgets and a gaggle of wards, Bruce\u2019s old-fashioned sleuthing skills and his ability to take punches as well as he throws them are what make him so effective at keeping Gotham\u2019s ne\u2019er-do-wells scared. But with most of the city\u2019s cops being as crooked as the criminals they\u2019re supposed to book, there\u2019s seldom a night when Batman isn\u2019t busy dealing with the problems that police commissioner Jim Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart) and his prosecutor daughter Barbara (Krystal Joy Brown) simply can\u2019t keep up with on their own.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Aesthetically and sonically, Caped Crusader<\/em> feels almost like it could be The Animated Series<\/em>\u2019 prequel as it opens on Gotham in the midst of a simmering gang war that has the city\u2019s residents on edge. But as hard as the new show works to establish itself as a story unfolding in the distant past, there\u2019s a pronounced streak of modernity running through it that\u2019s reflected in the way it reworks a number of its supporting characters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here, the Gordons are Black, and psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel (Jamie Chung) is an Asian woman who has far more interesting secrets to keep than the fact that she\u2019s queer. Batman: Caped Crusader <\/em>presents these facets of its reality with a matter-of-factness that helps illustrate the beauty of DC\u2019s Elseworlds \u2014 comics stories set in alternate universes that play with the established canon. The show\u2019s changes to classic characters work to highlight aspects of their identities that Caped Crusader <\/em>leaves untouched like the way detective Renee Montoya\u2019s (Michelle C. Bonilla) commitment to justice makes her simultaneously untrusting of and grateful for Batman\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rather than aiming for comics or previous series-accuracy, Caped Crusader feels like it\u2019s trying to tap into the essence of its heroes and villains as they become entangled in one another\u2019s lives. This, coupled with the show\u2019s art direction and its score from composer Frederik Wiedmann, helps make Caped Crusader<\/em>\u2019s first season <\/em>feel like classic animated Batman <\/em>storytelling that emphasizes how well the Dark Knight works as a simple detective chasing down other costumed weirdos. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Though Caped Crusader<\/em>\u2019s being yet another Batman vehicle might exhaust some viewers, the show\u2019s simplicity and more measured plays to nostalgia immediately set it apart from Warner Bros.\u2019 other recent iterations on the character. And while its pacing might leave some viewers wishing things moved a bit more briskly, with a second season already on the way, Amazon seems to know that it\u2019s got a good thing with Batman: Caped Crusader <\/em>that\u2019s primed to get better with time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Batman: Caped Crusader <\/em>also stars Christina Ricci, Diedrich Bader, Bumper Robinson, Jason Watkins, John DiMaggio, Mckenna Grace, Tom Kenny, Haley Joel Osment, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, and Toby Stephens. The show\u2019s first season hits Amazon Prime on August 1st.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n