Top 10 TV & Movie Batman Actors (live and animated)

 So while in the past I’ve compared some of the Batman’s we’ve gotten but not all, or aspects of them like there designs, but I decided it was time to finally rank them all together. Live action, animated, tv and movies.. who was the best Batman? 

So I am taking into account the character as a whole, which version is the Batman I prefer? The one thing I’m not including are the serials. I’m sure that actor did a great job, but I’ve never seen them. Same with the video games which I’m also not counting. 

#10.Clooney 

I just talked about this so won’t go on long. I rewatched this minute and couldn’t believe how awful he was as batman. Man talk about bad casting meeting an actor not even caring. I mean dude at least change your voice!!!

Five Things I Liked in “Batman & Robin”

 As you may know I like to do things I like in bad movies and thinks I hated in good movies. But there’s one little movie I’ve ignored up to now. Because, what’s to like? But I decided after almost thirty years it was time to rewatch:

I literally have not seen this since it came out. It premiered June 12, 1997 and killed the Batman movie franchise. But is it really that bad? Yeah….lets discuss 

Top 10 Favorite Batmobiles

When you think about it, the Batmobile is a silly idea. Maybe it made sense in the early days of comics, but why does Batman really need a car? And yet, it's a part of Batman's lore that is still around. Unlike other things that have faded away (does he even use a utility belt anymore?) the Batmobile has appeared in many incarnations each with their own unique version. Originally it began as a, well, car that Batman drove. But over the decades it has taken on a lore of its own. Others have tried to duplicate it, villains and heroes, but there is only one Batmobile!

So let's go through my favorite versions. These can be from live action, animated or comics. 

#10.Arkham Games

This is high because it's almost cheating even being here. Since I never really played the games. But it was only fair to include a video game example and looking over the design...yeah it is pretty cool. 

Top 10 Worst Batman TV Show Villains

I wanted to do this list a long time ago but my memory of the show was so hazy I didn't bother. Well now that I've fixed that by watching all 120 episodes, we can finally discuss the ten villains I thought were the worst. There were a lot of villains that came through this show, and some were obviously better than others. What about a favorite list? Nah because that would be so easy it's not fun. Joker would be #1. 

So in order to make this list the character needs to be a complete fail. Sometimes a lame villain can be brought up by a good actor having fun playing them. And other times a great villain can be done in by an actor who isn't interested at all. These ten have the whole package. 

A Quick Look at Batman:The Movie (1966)

Before we dive into Season 2 we need to discuss another little item. In between Season one and two was a something very special- a full length theatrical movie. Yep, it went into cinema’s two months after the final episode of season 1. The big draw, besides being a big budget movie, was that it would be the first time all four main villains would team up!

Almost ten years ago (yikes) one of my earliest articles was a plot rundown of the movie. It was an experiment and one I obviously didn’t stick with. Still, I already discussed the plot at length so wasn’t sure if I should mention the movie. But I decided it was time to watch it again and briefly discuss it so that this little project is complete. So here is a brief over view.

 

Batman The Movie

 

 

 Plot:Penguin enlists the aid of the Joker, Riddler, and Catwoman in a wild scheme to steal a dehydrator and use it to kidnap the security council in the United World Building (The UN, obviously)

My Favorite Characters-Superman & Batman

This is going to be my last favorite character article for awhile, I’ve kind of run out new characters to talk about (aside from the one’s I’ve discussed at length elsewhere), so decided to conclude for now with two heroes I’ve spent a lot of time discussing over the years…

Superman & Batman

My Favorite Characters-Alice/Beth Kane

 

So far I’ve only talked about characters I’ve loved for years. What about someone a little more current? Last fall a Batwoman TV show premiered on CW. I only watched because I knew it would tie into the epic Crisis on Infinite Earth’s crossover event (FYI that event was FANTASTIC. They hit every story point from the comics and did it well). For the first couple episodes the shoe didn’t move me much. Then I started to pay attention to the main villain of the season. I was really drawn in by her, so much I wanted to know who this great actress was playing her. I am of course taking about..

Alice/Beth Kane

I know this character had a long history in the comics but I hadn’t heard of her until the TV show, so that is what I am focusing on. I also realize that the series is still on so will try to avoid major spoilers. Still, if you haven’t seen the show at all and want to go in fresh, feel free to stop here.

A Look at 10 Actors who were “The Joker”

Before I even begin, no I have not seen the new “Joker” movie that just came out. What I know about it comes from trailers and critical opinion. That being said…

This one is a long a time coming my friends, and this is a great time to do it being Halloween and all. I talked about Lex Luthor’s live versions a long while back, and if there is any DC villain bigger and more popular than Luthor it’s Joker. The Joker is the perfect enemy for Batman, since Joker is all about chaos and anarchy. Joker has evolved over the decades, going from silly in The Sliver Age to playfully psychotic in the Bronze Age to just plain sadistic in more modern times. And as you can imagine, he has been brought to life several times in TV, movies, and animation.

So since the new movie has come out I figured it would be fun to finally run down the actor’s who have brought the Clown Prince of Crime to life. Here is a run down of The Joker in media. This is not a “top 10” list, because there’s no point, just an overview. No cameos, just full on screen appearances and yes I know I’ll be leaving a lot off with all his video game and direct to dvd appearances out there.


Cesar Romero (Batman TV show)

I’ve said before that Romero’s take is under appreciated. He really put his all in it and made the character popular again (he had faded in the comics). Who doesn’t know that iconic laugh? There are two big problems with this Joker. One is unavoidable, that Joker is not a killer. No on one this show is. The other is there nothing persona; between him and Batman. In the show he is just another one of Batman’s wacky villains, which kind of hurts the character. In fact in the Batman movie Joker basically becomes a henchman for Penguin, though still getting in a few good lines.

Top 10 Favorite Batman Family Members

So today (or yesterday) is Batman day. For some reason. Yeah, can someone explain that one to me? But since it is also his 80th anniversary this year, I guess a little celebrating can’t hurt. And while I covered a lot of Batman stories and inceptions, and his villains, one thing I never discussed was his supporting cast. Batman has one of the best supporting cast of any superhero, and today I’m going to look at the my ten favorites.

 

I kind mentioned this when I went over five characters I did not like. But today I wanted to take a look at the awesome characters I do like. The only rule is that these have to be a “Batman” family character, so heroes and/or colleagues like Superman are off the list. And no villains, with one notable exception.



#10.Cassandra Cain

Why so high on the list? I barely know anything about her. What I do came from the AT4W retrospective earlier this year. But from what I understand she is a very unqiue character who really made a mark for herself as the second Batgirl.

Top 10 Favorite DC/Marvel Comic Crossover’s

 

I’ve said a million times, I’m a DC fan. But while I was never a real Marvel fan that doesn’t mean I wasn’t familiar with Marvel. Spider-Man was on The Electric Company, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends introduced me to Captain America and the X-Men, and thanks to The Hulk TV movies I learned who Daredevila nd Thor were. The point I am getting as while I was never a Marvel fan, how could I resist it when DC and Marvel would do a crossover?






















As hard as it is to believe, the two companies used to do a lot of crossover’s. Way back they were “non-canon” crossovers which pretended the two universes always shared a universe. Later we got a slew of crossover’s where the heroes found some way to meet (in some case they just pretended like they did before). Some made sense (Batman vs The Punisher) others were out there (Darkseis vs Galactus). So here are my ten favorite DC/Marvel crossover’s and the only rule is that it has to be a crossover between two mainstream character (or teams).





#10.JLA vs Avengers

This was huge! The World’s Greatest Superheroes vs. Earth’s Mightest Heroes. And with George Perez on art! I man, how could this possible miss? Is it ok if I say the story is a little, convoluted? It’s just a little to busy with a little to much going on. But it’s still good, any comic that has Superman wielding Mjolnir and Captain America’s shield is enough for me!

Top 10 Favorite Batman Designs

Two months ago I discussed my favorite super hero costumes. You know, the costumes that are just aesthetic pleasing to me with no regard for character or anything else like that. And on that list was Batman. But the thing is, Batman’s design has changed a lot over the years. Oh sure the basic design is always the same, but as the character as grown as did his outfit. I kinda illustrated this a couple weeks ago in my rundown of Detective Comics over the last 80 years. But which of these are my
favorites?

So since we’re still celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Caped Crusader, it seemed only fair to go over them. Here are my ten favorite Batman designs. These come from comics, cartoons, and live media. But no video games, I had to draw the line somewhere! Also no crazy variations either like Elsewords stories or that awful 90’s heavy metal version.

#10.Superfriends Batman

I had to put this on here because I grew up with this version. This was the version I knew best as a kid. And looking back, yeah it’s kinda silly looking. They have the design down but there’s just something about the way it’s drawn that I just can’t see this Batman striking fear into much of anything.

Celebrating Detective Comics #1000-Batman Through the Years

Last year when Action Comics #1000 came out, I had a huge tribute article that day. I loved Superman and wanted that article to be as big as it could be, and I listed my favorite Superman stories. Then like a dope I did Batman’s a few months later. So today, March 27,2019 when the landmark 1000th issue of Detective Comics comes out for Batman’s 80th…I got nothing. This wont even get posted on the right date

 

This doesn’t mean that I don’t respect Batman, but I think it’s also well documented that I liked Superman more. My favorite thing about Batman was the detective stuff and that has kinda been downplayed over the years.

But I feel like I need to do something to acknowledge this event, so here is a look at the many versions of Batman over the years via the covers of Detective Comics starting with the very first issue from 1939!!











Actually I tell a lie, this is the cover of Detective #27, the first appearance of Batman ever. I just can’t believe this cover is 80 YEARS OLD! You can tell Bob Kane and (yes) Bill Finger already had the character down pretty good even from this start.

A Look at Batmania-Merchandise and Memorabilia

I can hardly think of a character that has more fan love than Batman. Oh sure the Marvel movies are getting there but that’s been in the last ten years or so.  And Mickey Mouse has been around longer but I think it’s more the kids who get excited about that. Superman is more iconic but not as loved. Batman is loved by everyone, whether your a kid playing toys or an adult who just loves to cosplay. Let’s discuss:

 

I just had to cover the merchandise he has spawned, even if I have to approach this article a little differently than before. That’s because unlike Star Trek, Mickey Mouse and Garfield; Batman has changed a lot over the years. And of course every iteration has new products. In fact Batmania has been around for over fifty years. Now, why just fifty when Batman is approaching his 80th anniversary? Well…let me tell you a story about a little TV show….



















William Dozier was brought on board for a proposed Batman series and, after reading the comics at the time, decided camp and silly was the way to go. They cast Adam Ward and Bert Ward, and the rest is history. AND PEOPLE WENT NUTS. While Star Trek, which premiered at the same time, took some time to really find its audience Batman was an instant smash. It was broadcast twice a week, with a cliffhanger separating the two, and kids ate it up. This show was one of the biggest things in the 60’s and was such a hit that celebrities lined up to make appearances. Some as villains, others as “window cameos”. Adam West was the perfect straight man and as I’ve talked about before, the villains were so fantastic that they’re still remembered. I discovered this show in re-runs, obviously, and couldn’t help but love the fun of it. This show was a bonanza and saved Batman, because in the comics the character was kind of starting to fade. I also give the show credit for rejuvenating the popularity of his villains especially The Joker.

Top 10 Favorite Batman Theatrical Movies

Oh boy, talk about setting myself up for an argument! As we approach the 80th anniversary of the caped crusader I decided to have some fun and rank the theatrical movies. It’s amazing how many there have been, poor Superman was really left in the dust as far as movies are concerned. I’ve discussed most of these in detail separately but never tried to rank them.

 

Before I start it should be noted I did not watch any of these (except one we’ll get to) for this so I am going by memory mostly. This is really based on one thing-how much do I like re-watching these movies? Since I want to make it ten I am leaving off the serials, the JLA movie, and the Lego movie. I am sure that one is fine and maybe I’ll see it someday. And it goes without saying but no direct to DVD movies.  I can’t stress that this just opinion feel free to disagree. Oh and I am just giving quick thoughts on these most of these have been covered at length elsewhere.






#10.Batman & Robin

During the big final battle between Batman and Freeze, we see two scientists getting stuck in the action and making silly comments as the place falls apart around them. This was the point where I realized how goofy this movie is. Nothing has any weight to it, and it’s VERY forgettable. The one thing I did like was Uma Thurman who seemed to be having a little fun. She is the only one, including the audience.

Five Villains Made Up for the Batman TV Series

So before we turn to the holidays I wanted to continue my discussion of characters made up for franchises by TV or other media. In this case, it’s the colorful characters for the Batman TV series.

 

 Of course the 60’s campy Batman series had the familiar cast of villains Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, Mr. Freeze (with three versions no less! FYI Otto Preminger was the best). But there were some which made for and by the TV series. And most of them were… pretty lame to be honest. Louie The Lilac? Really? Don’t get me started on Shame. I can still hear that kid calling his name in my head!!!



Here are five of these who, in my opinion, become a little more memorable than the others.





King Tut

The thing I like about this one is that this one of the few villains, new or otherwise, to actually have a background given to him. Something which makes him a more defined character. Which may be one reason he’s stuck around a little more than others. He was a well-respected professor until during a protest a rock hit his head. He then believed from then on that he was the reincarnation of King Tutankhamen, and his goal was to claim his city as his own. Course to make it even better the amazing and fun Victor Buono played him and hammed it up every second. I mean, reaalllyy hammed it up. He was just plan fun to watch.

Ten Favorite Fictional Towns & Cities

Last year I did a list of my favorite fantasy world’s. You know, made up lands where our favorite fantasy characters exist. From OZ to Pandora, and by the way I realize I messed up when I said Hogwart’s didn’t count. Even though it is in Scotland you need to run into a wall onto a magic train to get there, and be a wizard, so my bad.

 

Anyway, getting off topic. Fantasy world’s are fun and all but what about regular cities and town’s? It’s really quite amazing how, when done right, a made up city or town and be just as much a character as anyone else in the TV show, movie, or comic book. Like Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show”, Hazard County on “Dukes of Hazard”, Stars Hollow on “Gilmore Girls”, Cabot Cove on "Murder She Wrote, Cicely on "Northern Exposure", and of course Angel Grove which people are gonna kill me for leaving off, but I never watched Power Ranges. EVER.

 

So here are my ten favorites. Couple rules, they need to be ordinary town and cities in America that just happen to have quirky characters living there. Also no existing cities. While it’s true Spider-Man is synonymous with New York City it doesn’t count since, of course, NYC is quite real.

 #10.Bedford Falls

It’s a Wonderful Life is an amazing movie. One reason for that is the acting by Jimmy Stewart. But another important element is the setting. We get to really know the town and townspeople of Bedford Falls in he movie. Who doesn’t know Martini’s bar? Or want to grab a cap from Ernie? And of course there’s the Bailey Building and Loan. In fact we get so familiar with the town that when we get to the angel stuff, the change is quite jarring! The town was so well done that it’s seem impossible to believe that the whole thing was a set. Yep it was one of the largest sets ever constructed for a movie and they made it as authentic as possible. And it worked, since it just wouldn’t be the same movie anywhere else.

Five Things I Hated in “The Dark Knight”

It’s time to show my love for another great movie by nitpicking its faults. The Dark Knight came out ten years ago and as much as I hate this phrase, was a true game changer. Chris Nolan gave us a superhero movie that could be taken seriously but still had good action and great performances. And it was amazing, but was it perfect?

 

I think its the performances that make it work. Not only was Heath Ledger’s Joker great but Aaron Eckhart’s Two Face made me realize just how awful that “other” Two-Face really was and Gary Oldman just knocked it out of the park as Gordon. Michael Cain’s Alfred is great, almost every word he says is quote worthy, and of course Morgan Freeman is always a delight. The action was pretty intense too, though as we’ll discuss it may have been to intense. As I  mentioned before I could see seeds of “The Killing Joke” in the plot, and from what I’ve read the movie also borrows heavily from “The Long Halloween”.

But no movie is perfect and here are five things I did not like in this amazing movie. As always, just opinion and please feel me to correct me if I get a detail wrong.

My 15 Favorite Batman Comics

When I talked about “The Killing Joke”, which I love, I teased that it was time to discuss other Batman stories I love.

Well my friends I like to keep my word, so here are a few Batman stories that I love. I know, I did more for Superman but as I have discussed many times Superman is the character I love. Why is that? I think that the dark tone most love about Batman turns me off. I like the more upbeat and positive stuff. Which should come to no surprise considering how many “dark” movies I’ve discussed. On the other hand, the really old stuff is reaallly lame. That silver age junk is a little to upbeat, or ridiculous! Batman does need a little angst about him though i do love the Adam West TV show.

 

(one of the first Batman comics I ever remember reading)

So what do I love about Batman? First and foremost, I love the detective angle. Yeah so many of the movies forget that he’s the world’s greatest detective. And the fact he is just a regular guy is a cool thing, the skills he uses are really impressive. Comics have changed how and when he acquired his skills as the character evolved but it’s basically always been that he was trained by the best and brightest and pushed himself to be smarter than everyone.

 

(I talked about this before, I fantastic done in one)

So here is my list, and you’ll forgive me if there aren’t to many recent stories on here. Like the Superman list these aren’t the GREATEST Batman stories, just my personal favorites. But unlike the Superman list, I needed to open up the criteria a bit so it can be ANY Batman comic book story even if they aren’t in an official Batman book.





Detective Comics #457

Dennis O’Neil failed to revamp Superman in the 70’s, but he was successful with Batman. He managed to get the caped crusader out of the silliness of the 60’s and began the darker stories that would eventually become the norm. They could still be silly, compared to modern stuff anyway, but it was an improvement. For the record, Batman in the 70’s was a LOT better than Superman in the 70’s!! “No Hope in Crime Alley” is a great example, it’s probably been reprinted a million times because of how good it is. Even if it is dated. The issue introduced Leslie Thompkins who has come and gone from Batman lore (yes she’s appeared in “Gotham”) and shows an interesting angle on the whole murder of Bruce’s parents.

Batman:The Killing Joke-Two Years Later

So I had a chance to catch up on a few DC Universe animated movies. And the results have been, mixed. Ok I HATED Superman:Doomsday. But I also checked out Superman/Batman:Public Enemies and Superman:The Elite. I was impressed with how close to the comics they were. But one thing that irks me is that in both DC tweaked the story and usually in a lame way. I can’t explain why without spoiling but let’s just say that in both endings the movies are not identical to the one in their original stories. And that isn’t the worst thing. You have to make changes in an adaptation, especially when you realize you audience may not be familiar with a certain character or situation. But it does seem to be a thing with DC, making stupid and unnecessary changes. Which leads us the crown jewel of examples for this:

Yeah this came out two years ago, in theaters, and man were people hyped. The Killing Joke was written by Alan Moore and is one of THE most acclaimed comic books out there, not to mention one of THE quintessential Joker stories ever told. So people were anxious to see the results. However, it didn’t work out so well when they discovered DC had done it again. But this was more than a minor detail or small story change, this was a slap in the face! How? Here’s a clue: