Old School Noir, New(-ish) Ideas

To report there is little new about “Batman: Caped Crusader” is borderline irrelevant. The character is nearly 100 years old. His story has been told time and time again, typically with the same foundational pieces: Bruce Wayne, a billionaire playboy by day, dons a bat-themed disguise by night, when he patrols Gotham City’s streets for diabolical villains and various ne’er-do-wells. All this is done in the name of his parents, who — as you may have heard once or twice — were murdered in front of their adolescent son.

Over the decades, the artists who’ve told and retold Batman’s story make certain tweaks and revisions based on their own interests. Some lean into the gadgets, obsessing over his seemingly unlimited utility belt or filling up the Bat-garage with new Bat-cars, Bat-planes, and Bat-bikes. Others hone in on the world-building, painting Gotham in bright carnival colors filled with equally iridescent wackos or stripping it down to a monochrome shadow where bad guys emerge from every darkened corner. Even more broadly, there are goofy Batmen, kiddie Batmen, lewd Batmen, and Batmen who are oh so serious.

The character has proven to be as elastic as Clayface’s oozing constitution, and while seeing a completely different take on the Bat-verse can be quite a bit of fun, that’s not what “Batman: Caped Crusader” has in mind. Developed by Bruce Timm, the co-creator of “Batman: The Animated Series,” the new series functions as a pseudo-reboot of the venerated ’90s hit. Fans will recognize the Fleischer Studios-inspired animation and Art Deco architecture, the solid colors and sparse streets, the looming cityscapes and timeless period setting. But they’ll also note the missing colors from Batman’s costume — the absent yellow backdrop to his bat symbol, a solid black cape sans the blue lining, and a muted yellow belt that’s more Dijon than classic mustard — just as they’re sure to spot his extended ears, broader shoulders, and bunchy gloves.

These little touches are standard for any new Batman (revealing each new Bat-suit carries nearly as much anticipation as announcing who’s wearing it), but they’re also illustrative of what’s changed within a show that can often feel like an echo of “BTAS.” Transitioning from past to present is meant to be easy, yet not without adjustments. This Batman is that Batman (and many other Batmen of the past), but he’s also tweaked just enough to serve this specific story — an old school noir built on progressive ideas; a throwback to the past with a mind for the future; a nostalgic return to one “Animated Series” without the rose-colored glasses that doom so many reboots to redundant mediocrity.

The second Bat-project from executive producer Matt Reeves (after the 2022 film “The Batman,” and before this fall’s “The Penguin”) features familiar bad guys (including a gender-flipped Penguin, voiced by Minnie Driver) and obligatory origin stories. Harley Quinn (who got her start in “BTAS” and gets a wonderfully fresh narrative here), Catwoman, and most notably Two-Face get their own episodes, and a closing tease for next season’s featured nemesis is painfully predictable. But these expected reprisals prove compelling enough, if not downright sprightly, after seeing how “Caped Crusader” incorporates so many homages to classic Bat-stories. Set in an unspecified period reminiscent of the 1930s and ’40s, the series hearkens back to everything from Batman’s run-ins with Robin Hood to the “Biff! Bam! Pow!” antics of Adam West. One episode sees Batman playing vampire-hunter. Another finds him going cowl to cowl with an actual ghost.

But the series’ isn’t only in conversation with its pulp era and “BTAS.” Harvey Dent’s transition to Two-Face is well-trodden territory — enough that Harvey himself says he might “throw up just listening to myself” while recapping his oft-depicted heel turn — except for how the new framework slightly contrasts Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” There, Harvey was a symbol of hope whose crushing fall had to be hidden, so his message could be preserved. Here, his white knight’s armor is sullied before his face is scarred, and how that fits this version of Gotham City makes for a fitting rallying cry all its own.

Still, the core strength of “Caped Crusader” stems from its top-to-bottom dedication to noir. Beyond the style, which is striking and comforting in equal measure, the series is swarming with corruption. The mob runs the city. The cops work with the mob. The politicians play both sides, and everyone else doesn’t know where to turn. Costumed vigilantes (meaning Batman and his flamboyant enemies) are framed as last-ditch reactions to a world that’s beyond saving by traditional means. When random citizens speak up, they’re talking about closed-down factories that leave locals hungry or poor neighborhoods abandoned (or even attacked) by the police. Old Gothamites see Batman as a menace because the establishment describes him as such. Young Gothamites see Batman as an inspiration: “Bout time someone gave these cops a lickin’,” a twenty-something says on the evening news.

Even Batman isn’t immune from swirling evils. In a quiet arc that pays off loudly, Bruce treats Alfred, his lifelong caretaker and surrogate parent, like hired help. (“I was raised to treat the staff like people,” Lucius Fox says. “You might want to give it a try sometime, Bruce.”) He’s blinded by his quest at the expense of those around him, and his stubbornness leads to problems time and time again. In perhaps the best episode of the season, Bruce is sentenced to court-mandated therapy. He punches a guy who makes a snide comment about his late mother, and his ensuing sessions are how “Caped Crusader” unpacks Bruce’s well-known transformation into Batman. This time, it’s not a tragedy that he’s turning into grand redemption; it’s repressed pain that he’s inflicting on others — consciously and unconsciously.

The series could stand to take a few of these ideas further, in addition to going down more original avenues all its own, but “Batman: Caped Crusader” feels primed to do just that after an ideal first season. It’s entertaining, self-aware, and sturdy. It’s beautifully drawn, tightly written, and well-acted. (Diedrich Bader, Christina Ricci, and Jamie Chung are all excellent in their respective roles, while Hamish Linkalter is really flexing his range in 2024 — playing both Batman and Abraham Lincoln before appearing in the hotly anticipated adaptation of “The Nickel Boys” this fall.) It pays homage to what came before without feeling inhibited by the past, and its progressive mentality serves its genre just as well as its story.

Much of this could be said about previous versions of Batman, but that doesn’t take anything away from “Caped Crusader.” Casual fans should be happy, die-hards will find plenty to savor, and a new generation may be about to discover a Bat-series to call their own.

Grade: B+

“Batman: Caped Crusader” premieres Thursday, August 1 on Amazon Prime Video. All 10 episodes of the first season will be released at once. The series has already been renewed for Season 2.