extra note: David Tai, who collaborated with me on many
projects, most notably the Hellblazer/AMG crossovers, bugged
me about this, noting that SMILE didn't have a proper intro
to each half of the crossover like Dire Fates did. He was
right, it needed one. So here it is.
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An introduction to Batman: The Animated Series
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Gotham.
A timeless city, painted in shades of stylish 1920's
Deco Noir, a dazzling blend of past and future. Archaic
zepplins share the skies with supersonic jets, computer
lines snake across ancient city streets.
Gotham, a city where corruption and crime
are neverending problems.
Years ago, Bruce Wayne watched helplessly as his parents
were gunned down before his eyes. Forever scarred by that
night, he abandoned his childhood for a hard life of
training to be the ultimate crimefighter. He traveled the
world, studying under many masters, then returned home to
begin his war. At first, he lacked direction, but found
inspiration one day as a swarm of bats flew past him. From
that day on, he became "The Batman".
A parade of criminals soon surfaced: Mr. Freeze, master of
sub-zero, the split personalities of Two-Face, the puzzling
Riddler, and the gleeful psychopath called the Joker were
but a few of them.
At first alone in his war on crime, he won the confidence of
police commisioner James Gordan, then took the orphaned Dick
Grayson under his wing and transformed him into Robin, the
Boy Wonder. Fascinated by the tales of the Batman, Gordon's
daughter Barbara went on her own as Batgirl. Time passed,
Dick Grayson grew to be a man, outgrowing the identity of
Robin and taking the name Nightwing. The mantle would be
taken up later by Tim Drake, yet another child whose parents
fell to crime.
Together, they fought to keep the criminals at bay and the
madmen in check, an endless war against the worst of
humanity.
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An introduction to Bubblegum Crisis
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It is the year 2035.
Urban growth has spawned the birth of 'Mega'cities,
MegaTokyo being the first and greatest among them. Born
from the ashes of the devastating Kanto Quake, MegaTokyo is
one of the most advanced cities in the world, the jewel of
Japan.
The unseen hand behind the rebuilding of Tokyo, and in fact
an incredible amount of political and economic conflict
across the world, is the mighty hand of the multinational
corporation of GENOM and its CEO, the enigmatic Quincy. On
his whim, presidents are deposed and wars are started, all
to further the interests of GENOM.
A major factor in the rebuilding of Japan is the creation of
the artificial life form known as 'Boomers', part organic
and part cybernetic. The creation of GENOM and a major part
of its profits, these boomers usually are built in humanoid
fashion, and their duties range from heavy construction to
janitorial duty.
Corruption in GENOM is the rule, not the exception, and the
rule is to do anything for a profit. From "accidental"
boomer rampages to assasinations, nothing is beneath them.
It's even rumored GENOM was behind the earthquake that
destroyed old Tokyo.
Against this juggernaut of power, four women have taken a
stand: Priss Asigiri, the classic rebel without a cause,
Nene Romanova, hacker supreme and mole in the police force,
the acrobatic Linna Yamazaki, and their enigmatic leader,
Sylia Stingray. Together, they're known as the Knight
Sabers.
Sylia's past is never mentioned, though her reason for
wanting vengance upon GENOM is obvious. Her father,
Katsuhito Stingray, was the inventor of the Boomer, though
soon after his discovery he was shot and his lab burned to
the ground. Katsuhito's last gift to Sylia was a mysterious
data storage unit, a new type that interfaced directly with
the brain. Within it he gave Sylia his knowledge, his
experiences, and his last moments of life before being
murdered.
Using the techology of his father, Sylia created armored
suits that are unrivaled in their abilities, "hardsuits",
and at first appeared to be mercenaries for hire. Their
actions soon spread to taking jobs against GENOM and putting
down rampaging boomers wherever they may be. Sylia knows
that toppling GENOM is possibly an impossible task, but
she's learned to live with it, halting GENOM's evil wherever
she can.
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Writer's Notes: Why 'Batman The Animated Series' instead
of the comics?
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This is a question I get a lot.
Part of the charm of the animated series is that it kept things
simple, and kept Batman to what made him essentially the Dark
Knight.
There was the big city. There was crime. He fought it.
There were one or two appearances by Superman, but for the most
part it was just Batman and Gotham.
No space aliens, other hero / hero teams, deaths, rebirths, or other
twisty continuity issues to worry about, which the comics had.
Besides that, it blended better together.
When you take Batman, the comics version, you take everything that
comes with it, which means the entire DC Unierse, with technology
that quite frankly puts Genom to shame on a regular basis.
Batman: The Animated Series blended with Bubblegum Crisis
in a superior manner, in every way that counted, and it certainly
didn't hurt that B:TAS is by itself one of the finest animated
series made in a long while, good enough to be appreciated by
fans of all ages.
Well, there you have it. Hope you enjoy.
-Rod M