I posted on reddit recently. it did not go well

Click this link to see what i am talking about for this entire post

So, the other day i took it upon myself to watch Batman: The Animated Series. this was the cartoon from back in the '90s, that eventually led to other cartoons such as Superman The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.

Now, I credit the Justice League cartoon for getting me more interested in comicbook superheroes than any other show, except possibly the Spiderman cartoon from the '90s. but, in all my time, i had never watched a full episode of the original DC Animated Universe (DCAU) show that started it all. So i figured i'd try it.

I hated it.

I cannot figure out how this is suppose to be the pinnacle of batman, and DC animation, because i found it to be horrible. So, i turned to the internet to try and figure out why something that i've always read as being held in such high regard was utter crap to my eyes.

I posted this on the batman subreddit:

I don't like Batman: TAS. at all. I know that the internet hold Batman:TAS in the highest regards, and often seems to consider it the pinnacle of the DCAU. Full disclosure, I did not grow up watching it; I am 24 now, so during its original run from '92-'95, I was a bit too young to grasp it, thus it didn't particularly hold my interest. So i have absolutely no nostalgia effect holding it dear to my heart, like I know a lot of people do. I did get into Batman Beyond, as well as absolutely loved Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. In fact, I'd argue those shows sparked my interest in comics.
But with Batman: TAS being on amazon prime free streaming now, I went through and watched some of it, and i was not impressed. I found the animation style and quality very poor, as well as dull plot lines, and weak characterization. I found it very boring and unengaged. What is it that people love about it so much, because i just don't see it?


This then proceeded to open up all sorts of people trying to justify it to me. I got things about how it's not nostalgia driven, and then they talk about how it greatly influenced their childhood (so clearly they don't understand nostalgia). I got a few rather nice people saying that it was nice i was being honest, but be prepared to be downvoted. and I was prepared to have my admittedly unpopular opinion mocked my the batman community.

But someone said to me that " I don't understand how any fan of batman could dislike it"

this single statement irks me. because first off, I get the sense that that is the sentiment held by many fans; that the show is the perfect batman. But there are so many different forms that batman can take, and disliking the heavily noir styling of one iteration shouldn't make someone less of a fan. but it seems to. and that is wrong. Batman has been around since 1939, and with so many reinventions, and different iterations, none is the best. Sure, some may be favored over others, but that doesn't make them the more definitive batman; just a different take. here are some examples that garner the largest support/anti-support.

original. golden age batman. was a detective that dressed up, and a lot of his supporting players, such as Alfred and Commissioner Gordon are unrecognizable by today's standards.

Adam West Batman. Known for being rather light hearted, and campy at times. but you'd be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't secretly enjoy it. full of color, and jovial life, and odd items. like the bat shark repellent.

The Silver Age of Comics. this is where most of the humorous panels from old batman stories come from, often making little sense out of (or sometimes even in) context. this is where bright colors, oddly specific gadgets, and very random plot lines occurred.

Frank Millar Batman. The Dark Knight Returns. this really started the gritty dark styling of batman. this is held in high regard by many fans.

Tim Burton era continued the dark styling that Frank Millar began.

arguably the pinnacle of noir batman styling. very dark show, with heavy themes, and also, very dark pallet.

'97 Batman & Robin went away from the dark and gritty design of the previous decade of media. it used bad jokes, bright colors, and unnecessarily specific gadgets. sound familiar? suffice to say, it was not received well.

even the primer animated batman had changes over the year.

Batman: Hush, was the revitalization of the batman line in 21st century comics. characterization, and the importance of the bat-family was crucial.

Grant Morrison era. this was a batman that was (at some times ridiculously) 3 steps ahead of everyone else. there was literally never a problem he didn't foresee, and have a plan for, that was probably already in place.

possibly now the most popular batman of all time, the Nolan era needs no explanation.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold made a drastic return to the lighter fair of batman. In fact, they have said that it is meant as a spiritual sequel to the Adam West show.

Dick Grayson era. For a time of 2 years, Dick Grayson was batman in the main comic continuity, adding levity, and a new sense of detective skills, and problem solving to the Dark Knight.

New 52 batman finds itself based deeply in realism, with a touch of comic impossibility. has been very well received, being called an instant classic.

Do you see all the different forms batman can take? do you also see how not all of them necessarily function well together? you can very easily group some of them by theme, such as the ones that took place in the late '80s, and early '90s for their dark, noir styling. Millar, Burton, and TAS all share that. but then you have the times before that, like the Golden Age, and Silver Age of comics that link up with the Adam West version, and Brave and the Bold. I'd also argue that you could tentatively link the Nolan Era with what is currently being put out by DC Comics in their New 52; dark and gritty yes, but in the case of batman smartly written, and grounded in (relative) reality.

You can like all of these. or one of these. you are still a fan of batman. I know I am.