When Max, formerly HBO Max, the Warner Bros-owned streamer, decided to sell off its highly anticipated Batman animated series to Prime Video, we were shocked. Why would the people who own Batman not want to keep Batman? It’s yet another in a series of baffling moves from David Zaslav’s company. However, at the very least, we know the show is coming out. It won’t fall into the void that other unreleased (or even released) projects have. Batman: Caped Crusader will premiere on Prime with all 10 episodes on August 1 of this year, and we now have a solid look showcasing its 1940s vibe.
The animated series, from producers Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, and Matt Reeves, clearly takes inspiration from the original Golden Age comics of the ’40s. Batman’s costume, with its slightly convex ears and black hand gloves, is testament to that.
The other Batman: Caped Crusader images showcase Bruce Wayne, Catwoman/Selina Kyle, Commissioner Gordon, Clayface, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn. Definitely not directly from the comics, but certainly a completely unique take on everyone.
Timm’s work on the 1991 Batman: The Animated Series was and is the hallmark of Batman’s look in animation. Here even more than that show, we get the influence of the Fleischer Brothers Superman shorts. We can’t wait to see a trailer to get an even better sense of the tone. But that Harley look is pretty terrifying. Batman: Caped Crusader has us very excited, to say the least.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
