"Strange Days": Bruce Timm's animated short

[The Laughing Fish]

A new three-minute short by Bruce Timm has been released to celebrate Batman's 75th anniversary, featuring Solomon Grundy and Hugo Strange. Notice the nods to Batman's golden age appearance such as the first Batsuit with purple gloves, and the Batplane with machine guns, which Batman drove to kill Strange's monsters in the comic back in 1940.

[BatmAngelus]

A nice mix of the 1939 era with BTAS.

I really thought they were going to set up Conroy to say "A fitting end for his kind" at the end.  Oh well.

[Silver Nemesis]

I really thought they were going to set up Conroy to say "A fitting end for his kind" at the end.  Oh well.

I love that line! It's got an unrepentant, badass I-killed-you-on-purpose-and-I'd-do-it-again quality that you rarely hear from Batman. Unfortunately modern writers seem eager to erase that aspect of the character's history. Hence certain changes in this short film. When Batman opened fire on Hugo Strange's men in Batman #1, he sure as hell wasn't firing tear gas capsules. And when Hugo Strange fell to his death (ostensibly) in Detective Comics #46 it wasn't because he tripped; it was because Batman deliberately punched him off a cliff.

Still, it was a nice little film. Well animated and very atmospheric.

[Slash Man]

I liked it. The animation was smooth, but pretty predictable. Though it did work to that means as a homage. The use of computer animation did sometimes put it at odds with the more primitive BTAS style. The ending did seem authentically vintage, though, and I loved it.

All-in-all, Timm does still got it; I actually wondered how it would look if Bob Kane's originals were given a direct adaptation in BTAS style. I guess I got my answer. Also, did anyone notice Strange's henchman/Solomon Grundy looks a bit like Scarecrow here?