Solid storytelling and beautiful art make a great combination. There are six linked episodes that loosely follow an arc through the film, each episode has a different team doing the animation within an overall contemporary Aime style. The art is striking and by a long way the most striking aspect to the production. The episodes themselves are well written Batman items, they do not explore any outer fringes of the Batman universe nor do they take any liberties with it either. They are good, solid Batman stories. Really they are hooks for the animation and the inventiveness of the various creative teams whom respond to the opportunities with gusto.
The most striking episode is number 4 “In Darkness Dwells” in which Batman descends into the sewers to purse Killer Croc and the Scarecrow. The colour in the episode is virtually a character in its own right and it adds greatly to the piece. The designs for both Killer Croc and in particular Scarecrow are the best I have sen in any animated Batman story. Killer Croc is finally given a shape and force that match his name and the Scarecrow has a costume that matches his mission and underscores the threat he poses. A creative and very entertaining film.
