Revelator
05-11-2006, 02:40 AM
Scott Tipton, who runs Comics 101, the most educational comics column out there, has devoted this week's column to saying goodbye to the DCAU: http://www.comics101.com/?page=C101
He basically notes all of its incarnations and then gives a list of his favorite DCAU moments, then asks his readers to e-mail theirs.
This is the second article I've noticed that takes notice of the DCAU's passing (the first being the excellent Post-Intelligencer article), and if anyone here comes across more, I hope they'll let us know, either in this thread of elsewhere.
The persistent question on all of our lips has been "is this really the end?" There's always the possibility of future DTVs, especially since the series has apparently done well on that format.
Let us check off the boxes...
BTAS/The Adventures of Batman and Robin: Dead. Replaced by TNBA.
STAS: We already have the Braniac Attacks DTV arriving in time for the movie, so this vision of the character will most likely live on. And I'm guessing that another Superman animated series will be commissioned as a movie tie-in, just as BTAS was commissioned after Batman Returns. And since the Superman isn't a reboot, perhaps a future Superman series won't be either, though there is the continuity issue (since the DCAU Superman has been through so much post-STAS).
TNBA: Probably dead. The Batman has taken over, and as long as it's on the air, the characters and world of TNBA will be contraband. TNBA's Batman has become the JL/JLU version anyway.
Batman Beyond: Dead. I don't see how this series could return to the air. Perhaps Terry might show up in a JLU DTV, or a special episode of a Brave and the Bold type show, but otherwise we said goodbye to the character in Epilogue.
Justice League/JLU: As said, there's a strong possibility of DTVs. And there are those unsubstantiated rumors of a Brave and the Bold show, but to me it sounds too good to be true. As for whether the series itself would return--not likely, unless Hollywood decided on a Justice League movie.
If the DCAU were to return, my surmise is that most of us would prefer it to be via DTV or a series on Cartoon Network, which, despite its weird schdeuling problems with JLU, gave the series near-freedom. The only other alternative, Kids WB (soon to be the CW), is a less hospitable place, and the shocking permissiveness allowed to TNBA is no more.
A last question: what makes a DCAU series a DCAU series? In the cases of BTAS/STAS/TNBA, we could point to a few constants, namely the presences of Bruce Timm (and his designs), Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. We could also count on recurring voice actors, as in the case of the great Kevin Conroy, and the continual presence of Andrea Romano, an unsung hero. Glen Murakami became an additional constant for TBNA/BB, but later went on to Teen Titans, which has a non-Timm design scheme. By the time of JL, James Tucker had become a constant, while Dini left for Lost and Burnett went on to produce The Batman, which lacks the designs, voices and (overall) maturity needed to classify it as a DCAU series. By the time of JLU, the major links back to BTAS consisted of Timm, Romano, Dan Riba and Conroy. Newer staff members included Dwayne McDuffie, Matt Wayne and Joaquim Dos Santos, who had been promoted to the director position.
So what would be the bare requirements needed by a future DCAU series? The greatest constant would probably be the presence of Bruce Timm and his designs. If the series were to feature Batman, it would certainly require Conroy. And if the quality of the voice acting were to remain high, Andrea Romano would be required. These seem to be the most noticeable badges of DCAUness, though the presence of writers such as McDuffie or Dini, or directors like Riba, would certainly help.
My own guess is that we can probably expect one or two JLU DTVs in the next few years, and that will be it. I don't know what Bruce Timm's current project is, but I'm guessing it will involve other properties.
Though movies seem to be getting worse, TV has improved immeasurably over the past two decades. The longevity of the DCAU is a freak if we look back to the 60s, 70s and 80s. But now that we're in the 00s, I wonder if the future of TV will ensure the prolonged survival of future animated universes. But one thing is sure: the DCAU will forever remain a landmark in the history of American animation. It has sustained an unpredented level of quality throughout an unpredented level of longevity. Like a cathedral built by many hands throughout many years, it towers over the industry landscape.
He basically notes all of its incarnations and then gives a list of his favorite DCAU moments, then asks his readers to e-mail theirs.
This is the second article I've noticed that takes notice of the DCAU's passing (the first being the excellent Post-Intelligencer article), and if anyone here comes across more, I hope they'll let us know, either in this thread of elsewhere.
The persistent question on all of our lips has been "is this really the end?" There's always the possibility of future DTVs, especially since the series has apparently done well on that format.
Let us check off the boxes...
BTAS/The Adventures of Batman and Robin: Dead. Replaced by TNBA.
STAS: We already have the Braniac Attacks DTV arriving in time for the movie, so this vision of the character will most likely live on. And I'm guessing that another Superman animated series will be commissioned as a movie tie-in, just as BTAS was commissioned after Batman Returns. And since the Superman isn't a reboot, perhaps a future Superman series won't be either, though there is the continuity issue (since the DCAU Superman has been through so much post-STAS).
TNBA: Probably dead. The Batman has taken over, and as long as it's on the air, the characters and world of TNBA will be contraband. TNBA's Batman has become the JL/JLU version anyway.
Batman Beyond: Dead. I don't see how this series could return to the air. Perhaps Terry might show up in a JLU DTV, or a special episode of a Brave and the Bold type show, but otherwise we said goodbye to the character in Epilogue.
Justice League/JLU: As said, there's a strong possibility of DTVs. And there are those unsubstantiated rumors of a Brave and the Bold show, but to me it sounds too good to be true. As for whether the series itself would return--not likely, unless Hollywood decided on a Justice League movie.
If the DCAU were to return, my surmise is that most of us would prefer it to be via DTV or a series on Cartoon Network, which, despite its weird schdeuling problems with JLU, gave the series near-freedom. The only other alternative, Kids WB (soon to be the CW), is a less hospitable place, and the shocking permissiveness allowed to TNBA is no more.
A last question: what makes a DCAU series a DCAU series? In the cases of BTAS/STAS/TNBA, we could point to a few constants, namely the presences of Bruce Timm (and his designs), Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. We could also count on recurring voice actors, as in the case of the great Kevin Conroy, and the continual presence of Andrea Romano, an unsung hero. Glen Murakami became an additional constant for TBNA/BB, but later went on to Teen Titans, which has a non-Timm design scheme. By the time of JL, James Tucker had become a constant, while Dini left for Lost and Burnett went on to produce The Batman, which lacks the designs, voices and (overall) maturity needed to classify it as a DCAU series. By the time of JLU, the major links back to BTAS consisted of Timm, Romano, Dan Riba and Conroy. Newer staff members included Dwayne McDuffie, Matt Wayne and Joaquim Dos Santos, who had been promoted to the director position.
So what would be the bare requirements needed by a future DCAU series? The greatest constant would probably be the presence of Bruce Timm and his designs. If the series were to feature Batman, it would certainly require Conroy. And if the quality of the voice acting were to remain high, Andrea Romano would be required. These seem to be the most noticeable badges of DCAUness, though the presence of writers such as McDuffie or Dini, or directors like Riba, would certainly help.
My own guess is that we can probably expect one or two JLU DTVs in the next few years, and that will be it. I don't know what Bruce Timm's current project is, but I'm guessing it will involve other properties.
Though movies seem to be getting worse, TV has improved immeasurably over the past two decades. The longevity of the DCAU is a freak if we look back to the 60s, 70s and 80s. But now that we're in the 00s, I wonder if the future of TV will ensure the prolonged survival of future animated universes. But one thing is sure: the DCAU will forever remain a landmark in the history of American animation. It has sustained an unpredented level of quality throughout an unpredented level of longevity. Like a cathedral built by many hands throughout many years, it towers over the industry landscape.