Pick The Best 'Batman: The Animated Series' Episode -- Poll #2

[James Harvey]

The second of 12 polls has begun! Below are the voting choices for the second 10 episodes. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pick your favorite episode out of the ten listed below. The results will be tallied on Sunday (likely around 2pm (ET), and a new poll will open the following Monday. For more information on the poll, go <a href="http://wf.toonzone.net/btaspoll.htm">HERE</a>. Remember - the success of the poll depends on you! If the turn out for this second poll is low, then it will be shut down. The episode options are above! Stay tuned for updates and this thread, and feel free to discuss the poll in this thread as well.

Poll #3 Begins Monday, Febuary 18th!!

Below are synopsis for episodes #11 - 20:

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Episode #011 - It's Never Too Late
Original Airdate - September 10th, 1992.

An aging mob boss, Arnold Stromwell, is about to be rubbed out by a rival boss, Rupert Thorne. Batman saves Stromwell from Thorne's men and must keep the crime boss one step ahead of his enemies.

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Episode #012 - I've Got Batman In My Basement
Original Airdate - September 30th, 1992.

While attempting to regain a stolen Faberge Egg from the Penguin, Batman is sprayed with nerve gas by the fowl fellow. Now unconscious, Batman is rescued by a 12-year-old aspiring detective who hides him in his basement. It's up to the precocious kid to figure out how to revive the comatose crime fighter before the Penguin finds him.

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Episode #013 - The Cat and the Claw: Part 1
Original Airdate - September 5th, 1992. - Series Premier (Batman: The Animated Series)

In the midst of Catwoman being attracted to Batman, and Bruce to her alter-ego, Selina Kyle, Catwoman discovers evidence of a military facility inside a mountain on a future resort site. As it turns out, the cartel involved is fronting for an international terrorist group headed by Red Claw, a mysterious female terrorist.

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Episode #014 - Heart of Ice
Original Airdate - September 7th, 1992.

Mr. Freeze, thirsting for revenge against the sleazy CEO who destroyed his life, begins to steal various equipment from GothCorp. Batman's sympathy is with Freeze, but first he has to stop him from using the equipment to destroy a building filled with innocent people in order to carry out his vendetta.

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Episode #015 - See No Evil
Original Airdate - February 24th, 1993.

Somewhere in a middle-class suburb of Gotham, little Kimberly Ventrix is regularly visited by her imaginary playmate, "Mojo." However, the mysterious, unseen Mojo seems awfully tangible -- and vocal -- for an "imaginary" friend. At about the same time, a fortune in valuables disappears as if by magic. Batman investigates, and finds himself battling an invisible man!

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Episode #016 - The Cat and the Claw: Part 2
Original Airdate - September 12th, 1992.

Red Claw and her terrorists put their plans into motion, stealing a virulent strain of plague which they use to hold the city for ransom. Meanwhile Catwoman infiltrates the terrorists' under mountain headquarters, not realizing what she's getting into. When Batman follows her there, they're both captured, trussed up, and left to die as victims of the viral plague.

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Episode #017 - Two-Face: Part 2
Original Airdate - September 28th, 1992.

Two Face begins an aggressive campaign against his hated rival, Rupert Thorne, who puts out a two-million dollar contract an him. Batman wants to find him before Thorne does, but Thorne's people snare Two Face first by using his former fiancee, Grace, as bait.

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Episode #018 - Beware the Gray Ghost
Original Airdate - November 4th, 1992.

Batman realizes that a pattern of recent bombings in Gotham is based on an episode of an old television series featuring his favorite boyhood hero, the "Gray Ghost." Seeking information, Batman visits the actor who played the TV hero, who later becomes a suspect.

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Episode #019 - Prophecy of Doom
Original Airdate - October 6th, 1992.

Bruce Wayne becomes concerned when some of his richest friends are seduced into a new age Brotherhood scam by Nostromos, a fraudulent psychic. Bruce joins the Brotherhood in an attempt to debunk Nostromos' claims. Nostromos, predicting the fall of civilization, urges his acolytes to transfer their bank funds to the Brotherhood's coffers.

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Episode #020 - Feat of Clay: Part 1
Original Airdate - September 9th, 1992.

Matt Hagen, a popular actor is addicted to a strange chemical formula developed by Roland Daggett's labs. This chemical gives him the ability to alter his facial features without makeup, keeping his looks so that his public doesn't know he was horribly disfigured in an accident years ago. But in return for the stuff, Daggett has him play 'roles' that aren't entirely legal. After a disagreement, Hagen is doused in the formula, becoming the deadly shape-shifter, Clayface.

[Naraht]

GREY GHOST GREY GHOST! GO GHOST!

=D


Ok, I'm sorry, but I'm not a big Mr. Freeze fan. I'm also not a big Two Face fan, which is probably why I didn't vote for his episode either. Mr. Freeze just never ... I dunno..

Yeah, he's tragic, but still..


I like Grey Ghost!

[Divv]

I voted Grey Ghost too. I loved Heart of Ice also but I'd love to see The Grey Ghost do just that little bit better.

[Phantom Cruiser]

Hmmm... This is tough, because the obvious two choices are between "Heart of Ice" and Beware the Gray Ghost". Given these two, there is no loser here, but if I have to pick one... it may have to be "Beware the Gray Ghost". Not only does it give you a glimpse into Bruce's youth, before the death of his parents, but it's also nostalgic with TV's Batman, Adam West playing the Gray Ghost!
True, Michael Ansara did a brilliant job playing the tortured Victor Fries, and maybe if Arnold Schwarzeneggar watched this episode instead of the old Otto Preminger "Batman" episodes, "Batman and Robin" would've ended up just being horrible, instead of god-awful... But I digress...
"Beware the Gray Ghost" had that feel that the show was based on all along - that being 40's film noir.

[Clayface]

Awww man. Who chose this line-up? Two of my all time favorite episodes are in this list - I was hoping not to have to choose between them until later in the polls! Grey Ghost or Feet of Clay? Argh! Too hard!

[Naraht]

Originally posted by Clayface
Awww man. Who chose this line-up? Two of my all time favorite episodes are in this list - I was hoping not to have to choose between them until later in the polls! Grey Ghost or Feet of Clay? Argh! Too hard!

Well, I thought Pt. 2 was better than Pt. 1, so I'll probably vote for it....=D

[Sparvid]

Grey Ghost is a really really good episode, but Heart of Ice is one of my absolute favorites. It's just perfect.

[ShadowWolf]

This is really hard. There are at least 4 episodes on the list that I find outstanding. I'm going to have think hard before putting my vote in.

I wonder if "Prophecy of doom" will get any votes :D

[Bird Boy]

hehe.I voted for "I've Got A Batman In My Basement"..what? I thought it was funny...:D

-BB

[Maxie Zeus]

I count five great episodes in this list:

* Heart of Ice
* Feat of Clay (part 2)
* Two Face (part 2)
* Beware the Gray Ghost
* See No Evil

But I'm going to have to suck it up and give "Heart of Ice" the edge.

[themejoker]

I'ts never too late.. :)

[James Harvey]

I'm not a big fan of Two-Face Part 2, aside from the climax. I foudn that episode sorta dragged on, and coulda been better. The poor animation didn't help either. The first part was definatly superior. Hell, it won in the first poll :)

But the victor has to be Heart of Ice. By no means a perfect episode, but by far the best episode of the series.

[Randy H]

Arright it's obvious that many of you haven't seen Heart of Ice in quite a while. If you had, you'd remember the horrible animation that episode had. Anyone remember the inverted Bat-emblem colors? I like the story ok, but to be honest, I liked "Deep Freeze" better. The animation was much better in that episode, and even the story was better in my opinion. I'm not sure that I'll vote for that ep either, though, juding from the other episodes that'll be in that poll, but I'll come closer than I will for Heart of Ice.

I voted for Cat and the Claw. For some reason that episode sticks out in my mind as being really good. Honestly, though. I can't remember why..... :) Maybe it's just the chemistry between Bats and Selina or something. I just remember liking that ep.

And I agree, "Grey Ghost" was a great ep.

Later,
Randy H

[Theking]

Freeze is all that and a bag of chips. He had the coolest ways of doing things, and "That's mister Freeze to you!!" is the best line in all of Batman. Wooo Hoooo
I liked Batman in Basement and any ep with that great Joker voice in it, oh man and Two Faces cool voices.
Well I just had to go with Heart of Ice.

so far it looks like I am 100% on picking winners.

TheKing

[Clark J. Kent]

It's ashame that there had to be so many fanastic episodes in one poll. It's Never Too Late is my choice, but I would've voted for just about every single other episode. I love them all.

Last round was a much, much easier choice.

[Clark J. Kent]

I am nothing short of amazed, by the way that nobody chose Prophecy of Doom or See No Evil, (two of my favorites!) but someone actually chose I've Got a Batman in my Basement! Incredible!

[Mister Intensity]

I've Got a Batman in my Basement would be an ideal candidate for a poll of the worst episode. IMO, opinion only one episode beats it in the worst category.

Mister Intensity

[DarkAngel]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
But the victor has to be Heart of Ice. By no means a perfect episode, but by far the best episode of the series.

I'm really surprised. I didn't realize Heart of Ice was so highly regarded. It's definitely a great episode, but I gave the nod to Feat of Clay, which IMO had more of an edge than most BTAS episodes. Seeing the shadows of the guys dumping the forumla on Hagen and the result was numbing, while Batman himself seemed more threatening than usual. And then, of course, there was the cliffhanger with Bruce Wayne being arrested for the attempt on the life of Lucius Fox. The second part was great, too, but I don't think that takes away from what the first part accomplished.

[James Harvey]

I like your avatar, DarkAngel!

I found the second part of Feat of Clay to be better. The animation is beautiful and the story moves so quickly and at a rapid-fire pace. Part 1 perfectly set sup Part 2...and it is a doozy...

[TimTwoFace]

Hello everyone! It's been years since I was part of the message-board crowd, and thought I might as well re-emerge.

Anyway, this was a tough call...though all of these episodes are great, there were three front-runners: HEART OF ICE, TWO-FACE (Pt. 2), and BEWARE THE GREY GHOST.

Ultimately, I went with HEART OF ICE, though. Though my namesake and good ol' Adam West were coming close. ;-Y

-Tim

[jm5150bc]

This one was pretty easy for me- "Heart of Ice", hands down.
Probably one of the best episodes of the entire run...

That being said... "The Cat & the Claw, Pt.1" still holds a special place for me, even though it's not one of the best episodes. It was the first to air, and I knew right then and there that this series was going to be amazing !!!

[Spider-Man]

Can't go wrong with Heart of Ice!

[Corran Horn]

It was either 'Grey Ghost' or 'Heart of Ice'. I chose 'Grey Ghost'...Adam West just nudged it over the line.

[Failure]

Originally posted by TimTwoFace
Hello everyone! It's been years since I was part of the message-board crowd, and thought I might as well re-emerge.


The legendary TimTwoFace! Welcome!

Heart of Ice got my vote, it's really running away with it.

[Mattashell]

Five hours in, and Heart of Ice has already run away with it. No big surprise, I could already see there are many Freeze fans here.

There are so many good eps on this one it's easier to list the ones I DIDN'T want to vote for, which were:

I've Got A Batman In My Basement
and
Prophecy Of Doom (which wasn't really bad anyway)

Had to pick Feat of Clay Part 1, it was a really difficult choice, but this one stands out to me just a hair above Cat and Claw, and See No Evil. Grey Ghost was a good detective caper, and I love Adam West. just too many classic eps here.

Matta

[Joker Jr]

It is so unfair that we have to choose between so many great episodes in just one poll. That being said I went for Heart of Ice because of the great way it portrayed Mr Freeze.

[Blight]

My vote definitely goes to "Heart of Ice". There is just no other episode on that list that even comes close to it. That episode was masterfully done and possibly my very favorite. I'm glad "Heart of Ice" is doing so well. It's walking all over the others! Looks like it's going to be the champ of round two!

See ya!
Blight

[James Harvey]

Originally posted by TimTwoFace
Hello everyone! It's been years since I was part of the message-board crowd, and thought I might as well re-emerge.
-Tim

Gee Mr. Tim -- don't you co-edit a certain newsletter dedicated to a certain Dark Knight? Glad to see you around, Tim,

Heart of Ice just seems to be ripping up the competition. Granted it had a few animation flub-ups, but the story and acting is just perfect. Who doesn't like the "I feel ill" line. Classic!

[DisneyBoy]

I'm not entirely suprised by how much support "Grey Ghost" is getting, considering we are all fans of episodes that dig deep into our hero's psyche and have that "film noir" theme, but ...


I find myself leaning towards "The Cat and the Claw" part one, mainly because of the wonderful Selina/Bruce interaction and animation that makes part two look like South Park. Still, "Heart of Ice" deserves some thought, despite the few really corny moments. Any "Mr. Freeze" jokes sound bad on screen, but the climax...the chicken soup thing was just...a letdown. Guess he can't ever wash dishes! It just didn't make much sense that his helmet would have cracked so easily...but I digress. The Bat-emblem thing doesn't really bother me, and on the whole, the episode revolutionized the character. Then again, "Two-Face" part two had a great conclusion...and hearing Grace say, as she removed the cloth from Harvey's face, "You never have to hide from me" just broke my heart - really moving. The animation was lacking though.

Sounds like I'm leaning towards Cat and the Claw Part One. Go Catwoman!!!

Please forgive me, but since my computer was re-started, I don't have internet and missed last week's poll! I'm really glad that Two-Face won though...! :)

[DisneyBoy]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

(DisneyBoy just saw the current results of the poll!)


I'm voting for Catwoman!!! Go Selina GO!

[Dark Knight]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
I like your avatar, DarkAngel!

I found the second part of Feat of Clay to be better. The animation is beautiful and the story moves so quickly and at a rapid-fire pace. Part 1 perfectly set sup Part 2...and it is a doozy...

I agree, totally. Feat of Clay is definately one of my favorite episodes and as a while the two parts come darn close to Heart of Ice, but just part one can't contend. I agree with Jim, Heart of Ice was the first animated Batman episode I ever saw and I was hooked. I always get a chill (pun not intended but it doesnt hurt ;) ) when I watch it.

BTW, DarkaAngel I also like your avatar. Jean's pretty! :D

[sun]

The Grey Ghost is in my opnion if not the best, one of the top 3. It gives some of the history of Batman, along with a story, well written, a little unbelieveable, but most are unbelieveable...The only villian who, in my opinion, really stood that test, was, cannot remember name, the killer in Robbin's Reconing...That guy could have really lived, a villian, not out of some comic book, a lifelike jerk and they should have killed him.
But the Grey Ghost, had sadness, character development, action, redemtion and it was fun. Only the villian, and the equipment to blow things up were a little far fetched,for 1992,but not in the year 2002. That toy man, would fit in just right in today's gallery of jerks.

[The Game]

I loved alot of episodes on this list including both parts of Cat and Claw, Two-Face Part 2, It's Never Too Late etc, but...

Gotta go with heart of ice baby! Go Freeze! :)

[oranthal]

how does Jim Harvey decide which episodes go to what round? is it by production date?

[TimTwoFace]

The way I think Mr. Grayson is doing this is by going by episode number. For example, we're only episodes #11-20 right now. This doesn't mean that they aired in this order; I think they aired with THE CAT AND THE CLAW (Pt. 1) first, then ON LEATHER WINGS, then HEART OF ICE, etc, etc...

;-Y

-Tim

[Goop]

Another hard choice but I've got to vote for Beware the Gray Ghost because it has to be my favorite episode. I think it had a great story and I loved Adam West's as the Grey Ghost.

[TheScarecrow]

Heart Of Ice is what I voted for. Beware Of The Grey Ghost was a close runner up, but Heart Of Ice is legendary in what it did for the Mr. Freeze character and the series itself. One of BTAS finest thirty minutes.

[sun]

I did not know that Adam West was the Grey Ghost, a real touch of class, that makes that one even better. Who wrote that ep? Anyone know?

[Sugar Daddy]

I'm not sure what to vote for. I dont remember heart of ice, or feat of clay, or grey ghost, so this is tough

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by TimTwoFace
Hello everyone! It's been years since I was part of the message-board crowd, and thought I might as well re-emerge.

Yippee! Glad to see the great editor come down among us! :D

You can tell how good the writing on HoI is when you can overlook any deficiencies in the animation. But I do remember it looking beautiful, with the mixture of blues and blacks and whites in the palette.

"Beware the Grey Ghost" had a committee behind it:

Story by Dennis O'Flaherty & Tom Ruegger
Teleplay by Garin Wolf & Tom Ruegger

[James Harvey]

This is undoubtably a really hard poll, and it might be the hardest one until Round Two hits. I can't really think of a selection of episodes that has so many amazing episodes in it. The upside about these poll sis that it will help us bide time until the DVD releases. The downside? Choosing between 109 episodes :)

[Phantom Cruiser]

Originally posted by oldtoonguy
I did not know that Adam West was the Grey Ghost, a real touch of class, that makes that one even better. Who wrote that ep? Anyone know?

The story was written by D. O'Flaherty & T. Ruegger - Teleplay by G. Wolf & T. Ruegger

[sun]

Originally posted by Maxie Zeus


Yippee! Glad to see the great editor come down among us! :D

You can tell how good the writing on HoI is when you can overlook any deficiencies in the animation. But I do remember it looking beautiful, with the mixture of blues and blacks and whites in the palette.

"Beware the Grey Ghost" had a committee behind it:

Story by Dennis O'Flaherty & Tom Ruegger
Teleplay by Garin Wolf & Tom Ruegger Yep, there is that name again.......he was an executive producer of BATS, as well as worked on Tiny Toons, and executive producer of Animaniacs.....Yes, we owe to Dini, and Timm. but these eps had great creative tallent behind them. that is why this is such a good poll. Who wrote, The Man of Ice, we don't know. Well?

[The Dark Knight]

My vote goes to "Heart of Ice". "Feat of Clay" might have stood a chance, but the fact that it's only part one makes my choice pretty easy. Seperate they don't hold nearly the same impact they would as a whole. Besides, who doesn't love Mr. Freeze?

[Alexandra Wayne]

Decisions, decisions...
I voted for Beware the Grey Ghost. It was just so full of emotion., and I loved the flashback, nostalgic qualities. I also love the voices...woohoo Bruce Timm!
Hey, I've Got Batman in my Basement wasn't THAT bad....wouldn't you like him in yours? Well, I guess I'd prefer Nightwing, heehee.
We should have a worst episode poll.
Meanwhile, Hi TimTwoFace...I think I remember you from years past...I just came back after a long hiatus, as well. Enjoy your stay :D
Alex

[James Harvey]

Originally posted by Alexandra Wayne
We should have a worst episode poll.

Oh - we will be :)

There are a bunch of mini-polls I'll be doing after this poll concludes in April. I'll be putting up a bunch of mini one week polls as well, like Favorite Character (which may tale 3 weeks actually, same with favorite villian), Favorite Guest Appearance, Guest Star, Voice Actor (there's a reason for that one, but more on that in the summer...and if I can pull it off correctly), and a bunch of other small ones.

[Failure]

Originally posted by Alexandra Wayne

We should have a worst episode poll.


Let me take a wild guess at what the winner or err the loser might be. *cough* *cough* CRITTERS! *cough* :p

[Mr. Obsession]

When forced to choose between three of my all-time favorite episodes ("Heart of Ice", "Beware the Gray Ghost", and "It's Never Too Late") I did the only reasonable thing that could be expected: I voted for "I've got a Batman in my Basement"...











...and if you believe that I have some land in Florida that's up for sale. :D

I just had to go for "Heart of Ice". Minor animation flaws aside any story which not only gets you to sympathize with the villain but has you seeing his actions as justified. Well that's just some good writing. And it's also what makes "Heart of Ice" one of the best Batman stories ever: comic, movie or animated.

[Joker85]

While there were a lot of great episodes in this poll, Heart Of Ice is one of my all time favorite episodes of any show! So, it got my vote. It was a tough decision though.

[Buddy Lee]

I had to go with "Feet of Clay". It was one of those great tragic tales of vanity and ego gone awry. I always am delighted in stories that deal with a person's vain weaknesses. It had that "Tales From The Crypt" kind of feel to it.

[optimal321]

Well, of the ones listed that i remember, Heart of Ice is the best. So i voted that ;) .

[Maxie Zeus]

Pretty astonishing that "Heart of Ice" is polling more than 50% of the vote. And that's even with 140 votes in the pot!

[The Penguin]

"Chance, Grace. Chance is everything. Whether you're born or not. Whether you live or die. Whether you're good or bad. It's all arbitrary." Two-Face Two-Face, Part II


This a really, really tough choice with It's Never Too Late , Heart of Ice and Beware the Gray Ghost in the poll, but ultimately I went with Two-Face, Part II. I really felt the pain of both Harvey and Bruce. One as his world spun out of control, and the other as he watched part of his best friend die.

[catwoman]

Boy, I had no idea "heart of Ice" was so popular. I went with "gray Ghost". I love the villain centered stories, but any episode where we find little bit more about batman's twisted mind and history has to rank. And Adam West really seals the deal.

[DarkAngel]

I like your avatar, DarkAngel!

BTW, DarkaAngel I also like your avatar. Jean's pretty!


Thanks, guys. Yeah, this particular image is one of my favorites.

I guess you're right about part 2 of Feat of Clay. I didn't really make a comparison with the concluding episode when responding to this poll. But as strong as part 2 is, I would still rank part 1 as of the best.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Originally posted by Phantom Cruiser
Hmmm... This is tough, because the obvious two choices are between "Heart of Ice" and Beware the Gray Ghost".

Obvious for you, yes. I voted for "It's Never Too Late." I LOVE the character of Mr. Freeze and that is an incredible episode, and I also have fond memories of "Beware the Gray Ghost" as it's one of the first episodes I ever saw. However, I like to vote for underdogs and went with one of the most serious, dramatic episodes of all.

[Kesh]

Geez, this is tough. I ended up voting for "Heart of Ice" because Freeze has always been one of the best characters in the series (and I was horrified to see the disaster that was head-Freeze... *shudder*).

Honestly though, I wish the two-parters hadn't been split up. On their own, they're not as strong as "Heart of Ice." But, if the two had been combined, "Feat of Clay" would have won hands-down. That was some impressive storytelling, and gave a great introduction to Clayface. Same with "Two-Face." That entire first season led up to this moment, and it was exquisite! But, again, only when both episodes are put together. On their own, they're good but not all there...

Oh well.

[showiekape]

Heart of Ice is the BEST episode for me because my favorite villain is Mr. Freeze. From all of the villains, only Mr. Freeze's reason for being a villain is more or less justified (but still wrong). He is inciting a vendetta against Gothcorp for killing his wife. After watching the episode, one hopes that Mr. Freeze will stop his schemes once Nora is cured. However, we all know from Sub-Zero that even after Nora was cured, Mr. Freeze continued to be a villain. He is a very sad and lonely man. Sometimes, he is almost the same as Bruce Wayne. The only difference is Bruce Wayne channeled his anger towards a productive way while Mr. Freeze channeled his anger in a destructive way. :D

[sun]

Who wrote and directed Heart of Ice, nice to know, thanks. Stuart

[The Penguin]

Originally posted by oldtoonguy
Who wrote and directed Heart of Ice, nice to know, thanks. Stuart

According to WF's BTAS episode reviews page, it was written by Paul Dini and our directed by our buddy Bruce Timm.

[Naraht]

Originally posted by The Penguin


According to WF's BTAS episode reviews page, it was written by Paul Dini and our directed by our buddy Bruce Timm.

Who are they? Quit making people up!

=D

Ok, I admit it, Heart of Ice will win. In fact...you HoI people...um..you actually don't need to vote any more...honest..


hrm, now where to find 70 people to pay off to vote for Grey GHost...

hrm

[sun]

Originally posted by The Penguin


According to WF's BTAS episode reviews page, it was written by Paul Dini and our directed by our buddy Bruce Timm.

[James Harvey]

Heart of Ice was a great collaboration between the two, and wow...really kicking butt in the polls. It may have 100 votes even by the time the pull is done. This episode revived the Freeze character and set the tone for the series...a great episode.

[Naraht]

Uh...um..

Oh, guys...er...it seems there's a BUG in the system, and if you want to vote for Heart of Ice, you need to pretend you're voting for Beware the Grey GHost, and select that one....

Honest...

Please?

[James Harvey]

Nice try naraht! Lets the people vote for what they wanna vote! I am a bit surprised that only two people votes for See No Evil. I thought that show would at least hit double digits.

[Joe Wagner]

Heart of Ice was by far my favorite Batman ep, and still is to this day. Mr. Freeze is my favorite Batman 'villain' (if you can call him that) and I think this episode did a superb job of showing what he was all about. Gee, who knew that HoI would be such a run away?

-Joe!

[RJLundeen]

That's the sad thing about these groupings. In any other group,I would have gone with G.G. but up against Heart of Ice, I've got to go with Victor. -Kblamm.

[peterparker05]

I chose "I've Got Batman In My Basement" because it was the first ep of BTAS that I ever saw. It got my sentimental vote.

[The Dark Knight]

Wow. I suspected "Heart of Ice" would win, but not by this much. I wonder if it could go all the way as the best Batman episode.

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
Nice try naraht! Lets the people vote for what they wanna vote! I am a bit surprised that only two people votes for See No Evil. I thought that show would at least hit double digits.

Well, that's the way it works with a "winner take all" system. I'd say "See No Evil" is 90% of the episode that "Heart of Ice" is, but the system forces me to give 100% of my vote to HoI. And when everyone feels that way (whether it's about "Grey Ghost" or "Two Face 2") then HoI is going to look like it's stomping everyone else into the ground.

[Bud 'n Lou]

I was one of the people who voted for "See No Evil." I expected it to get more than two voted too.

[Caped Crusader]

It was slightly easier making a decision in this poll than in the last one. Heart of Ice got my vote; it's a fantastic ep! :)

[Barb Gordon]

I had to vote for Grey Ghost, obviously! I found it to be one of the most incredible and just totally cool episode of Batman ever. It's so a classic, and different from the others.

Barb^-^

[Ruffian]

I voted for Gray Ghost too. It's more sentimental, seeing a part of Bruce's past as a child, and the parallels between the Gray Ghost and the 60's Batman. It reminded me of how I used to watch She-Ra as a child, rooting for my favorite superhero. Heart of Ice is a definite favorite of mine, but after a lot of thinking I think Gray Ghost was the better of the two for its story and presentation.

[James Harvey]

The parallels between Adam West and Simon Trent are remarkably similair. Both are forever type cast in that role and their careers have suffered for it, undeniably. I couldn't help but feel a bit sad for West when I saw him hosting a Canadian Improv Contest in a bar for Cripes Sake! It was on the COMEDY CHANNEL not too long, and I couldn't help but just feel a bit bad. Still, he's a bit more financially secure then Trent, thankfully.

BEWARE THE GREY GHOST is a favorite or mine, but not the favorite for me.

[Theking]

I hope that West's life doesn't parallel the Character he played in The Simpsons show.

Yikes

TheKing

[Batman 80]

Heart of Ice. What a great way to introduce the audience to Mr. Freeze.

[Mr. Obsession]

Let's see: Almost 200 votes, HoI has over half of them, and it's only Wednesday... Dang!

Makes me glad that I voted for the winner. :D

[Manhunter]

Originally posted by Phantom Cruiser
True, Michael Ansara did a brilliant job playing the tortured Victor Fries, and maybe if Arnold Schwarzeneggar watched this episode instead of the old Otto Preminger "Batman" episodes, "Batman and Robin" would've ended up just being horrible, instead of god-awful... But I digress...

Well,to be fair,Schumacher is mostly to blame for that.

[Mattashell]

It's so easy to blame Schumacher isn't it.

Lost Boys, Flatliners, and Falling Down are a few examples that show he was perfectly capable of giving fans the sort of dark image Batman film they wanted. But Joel Schumacher is not a maker of indie films. He makes movies the way the studio tells him to, and that is how Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin came out. And that's why fans of the Frank Miller/Tim Burton/Bruce Timm darker versions hated them.

Matta

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
I couldn't help but feel a bit sad for West when I saw him hosting a Canadian Improv Contest in a bar for Cripes Sake! It was on the COMEDY CHANNEL not too long, and I couldn't help but just feel a bit bad.

I caught his appearance on "News Radio" about a week ago and nearly bust a gut. It is sad that he's been reduced to playing himself but he seems to have fun with it.

[Theking]

I thought that Grey Ghost would be a closer second than it is, of all of the great ep. in this poll I just thought it would be closer.

TheKing
Android 18 (oh what a honey)

[sun]

Originally posted by Theking
I thought that Grey Ghost would be a closer second than it is, of all of the great ep. in this poll I just thought it would be closer.

TheKing
Android 18 (oh what a honey)

Greatness does not always win, sometimes it doesn't even place....Orsen Wells, classic, Citizen Kane, wasn't even recognized for years...Grey Ghost, is just different than Heart of Ice, it doesn't mean it is better, just in this unscientific poll...and this board has offered some great thought, and outstanding commments that has made people think, which is what this is all about, in addition to having fun.....Stuart

[Failure]

I thought GG would keep it a bit closer as well, but it's kind of like tennis. You can play to deuce every time, but if you lose the last 2 points every time, the game's gonna end up 6-0 and everyone's going to think it was a blowout when actually it was a lot closer than the score would say.

[Phantom Cruiser]

Originally posted by Manhunter


Well,to be fair,Schumacher is mostly to blame for that.

True, Schumacher is mostly to blame, but Arnold did say he watched the old "Batman" Mr. Freeze episodes for reference, and Joel Schumacher or not, he couldn't have used a more incorrect point of reference. He should have watched "Heart of Ice" and that would've told him all he needed to know.

[James Harvey]

With three days left of voting, this looks to be a clear victory for Heart of Ice, and it's easy to understand why. Poll #3 however...wow...that's gonna be a tough one...

[The Penguin]

http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/wfepisodes/hoi_06.jpg

"I failed you. I wish there were another way for me to say it. I cannot. I can only beg your forgiveness and pray you hear me somehow, someplace... Someplace where a warm hand waits for mine." Mr. Freeze, Heart of Ice






Congrats to Heart of Ice! The vote was just to "split" for Two-Face, Part II to have a 50-50 chance. ;) For what it's worth it is in third. :rolleyes:

EDIT: But if you haven't voted yet please do so, that's how the poll keeps going.

[James Harvey]

With less than two days left to vote, this looks to be the most lop sided victory that the poll will likely have...

[Bird Boy]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
With less than two days left to vote, this looks to be the most lop sided victory that the poll will likely have...

I'll say...geesh, out of the 227 votes....122 of them are for Heart of Ice.. :o

yowsa. I don't even remember much of that ep.. :(

-BB

[James Harvey]

With less than 48 hours to vote, it looks like the winner is clear - but for those who haven't voted - please vote! This thread will likely close Sunday at 2pm (ET) - so please vote before then!

[M'ral]

Ooooh, this was a toughie. It's Never Too Late , Heart of Ice , Beware the Grey Ghost , See No Evil , Two Face pt 2 , and Feat of Clay pt 1 in the same poll! :eek: Finally, though, I had to pick one, so I went with It's Never Too Late , which I loved because of the character development and the mob presence (God I missed that in TNBA!). "Grey Ghost" I eliminated based only on the animation, and I figured Heart of Ice didn't need my vote!

[Psychobra]

Honestly, guys, you mean to tell me that Beware the Grey Ghost doesn'y touch you at an emotional level? I mean, not only is it a great, well thought and written episode, but it also is a direct parallel to Adam West's life (he was the 60's Batman and the voice of the "Grey Ghost", ya dummy). Anyway, all the eps are sweet, but Grey Ghost is the pick of this litter.

[BatChick]

I voted for Bat in the Basement. Though it was tough because I like Gray Ghost just as much. The thing i like best about Bat in the Basement is that Batman had to rely on someone else with out any choice in the matter.

[James Harvey]

The Grey Ghost is an awesome episode, but Heart of Ice is what did it for me. I can remember watching HOI and just being blown away. This episode did to Freeze in 20 minutes was 20 years of comic continuity couldn't do. Give him a character.

[Failure]

Barring a last second flurry by GG, it looks my little bet that HoI would at least double GG's votes was on the money.

Here's my new bets for the next poll:
1. that we get 300 votes
2. Joker's Favor, Feat of Clay pt2, and Perchance to Dream rack up 85% of the votes.
3. In the order of (1) Feat of Clary (2) Perchance to Dream and (3) Joker's Favor (although I'll be rooting for PtD)

C'mon big money!

[James Harvey]

Well, with 40 minutes to go...looks like we know who the victor is....:)

[James Harvey]

The winner revealed...not that is was a surprise or anything. :) Any comments? The next poll will be up tomorrow!!

[Joker85]

Man, the poll tomorrow will be soooo much harder than this one was!!! I still don't know which one I'm voting for.

[James Harvey]

The next one will undoubtably be the hardest on eyet. Here's the episode rundown:

21. FEAT OF CLAY PART 2
22. JOKER'S FAVOR
23. VENDETTA
24. FEAR OF VICTORY
25. CLOCK KING
26. APPOINTMENT IN CRIME ALLEY
27. MAD AS A HATTER
28. DREAMS IN DARKNESS
29. ETERNAL YOUTH
30. PERCHANCE TO DREAM

I'll include episode synopsis in the Poll#3 post tomorrow morning. This is definatly gonna be a tight race to the bitter end. There is no doubt about that. For the first time, I see no clear winner here.

[zmanjz]

By far my two favorite episodes:

Heart of ice presents Mr. Freeze in the most powerful depiction of the sympathetic villian. The creation of Freeze by the crooked Gothcorp executive has repercutions that reach all the way to "Heart of Ice" in Batman Beyond.

Beware the Grey Ghost is also a great episode in which an aging actor finds redemption in becoming the character he once played. A character that helped to shape.... The Batman.

Both of these stories exemplify the best work done in animation. The more a person considers the series, It amazes me how well these episodes were done.

It is important to resognisze that although Michael Answara did an amasing job with Mr. Freeze, The voice of Kevin Conroy has been the Ultimate expression of Batman, surpassing all other actors who have played the part (whether Live action, or Animated)

[James Harvey]

So true. Conroy is Batman. Keaton isn't. West isn't. Conroy is. He breathes life into a character and made it work. He became the character. He is the character. He is just perfect as the character. I don't think I could see any other person as Batman. Yes, there will be the live action versions, but Conroy will always reign supreme.

Oh yeah...um..Heart of Ice won the poll...:)

[Heehaw]

I voted for "It's Never too Late". Strong characters/animation and one of the more mature stories of the series. Freeze and GG are my other picks.

The next poll is a tough one. Feat 2 and Dreams in Darkness have superb animation and among the best there is, but Appointment in Crime Alley is at the top of my list on this particular round. I love the score and the way the whole thing is presented. Batman's a brooder and one of the few instances where he actually is in the series.

There's alot of other ones that are close, too.

[Salvor]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey

Oh yeah...um..Heart of Ice won the poll...:)
Great!!... cause I had feared 'Procephy of Doom' might catch up with it at some point :)