Like many others, I'll be at my local theater Thursday night to see the midnight showing of The Dark Knight. As with many blockbuster movies these days, there are all kinds of tie-ins that appear before the release of the movie, not the least of which being the release or re-release of several titles related to the film in some way. Last week, the long-awaited DVD Batman: Gotham Knight hit the shelves, and I got the chance to sit down and watch it last night.

There are six short stories, all by different authors and animators, but all do tie together, if only loosely. They are meant to be watched as one big story, and they bridge the time between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, as shown by the references to Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow, and the toxin as depicted in Batman Begins. While it is not crucial to view either this collection of stories or the first movie to understand either, fans wanting the whole package will want to check this out.

For those who want a synopsis of the stories, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Gotham_Knight has an excellent article. I won't go into story details much here, so as not to ruin things for those who have not seen the DVD yet. However, I do want to share some likes and dislikes of the video.

Overall, I liked all the stories. Each one gave us insight into Batman and the other characters. Story-wise, I think my favorite has to be “Field Test”. We see both Bruce and Batman, and we also see Lucius Fox, who is a very important part of Batman's support team but is too often ignored. At the end of the story, we see Bruce express one of the fundamental tenants of Bruce/Batman, when he says that he's willing to put his life on the line but no one else's. He is both unwilling to take a life or endanger a life. (Now, before some of you out there start saying what about Robin, in the best stories, there is emphasis on the fact that he does not want to take any of the young men who have joined him as Robin out until they are ready.) This was an excellent story, having all the elements that I like to see – action, gadgets, supporting characters, and a bit of mystery-solving on Bruce's part, to remind us that his actions out of the costume are just as important as those in it.

For me, the weak point of the disc was some of the animation. It was very well done, in each story, but some of the styles simply did not appeal to me. I did not at all like the look of “Have I Got A Story For You”, as I much prefer the more realistic type of animation. I also did not like the animation used in “In Darkness Dwells” - I realize that part of the look was supposed to remind the viewer of the hallucinogen that Scarecrow created, but even the parts that were not meant to be seen that way just had a weird quality. 

If I had to choose an overall favorite chapter, considering both story and art, it would be “Deadshot”. The more traditional animation that I prefer, combined with a great story with a good villain and a nice twist, make this the most enjoyable part for me. We see the teamwork between Batman, Alfred, and Jim Gordon and his officers, and we see them pitted against a tricky nemesis, Deadshot, who is truly the opposite of everything Batman is.

There are some nice extra features on the second disc of this 2-disc set. A Mirror for the Bat looked at the villains of the Batman universe. They not only looked at the ones featured in Gotham Knight, but many of his more famous adversaries over the years, from Joker and Harley Quinn to Penguin to Mr. Freeze. Experts that included writers from Gotham Knight, writers, illustrators, and editors from DC comics, and comic historians gave us a history of many of the important villains that have shaped Batman. My only criticism of this featurette was that it seemed to go a little long. Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story is an in depth look at the life of Batman creator Bob Kane. Notable figures that appeared to talk about Kane included his widow Elizabeth, Mark Hamill, and Stan Lee, and there was also footage of Kane talking about himself and his creation. Again, this featurette went a little long, but was very interesting regarding the life of this wonderful creator. The third feature is four favorite episodes of Batman: The Animated Series as chosen and presented by series co-creator and producer Bruce Timm. While I do enjoy the episodes, this does smack a bit of simply being a commercial for the series on DVD. Also, there is a preview for what is scheduled to be the next DC Universe original animated feature, Wonder Woman. After seeing that, it looks like it will be a great addition to the DC animated features line. Lastly, for those who enjoy audio commentaries, there is one included here, featuring Gregory Noveck (senior vice president of creative affairs at DC Comics), Dennis O'Neil (former Batman comics editor for DC comics), and Kevin Conroy (the voice of Bruce/Batman)

I also wanted to mention another item that we purchased when we got Gotham Knight – the limited edition giftset of Batman Begins. There are two versions of this set, one for DVD and one for Blu-Ray, and there are different features for each set. As we don't own a Blu-Ray player yet, we opted for the DVD set, and we liked the extras, which included the two-disc deluxe version of the movie, two lenticular cards, one for Batman Begins and one for The Dark Knight, a disc with a 2-minute sneak peek of The Dark Knight, 5 collectible Batman Begins postcards, $7.50 in Hollywood Movie Money for The Dark Knight, and a special 128MB flash drive containing images from the new movie (the drive even has a bat symbol on it). The movie itself also has some extras, including MTV's Tankman Begins (a Batman Begins spoof), Inner Demons Comic (a special interactive comic book that allows viewers to explore the special features), and featurettes on the Batmobile, locations in Gotham City (including the Batcave and Wayne Manor), and Christian Bale's transformation into Batman, among many other features. I have not yet been able to examine all of the movie features, but I did enjoy the sneak peek at The Dark Knight, and I'm lucky enough that my local theater will take the movie money. In all, I think this set is worth the cost for true fans.

Next week, I'll have my review of The Dark Knight, and perhaps a couple of other surprises. In the meantime, if you need another Batman fix, head to your local comic shop and ask about Batman: RIP, one of the current DC comics events that is crossing several Bat-related titles and is sure to shake up that part of the DC universe for some time to come.

Photos:  Wikipedia.org, wired.com, warnervideo.com

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