DCAU Rewatch Preview: BTAS 19: Prophecy of Doom
A self-proclaimed psychic is preying upon the wealthy of Gotham City. The con man will find more than he bargains for when he tries to target hapless playboy Bruce Wayne.
Credits
Story by Dennis Marks
Teleplay by Sean Catherine Derek
Directed by Frank Paur
Music by Shirley Walker
Animation Services by Akom Production Co.
Layout Services by NOA Animation
In the last few years when I’ve felt like watching Batman, I’ve picked a few old favorites. I don’t remember having anything particularly against this one but I catalogued it to the part of my mind where I store some of the weakest episodes of the show. That’s not completely fair to this particular episode which is mostly fine if unremarkable.
The first thing that grabbed me in this show was the opening swing music that led into the raucous dance scene and casino on board the cruise ship. It’s an effective sixty second story that perfectly sets a mood—and then introduces drama and tragedy. There are quite a few sweeping camera pans throughout this episode, an assured confidence in the art and visuals. It's surprising this was Akom, as at least this part of the episode is definitely a bit higher in quality than their previous work. But that Akom quality does pop up as the episode unfolds.
As the series goes on we get less and less Bruce Wayne, so it is really nice here to get so much of the hapless facade as Batman uses his identity to investigate Nostromos’ cult. Not only does Conroy deliver the foppish dialogue with incredible comedic sensibility, but the dialogue itself perfectly captures the obnoxious and affable aura this Bruce presents. Even the animators have some fun with the way the character moves. It’s a nice wrinkle of dramatic storytelling to have Bruce lose his love interest as a consequence of his investigation into Nostromos.
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BTAS Episode 6: The Underdwellers now unlocked!
The unlocking of previous episodes continues. The first 6 episodes of Batman the Animated Series are now free to read for anyone on Patreon. The latest episode ready to go: The Underwellers.
A rash of petty crime perpetrated by children leads Batman into a clash underground when he encounters a man who fashions himself as The Sewer King.