The Best On Screen Version Of Batman

In celebration of the release of The Dark Knight Rises, I thought that I would write about the version of Batman that I have loved the most over the years, which is, of course Batman: The Animated Series. After the jump, I explain why I feel this is the case.

Batman: The Animated Series (or B:TAS) is the version of Batman that I grew up with. I remember every day coming home from school, doing my homework, and watching Batman while my mother was cooking dinner. In fact, I loved it so much that mom started taping episodes for me, so I could watch them over and over again. Those VHS tapes actually still exist, and it is so great watching them again and seeing all the commercials from the '90s.

Watching that show as I grew up was what made me a Batman fan. I did not really get into Batman comics on a regular basis until just a couple of years ago. So that version of Batman is the version that I compare all iterations of Batman against. The way that Kevin Conroy voiced both Batman and Bruce Wayne as two separate people is something that was new to the Batman mythos - and something that we still see to this day in Christain Bale's Batman. The show was written for people of all ages; there was enough to appeal to me as a kid and even to this day I am amazed by the deep storytelling in each episode. Going back and watching episodes like Heart of Ice - which would forever redefine Mr. Freeze - is always entertaining. It is the kind of writing and storytelling that you do not really see in a cartoon. It actually is more like American anime than your standard Saturday morning cartoon.

There is no doubt in my mind that Batman: The Animated Series is not only the best portrayal of Batman on screen, but probably the best cartoon/TV show to ever be aired on television. One of my dreams is to be able to interview Kevin Conroy for one of my shows. I buy any Batman-related items that he lends his voice to, because I enjoy his portrayal that much.

What about you? Did you enjoy B:TAS as much as I did? Or did you have another favorite show/cartoon that affected you in the same manner? Let me know in the comments below!