Beware The Batman - Blog Posts

"Bravo, Batman. Checkmate. Shall we play again?"

Just another pic I made of Anarky from Beware The Batman. I know that this version is incredibly polarizing, but I for one love this deranged little chess nerd. How does it look?

Ra's Al Ghul Tribute (Die Tomorrow)

This is a song I found that I think fits Ra's Al Ghul from Beware The Batman perfectly. Give it a listen!

Anarky Tribute (A Chorus Of Resistance/Evil)

This is a song I found that fits Anarky from Beware The Batman perfectly. Give it a listen!

BEWARE THE BATMAN COVER

This is just a fun comic cover I made for Beware The Batman. It was heavily inspired by AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #13.

Katana Tribute (Warrior)

This is a song I found that I think fits Tatsu Yamashiro a.k.a Katana from Beware The Batman perfectly. Give it a listen!

Katana Tribute (Stand My Ground)

This is a song I found that I think fits Tatsu Yamashiro a.k.a Katana from Beware The Batman perfectly. Give it a listen!

Katana (Beware The Batman)

I did a few sketches of Katana's original show design. Why not? I do understand why they went with what they made: It's easy to draw and replicate. And it's not bad by any means, just a bit plain. Tatsu has this real elegance to her character, exuding confidence and determination with sprinkles of compassion and wit seen throughout the series. Her completely black design does resemble a ninja, which is how her and Batman are often portrayed as. I just wish her look had more to it, is all.

ANARKY (Beware The Batman)

This is my own redraw of Anarky from the "Beware The Batman" cartoon. While I know everyone has their own opinions on the show (or don't know it exists), I will admit that it has always been one of my favorite Batman shows. One of the most polarizing things about the show is its inclusion of obscure Batman villains like Professor Pyg & Magpie and using them as placeholders for the primary Batman villains. And though I certainly am one to be critical of vast departures in comic-to-screen adaptations, I am willing to forgive certain decisions if they make sense or at least have good reasoning. Case in point: The show's depiction of Anarky.

I will admit that this is kind of a terrible Anarky. He's not a politically conscious teenage anti-hero/anti-villain who masquerades as an adult to further his political rebellion and has an on/off relationship with the Bat Family. Instead, he's basically the show's answer to The Joker. And while I normally wouldn't be so forgiving of such a change to a character that I like and respect, I am willing to accept it if what they make is at least good. And while this isn't a good Anarky, IT IS A GREAT VILLAIN. One thing I like so much about this Anarky is that they basically made him the "Anti-Batman". He dresses in a nearly accurate costume to Batman's, save for it having a hood, an "A" as its symbol, and being entirely white. He even has similar gadgets, though made to kill people as opposed to Batman's non-lethal gadgets. He's also a master combatant who can hold his own against Batman (He was basically the proto Nemesis). I also like how they use him as a Joker placeholder while still making him his own character. Instead of being a maniacal mass-murdering cartoon villain dressed in a purple tuxedo, he's a much more reserved and calculated mastermind who often manipulates others into unknowingly doing his bidding; like when he tricked Batman and Lady Shiva into nearly unleashing an epidemic or when he teamed up with Harvey Dent to take down Batman, which led to the latter getting scarred and becoming Two-Face. He's also not clown-themed in any way, instead going for more of a Chess theme with him as the "White King" and Batman as the "Black King". I also really like his portrayal by Wallace Langham. Instead of being a very off-the-wall over-the-top hammy performance, he's soft-spoken and mellow, but with hints of malice behind his voice. He kind of sounds like Neil Patrick Harris if he had Schizophrenia. Anarky barely ever loses his cool and hardly ever raises his voice, which adds to his menace.

That's all I have to say really. What are your opinions of "Beware The Batman" or this version of Anarky?

More Pics Of My Redesigned Katana

My Redesign of Katana (Beware The Batman)

I suppose I've been on a sort of "Beware The Batman" kick recently. Yesterday I redrew the show's interpretation of Anarky. Today, I did the same for my favorite character from the show: Tatsu Yamashiro a.k.a. Katana. Tatsu is easily one of the best characters in the show; a former CIA mole in the League of Assassins who stole the Soul-taker Sword and faked her death when she discovered how powerful it was. She was then hired by her godfather Alfred Pennyworth as Bruce Wayne's bodyguard, a job that she excels very well at. After the League of Assassins made their way to Gotham and infiltrated Wayne Manor, they discovered Tatsu was not only alive but also possessed the Soul-taker Sword, they make it their mission to kill her and get the sword back. Long story short; they fail and Tatsu finds out that Bruce Wayne is Batman, who then takes her under his wing as his new partner in crime-fighting, Katana. Tatsu works very well as a contrast to Batman: stubborn, feisty, a tad arrogant, and more than a little stand-offish. But underneath it all, she is clever, quick-witted, good-natured, compassionate, self sacrificing, and truly heroic.

Though I certainly love Katana, I will admit that she has one truly noticable flaw: her design. I understand that computer animation was different back then (especially when you don't have quite enough of a budget to do more visually), but her design is quite boring. Tatsu never changes her clothes throughout the entire series. She doesn't even really have a "Costume". She just wears the same leather jacket and high-heel boots (which just seem impractical for her), but puts on a domino mask and sword strap when she becomes Katana. So I decided to fix that. My idea wasn't to just give her a samurai outfit, though. I instead took inspiration from her history in this universe as a CIA operative and gave her something a spy might wear. Instead of her outfit being all black, it's a reinforced black leather jacket and pants with red ribbing along the sides to add a bit of color. I got rid of the high heels and replaced them with black combat boots, like Batman. I also added black gloves and a utility belt to her outfit to break up all of the black and red, but also to give it a more tactical look. I also gave her a hair bun, as it just seems impractical to let her hair hang down and wave about during combat.

What do you think? Does it look better or worse? Tell me in the comments.