Batman Takes On Hugo Strange and Pet Giant in Timm's Strange Days Short

[Karloff]

Batman Takes On Hugo Strange and Pet Giant in Timm's Strange Days Short


"It's kind of a throwback to Batman's origins," says Timm.

"I always wanted to do Batman as a period piece," says Bruce Timm, and now he has. The co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series has been working on this 75th Anniversary short [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133507-Bruce-Timms-Latest-Batman-Animated-Short-Debuts-April-9] for a while now, and we finally get to see Strange Days in all its 1930s glory. Hugo Strange and his pet giant - Solomon Grundy in all but name, except this one isn't spouting ancient nursery rhymes - have abducted a young woman for Sinister Purposes. Can the Dark Knight rescue her in time?

1939's the first year Batman appeared on the newsstand, hence the pulp aesthetic. Strange gets the lead antagonist role because he's one of Batman's earliest adversaries - February 1940, in Detective Comics #36 - and while Grundy appears in 1944, he's a Green Lantern villain.

Incidentally, yes that is Batman: Arkham Knight [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175834/?ref_=nv_sr_1], due October 2014.

This is the year of the Bat [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133288-DC-Marks-75th-Anniversary-of-Batman-With-Year-Of-Celebrations], so expect more anniversary goodness soon!

Source: DC Entertainment YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFwOS2R9o_8]

[http://pv.webbyawards.com/2014/web/general-website/games-related]


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[Ne1butme]

Incidentally, yes that is Batman: Arkham Knight [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175834/?ref_=nv_sr_1], due October 2014.

Bruce Timm is involved with Arkham Knight? That's the first time I've ever heard of something like that.

 

[Karloff]

IMDB has him as one of the writers. Uncredited, apparently, but he's there.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3554580/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr#writers

 

[vid87]

I really hate saying this about all the talented people involved, but if that was the whole thing it was pretty underwhelming. Also, I didn't mind the "throwback" aesthetic in itself, but using modern Batman was jarring and clashes with the tone - why would the current Batman use a WWII fighter plane?

 

[Trooper924]

This needs to be a series. I would pay anything to have this be a series.

 

[Ne1butme]

IMDB has him as one of the writers. Uncredited, apparently, but he's there.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3554580/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr#writers

He's only listed because he created the Harley Quinn character. That doesn't mean anything about involvement with development.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Isn't the "pet giant" Solomon Grundy?

Anyway it was epic but a tad too short for my liking. Either way it was nice seeing Bruce Timm work again.

 

[vid87]

Anyone else notice "Grundy's" outfit looks really similar to the redesign for Scarecrow in the B:TAS later seasons?

 

[Kenjitsuka]

The names got me really exciting... and to no avail.
Hardly any voicework by Conroy and very generic stuff.
They could've done a LOT in those few minutes (like the Batman vs Terminator short the Escapist featured some time ago!).

 

[Ne1butme]

Anyone else notice "Grundy's" outfit looks really similar to the redesign for Scarecrow in the B:TAS later seasons?

i saw it more as an old western undertaker costume. But it's a nice look.

That said, why is a zombie affected by Tear gas? Didn't think he had to breathe.


Edit: I just looked up the Scarecrow from Batman and Robin animated show and you're right. Very close image.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I like how it's instantly recognizable as the Justice League Batman design, but then you notice the subtle changes to the gloves and boots, that give it the more old timey feel.

 

[RealRT]

So nobody noticed that the bat-ears on the batsuit are almost exactly like in the Case of Chemical Syndicate, the very first Batman story ever?

 

[vid87]

That said, why is a zombie affected by Tear gas? Didn't think he had to breathe.

Did it affect anyone at all? Strange and the woman were walking around with no problem. It was more of a smokescreen than anything.

 

[Ratty]

Isn't the "pet giant" Solomon Grundy?

Anyway it was epic but a tad too short for my liking. Either way it was nice seeing Bruce Timm work again.

Nah he's a callback to giants that Hugo Strange made out of mental patients in a Golden Age story, the hat is a dead giveaway.

I don't remember the name of the story but I read it a few years ago in one of the "Batman Chronicles" volumes, and iirc it's fairly famous because Batman kills the giants and muses on how it's unfortunate but necessary. He did kill other people in the following years (dropping a giant stone Buddha statue on dozens of Chinese gangsters in one story comes to mind) but not often.

 

[Brockyman]

I'm still waiting for all the "Man of Steel" ending haters to be like "Batman let Hugo Strange die, Batman doesn't let peopled die"

As far as Man of Steel. Yes, Superman has killed. No, there wasn't anyone way to save that family or keep Zod imprisoned. All the Kryptonian tech and atmosphere had been destroyed so there wasn't anything else to be done. If you think otherwise, your wrong, factually.