IMAGES COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
If you’re psyched for The Dark Knight (July 18) and you want to see Batman like you’ve never seen him before, check out Batman: Gotham Knight, a six chapter movie that blends beautiful anime with powerful storytelling — all surrounding one of the darkest and most legendary comic book heroes.
Released on DVD and Blu-ray, Gotham Knight is composed of six stand-alone episodes that bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Gotham City is still a very dangerous place, but Batman is a symbol of hope for its citizens and corrupt police department. Find out what happened to the Scarecrow after Batman Begins and see other stories featuring Killer Croc and Deadshot. The quality storytelling comes from several extremely talented comic book and movie writers who all know this character.
The animation was done by Japan’s Studio 4°C, Production I.G, and Madhouse, the same studios that worked on The Animatrix movie. Sure, Batman has been animated before — in many different styles — but not like this. Each chapter of Gotham Knight offers a unique and fresh vision of Batman, and they all perfectly capture the essence of what makes him such a tragic and inspirational hero.
Besides terrific storytelling and animation, Gotham Knight also features Kevin Conroy as the voice actor for Bruce Wayne/Batman. Kevin Conroy is to Batman what Peter Cullen is to Optimus Prime. Fans of Batman: The Animated Series and many other DC animated movies and television shows know how perfect his voice is for this role. It enhances what is already an amazing collection of animated gems.
The DVD and Blu-ray also feature some pretty sweet bonus materials, like the documentary Batman and Me: The Bob Kane Story, a featurette A Mirror for the Bat about Batman and all of his wonderful villains, and four Batman: The Animated Series episodes.
Still not convinced this is worth buying twice? Check out the amazing trailer below or click here.
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Here’s a chapter-by-chapter synopsis from the Gotham Knight website.
>In “Have I Got a Story for You,” Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson (“A History of Violence”) tells the story of how chance encounters with Batman by a group of youngsters leave each kid with a very different impression of the Dark Knight.
>In “Crossfire,” acclaimed novelist/comics writer Greg Rucka tells the story of Gotham City police having to get over their distrust of Batman – while under fire from the mob.
>In “Field Test,” writer Jordan Goldberg showcases the incredible high-tech arsenal Batman commands and reveals that there are some things even Batman won’t do in his pursuit of justice.
>“In Darkness Dwells” takes Batman into the Gotham sewers to face “Killer Croc,” a deformed thug who seems even more monstrous after the Scarecrow, and his fear toxin, makes a resurgence, in a story by David S. Goyer, co-screenwriter of “Batman Begins.”
>Award-winning comics writer Brian Azzarello explores an early chapter of Bruce Wayne’s training in “Working Through Pain,” showing how a mysterious and exotic Indian woman named Cassandra introduced Batman to techniques that would help him to conquer the physical and spiritual consequences of what he does.
>Finally, in “Deadshot,” four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett ties together threads from all the Batman Gotham Knight chapters, as Batman must thwart an unerring assassin whose love of guns and disregard for human life lets him cross lines that even a Dark Knight shies away from.
