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 TOPHER HEALY dons cape and utility belt to watch new Japanese-American co-production BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT, and asks, “will the real Batman please stand up?”
As the world prepares to go Batman crazy once again with the imminent release of the Christopher Nolan-directed The Dark Knight (or should that be ‘Joker crazy’, given the amount of attention thus far directed at Heath Ledger’s reportedly stunning performance), DC comics’ animated division have provided Bat-fans with the perfect bridging feature to whet appetites for the new film.
Batman: Gotham Knight is a compilation of six short features produced in the method of The Animatrix, with American scripts developed by Japanese anime houses. With stories from such acclaimed comic writers as Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) and Greg Rucka (Queen & Country), what results is an excellent exploration of the myth of Batman within the universe that Christopher Nolan has developed for his Christian Bale version of Bruce Wayne/Bats. However, it’s not just a tide-me-over between movies, with the individual animation studios providing a variety of character designs and styles, mirroring the way the character has been handled by innumerable creators since his first appearance in 1939.
The best example of this is the first tale – Have I Got A Story For You – which presents a sequence of events told Rashomon-style from the perspective of a group of skaters who witness Batman in action. Each young skater recalls Batman battling an unnamed assailant differently, usually as some of sort of superhuman, monster or even a robot, but as the end of the tale displays perfectly, Batman is very much a human being. The animation here, provided by Shoujirou Nishimi of Tekon kinkurito (Black & White), is nu-breed anime – grittier, with highly stylised designs derived from underground manga.
Second up is the Greg Rucka-scripted Crossfire, which focuses on supporting cop characters from the Chris Nolan movie – unfortunately it’s perhaps the least interesting episode, but does set up a narrative link for the tales (a turf conflict between two Gotham Gangsters). The third story, Field Test, then ups the tech-geek angle of the new Batman, with Lucius Fox (played by Morgan Freeman in the films) providing Bruce Wayne with a bullet-deflecting device. This in turn leads to a little insight into the good guy Bat-psyche, as an accidental injury caused by the new armour makes Bats determined to only put his own life on the line when fighting crime.
In Darkness Dwells introduces longtime Bat-villain Killer Croc and returns The Scarecrow to the rogues gallery in a subterranean adventure. It segues nicely into Working Through Pain, one of the best of the bunch, in which Brian Azzarello takes us back to Bruce Wayne’s time in India learning pain-managing techniques. Here we see that while Batman knows how to cope with the numerous injuries encountered in his line of work, Bruce Wayne still suffers psychological pain that no amount of breathing exercises can cure. It’s also likely to confuse casual Bat-fans with character designs derived from both contemporary and ‘classic’ sources (try explaining to someone who has never read a Batman comic why Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred is suddenly a balding man with a pencil moustache instead of a silver fox like Michael Caine.)
Deadshot wraps up the compilation with an old-fashioned Bats-in-action story as an assassin is hired to kill Lieutenant Gordon (aka ‘the only honest cop in Gotham’). It sets the scene nicely as we see how Batman’s presence in Gotham has changed the once-fearful, crime-ridden nature of the city, allowing for a certain green-haired anarchist clown to burst onto the scene and shake things up.
Gotham Knight therefore provides a two-fold treat in it’s execution, by expanding the Nolan-helmed movie universe and also giving an excellent dip into the mythology of the Batman as the icon becomes a conduit for different creators from both East and West. The character’s lasting appeal seems set to continue for some time yet, and with Gotham Knight, it’s not hard to see why.
 BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT is available now through Warner Home Video. It also screens as part of the Reel Anime Festival 2008, at Dendy George St until July 13. The Dark Knight opens in cinemas Wednesday July 16.
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