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Ranking the DC Cartoons

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
This list only includes the DCAU continuity. So no Teen Titans, Young Justice, or DC Animated Movies (like Batman Ninja, Flashpoint, Judas Contract) as awesome as they are.

#1 Batman The Animated Series
250px-Batman_the_Animated_Series_logo.jpg

Incredible storytelling, artistic direction, and mood. This version of Batman is neither super gritty like Frank Miller nor super "realistic" like Christopher Nolan. Instead you get something closer to Tim Burton's whimsical yet serious take but in animated form and with a fuckton of episodes. Superhero conflicts are fun to watch, but nothing is as exciting as watching a man, with all his limitations and flaws, go up against maniacs and psychos. Batman's power is his brain, not energy beams or super strength.
Verdict: 5 out of 5. A Must-Watch. Only a small handful of bad episodes. Kids and adults alike will love it.
Best Villain: Mr. Freeze. Tragic figure with top tier aesthetics. Pure bitter rage in its most (well, least) fiery form.

#2 Justice League: Unlimited
latest

Who watches the Watchmen? Forget Zack Snyder's ridiculous adaptation of the graphic novel that asks how superheroes would be treated by society. THIS is the televised work that encapsulates Alan Moore's ideas best. It also builds directly off Justice League perfectly. When you multiply the original roster by five times you'd expect for character development and an overarching plot to go down the drain. This is especially when you consider that the two-episode format is done away with to accommodate single episode stories instead. So by all accounts this should be a dumbed down eclectic sequel to Justice League, right? Not so. JLU has all the drama, character development, twists you enjoyed in Justice League with stakes that are even higher and action that is even more intense.
Verdict: 5 out of 5. A must-watch. Season 2 has 3 or 4 lame episodes. Kids may get bored by some of the more dialogue-heavy episodes.
Best Villain: Lex Luthor. Think Bruce Wayne if he was evil. Incredibly smart and manipulative. And he's rich.

#3 Justice League
Justiceleaguetimmartpromo.jpg

The most famous Superman cartoon episode was the one where he meets Batman. So its no surprise that they made a show adding even more cross-hero antics. The format is different from the other shows on this list since almost every episode is a 2 parter. This leads to some more complex plots than what you get in Superman/Batman. More isn't always better but in this case the tradeoff for concise is epic conflicts. After sitting through Batman and Superman, Justice League is such a great payoff.
Verdict: 4 out of 5. Highly recommended. Goes without saying that kids love it since for many adults this show was part of their childhood.
Best Villain: I don't wanna spoil the plot twist heh. And besides that, this is a case in fiction where the heroes are more charismatic than any of the villains.

#4 Superman The Animated Series
Superman_the_Animated_Series_logo.jpg

If Batman shows us what a man can do against villainy, Superman The Animated Series show us what a god can do. Despite being portrayed as invincible, this depiction of Clark Kent is incredibly vulnerable. Kryptonite, red sun, magic, lead walls, and power drain are all a part of daily life for the man of steel and how you kill Superman. The first season is fairly boring and the show just doesn't hold a candle to his Gotham City counterpart. However as the show goes on you can tell the writers get a handle on how to make Superman exciting. You really start to see Superman as a symbol of hope and less as a dork in tight gay underwear. This show also serves as a great segway into Justice League since it introduces Green Lanterns, The Flash, Dr. Fate, and more Justice League staples.
Verdict: 3 out of 5. Recommended. Force yourself past the first season and you'll be well rewarded.
Best Villain: Darkseid. He is voiced by Michael Ironside. 'Nuff said.

#5 Batman Beyond
Batman_Beyond_title_card.png

Imagine all of the strengths of Batman The Animated Series set in the world of Blade Runner. Dark alleyways, violent gangs, mega corporations, genetic and cybernetic modification. A dark futuristic Gotham City with new original villains. Well this show succeeds in making the transition....for the first season. After that the quality falls off a cliff and you're left with a merely passable saturday morning kid's cartoon. A saturday morning kid's cartoon with high school drama.
Verdict: 3 out of 5. First season is a must watch. The movie Return of the Joker is also ok. Season 2 has some good episodes. Season 3 sucks except for the Justice League episode.
Best Villain: Inque. Sort of a Clayface type enemy. But much more charming.

#6 The New Batman Adventures AKA Batman Season 3
TheNewBatmanAdventuresLogo.jpg

This cartoon is shit.
Verdict: 2 out of 5. You're looking at 3 or 4 good episodes in the entire season. Avoid.
Best Villain: Clayface. He is voiced by Ron Perlman and stars in 2 of those 3 or 4 good episodes I mentioned.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Batman Beyond was my favorite out of that list because I already knew a lot about Batman through the comics before I had the chance to watch any of the shows (for X-Men it was the opposite; watched the cartoon first and comics later). So Batman Beyond was a continuation for me. Batman The Animated Series was merely a retread of villains and scenarios I'd already read about in comics.
 

BANGS

Banned
I agree with Batman Beyond. Started off real strong as has a few amazing episodes, but got goofy quick... Zeta project spin off was also cringe...
 

VulcanRaven

Member
1. Batman The Animated Series
2. Superman The Animated Series
3. The New Batman Adventures
4. Superman (Fleischer Studios)

Those are the ones I have seen. Batman TAS is definitely the best. It is my favorite cartoon ever. I have been some episodes of other shows but not enough to rank them.
 
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tkscz

Member
I would honestly put JLU/JL above Batman the animated series. What they did with JLU/JL was simply astonishing and nothing has come close to touching it (ok, Avengers: EMH came close but didn't have enough time to get there). The way it did a seasonal arch should be the prime example of how to do it, where even the filler episodes have some relation to the overall plot. Speaking of, my god were they all good. The examplify what I love about DC. The show is just so damn amazing that even to this day I love to go watch it in it's entirety. Seriously though, really wish Avengers: EMH was giving at least two more seasons. It really shouldn't have tried to give hints about story lines from future seasons though, really left us hanging with the whole Surter thing.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
I would honestly put JLU/JL above Batman the animated series. What they did with JLU/JL was simply astonishing and nothing has come close to touching it (ok, Avengers: EMH came close but didn't have enough time to get there). The way it did a seasonal arch should be the prime example of how to do it, where even the filler episodes have some relation to the overall plot. Speaking of, my god were they all good. The examplify what I love about DC. The show is just so damn amazing that even to this day I love to go watch it in it's entirety. Seriously though, really wish Avengers: EMH was giving at least two more seasons. It really shouldn't have tried to give hints about story lines from future seasons though, really left us hanging with the whole Surter thing.

Yea I was surprised by the quality. I figured ok it would be about the level of Superman. Some goofiness, some seriousness. But naw it was a cut above every other cartoon in the storytelling department.

I still need to watch Young Justice. Haven't seen a single episode.
 

Nymphae

Banned
Batman Animated Series by a long shot. Whoever had the idea to do the animation on a black medium and add colour instead of the traditional white mediums was a fucking genius, that show looked so amazing. I think it's maybe the best cartoon from that era, absolutely phenomenal voice characterizations, visuals, and story treatments. Legendary.
 
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tkscz

Member
Yea I was surprised by the quality. I figured ok it would be about the level of Superman. Some goofiness, some seriousness. But naw it was a cut above every other cartoon in the storytelling department.

I still need to watch Young Justice. Haven't seen a single episode.

It's good but you can tell it was trying too hard to be WAY too serious. Especially season 2. It's whats got me worried about season 3. It's going to be way too EDGE, I can tell from the trailer. Otherwise it's still worth watching. Season 1 sets everything up for season 2. Season 2 leaves things for an obvious season 3, but doesn't do too much to need a follow up. It's pretty much self contained except for one or two threads left hanging. It's not as good as JLU in terms of story telling or it's arching story lines as sometimes they wrap up a thread really hastley and left me wanting it to pan out a little bit long. It does a lot that will please you if you read the comics anywhere between the years of 1989 to 2010.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
young_justice_team.jpg


Dang I just started Young Justice and its fantastic. I'm hooked. This feels very much like a continuation of Justice League Unlimited.

Teen Titans I'm not sure I'll end up finishing. Its a really cute, charming show that totally succeeds at what it does. But its so different in tone and style.
 

Bor Gullet

Neo Member
B:TAS and JLU+Season 2 of JL is tied for my favorite superhero show.

Also, The New Batman Adventures is super underrated. While the artstyle is a step down, the actual animation is a lot more fluid than the original B:TAS. It has some really great episodes like Mad Love, Holiday Knights, Legends of the Dark Knight, Over the Edge, Old Wounds, Nothing to Fear, Double Talk, The Ultimate Thrill, Girls Night Out, Joker's Millions, and Beware the Creeper.

The revamp of Batgirl, Bane, Penguin, and Scarecrow were definite improvements (the only letdowns were Joker and the Riddler).
 

loki 16

Member
For me
Batman the animated series
Justice league
Teen Titans
Static Shock
Young Justice
DC has a lot of quality animated shows.
 
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