[5.4/10] This one has the boast-worthy detail of having been written by Wolverine co-creator Len Wein. It also has the less-than-boast-worthy detail of being really boring and kind of ridiculous. But if you ever wanted to see Batman fighting quasi-Wolverine, written by the guy who invented Wolvie, you get it here, so that’s something.
But man this episode is pretty dumb in that effort. For one thing, it’s yet another episode with a mad scientist and some sort of were-beast. Considering that the episode opened with Man-Bat, and that we just got done with Tygrus, that’s not very encouraging. For another, it makes it extra dumb that Batman apparently can’t tell he’s been fighting a werewolf and, instead, seems to think that Romulus (real subtle on the name there, guys), is just some guy in a wolf mask.
All that pales in comparison to how boring and on-the-nose the backstory for Anthony Romulus is. The whole “Olympian wants an edge but goes too far” story is actually an interesting one. And yet, the episode goes over it in such painful and predictable detail that it loses any force. It’s such direct exposition, with such over-the-top flashbacks, that it’s hard to care.
I’ll also cop to find it amusing that apparently all it takes to create a werewolf is steroids + timberwolf estrogen. (Taking that choice at its most charitable, maybe it’s trying to tie the buffing out on the full moon thing to the wolves’ cycles? Even so, I laughed out loud while watching when the mad scientist announced that.)
There’s also something cheesy about Wein introducing yet another pointy-haired, sideburns-having guy with connections to wolves. And my mind pretty much tuned out once the backstory was done and we get a forgettable fight between Batman and the Werewolf. The episode was really lacking in the visual, noir flair that sets B:TAS apart, looking like a generic Saturday morning cartoon again. (And the cheesy electric guitar motif for the wolf guy didn’t help either).
So what was good about the episode? Not much. Despite some questionably visuals, I did really like the sequence where the Werewolf turns back into Romulus, as the gradual body horror of the slow transformation worked well. I also like the episode showing Bullock doing a good job at getting to the bottom of what happened. It’s nice to see him doing some legit policework here and there.
Otherwise, this one was mostly a big dumb snooze. It’s B:TAS, so it’s still watchable, or at least watchable enough, but it’s an episode that should really only be for completionists.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-11-24T05:14:11Z
[5.4/10] This one has the boast-worthy detail of having been written by Wolverine co-creator Len Wein. It also has the less-than-boast-worthy detail of being really boring and kind of ridiculous. But if you ever wanted to see Batman fighting quasi-Wolverine, written by the guy who invented Wolvie, you get it here, so that’s something.
But man this episode is pretty dumb in that effort. For one thing, it’s yet another episode with a mad scientist and some sort of were-beast. Considering that the episode opened with Man-Bat, and that we just got done with Tygrus, that’s not very encouraging. For another, it makes it extra dumb that Batman apparently can’t tell he’s been fighting a werewolf and, instead, seems to think that Romulus (real subtle on the name there, guys), is just some guy in a wolf mask.
All that pales in comparison to how boring and on-the-nose the backstory for Anthony Romulus is. The whole “Olympian wants an edge but goes too far” story is actually an interesting one. And yet, the episode goes over it in such painful and predictable detail that it loses any force. It’s such direct exposition, with such over-the-top flashbacks, that it’s hard to care.
I’ll also cop to find it amusing that apparently all it takes to create a werewolf is steroids + timberwolf estrogen. (Taking that choice at its most charitable, maybe it’s trying to tie the buffing out on the full moon thing to the wolves’ cycles? Even so, I laughed out loud while watching when the mad scientist announced that.)
There’s also something cheesy about Wein introducing yet another pointy-haired, sideburns-having guy with connections to wolves. And my mind pretty much tuned out once the backstory was done and we get a forgettable fight between Batman and the Werewolf. The episode was really lacking in the visual, noir flair that sets B:TAS apart, looking like a generic Saturday morning cartoon again. (And the cheesy electric guitar motif for the wolf guy didn’t help either).
So what was good about the episode? Not much. Despite some questionably visuals, I did really like the sequence where the Werewolf turns back into Romulus, as the gradual body horror of the slow transformation worked well. I also like the episode showing Bullock doing a good job at getting to the bottom of what happened. It’s nice to see him doing some legit policework here and there.
Otherwise, this one was mostly a big dumb snooze. It’s B:TAS, so it’s still watchable, or at least watchable enough, but it’s an episode that should really only be for completionists.