About Heroes

From 1999 to 2001 KidsWB wanting to sell more toys to appeal to younger viewers aired a great treasure properly named Batman Beyond. The Batman legacy continues as Terry McGinnis is the new owner of the mantle of the bat. Yes, it is a new take on Batman, but it adds to the continuity of the storyline instead of destroying it like most shows based on toys.

It has been at least 40 years after the "current" adventures of Batman and 20 years after Bruce Wayne hung up the costume. His secret is discovered by troubled teen Terry McGinnis. After Terry's father is murdered by the man who took over the Wayne Corporation, Terry dons a high-tech Bat suit that Wayne used towards the end of his missions, creating a new hero for a future Gotham. There is a great relationship between Bruce and Terry, one not like his relationships with Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. Bruce is not only a mentor and friend to Terry, but more of a father figure (we all know that now as of JLU season 3). New villains are introduced in this future to wreck havoc on Gotham. Instead of recycling past villains and calling them Catwoman Beyond or Scarecrow Beyond, new villains such as Shriek, The Joker Gang, Curare, and Blight are introduced. Well there is a Mr. Freeze and Bane appearance, but not so menacing.

All 13 episodes from season one are included in this set. There are also commentaries, interviews, music tracks, and all in a Full Frame (1:33:1) video. It features English Dolby Digital Stereo audio. English, Spanish, and French Subtitles. There is also a great roundtable discussion featuring the creators of the series. All in a two disc DVD set that fits snugly in a slipcase.

Here are the Episodes included in this set:
Disc 1:
Rebirth Part 1
Rebirth Part 2
Black Out
Golem
Meltdown
Heroes
Shriek
Dead Man's Hand

Disc 2:
The Winning Edge
Spellbound
Disappearing Inque
A Touch of Curare
Ascension

When this show first aired, I was completely against it and thought it was downplaying and kiddiefing the original dark Batman series. I was so wrong and I am really glad I gave it a shot. Combining a complex plot, fantastic animation (in the style of the original BTAS), fantastic soundtrack, intelligent yet quirky dialogue, and the incredible cast of voice actors this formula makes the show work. Stockard Channing, Michael Gross, James Sikking, and the legendary Kevin Conroy do a fantastic job and take us to a new level of performance. If you haven't seen this series, you owe it to yourself and if you have, well this is a perfect collection and a good time to purchase it. A