Batman: Gotham Knight

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Batman: Gotham Knight is an Animated Anthology film consisting of six-interlocked short episodes set in The Dark Knight Saga (between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). An Animesque series in the vein of The Animatrix, Gotham Knight was produced by a gathering of some of the best in the business, including writers David Goyer and John Olson; animation studios Studio 4°C, Madhouse, Bee Train, and Production I.G; and voice actor Kevin Conroy (who reprised his role as Batman).

Gotham Knight included established characters from Batman Begins (Batman, Jim Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox and The Scarecrow), introduced characters from The Dark Knight (Detective Ramirez and Sal Maroni), and did its best to fit other Batman characters into the Nolanverse (Crispus Allen, Killer Croc, and Deadshot).

The six animated segments are:

  • "Have I Got A Story For You" -- Several teenage skateboarders discuss their encounters with The Batman as he fights a Firefly-like criminal; each of their respective stories imagine him as a Living Shadow, a Bat Out of Hell, and a Killer Robot. Batman and the criminal appear in the skating building, and one of the kids helps take out the crook with his skateboard.
  • "Crossfire" -- Detectives Anna Ramirez and Crispus Allen escort the captured criminal from the previous segment to the fortified Arkham Asylum whilst discussing their views on Batman. They're eventually caught in a shootout between mobsters (Sal Maroni and The Russian) until Batman arrives to break up the turf war.
  • "Field Test" -- Bruce Wayne investigates the possible murder of a charity worker and a corrupt businessman's involvement before moving to end the ongoing fight between Maroni and The Russian (using a Wayne Enterprises gadget to deflect small firearms using sound), but his actions come with bloody consequences.
  • "In Darkness Dwells" -- Batman travels into the sewers of Gotham to rescue a cardinal after he is kidnapped by The Scarecrow and Killer Croc, but after being bitten by Croc, Batman begins to hallucinate, which makes the rescue attempt twice as difficult.
  • "Working Through Pain" -- While trudging through Gotham's sewers, Bruce flashes back to his training under a woman named Cassandra, who helps him learn how to withstand harsh pain.
  • "Deadshot" -- Gun-for-hire Deadshot is on an assignment to assassinate Jim Gordon, and both Batman and Alfred are pushed to their limits as they work to protect their ally.
Tropes used in Batman: Gotham Knight include:
  • Animesque: The film's shorts were created by several studios, which each lent their own style to their respective short.
  • Art Shift: Each segment has it's own style of animation; Field Test is often referred to as "the most anime-looking" short.
    • Have I Got a Story For You short plays with this trope by using different art for each of the kid's stories.
  • Bishonen: Field Test featured a far more "Animesque" Batman, whose appearance fits this trope.
  • Broad Strokes: Since several different directors handled the shorts, little consistency (artistic or otherwise) exists with each short or the Nolan films.
    • One of the shorts involves a trio of kids telling urban legend stories about Batman; while the artwork varies widely, the characters themselves (including Batman) stay pretty consistent.
    • The Batman costume varies wildly throughout all six shorts.
  • Continuity Snarl: Gotham Knight is said to take place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but one of the segments shows an undamaged Wayne Manor, which snarls with the mansion's fiery destruction in Begins.
    • Additionally one segment portrays Ramirez as having an adamant, unwavering faith in Batman. In The Dark Knight she's outspoken about her scorn for Batman, and she is even the one who betrays him in the end.
  • Fan Nickname: Bishonen Batman/Bishonen Bruce Wayne.
  • International Coproduction: DC Comics, Warner Brothers, and the listed Japanese animation studios (each with their respective directors) developed Gotham Knight.
  • The Other Darrin: None of the cast from the films plays their roles in the animated show, but it does have Kevin Conroy, which is a fair enough trade.
  • Rashomon Style: Have I Got a Story For You, where the kids all tell their own stories of seeing Batman, is an example of this.
  • Scenery Porn: With the studios making this, what did you expect?
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Batman:_Gotham_Knight?oldid=1911936"