On Wednesday, the Cartoon Network premiered Batman: StrangeDays, an animated short by industry legend Bruce Timm in celebration of the Dark Knight’s 75th Anniversary. Today, Warner Brothers has made the short available to fans via YouTube.
Running under three minutes, the short harkens back to the original incarnation of Batman, drawing inspiration from the very first issue of Batman in the 1940’s which was actually a spin-off title from the character’s debut a year prior in Detective Comics #27. Fans will recognize the lead villain as none other than the dastardly mad-scientist Hugo Strange who was also featured in the inaugural issue of Batman’s original series.
A number of relevant stylistic and aesthetic choices in this short may seem a little different from the modern incarnation of Batman that young adult fans and child viewers are used to. Originally, Batman’s “ears” were longer and curved; he carried and used pistols; and his gloves were actually short and lacked the cool spiked ends.
Check out the short here:
Also, be sure to check out the Batman Anniversary coverage from DC All Access: