Although Batman: The Animated Series is without a doubt, THE best animated depiction of Batman ever, I've never quite gotten into Justice League; partly due to the fact I'm used to Batman just working with "his own people" as opposed to a group of superheroes; though several have made guest appearances on the show. But in the case of Justice League, I think the reason the writing suffered(despite some standout episodes) was due to executive meddling on Warner Bros part. Had they let the creators do their thing, the show would've excelled in it' earlier seasons. At least it's sequel series did much better. Great article!!
It is often difficult to reconcile Batman's world with the rest of the DC universe.
A great example of this is how Nolan's Batman was unable to be folded into an extended continuity with Superman and the others. Yes, Nolan himself was adamantly against such a move, but it would never have worked, regardless. Nolan's trilogy went for a "true crime" angle and tried to dispose of the fantasy elements, as much as was possible.
But no matter what angle the showrunners are going for, the fact remains that Batman is bound to lose some of his "specialness" when paired with people who can lift and throw mountains and buildings. This is one of the reasons why Justice League Unlimited stands out so much: it made Batman indispensable to the idea of a united superhero organization. It was a series of mystery stories where Batman was always two steps ahead of everyone else, even while laboring to make everyone else also look like titans in their own ways.
The original DCAU continuity should be mandatory study materials for anyone seeking to master serial storytelling.
Thank you for commenting. I always appreciate feedback.
Batman Begins had fantasy elements, but what makes it brilliant was that it was tied to a central theme; that is fear and the perfect antagonist to hit home such a theme was the Scarecrow. That's one of the reasons why it worked so perfectly. Part of what makes Batman so special is his human intellect combined with physical prowess and tactical decision making and yes I agree that when he's paired up with other superheroes, he loses his "specialness". I think that's probably why Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice wasn't as well received; especially from audiences. It wasn't the physical action that made these characters resonate with readers of the comics, but rather the ideologies that clash among the respected heroes; something Dawn of Justice failed to do because Zack Snyder focused more on the action than character development. A lot of people seem to be hating on the film; some for legitimate and asinine reasons. And you're right. People enjoy the animated depictions of Justice League more than Dawn of Justice because despite some schlocky writing, it was the character dynamics that made them fun to watch. I hope DC's cinematic universe improves for the better because Marvel is beating them to the punch.