Such is "Life and Death in Gotham City".
Gotham. A glittering web spun by a conspiracy of spiders. Join us now for a tale of "Life and Death in Gotham City."
— The narrator, episode 2.
Batman: The Audio Adventures is an Audio Play-styled podcast about, well, Batman. It is written by Saturday Night Live veteran Dennis McNicholas and published by Blue Ribbon Content.
As Batman is preparing to be officially deputized by the Gotham Police Department, he finds himself forced to contend with Harvey Dent (AKA Two-Face) as he faces a dangerous breakdown on the second anniversary of his disfigurement, Edward Nigma (The Riddler) as he looks to prove his intellectual superiority at long last, and the Joker as he makes plans for what will be a twisted Valentine’s Day.
The voice cast includes:
- Jeffrey Wright as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Rosario Dawson as Selina Kyle/Catwoman
- Alan Tudyk as Alfred Pennyworth
- Melissa Villaseñor as Dick Grayson/Robin
- Brent Spiner as The Joker
- Kenan Thompson as Commissioner Jim Gordon
- John Leguizamo as Edward Nygma/The Riddler
- Ike Barinholtz as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
- Bobby Moynihan as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin and Bat-Mite
- Jason Sudeikis as Mayor Hamilton Hill
- Seth Meyers as Jack Ryder
- Brooke Shields as Vicki Vale
- Chris Parnell as the narrator
- Ray Wise as the announcer and commercial narrations
- Tim Meadows as Dr. Jeremiah Arkham
- Gillian Jacobs as Harley Quinn (introduced in season 2)
- Bradley Whitford as Scarecrow (introduced in season 2)
The 10-episode series dropped on September 18 (Batman Day) 2021 on HBO Max. Initially, only the first two episodes were made available through other means, but in early September of 2022, the entire first season was released as a publicly available podcast and on YouTube.
DC released a one-shot anthology comic prequel Batman: The Audio Adventures Special in 2021, followed by a series, Batman The Audio Adventures in 2022.
The second season was released on HBO Max on October 7, 2022. Like the first season, the second would be released as a publicly available podcast and on YouTube in early December 2022.
Despite the use of the word "Adventures", it has nothing to do with The New Batman Adventures or its comic book spin-off, The Batman Adventures
Welcome, to another page, of tropes and examples in Gotham City:
- Adaptation Amalgamation: In terms of plot, tone, and characterization, the podcast seems to combine elements of Batman (1966), Batman: The Animated Series, the Tim Burton films, and many other incarnations of the character.
- The Alcoholic: Mayor Hamilton Hill often drinks during his addresses (which involve the citizens voting to legitimize Batman) and while recording his PSAs (which involve abstaining from Scarecrow’s drugs and avoiding the various hallucinogenic gas clouds unleashed by the city’s many supervillains).
- Anachronism Stew: The Gotham of this universe is one where big band music is as popular as ever, the slang used by kids and teenagers comes from the ‘50s and ‘60s, and yet modern cellphones and EDM music exist.
- Black Comedy: In spades. Whether it’s the Joker’s antics, the Mayor’s drunken radio rants, or the tourism advertisements boasting siege-ready tour buses, Gotham is as unpleasant a place to live as ever.
- Brooklyn Rage: Harley Quinn naturally keeps her signature New York accent, but this version of The Riddler has one too, due to being voiced by John Leguizamo.
- Casting Gag: Gotham news reporter Jack Ryder is voiced by Seth Myers, who covers major happenings in the news on his late night talk show.
- Corrupt Politician: Apart from being a hard-drinking cynic, Mayor Hill appears to be one of these. He begs Batman to help him retrieve a sex tape recorded in his office on hidden camera from Catwoman, has dealings with the likes of the Penguin, and is bankrolling an effort to turn Joker’s signature laughing gas into an anti-depressant called Joy-Cure, even going so far as to arrange for Joker to use an Ace Chemical facility for his schemes in exchange for the formula.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Discussed. Riddler is in a state of writer's block for a brief period, yet in a single day, he created a quantum manifold, a molecular drill bit, and a body-heat-powered TV the size of a credit card. Ms. Tuesday (his Girl Friday) points out that could sell all of that stuff to "get rich and call it a day," but he claims he's not in it for the money."I'm an artist. My medium is crime."
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Batman reveals he exposed himself to the same chemicals that turn The Joker into who he is now and it had no effect, proving that The Clown Prince of Crime was just latching onto an excuse to hurt and murder others.
- Fun with Acronyms: To combat the use of Scarecrow drugs among teenagers, Gotham City promotes the acronym GLARBIMACTAFIN (Get Lost, All Right Buster? I Made A Choice to Abstain From Illegal Narcotics). Mayor Hamilton Hill recognizes its… flaws.
- It's Personal: Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent are old friends, so Batman is desperate to try and bring what remains of his friend out of Two-Face.
- Kid Sidekick: Dick Grayson/Robin attends to be in the early days of his time with Batman, acting as a schoolboy by day and vigilante by night.
- Loony Laws: Two-Face utilizes a few obscure Gotham statutes to spite the Penguin, including skirting property damage by posing as a bird-watching group and almost getting the Iceberg Casino shut down for not having a non-denominational church on the premises.
- Love Potion: Joker’s "Dark Purple Dawn" plan involves unleashing one of these upon Gotham. It affects multiple characters such as Harleen Quinzel, King Scimitar, and Killer Croc.
- Mood Whiplash: Given the way the series veers between Batman (1966)’s lighthearted comedy and the brutal, creative murders of more recent series, this was inevitable. It happens a lot.
- Mythology Gag:
- Robin’s “Holy ______, Batman!” catchphrase from Batman (1966) makes a return.
- Penguin being responsible for Two-Faces's Start of Darkness takes a page from Batman: The Telltale Series.
- In Season 2, Jack Ryder appears as a movie marathon host as the Creeper, referencing his super-powered alter ego from the comics and other media; he doesn't care for the costume, especially the yellow makeup.
- Narcissist: The Riddler is so convinced of his own intellectual superiority over Batman, he will stop at nothing to prove it once and for all. He's also not too fond of being compared to Joker.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In the comics, Killer Croc ultimately chooses to save the orphans at Haly's Circus from Penguin's bomb over revenge on Penguin by taking the bomb with him to a pool. The waters were polluted with Hugo Strange's monster formula, so he mutates further into a monster and is feared by the people instead of celebrated as a hero, while his mind further deteriorates from Dark Purple Dawn and it makes him a pawn for Strange and Ra's al Ghul.
- Non-Ironic Clown: Blabbo the Birthday Clown, an entertainer whose commercials are often heard in episodes who is struggling to get by as a clown in a city whose best-known clown is The Joker.
- Phoneaholic Teenager: Ridder’s henchwoman appears to be one, constantly texting one of Scarecrow’s henchwomen.
- Police Code for Everything: Apparently, in the GCPD, Riddler causing a Joker panic with Scarecrow drugs to attack the Penguin is a 12-16.
- The Reveal:
- During their final confrontation, Batman reveals to Joker that he had exposed himself to the same chemicals that had created the clown prince of crime, to begin with. While Joker had always blamed his insanity on that incident, Batman suffered no such effects. Joker was always a twisted madman; Batman was just an excuse to embrace it.
- Season 2 sees the head doctor involved with Project: Joycure revealed to be Jonathan Crane — a.k.a. the Scarecrow.
- The finale of the comic book series reveals that The Demon's Brood are all Ra's al Ghul's vengeful children, with Talia being the only survivor, and the "beast" he needs for his apocalyptic prophecy is Killer Croc, who was mutated and "created" by his henchman Hugo Strange.
- Sequel Hook:
- Three plot threads remain promising a potential second season:
- Penguin and Two-Face have entered into a partnership, combining the might of their respective criminal empires.
- Batman ultimately defeats Joker, but not before a defiant hostage is thrown into a vat of the Dark Purple Dawn serum. The very last scene of the season reveals that Harleen Quinzel survived, and is on the hunt for "Mister J."
- Catwoman is investigating the mysterious Project Joy-Cure, a shady antidepressant being developed by ACE Chemicals whose project head is still unknown.
- Season 2 ends with Batman seeing the Scarecrow hijack Jack Ryder's horror marathon to show Basil Karlo's last film, Catwoman freeing Riddler for information on the Joker, the Penguin turning to the Santa Prisca cartel for help after multiple embarrassments, and Two-Face and the Joker respectively taking Alfred and Robin captive.
- Three plot threads remain promising a potential second season:
- Split Personality: Harvey Dent and his Two-Face persona, of course. It seems to be getting worse, as of the second anniversary of the disfigurement that caused Two-Face to emerge.
- Stalker with a Crush: As usual, Joker is obsessed with Batman, seeing them as partners in an unending dance as Gotham burns around them. In fact, he intends to unleash his latest master plan on Valentine’s Day, which happens to be a love potion.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- In a city constantly terrified by the Joker, it makes sense that regular birthday clowns wouldn’t be very popular these days.
- Heating oil sellers can still do business in summer thanks to Mr. Freeze.
- Gothamites are naturally prepared for gas attacks, given that they are staples of the arsenals of villains like The Joker and The Scarecrow.
- An ad for Gotham tourism opens by encouraging people to go to Metropolis instead, before talking up their siege-proof tour buses for the unconvinced.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: As always, Batman and Catwoman, being on opposite sides of the law, have plenty of this. Batman being officially deputized does not help this in the slightest.
- Valentine's Day Violence: The first season of the podcast follows Batman in the lead-up to Valentine's Day when Joker plans a massive attack on Gotham involving a dangerous love potion.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Joker is shockingly popular among Gotham’s youth as a symbol of rebellion.
- World of Ham: Between Jeffrey Wright’s Cold Ham take on Batman, and the casting of popular comedians as his allies and rogues’ gallery, Gotham has never been more over the top.
- Would Hurt a Child: Penguin in spades. Apart from holding a famous singer’s daughter hostage, he threatens the infant child of a senator intent on testifying against him.
- Wretched Hive: It wouldn’t be Gotham City otherwise. Between the crazed supervillains, the mobsters, monsters in the sewers, the corrupt politicians, to even the low-level crooks able to pass themselves off as children, it’s no surprise even the tourism board recommends you visit Metropolis over Gotham.
- As revealed in season two, the island nation of Santa Prisca is actually worse. There, crime is treated as a religion, and it's not advisable to deal with their cartels.
- Younger Than They Look: The comic book series reveals that Killer Croc is a young man who only looks older due to his skin condition and experimentation by Hugo Strange that makes him look bigger and more monstrous.
