Bruce Timm will always be the artist who gave the most definitive version of Batman to generations of DC fans. He was the head producer behind Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill’s iconic Batman: The Animated Series. Over the years, he oversaw several DC animated projects, but his first project will always remain dear to him. When asked to name his favorite episode from the series, Timm’s thoughts immediately went to the very first episode, On Leather Wings.
This episode was originally aired on Fox Network in the United States on September 6, 1992. Timm went out of his way to bring mystery, mood, and drama to this superhero series that was primarily targeted at a younger audience.
One Batman: The Animated Series Episode Will Always Be Bruce Timm’s Favorite
During an interview with Science Fiction at New York Comic Con 2017, Bruce Timm shared details about making his iconic show which turned 50 that year. One of the questions thrown at the director was about his favorite episode. The creator didn’t have to think twice before answering On Leather Wings, the very first episode of Batman: The Animated Series.
He shared that he could only remember fondly the episode, where everything came together perfectly for them. It was the first episode that the team had put into production and marked several key firsts for the series. It was the first time the characters were animated, the first recording with the cast, and even Timm’s first exposure to Shirley Walker’s music.
Timm regards the episode as a solid one and it perfectly captured what the creator had intended to achieve with the show. It balanced spookiness, fun, humor, and adventure without talking down to the younger audiences. This approach became crucial to the success of the show across fans of all age groups. Bruce Timm shared with Science Fiction:
“I will say, and this is my stock answer but it’s true, it’s not the best episode or the most memorable, or the deepest, but I have tons of fond memories of ‘On Leather Wings’ because it was the first episode we put into production, it was the first time we saw the characters animated, it was the first time we recorded an episode with our wonderful cast, and it was the first time I heard Shirley Walker’s amazing music, and it all kind of came together!”
Timm continued singing praise for the episode:
“I think it’s a really solid episode. It kind of ‘planted the flag’ and did exactly what we intended to do with the show. It was a little bit spooky and a little bit fun, a little bit funny, it had a lot of adventure and didn’t talk down to kids, so it was great.”
However, it was not only the firsts and the plotline that made the show remarkable. Timm revealed that he employed avant-garde animation tricks to make the episode truly revolutionary.
Bruce Timm’s Revolutionary Creative Choices Made The Episode The First Of Its Kind
Bruce Timm also mentioned the creative choices he had to make for the series that were unconventional and risky at the time. Some of these choices included painting the backgrounds on black paper and stylizing the looks of each character. No one in the production was even sure if these revolutionary tricks would pay off.
It did pay off and Timm revealed the excitement upon getting the first completed episode from the Japanese animators. The team saw that their vision had indeed come to life on the animated show. Timm shared:
“Here’s the thing, we were doing a lot of things that, at the time, were revolutionary with how to style an animated show. With painting the backgrounds on black paper and the stylized look of the characters. We had no idea if it was going to work or not! So when we got the first episode, which was ‘On Leather Wings’, back from Japan, it was kind of like ‘Oh thank God it actually works! This is gonna be good!’.”
On Leather Wings featured a mysterious villain who terrorizes both the residents and the police of Gotham City. Batman is accused of being the creature due to its bat-like appearance. However, the villain turned out to be the scientist Dr. Kirk Langstrom aka Man-Bat. The episode received a positive response from all over, and Jim Bullard of the St. Petersburg Times wrote (via Newspapers.com):
“The episode is extremely well-written and drawn — an unusual combination in cartoons. The result is a unique, memorable style”
Batman: The Animated Series is now available for streaming on Max and Prime Video.
