"Beware the Gray Ghost" is the 18th episode of
Batman: The Animated Series. It is directed by Boyd Kirkland and written by Tom Ruegger and Garin Wolf. In it a criminal calling himself "the mad bomber" plagues Gotham with a series of bombings that remind Batman (Kevin Conroy) of an episode from the television series
The Gray Ghost, which he watched as a child. Meanwhile the former star of that show, Simon Trent (Adam West), struggles to support himself, having been typecast in the role of the Gray Ghost.
From the beginning, producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini had Adam West in mind to voice Simon Trent. They were concerned that he might be offended because of the parallels between he and Trent's career but West was more then happy to play the character. After Batman ended in 1968 West was typecast as a camp, comedic actor and struggled to find other work. In addition to this, due to disputes between Warner Brothers, which currently owns the rights to DC television, and ABC TV, which originally broadcast the show, it was not released on home video until very recently. At the time this episode was made, the only way to watch Adam West
Batman was to buy bootleg copies of episodes. Similarly, in this story, all the production copies of
The Gray Ghost TV episodes were destroyed in a fire. These parallels add emotional weight to the episode, which serves, largely, as a tribute to West himself.
The Gray Ghost is also a tribute to the pulp adventure heroes that inspired Batman in the first place, particularly
The Shadow. Just as Bruce Timm and Paul Dini enjoyed the Adam West show as kids, and Bob Kane and Bill Finger drew influence from
The Shadow, Bruce Wayne draws inspiration from
The Gray Ghost when he takes on the mantle of the Batman. This helps to humanize the character in a way that had not been seen previously in the series. Bruce, like us, was a fanboy. He idolizes Trent and is saddened to see how impoverished he's become. By the end of the episode the case has become, for Batman, just as much about saving Trent as about stopping the bomber. By involving Trent in the investigation and revealing to him the impact he had on his decision to become Batman, Bruce helps Simon to find a new sense of self-worth. Trent sees that, even though he is unable to get more diverse acting roles, his career has mattered. He's had an impact on many young children who grew up with his show.
Both West and Conroy put in really solid performances here. Even beyond the parallels between the real and fictional actors' careers, West really imbues Trent with a sense of humanity and pathos. The character could come off as pathetically tragic but West lends him an element of quiet strength and dignity. Conroy brings his usual moody, brooding quality to Batman, but is also able to express a sense of warmth and humor here that he's not often able to. Finally, Bruce Timm is clearly having fun lending his own voice to the Mad Bomber.
The animation in this episode is up there with the best in the series. From the moody, noir-esque black and white opening, showing a young Bruce Wayne watching
The Gray Ghost, to the explosive climax, where Batman and Trent (now dressed in his Gray Ghost regalia) confront the mad bomber, the animators deliver a lot of great visuals throughout the episode. The shows signature shadowy, art-deco visuals, with backgrounds painted on black paper, really serve this kind of nostalgic throwback well. Similarly, the score by Carl Johnson helps to set the tone and also adds an extra layer of emotional depth.
Serving both as a nostalgic tribute to earlier material that influenced the show and as an exploration of how entertainment can shape the lives both of the performer and the viewer "Beware the Gray Ghost" is one of the best episodes of
Batman: The Animated Series.
Score: 10/10
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