The World’s Finest caught up with Batman: The Brave and The Bold Producer James Tucker to discuss the latest episode of the acclaimed animated series, “Four Star Spectacular!” The all-new episode debuts tonight, Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 7:00pm (ET) on Cartoon Network. The episode features an assortment of short stories focusing on different characters from the DC Universe. Continue below for the all-new exclusive Batman: The Brave and The Bold Q & A with Tucker.

The World’s Finest: “Four-Star Spectacular” has a completely unique format for the series. The episode goes for four short stories instead of the standard teaser/main format. Can you elaborate on why you chose this format and how it works for the episode? Was this difficult to do given how different this is from a regular episode? Was this an episode done to just break with the regular format?

James Tucker: When I decided that I wanted to have every episode start with teaser that was unrelated to the rest of the episode, the inspiration came mainly from the old superhero cartoon shows of the late 1960s and 1970s that usually consisted of several short segments featuring different characters in each. For Batman: The Brave and The Bold, I always wanted to do at least one episode that was made up of completely stand-alone segments featuring different heroes. So when we realized this would be our final season, we pushed ahead with the idea. The concept is a difficult one to spring on viewers, but we figured that by now, our fans had come to expect the unexpected.

WF: Director Ben Jones states that this episode went into production without a script, hence the written by credits replaced by storyboards by. How challenging was this for you? How different is it to work on an episode without a script? Did this affect voiceover sessions and the standard animation process for the episode (ie: no voice acting to sync up the mouth movements, etc.)?

JT: For this episode we let storyboard artists board each segment without a script and just tell the story they wanted to tell using the characters they wanted. Ultimately, we needed to go back and create a recording script in order to record the voices and get the final animation done, so Michael Jelenic and Ben Jones had to do some script work. In hindsight, I think I may have underestimated how hard it is to actually board without a script and so there was a lot of work on the back end of the process that we didnt account for. I think all four segments turned out to be a lot of fun. It would have been nice to do more episodes along the lines of “Four Star Spectacular” because I think it is a great way to showcase heroes and ideas that wouldnt normally fit into the format of even our usual episode.

WF: A reoccurring theme for the third seasons seems to be the shortened production schedule. Were you pressed for time with these final 13 episodes? Was this season more challenging to do than the first two?

JT: In animation there never seems to be enough time but I didnt notice any drop in quality because of a shorter schedule. The fact is, both Michael Jelenic and I were being pulled into development on other projects while we were completing our third season. Luckily our crew was a well-oiled machine thanks to Amy McKenna, our line producer, so we managed to make it all happen, even with the shorter season.

WF: Back to the episode, care to fill us in on what exactly inspired “Four-Star Spectacular,” including the choice of guest-stars? Flash, Creature Commandos, Adam Strange even Mazing Man! Why these characters in particular? And Im pretty sure this is the first animated appearance of Mazing Man…

JT: Its called “Four Star Spectacular” after a DC comic book of the same name from the 1970s that featured reprints of four stories with different heroes in each. The story board artists we recruited were Matt Youngberg who chose Adam Strange, Ben Jones chose The Flash, Adam Van Wyk chose Creature Commandoes and Stephen DeStephano chose, appropriately enough, his own character, Mazing Man to bring to animation. I was on the fence about Mazing Man because even among old school fanboys, it was an obscure choice, but in the end, its the segment a lot of folks responded to. I think the character has a lot of heart and humor that could be expanded on in a series. And Creature Commandoes definitely is worthy of a full episode or even a series. We already featured Flash and Adam Strange in their own episodes, but these two were unknowns to even a lot of comicbook fans.

WF: Batman takes a backseat in this episode, with a dramatically reduced role. Do you think that if the show continued, you wouldve toyed with the format of perhaps less Batman and focusing on other DC Heroes? Maybe just plain ol The Brave and The Bold?

JT: To me Batman is pretty synonymous with the The Brave and the Bold brand but probably thats because it was the first Batman comic I ever read, so Im biased even though I know the book existed before Batman was featured in it regularly. I think for general audiences you need either Batman or Superman as an entry point to get them to sample the lesser known characters. We, as comic fans, know the merits of these lesser known characters, but its the general audiences watching that make it possible for the studio to be willing to spend the money to make those kind of shows. I dont foresee a time where you wouldnt need at least one of the big gun characters as a co-host of sorts. Having said that, theres all kinds of ways to structure a story where Batmans in it, but doesnt dominate the story. I think we managed to do that fairly well on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, so I know its possible. Id love to do a Superman team-up show in the same vein ala the DC Presents comic book Superman was featured in, though that would be a tougher problem because Superman doesnt really need to team up with anyone if were basing it strictly on powers.

WF: Do you have a particular favorite short among the four?

JT: For me its a tie between Mazing Man and Creature Commandoes. For the oddball factor alone, the Mazing Man segment was so different, even for our show, that I enjoy it a lot. Doing that type of comedy is an artform and its very different and more difficult than what we do in a superhero themed show, even one that has a good deal of humor like Batman: The Brave and The Bold. Creature Commandoes was just a blast to watch and would have made a great full episode because we had to cut out half the board that Adam Van Wyk turned in. He boarded almost enough for a full episode!

WF: Finally, as always, why should fans tune in to check out this episode tonight?

JT: Its only a few more episodes before the end of the road. Do I have to still tell you how awesome this show is?

The all-new Batman: The Brave and The Bold episode “Four Star Spectacular!” debuts tonight, Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 7:00pm (ET) on Cartoon Network. Continue to the Batman: The Brave and The Bold subsite for further details on this episode.

Batman: The Brave and The Bold airs on Cartoon Network every Friday at 7:00pm (ET), with the next new episode “Mitefall!” airing Friday, November 18th, 2011 at 7:00pm. Expect more coverage on “Mitefall!,” effectively the series finale of Batman: The Brave and The Bold over the coming weeks here at The World’s Finest. Please note Batman: The Brave and The Bold will be pre-empted on Friday, November 11th, 2011 due to the special Green Lantern: The Animated Series programming event, more details of which are available here.

Additionally, an all-new episode of Young Justice also premieres tonight on Cartoon Network. The episode “Failsafe” debuts at 6:30pm (ET), featuring the young team stepping in for the Justice League, before an all-new episode of Batman: The Brave and The Bold.

Stay tuned for further Batman: The Brave and The Bold updates, including exclusive updates, here soon at The World’s Finest.

Discuss this in The DC Animation Forum!

The World’s Finest caught up with Batman: The Brave and The Bold Producer James Tucker to discuss the latest episode of the acclaimed animated series, “Crisis 22,300 Miles Above Earth!” The all-new episode debuts Friday, October 28th, 2011 at 7:00pm (ET) on Cartoon Network. The episode airs after a special presentation of the The Batman Versus Dracula animated feature, airing from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on the same network. The episode features the Justice League International, the Justice Society of America, and the return of Ra’s Al Ghul. Continue below for the all-new exclusive Batman: The Brave and The Bold Q & A with Tucker.

The World’s Finest: First up the teaser. Batman is the victim of a comedy roast from his deadliest enemies. Can you expand upon your inspiration for this teaser, and the inclusion of comedian Jeffery Ross? Would you have liked to have done an entire episode dedicated to…roasting Batman?

James Tucker: I believe Michael Jelenic wanted to do the teaser that took place at a Roast. I liked the idea but my original concept was to make it more like the old Dean Martin Roasts that I watched as a kid. I really hadnt watched the current version of this thats waaaay more risque on cable TV. Anyway, Michael Goguen, the director of this episode, kind of fused the old and new roasts into what was in the episode. We ended up with Jeffery Ross as the host because, fortunately, he was friends with John DiMaggio! It worked out great, and Jeffery even brought some of his own jokes to pepper his routine with. Im not sure that anyone would want a whole episode dedicated to Batman getting roasted however. At least, I know I wouldnt.

WF: To the episode itself, it features the JLI and the JSA coming together…but not exactly seeing eye to eye. There seems to be a generation gap between the two group of heroes. An you expand upon this approach used, the inability for the two groups to properly get along?

JT: We wanted to do a JLI/JSA team-up from the first season but there never seemed to be a good place for it since we had to introduce both groups in separate episodes for a team up to make any sense. The idea of using the setting a party going wrong really appealed to us because we got to play up the idea that the JSA doesnt really like this new League made up of loose cannons. It also offered an opportunity to touch on the comparisons to the original Justice League that disbanded for reasons weve never touched on. It wasnt the typical JL/JSA story I envisioned in the earlier seasons but I think this ended up being a lot more fun overall.

WF: As a semi-follow-up to the first question, is it safe to say that some of this episode is influenced by the annual JSA/JLA crossovers that DC Comics used to publish?

JT: Yes, I wanted it to be reminiscent of those old Justice League comics where once a year, the Justice League and the Justice Society met and had a mixer and something always went wrong and theyd have to join forces to face some crisis. But in this case we thought that the crisis would be the mixer itself, not some actual universe threatening event. I always looked forward to those issues where the JLA and the JSA teamed up but the part that always interested me wasnt the actual adventure but the small talk that would take place at the beginning of the story when the guests arrive and the heroes would talk shop so thats a lot of what the episode was about and about the JSA not approving of this new version of the Justice League. We solved the problem of not having enough action in it by cross cutting to Batman on a life threatening adventure, but trying to get to the party in time.

WF: Is there any era specifically that you drew the most influence from for the JSA? Are there any JSA stories you wish you had the opportunity to touch upon for the series?

JT: The era Im most familiar with is of course the version I was introduced to as a kid reading comics. So, whatever the line up was during the bronze age of DC Comics is what I gravitate toward. Of course, because in our series, there is no Earth 2, we had to make compromises along the way as we were setting up both groups. But I liked the idea that, in our series, Batman and Superman werent the first superheroes, but the Justice Society existed before both of them. I liked the idea of the current heroes having been mentored by older heroes. There arent any actual JSA stories that spring to mind that Id like to adapt though. Its the concept of the JSA that seemed to attract me more than any of their actual adventures, though it would have been nice to have a story pitting them against more of their rogues like , Vandal Savage, Brain Wave, and the Injustice Society.

WF: This episode also brings back Ras Al Ghul to the series, and he gets a bit of a spotlight (including a surprising moment or two). Can you run us through the Batman: The Brave and The Bold interpretation of Ras al Ghul and how he may differ from other version weve seen in the past?

JT: There isnt really much difference between our shows version of Ras and any other version really. Same character, just made more of a mustache twirling villain in our show than in other interpretations. I liked the idea of pushing his connections as basically Batmans version of a James Bond villain. To me, he works best as the Fu Manchu/Dr. No/Goldfinger type villain he started out as. He doesnt really fit in with any of Batmans other villains. So we played up the Bond-like elements a lot in this episode from the ski chase at the beginning to the use of a John Barry-inspired score. I do wish we had at least one Lazarus Pit sequence in the series. Seeing Ras go insane with power is always fun!

WF: As per always, we bring this Q & A to a close with the standard capper why should fans check out this new episode on Friday?

JT: Fans can expect the return of both the JSA and Ras al Ghul, as well as the first ever appearance on the series of the Alan Scott Green Lantern. That should be enough to get anyone inspired to watch!

The all-new Batman: The Brave and The Bold episode “Crisis 22,300 Miles Above Earth!” debuts tonight, Friday, October 28th, 2011 at 7:00pm (ET) on Cartoon Network. Continue to the Batman: The Brave and The Bold subsite for further details on this series.

Batman: The Brave and The Bold airs on Cartoon Network every Friday at 7:00pm (ET), with the next new episode “Four-Star Spectacular!” airing November 4th, 2011 at 7:00pm (ET) on Cartoon Network. Please note that Young Justice will be pre-empted this Friday, October 28th, 2011, due to the special airing of the animated feature The Batman Versus Dracula. Click here for more details on the feature.

Stay tuned for further Batman: The Brave and The Bold updates, including exclusive updates, here soon at The World’s Finest.

Discuss this in The DC Animation Forum!

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today released a new trailer for the acclaimed Batman: Arkham City video game. The trailer promotes the upcoming downloadable content featuring Nightwing. Batman: Arkham City is currently available on Xbox360 and Playstation3. Click on the thumbnail below to view the footage in the Quicktime format, along with additional press details for the release.

Featuring the intense melee skills of Nightwing, a.k.a Dick Grayson, the trailer showcases the characters punishing arsenal of fighting moves that can be used against Arkham Citys hardened thugs. Nightwing comes complete with his own unique gadgets and special moves, and is playable in all challenge maps in the game, as well as two additional challenge maps that are included with the pack: Wayne Manor and Main Hall. The pack also contains a bonus Animated Series Nightwing character skin.

The Nightwing Bundle Pack will be available November 1 on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points and PlayStationNetwork for $6.99. The Robin Bundle Pack will also become available on November 22 to all owners of the game for the same price.

Batman: Arkham City is out now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and has already received universal praise from critics and fans alike. The PC version will be available beginning November 15.

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles as Batman and Joker in Batman: Arkham City, the highly-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum video game, along with Emmy Award-winning Batman writer Paul Dini again penning the story. Click here for more content from the Batman: Arkham City video game. To discuss the new video game below, please click on the links below.

–Batman: Arkham City Video Game Talkback (Spoilers)