Way back when The Big O was first airing on Toonami,
Cartoon Network had the brilliant idea to market how similar the adventures of
Roger Smith and his trusty Giant Robot were to a certain costumed crimefighter,
whose legendary 90s animated series was also airing on Toonami. And you know what? Cartoon Network was dead
on with the analogy. It actually helps
make The Big O’s First Season that more of a fascinating watch. Just how much
inspiration did The Big O writers take from Bruce Timm’s iteration of The Dark
Knight to craft Paradigm City and its suave defender? Oh I can think of a few things and the timing
couldn’t be better. Not only did I want
to hold off on writing this Top 5 until I’d finished reviewing Season One on
the blog, but today marks my 400th Top 5 Wednesday. So let’s celebrate this major Gundam Anime
Corner Milestone by looking at the Top 5 Inspirations The Big O Takes from
Batman: The Animated Series.
#5-Paradigm and Gotham City-Cities of the Past and
Future You cant look at the mist and grunge filled alleyways of
Paradigm City and not think of Batman’s base of operations.
The design of both cities looks heavily drawn
from Fritz Lang’s 1920’s scifi masterpiece, Metropolis.
But both also offer a nice marriage of past
and futuristic architecture.
Gotham is a
marriage of 40s and 50s architecture and machinery but there’s enough modern
tech within, especially at Batmans’ disposal, that is matches up with the then
modern day aesthetic other Timmverse DC Series like Superman: The Animated
Series and Justice League could inhabit.
The Big O’s Paradigm City is just as equally saturated in past and
future with how its laid but a bit more separated.
Large domes contain the more clean and modern
while outside looks more grungy and rundown, ample hunting grounds for the
depraved and wicked.
Actually, in that
sense, feels like The Big O took a more futuristic cue from another Bruce Timm
Batman cartoon, Batman Beyond.
#4-City of Rogues
The Joker.
Two
Face.
The Penguin.
Bane.
The Riddler.
These are only a few
of the most popular foes The Dark Knight has contended with for decades.
They’re all iconic and their battles with
Batman are legendary.
While theyre
aren’t nearly on the same level, Roger Smith has his own revolving door of bad
guys to take on, both with and without the help of the Big O (though like Power
Rangers a Giant Robot battle is inevitable).
The foes who stand out the most in this regard are Schwarzwald, a former
reporter driven insane by his search for answers to the mystery of 40 years
ago; Beck, an idiot genius who’s plans never seem to work but he always seems
to escape prison somehow; and Alex Rosewater, the self proclaimed God of
Paradigm City (actually he’s more of a would be Superman rival, Lex Luthor).
But you’ve also got nigh unstoppable cyborg
assassins; a crazy cult of foreign operatives and even a Catwoman like wildcard
in Angel.
Thanks to this batch of crazy,
Roger’s nights out with The Big O are hardly boring.
#3-The Butler
Of the many allies in Bruce Wayne’s fight against evil,
arguably none are more important than Alfred Pennyworth, the man who
practically raised him after the death of his parents.
Alfred is Bruce’s top confidant and the man
who can provide his foster son anything from fatherly advice to intelligence on
his enemies.
For Roger Smith, that role
goes to his own Butler, Norman.
While
they don’t have the same kind of family connection Bruce and Alfred have, Roger
and Norman have a tremendous respect between each other.
There isn’t a job to big or too small Norman
will undertake for Roger or Dorothy.
From getting groceries to preparing to undertake a dangerous underwater
mission, Norman will not be deterred.
Also he has a nice assorement of firearms should the fight come right to
his door step.
With Norman around, to
paraphrase Professor Xavier from X-Men, “I feel a great swell of pity for the
poor soul who comes to those doors, looking for trouble”.
#2-“I want a Car. Chicks dig the Car”
Yes, yes I know that quote is from one of Batman’s more
infamously bad movies but the statement is still true.
Chicks do love guys with awesome cars and
Batman has one of the greatest ever made.
The Batmobile is a force to be reckoned with and of all of its dozens of
iterations, the one from The Animated Series is one of the most iconic (maybe
next to the one from Tim Burton’s Batman).
Unlike the Caped Crusader, Roger doesn’t need a separate car for his
secret affairs.
His personal car is just
as much a mobile fortress as the Batmobile.
Equipped with machine guns, missiles, and even the ability to change
colors and license plates to avoid detection, Roger is just as much a danger in
this beast of a vehicle as he is with Big O.
Oh and the Car can actually dock with the Big O at its base, allowing
Roger an easy transition in the middle of battle.
#1-Good Guys Wear Black
It’s the color that strikes fear into the hearts of
many.
It’s the color that Batman uses to
blend in and strike from the shadows.
For Roger Smith…it’s just his favorite color and dammit he can wear it
all the time if he wants to.
Both Bruce
and Roger are some of the sharpest dressed men in animation, rarely ever seen
without a crisp, clean suit with a shine to match their hair.
While Batman uses black as an edge in battle,
Roger wears it as a way to let people know he means business the moment he
shows up.
It's also the color that
defines both mens just about everything from their cars to Rogers mandatory
dress code in house (that Norman obliges and Dorothy hates) to their gear and
weaponry.
Let’s face it, if Batman ever
needed a Giant Robot, Roger might just let him borrow Big O.
No matter how you define it, Roger Smith and
Bruce Wayne both epitomize the timeless lyrics of ZZ Top, “Every girls’ crazy
bout a sharp dressed man”.
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