I Am The Night #101: BTAS 3x23 - "Beware The Creeper"

DC Comics News Podcast Network

Adam Ray and Steve Ray dive into Batman: The Animated Series season three, episode twenty-four, 'Beware The Creeper,' examining how the show masterfu

Key takeaways

• Jeff Glenn Bennett delivers a standout performance as Jack Ryder/Creeper, capturing a perfect blend of intellectual journalist and manic vigilante.
• Billy West voices three henchmen styled after The Three Stooges, showcasing his mastery by mimicking classic cartoon voices post-Mel Blanc era.

Main topics

• Batman: The Animated Series episode analysis
• Creeper character origin and psychology

Notable quotes

"it's literally a picture perfect reinterpretation that can be understood and enjoyed in 20 odd minutes of TV."

Conclusion

The episode serves as both a definitive introduction to the Creeper an

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:39) Ladies and gentlemen, trees and non-binaries, and welcome to another exciting episode of I Am The Knight, the show here on DC Comics News Podcast Network, where I, Adam Ray, and my delightful bat expert father, Steve Ray, are here to talk about powerful things in the world of Batman the Animated Series, the epoch, the granddaddy of non-comics Batman-flavored adaptations. And it's paining me to say this, dear listeners, but we're getting to the end of the actual main canon. We are... at the penultimation, as it were, the second to last episode, but a memorable one indeed that brings us a classic iconic extended Bat family member. This is, of course, Creeper, episode 102 of our show, season three, episode 24. And I'll be honest, like, my Bat reading is extensive, but I don't know the character of the Creeper as well as I would like. And I think, like, sure, you'll be able to cite some references to me, but this is a very strong, definitive, sort of introduction to the character, I would say, I would think. Speaker 1 (1:40) it's literally a picture perfect reinterpretation that can be understood and enjoyed in 20 odd minutes of TV. The way they've condensed the character, but really got him is superb. So honestly, everything you really need to know about the Creeper you get in this episode. It's that good. It's that good. At Speaker 2 (2:04) this point, we can pretty much expect the creative team behind Batman the Animated Series to handle it well. And because it's such a layered character, they had quite the creative team behind it with the story by Rich Fogel and the script by Steve Gerber, directed by mainstay of the show, Dan Reber. They were able to get multiple tones and the well-rounded origin story of the Creeper down really well because as we've been seeing sort of consistently almost from the beginning. I failed to recall when Jack Ryder's first appearance was in this show, at least. But we got some decent foreshadowing that Jack Ryder was... Season one, I think. Season three. I think it was... In the beginning, Speaker 1 (2:41) yeah. Speaker 2 (2:42) I think the big face behind the news back there was still Vicky Bale, wasn't it? Speaker 1 (2:48) No, not in this series. It'd be Summer Gleeson, wouldn't it? Oh, of course. But I think that Jack Ryder and Summer appeared very early in the season. Yeah. Because we talked about Jeff Glenn Bennett, but I have to talk about him again because it's been quite a while. And like I said, as we're not exactly sure when he made his first appearance, we have to talk about him as well. But we also have to talk about one other actor in this episode as well. Speaker 2 (3:09) We will give the star-studded and talented cast their due diligence towards the end of the episode. Yeah, they were foreshadowing that because of the appearance of Jack Ryder, we could presume that the creeper would be around. And sure enough, we got the definitive sort of introduction for him here. So let's talk a little bit about B for B, because this episode really misses nothing here. We get vintage Joker and Harley Quinn right off the bat, going back to that historic Ace Chemicals plan and giving Jack Ryder what could have been his very bad Speaker 1 (3:42) day. Speaker 1 (3:44) Well, it was, but in other ways, a good day. And I love the way that my mind has become so nerded out that I actually think the same way as Batman. Why didn't he go completely insane and go the same way as the Joker? Because there were different circumstances, the explosions, the attack with the Joker gas as well beforehand. And the fact that I think that Jack Ryder comes across as a very together. intellectual, smart journalist type. And like you said, many tones. The difference between Jack Ryder and the Creeper is brilliant in this episode. Like you said, from the very beginning, he's there doing a live special, seven years of the Joker, the madness behind the laughter. And you just, he just comes across as one of these respectable journalists, like your Trevor McDonald's of the world, that you automatically know and trust everything they say. And then of course, Bruce is watching from home because it involves the Joker and he knows what the Joker's like and has to take off when Joker and Harley and three hench people, which we're going to talk about, appear in the rafters. And it just goes from there. It's so much fun. Speaker 2 (4:57) Definitely so, because we start with him sort of straight laced doing a live report about. about the Joker sort of in his history there because we get the compromise of him sort of handling Speaker 2 (5:11) The history that we got as a combination of both the killing joke and also the unnamed gun for hire from Mask of the Phantasm. So they've been able to really knit together a lot of the wider canon they've established in this version of Batman. And then all chaos breaks out. But still, I agree. I think it's probably down to his analytical mindset and him just being a generally a bit more positive and together dude that he didn't go full crazy, but he just went a little bit... Speaker 1 (5:40) Like zany, as it were. Well said. Zayn is the perfect, perfect description because he talks TV like a junkie on and he's literally in five different modes every time he speaks and it's brilliantly done. But I really love the fact that he's together even when he's nuts. He's got this mission. He knows exactly what he's doing. And there are a few moments in the show where he's still aware. a Batman, but you get the crazy laugh of the Joker and he's like halfway between them. Mad combination of the two characters. So it's absolutely brilliant. So many moments in this which I've picked out. I've filled out a whole page of notes for this episode. It was so well put Speaker 2 (6:31) together. I know at the very least when I was watching it that there was one quote that I feel like you're going to unpack to the absolute nines. But at the very least, I'll remind you of it and insist that you unpack it. Tipping our hands a little bit because we have another very exciting project bubbling up on the background with some dear friends, dear listeners. Speaker 2 (6:52) themes with which I want to talk about in and around the quote I pulled out mirrors very closely to a special episode of something else we're working on. But for that, you'll have to turn your ears to future podcast broadcast goodness. But yeah, we see him get a hit of that Joker gas and then fall into the same vat of unknown Element X style chemicals. Speaker 2 (7:15) I think the bright lights and some of the pops and explosions of fireworks and then him being drained out, just like in the killing joke, meant that some things just went a little bit differently and the Creeper was created. And we see him go on his chaotic Speaker 1 (7:31) but still Speaker 2 (7:32) admirable sort of rampage across the middle. Quest, yeah, that's it. Noble quest. Ig Noble Quest, yeah. Well said. Because what other weird creeper would break into a vintage store but still pay with credit for the whatever weird costume he bought? Speaker 1 (7:52) Exactly. He paid using Jack Ryder's card and that's all it took for Batman and Robin to be on the scene and work out who he was and try and help him. But so many amazing moments right from the get-go with this. As soon as Batman and Robin arrive and the henchmen and Harley said, well, you knew he'd come. And Joker comes out with, of course he's coming. He's my biggest fan. And that speaks volumes about the Joker's delusion and his clear love and need for Batman's attention. And a line like that. which took seconds to put on the page, shows that these people know these characters. And it just makes my heart sing with joy. Speaker 2 (8:37) I think it's also important to show that they still have all of these lines down just to show the trouble and turmoil and story. Speaker 2 (8:47) Just dynamic that they've had for