Produced by the Chinese animation studio Wolf Smoke Animation Studio and Warner Bros. Animation, The Batman of Shanghai was a series of shorts that got combined into a single short film when it aired in the United States in 2012.

Taking place in 1930s China, a gang in Shanghai manages to get a hold of the “Scroll of Destiny,” but it is stolen by the master thief Catwoman (Stephanie Sheh). This earns the attention of the mercenary Bane (Kirk Thornton). As the two bring carnage through the city, a mysterious warrior is surrounded by an army of bats, transforming into the Batman (Kirk Thornton) who comes to restore peace.

Whenever I see “elseworld” versions of Batman, I often think “oh goodie, another one.” I came into this short with that attitude. That being said, I actually enjoyed it.

Now, they give Bane this weird ability to roll like an armadillo, but other than that. It was a lot of fun. That gave Batman some escrima sticks for weapons and he uses them to the fullest extent against his two foes. There was not a lot of dialogue, but it made up for it with the seamless animation. It definitely displayed some cool talent and I loved how it showed Batman’s skill as a crime fighter. Of the “what if” (sorry that’s Marvel) versions of the Dark Knight, this one is fun and sleek. Definitely check it out.

Check it out below:

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