The animation in the stories is top notch, and one of the things I like the most about the whole thing is how much it reinforces just why Batman works as a hero. As the reader or viewer, we know that Batman is a rich kid with gadgets and enough issues to make Freud give up and throw away his Rorschach tests. But to your average thug, Batman is a creature of the night, who slinks out of the shadows to beat the ever-loving snot out of you, before disappearing just as quickly, without ever letting you get a good look at him, let alone a clean shot. And that's how Batman works in a world filled with Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman: He scars the hell out of people.

And that's something that all the best adaptations have done right. In the 1989 Tim Burton movie, before Batman even shows up, there's a conversation between two thieves who are convinced there's a giant bat creature out there sucking peoples' blood out. In Begins, there's two great scenes that showcase this: Batman's first appearance, where he takes out a whole gang of men while moving through the shadows, and later when he leads a one-bat invasion of Arkham, and Scarecrow's henchman are scared out of their minds, muttering things like, "I heard he can fly!"

Then contrast that with things like Batman and Robin, which had the titular heroes making public appearances for charity auctions. Batman's supposed to inspire terror, and I can't see myself being scared of someone who's being interviewed by the local equivalent of Joan Rivers.

And that's an aspect of the Batman that Gotham Knight hits dead on. For the most part, the shorts paint Batman in a terrifying light, either moving with inhuman quickness to beat a thug, or bathed in flames and staring down a mob boss.

There is an overarching story about a gang war between the Italian and Russian mafias, which mostly serves just to link the vignettes together, as they can easily stand alone. Each one deals with some aspect of Batman, like how he works with the police, or deals with pain, or how he comes up with some of his wonderful toys. Well, except the opening, which has four kids telling stories about what they think Batman is, either a living shadow, a literal bat creature, or a robot, again showing how he's seen through the eyes of Gotham City.

The music and voice direction is great as well. I am especially pleased in the decision to bring back Kevin Conroy as Batman. He's been playing Batman since the beginning of Batman The Animated Series in 1992 (probably the single best adaptation of Batman's adventures), and as far as I'm concerned, he is Batman.

And speaking of the series, if you consider yourself a fan of Batman, do yourself a favor and pick up the two-disc special edition, which comes with four bonus episodes of BTAS, hand picked by the series' director Bruce Timm, including "Legends of the Dark Knight" which pays homage to the 50s campy Batman and the darker and edgier depiction by Frank Miller in "The Dark Knight Returns;" and "Heart of Ice," which turned Mr. Freeze from just some mad scientist with a cold gimmick into one of Batman's most memorable and tragic villains. The second disc also features a spotlight feature on Batman's villains, and a feature about his creator.

This is a DVD set well worth picking up. It showcases the best of Batman in a convenient and well animated package, and serves as a great way to get ready for The Dark Knight.