Batman: The Animated Series (TV Series) Beware the Gray Ghost (1992) User Reviews

Adam West (TV's Batman) Is Back! Best Episode I've Seen So Far

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 7 August 2007]

There was no mistaking the first time the voice of "The Grey Ghost" was heard on this episode: it was "Batman," back again! Well, the television Batman, Adam West. What a hoot! It must have been great fun and nostalgia for him to come back, even though only his voice is heard. It just made this episode special....in fact, maybe the best!

The story is just dripping with nostalgia and sentiment and I loved every minute of it. We see Bruce Wayne as a little kid watching his hero "The Gray Ghost" on a black-on-white TV set. The ironic thing - and I doubt if it was an accident - was West's character, "Simon Trent," being an actor out of work and unable to get roles because he was typecast earlier in his career. Ya think there was a connection there? Yeah.

Anyway, it would good to see Batman working with his childhood idol to foil "The Mad Bomber." There is lots of action, great drawings and memorable material. Great stuff.

This is a real jewel in this Batman series. It will be hard to top.

Belove the Adam West.

[Son_of_Mansfield · 10/10 · 14 March 2007]

Adam West, the star of the campy 60's Batman show, lends his voice to Al Hodge, the star of The Grey Ghost, the show that Bruce Wayne watched when he was a little boy. When a series of crimes that seem eerily familiar to Batman start occurring, he finds his old idol to help him out. This is one of the greatest episodes of the animated series and it doesn't even have any of the classic villains in it. Adam West puts together the best performance in his career, that I have seen. His tired and angry actor who gets a chance to be the hero for real is a sight to see. It gives more depth to Bruce Wayne as well. He always dreamed of being a hero just like The Grey Ghost.

From one hero to another

[Mr-Fusion · 10/10 · 5 January 2017]

If I had to pick one epitomizing episode, 'Beware the Gray Ghost' may very well be it. Herein is a common tale we've all seen before: destitute actor once revered as a superhero, but given new relevance via a copycat terrorist. And they cast Adam West as the Gray Ghost; I mean, that's just a home run. None of this feels like a stunt and it pays great reverence to the '60s version.

This is a great story, well-written and nicely animated. Hell, it deserves a hand for tying in directly to Bruce's formative years and pulling off just the right heartfelt tone. It's a huge tip of the hat, and yeah, it's that good.

10/10

Legends Never Die

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 28 September 2017]

This is another of my favorite episodes of the show in fact in general. It's kinda a dream come true for me because this episode not just has one Batman but two play of course by the actor that truly helped put Batman on the visual medium, Adam West.

Other than some terrorist plot line which really isn't that important by it's nature it's really a clothesline for the character drama which is what really powers the episode. I really like the character Adam West plays whom your really feel a sense of pathos for; I also can't help but feel some of this story might actually be based on some of his own life considering what happened after the 60s Batman was over and what he did afterward, this also made me think about a lot of other actors whom are now out of the limelight.

West's character is a man whom use to have fame as an iconic hero but then somewhere along the line has fell out of the spotlight; and just like the hero he's use to play he has been forgotten as well. I'll admit one scene that was just heart sinking was seeing him destroy some of the memorabilia he's kept and cry, believing everything he's done has amounted to nothing, the hero and the ideals he portrayed and believed in in fact believed himself to be he feels are worthless.

Bruce/Batman we see is doing everything to keep both the actor but most of all the hero and the ideology alive. It's interesting seeing Bruce/Batman for once not just solving crimes but actually saving someone having a crisis in faith which I find a refreshing change of pace. The back and forth between both Bruce/Batman and West is just fantastic and touching, because it two Batman's from two different generations in the same room together.

But the really touching moments were seeing how far Bruce's fandom of "The Gray Ghost" really goes. From a flashback scene when we see Bruce as a young child watching the show while both his parents were still alive which is part of why that show is sacred to him because it a relic that represents a time when his childhood still had light, his parents where still alive and there was love. As well as a scene where we see Bruce/Batman have a private collection of Gray Ghost memorabilia, showing not just the extent of his love for the franchise but how much an important part of his life and how infuentional it is to him.

The episode isn't just about believing once more but also about the importance of fandom. This episode is in a really a love letter to the Batman franchise in general and the fans that have keep it alive throughout the years.

The Batman franchise has been a important part of my life, the first time I've even seen Batman was the 60s Batman with Adam West and I remember having a blast with it the first time I saw it thinking as a kid it was an exciting escapist actioneer seeing costumed men fight costumed villains. I still have fun watching that show, I watch it more like a comedy as anyone would watch shows like "Red Dwarf", "The Simpsons" etc; but that just made me love the show even more enjoyable because as I got older I found new things about it; which just shows why the franchise keeps giving.

But I have seen the two Tim Burton films read and collected the comic series and they've been influential to me because they taught me important lessons about the importance of standing up against evil, to never fear it, never let it or anyone bring you down, to fight by any means necessary to not just defend yourself but defend others as well. It also inspired me to strengthen both my mind and body, that one can become something much more. As well as influence a bit of my writing.

As Babe Ruth once said, "Heroes are remembered by legends never die."

Rating: 4 stars

10+

[zbwtr · 10/10 · 20 February 2022]

The greatest animated half hour ever made. I picture Bob Kane and Johnston McCulley the creator of Zorro digging it. Batman was based on Zorro the Doug Fairbanks version. I like how Bruce Wayne goes all fan boy. Frankly It humanizes a character that has had the humanity pretty well sucked out of him by constant remakes for nothing but cold hard cash the last 25 years. I will watch this episode more than any other Batman vehicle the rest of my days.

A Passing of the Cowl

[mkurland23 · 9/10 · 29 July 2018]

When Gotham is being attacked by a mad bomber, Batman realizes that the attacks are similar to an episode of his favorite television show from his childhood, "The Gray Ghost." The storytelling was better than expected, plus the Gray Ghost/Simon Trent was voiced by former Batman, Adam West. Kevin Conroy admitted that for him, recording his lines in the same room with Adam West was a "Fanboy geek-out moment." It's good to know that sometimes you do get the blessings of your idols. Thank you, Adam. In Memoriam Adam West (1928-2017).

The meeting of the two Batmen.....

[reddragonhero17 · 10/10 · 1 October 2023]

What could possibly be better than the meeting of two different actors who can play Batman? Adam West the 60's Batman and Kevin Conroy the one man who can do animated Batman meet in a spectacular fashion, like a boy meeting his childhood hero, literally. This is no ordinary case, the modern day hero needs his idol to solve it, and hopefully give his hero the long overdue respect he rightfully deserves, after falling on hard times. While the villain remains a mystery throughout, the reveal takes one completely by surprise. Adam West himself is terrific playing the washed out actor, and has great chemistry with Conroy. By the end you'll be looking at your childhood heroes differently.

What a great haunting episode!

[ivyleague929 · 9/10 · 6 August 2015]

I remember watching this episode, as a kid and finding it very exciting. It's weird to think that Adam West, best known for his portrayal of Batman in the 1960s Batman television series would even want to guest star in another Batman show. I would have thought, that Adam West would like to erode his Batman image, due to his difficulty finding work. Even the Batman: Animation Show creators, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski was worry, that Adam West wouldn't take the role, due to their feared he would be offended by the character. I guess, Adam West saw something in the character of Simon Trent; since the character's story, kinda mirror West's own career at the time. Anyways, having Adam West in this episode was a great nostalgia trip, down memory lane. Directed by series regular Boyd Kirkland, and first aired on November 4, 1992. "Beware the Gray Ghost" is the eighteenth episode of Batman: The Animated Series. It tells the story of Simon Trent (Voiced by Adam West), an actor on the verge of bankruptcy thanks to his declining career. Best known for his past role as "The Gray Ghost", Trent has really hit hard times. To save himself, he tries to sells off all of his Gray Ghost merchandise to a fan collector named Ted Drymer (Voiced by Bruce Timm), only to find, that a series of crime related to his old show begin to occur. Seeing that Batman (Voiced by Kevin Conroy) needs his help, he don the cape and mask of the Gray Ghost, one last time, in one last attempt to revive his career, by putting an end to the crimes, himself. Can Simon Trent & Batman save Gotham or will the craze fan win out in the end? Watch the episode to find out! Without spoiling the episode too much, I have to say, I don't think this episode would have work, without the guest star, Adam West. Creators, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski stated that they wanted Adam West from the beginning to voice Simon Trent. If he refused to do it, they would not gone through with the episode. However, since West did. This role has brought him newfound respect among Batman fans. Adam West puts together, one of the best performance in his career with Simon Trent. You really get to hear, the emotion depth, what Simon is going through, with West. His version of a tired and angry actor who gets a chance to be the hero for real is a sight to see. Adam West's performance as Simon Trent, also help, make Kevin Conroy give a great performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. To hear, Kevin Conroy's voice, speak with such fandom, makes this episode, so well-enjoy. You really can tell that he wants the best for Trent. Despite, the fact, that the character of Grey Ghost does not existed in the DC comic form, before this, and most of Bruce Wayne's influences for Batman, came more from the character of the Zorro, instead of the Grey Ghost. Timm has stated that he found that the Grey Ghost character fits so well, with the show's style that DC should indeed, write a comic book for him. He also states that the "vintage" color scheme of the suit, was an attempt to capture the 1930's Pulp Novel, feel of the crime-fighting vigilante, The Shadow & the Spirit. I have to agree, I do like the strong resemblance to those characters. It gives the whole episode, this film noir feel. While, I was somewhat a fan of the 1960's Batman series, I'm glad, they didn't write the character of the Gray Ghost in a comedic campy way. After all, the series was widely praised for its thematic complexity, darker tone, artistic quality and modernization of its title character's crime-fighting origins. The only thing, that I didn't like, about the episode is the fact, that the villain, the Mad Bomber did the crimes, for a very odd reason. I would love, a deeper, more logically reason than that. Anyways, I do find it, funny, that his appears happens to be the basis for The Batman villain Cosmo Krank, aka Toymaker in later DC Batman/ issues. I also like the fact, that Bomber's remote control toy car explosives are very similar to what was used in a scene in the 1988's film, 'The Dead Pool' from the Dirty Harry series. One last thing to note about this episode was the mention of Matt Hagen, who would later become the villain Clayface in later episodes of the first season. This is his first appearance. Overall: This is a must-watch episode for any Batman fan. A great reminder on why we're fans of Batman, in the first place.

From one Batman to another

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 11 March 2017]

Plot; Gotham experiences a rash of bombings that are eerily similar to those from an episode of an old superhero TV series.

Though it lacks action in general or a memorable set piece in particular, this is a fun and clever episode that sees Batman paired up with his childhood hero. In a case of pitch perfect casting, Adam West voices the Gray Ghost/Simon Trent.; a down on his luck actor typecast as a costumed hero. It's fun to watch Trent regain his mojo and the episode sneaks up on you emotionally with its touching capper.