CREDITS: Written by Hilary J. Bader; directed by Dan Riba.
REVIEW: Roxy Rocket finally makes it to television and it's glorious. She's the perfect antagonist for the more action-oriented Batman show while still tapping into his pulp origins and forcing him into the Rocketeer role. Roxy commits crimes only for the thrill of it, to goad the authorities (and Batman in particular) into ramping up her level of personal danger. A former stuntwoman who always took it too far, she reminds me of an unbridled - and rudderless - Nightwing, throwing herself into the void without a parachute without fear. She thinks Batman is a kindred spirit; maybe she went after the wrong hero. So lots of action and cool mayhem, a wink to barnstorming when Batman rams into a chicken truck (chickens become a leitmotif, as in "playing chicken"), and even a sexual component to her antics that reaches a crescendo I can't believe they got away with, as Roxy screams in pleasure while falling to her death with Batman in the, hem, "climax". It's coitus interruptus for her though.
Her partner is the Penguin who, to my surprise, I can't get used to his being drawn in the classic way rather than Tim Burton's pathetic monster. I pushed back on the Burtonization of that character quite a lot, so to now find it strange is a testament to the DCAU's first show that I somehow embraced that look. Regardless, he turns on Roxy because he's afraid she might "sing", but is ironically the one who gives HER up. Worth using the character for the flight motif and because his club is the setting to some interesting stunts, including one involving killer seals.
IN THE COMICS: Roxy Rocket first appeared in Batman Adventures Annual #1 and is only now showing up in the DCAU proper, which contradicts that story by making this her first encounter with Batman. She was introduced to the main DCU in 2006, first in a cameo in Detective Comics #822, and then more fully in Batgirl #6 (2012) facing off against Stephanie Brown.
SOUNDS LIKE: Voice artist Charity James plays Roxy Rocket.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-High - A new(ish) antagonist is introduced in an episode infused with rip-roaring action that suits her.
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