Batman: Year -13

So the good news is that there's going to be a new Batman TV series. The bad news is that Gotham is not about Batman. Also, it's a prequel, so in case you missed the seven movies, half dozen animated versions or the fifty or so retconned comic book variations of Batman's tragic origin story, here's another one. Spoiler alert: murdered parents=costumed vigilante.

There. Done. Now, go forth and be Batman.

"The Riddler huh? What tipped you off,
was it the riddle he left behind or the
fact that he signed it 'The Riddler'?"

Ok, so Gotham isn't just a reboot, it's also about the side characters of the Bat-universe. When they announced the series a while back, Warner Bros. made it clear that it was going to focus on a young James Gordon before he becomes the be-moustached police Commissioner we're all familiar with. Sort of like Batman: Year One or the first really slow hour and a half of Batman Begins. But still I was kind of holding out hope that Bats would show up from time to time. You know, maybe lurking in Gordon's office, half in shadow, helping him unravel one of the Rogue Gallery's none-to-subtle theme-crimes.

Turns out not so much. They've just announced the casting of David Mazouz as a thirteen-year old Bruce Wayne. Thirteen.

Above: the goddamn Batman.

It's a series about secret agents who have
met, but are not themselves superheroes. 

According to this, the plan is that Bruce will eventually grow up, pull on a Batsuit and begin his life of crime-fighting, and that's cool, but we won't actually get to see it until the final episode. So my question is what's the appeal of a superhero show without the superheroes? It's similar to the premise behind Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and that show's kind of dull. If Gotham's going to be about Batman's friends fighting Batman's enemies in Batman's hometown it kind of begs the question where's Batman? What are they saving him for?

Look, I've got nothing against the kid they've cast as a young Bruce Wayne, and Dan Harmon, the creator of Gotham also did Rome which was bloody amazing so by all rights this could be fantastic. But I can't shake the feeling that this is a missed opportunity. I mean, there are already dozens of TV shows that aren't about Batman. Why not do one that is?

Pictured: One of the many series that doesn't feature Batman.
I believe this is a glaring oversight that must be addressed.