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It’s no secret I’m a wild Batfamily fan, and so I frequently get suggestions on my YouTube page for Bat-themed content. This week, a suggested post caught my eye and I fell down a rabbit hole of these musical animated storyboards from user Adam. F. Charles.

For those who were like me, and had never heard of animatic before, an animatic post is almost like a storyboard for an animation, often set to music. These are popular in musical fandoms, like Hamilton or Wicked, for fans to show their interpretations of the visual design and story elements set to the soundtrack.

Adam F. Charles focuses their work on Batman’s rogues’ gallery set to popular music in recent uploads. The most recent upload highlights Viktor Fries’s transformation into Mr. Freeze set to Kate Bush’s Stranger Things hit, Running up That Hill.

Besides Fries, Dr. Jonathan Crane also gets the musical treatment with a freakishly startling animatic set to Billie Eilish’s Bury a Friend. in opposition to Running up That Hill, Bury a Friend is far more disjointed, sharper, and generally freakier. Of course, that fits right into Eilish’s vibe for the song.

What’s nice is Adam F. Charles doesn’t just rehash origin stories set to music. They’ve clearly put in the thought behind the song selections. Good Song Never Dies embraces the feel of Paul Dano’s Riddler and mixes it with a touch of the Arkhamverse Riddler. Of course, my favorite moment is written in the description box, with an edit post The Batman about Paul Dano singing.

These videos are a lot of fun and an incredible testament to the talent in the community. They’re a great way to blend a love of music with a love of comics and art and animation.