Animator Stephen Trumble released a gorgeous and gritty fan-made animated short Batman: Broken Promises, with an original soundtrack by composer Claire Wickes. It isn’t too much of a reach to say it is simply excellent:

The response from animation and Batman fans, has been filled with appreciation. I mean, check out a couple of these comments from the YouTube audience.

• “So you just gon drop the best Batman content the world has ever seen just like that out of the blue?? Aight cool. I’m here for all you got. Patiently…”

• “Damn, it’s only every once in a while a you stumble on a new creative project and are just completely blown away.”

• “It was perfect. It was freaking perfect. The throwbacks to Batman TAS and even the new Batman movie… I loved every second of this animation…”

..and the well-deserved praise keeps going.

This is what happens when love of a character, and a penchant for great storytelling come together in a perfect storm without the binds of having to make the “higher ups” at the company happy.

As a lifelong Batman fan and comic reader, I have been getting a little worn by the a lack of truly original storytelling. There have only been a few new stories I have picked up and went, “Wow, that was a solid story.” At least not to the extent I have after seeing this short.

From the stylized silhouettes, beautiful character work and settings, neon-tinged moments of light and dark lines, a completely fresh and multi-faceted take on certain villains, and a darkly wonderful story filled with action, and twists, this film shakes off the mental cobwebs, and proves there are still plenty of inspiring creators out there just waiting to be discovered.

You can see more of Trumble’s work and inspiration via his Instagram at Stephen Trumble Animation.