What shamefully hangs over this excruciating EXCUSE of an episode is that it was WHY Summer Gleeson was DUMPED, cruelly, cynically, from the second--and second RATE--Batman show.
The Creeper was a comics CATASTROPHE from the 1960's, sank in SIX issues. He was considered for the first, classic, Batman show--REJECTED. Then DC decided to revive the character and both show and comics--can't been COINCIDENCE--debuting the SAME month (September, 1997) with JERK Ryder robbing Summer of reporting role.
He was ATROCIOUS at it, dull wooden, CHORE to listen to, actor insultingly indifferent compared to the voicing verve Mari Devon brought to Summer, never rated like she did getting kidnapped (Christmas With the Joker, Night of the Ninja, Lock Up), standout scenes like reporting in gas mask Joker attack (The Last Laugh), fright under fire then coolness with camera (Shadow of the Bat), made one realize, TOO late just how GOOD Summer had been, taken for granted, and by belated time JERK became became the Creeper--the next-to-LAST episode, (November 1998)--THE NEW CREEPER COMICS HAD FAILED .
Sad Summer was sacrificed for NOTHING, uncalled for, unfair, unjust, only for to see how CreepPERIOD's hopeless, heavy-handed hammering AT hilarity compared to the casual crazed craziness of Joker and Harley, ruefully recalled the President of Pepsi's classic CRUSHING comment of rival's disastrously duplicating New Coke, "Why bother with an IMITATION when you can get THE - REAL - THING?" Online commentators rated it just 14th of show's largely lackluster 24, panned it as lame disguised Freakazoid episode showing NO understanding of character, said "okay," "felt out of place." Just, justice, for Summer, CreepPERIOD was also animated abandoned by the DCAU, merely merest couple minute cameo, scant seconds of unbilled walk-ons decade later Batman The Brave and the Bold, Justice League, considered for brief Beware the Batman in 2013--again REJECTED, ultimately no use for, interest in, him. . Took to 2016 for Summer to return for View Master Game wonderfully with still after decades DELIGHTFUL delivery a resounding REBUKE to Ryder's DEADEN.