The last time Batman appeared in a Warner Bros. animated production in the Bruce Timm "style," it was in the Justice League Unlimited series, which ended in 2004.

Now, the big-eared, Timm-designed version of Batman is back in a new short for Cartoon Network's DC Nation block, titled Batman Strange Days, which finds the Dark Knight taking on Hugo Strange and a mysterious, Solomon Grundy-like giant. It looks dark --virtually black and white or sepia -- and features Batman firing a huge gun evocative of Gundam Wing's Twin Buster Rifle marked "tear gas."

Check out a handful of stills in anticipation of the short's April 9 debut, after the jump.

Timm has been involved in tons of Warner Bros. Animation productions over the past two decades, though since Justice League Unlimited, he served as supervising producer of the DC Universe line of direct-to-video films. Timm's last major TV project was Green Lantern: The Animated series, which he developed and served as executive producer on for Cartoon Network circa 2011-2013. Not long after the show's cancellation, Timm stepped down as supervising producer to work on projects of his own. This would appear to be the second one of those following he and Zack Snyder's Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short, which debuted in October.

A press release from Warner Bros. stated that DC Nation shorts will air after Teen Titans Go!, which is changing time slots to Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.