Besides a new movie, what else has Batman been up to?
What with The Batman hitting theaters this week, and Batman making headlines here and there and everywhere, I thought I’d highlight a few things you might want to pay attention to that’s happening elsewhere in the Bat’s universe. Also, I’m challenging myself to make all of this week’s blogs Bat-centric ending with a full on review of the film dropping this Friday. Let ‘s see if I can pull this off.
DC announces new Batman creative team for their flagship comic
Chips Zdarsky, Daredevil writer, and artist Jorge Jiménez have been announced as the new creative team to take over the main Batman comic this July. They, with colorist Tomeu Morey will kick off their run with-at least-a 6 part series titled “Failsafe.” Zdarsky teases us by saying the story arc will be Batman’s “doomsday” which may mean he’s going to die. Or it means he may get really hurt and be out of commission for a while. Which, I don’t know, seems like a bad idea to kick off a comic run by side-lining the books titular character–but what do I know. Will it sell comics? Most definitely. Zdarsky’s not coming in blind though, having already worked on a Jason Todd story arc and a Batman Black Label series. Jiménez is also familiar with Batman having worked on the comic with James Tynion IV. Everything starts on July 5th, with Batman #125.
Michael Keaton is such a tease
It looks like Michael Keaton who, I’m sure you know, played Batman in Tim Burton’s Bat-films back in ’89 and ’92, is handing out hints that he will soon reprise his role. The first hint was hearing his voice-over during early Flash movie teasers. Another hint was dropped when he posted a photograph of the Batman’s costume casting a shadow upon the ground to his Instagram account. And another photo and video was captured on the set of the Batgirl film-to be released this year on HBOMAX-of presumable Keaton (or a stunt double) wearing the classic Batman costume, complete with yellow logo on the chest. Speculation is high, and so is the hype, as Hollywood’s nostalgia machine has been running on full blast.
Batman: The Animated Series to make a comeback
This may not be new news, I think some whispers were heard closer to last Christmas, but the rumor is still being kicked around and some of us are getting pretty excited. Batman: The Animated Series, arguably one of the best superhero animated shows ever, if not the best will be coming to HBO MAX this year. From what I can tell there’s no verifiable information saying that the same voice actors will be returning-notably Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as Joker-but it sort of feels like it wouldn’t be the same without them. The cartoon, created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett debuted in 1992 and ran for two seasons lasting 85 episodes.
Alright you guys, these are a few bite-sized tidbits from the bat-news-wire that keep popping up in my own feed. If you’re a fan of The Bat there is plenty to be excited for. I’m counting down the minutes until I get to see the film and I’ll have a full spoiler-free review up at the end of the week!