Creators

I thought we'd take a look at our creators a little today. Arguably, we wouldn't have the incredible show we do if the right people weren't fighting to make some amazing content.

First, let's take a look at Bruce Timm. DC Comics has a great resource that shows everything he has worked on, recent work, etc.

Here is a rather long podcast interview conducted by Kevin Smith from July 2012. This whole podcast talks all things Batman and is a great listen for duel Batman/Kevin Smith fans.

Paul Dini, also has his own DC Comic page. The list of titles he's written for is impressive, to say the least.

He was recently (July of this year) on a the Nerdist podcast with Chris Hardwick. It's a great listen, they talk about Paul Dini's brush with crime in his own life, and also on his work on Batman: The Animated Series.


Here is a panel from the 2013 Comic con celebrating 21 years since Batman: The Animated Series with Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, as well as Eric Rodomski, Alan Burnett, and Loren Lester

Villians

Some of the most celebrated villains in history come from the Batman universe. Who isn't familiar with Two-Face, The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy... the list goes on and on! And what makes these villains so memorable is not how evil they are (although, some are pretty evil) but how human they are. Our next episode, Heart of Ice, is famous for being one of the first times that Mr. Freeze was given a more human side. It's a deeply heart wrenching episode. It does what makes this show great. It makes you sympathetic for the villain.

In light of that, I thought we should take a look at some of the best villains from BTAS, and movie pilot has put together this wonderful top ten.

Also, did you know that Batman the Animated Series is the first appearance of Harley Quinn? She was written originally just to be a one-off character, but she was so beloved they made her a regular, and the rest is history. Now it's hard to imagine a batman universe that doesn't include a little "pudding" and "mista Jay" from Harley.

Consider the recent release of Suicide Squad where she is easily one of the most featured characters in the film, and easily had the most merchandising released to accompany the film. It's already being predicted that Harley Quinn costumes will dominate this year's Halloween parties everywhere. Now, many fans argue that this new film isn't the best representation of the character, so lets look back at some of her greatest moments from Batman the Animated Series as complied by CBR.com.

On Leather Wings

We're thrilled to bring you our second episode! On Leather Wings!

We feel we loosened up a bit and made this one better overall. Please remember that this is our first podcast and we will try to keep improving as we go. We welcome any feedback you may have. Thank you guys for listening and exploring the batcave with us!

For some transmedia, TOYS!

I found this gem today. It's a compilation of many old 90s advertisements for the action figures released to companion Batman The Animated Series as well as many of it's predecessors (Batman Beyond, Batman Brave and the Bold, and New Adventures of Batman and Robin). It gets repetitive, but it's interesting to see that some of the advertisements are essentially kids acting out scenes from the show with the figures (specifically the one with The Riddler and Batman with the maze and clock).

More BTAS praise

In case you think it's just us who go bananas for Batman: the Animated Series, here's a video from 4 years ago when another fan reviewed some of his favorite things about it. He's a little over the top, but maybe his cartoonish nature ties in?



Here's another fan highlighting some of his favorite scenes.

Social Media and the 24th Anniversary of BTAS premiere!

Hello denizens of The Batcave!

It appears we have missed posting about the 24th Anniversary of the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series here on the blog (it was September 5th). We have, however, been posting some on social media site as well, and we wanted to make sure that you had every opportunity to follow along with all our goings-on. Here are some links to all of our social media. We will always share the podcasts on every platform, but, some content may be in one place and not another. So, to hear the most from us, it is best to follow us everywhere we exist on the internet!

Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud


Also, we are working on getting the podcast on to Itunes. Unfortunately, it isn't quite as easy to set up as some other services, so that will come in time. We we certainly keep you up to date on when that comes though.

Is there anything you'd like to know about us, the podcast, etc? Please, feel free to contact us! We'd happily do a Q&A for you! Leave your questions in a comment below or email us!

The Killing Joke

The Killing Joke is a DC comic released in 1988 that was written by Alan Moore. It is an origin story for the Joker that has been highly regarded in the comic industry. It was recently adapted to a very close, nearly page to frame in some spots, to an animated film (released to DVD and Blu-ray earlier this month on August 2nd).

While the comic and DC animated universes have lots of cross over, this one has another link to Batman: The Animated Series. It has the wonderful voice talent of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Tara Strong. Reprising their roles brings a strong familiarity to these beloved characters in the newest DC animated property. Even after 24 years, these voices are still the ones that feel the most representative of these iconic characters.

Here is another source with some further information about the release.

On Leather Wings prep

As we prepare our podcast for On Leather Wings, here are some sources about the incredible voice acting in the show. The new episode should be uploaded and ready this weekend or early next week!

Kevin Conroy as Batman
"Far from the self-serious, morose figure we’ve come to know, Conroy’s Batman has a heart, is doing what he thinks is best, and his pain comes off less like a plot motivator and more of a character layer. On top of the emotional level of depth given, he’s also presented as a character who could legitimately intimate villains into giving up or, in one case, carry a piece of kryptonite around with him as backup for whenever the need might arise."

Mark Hamill's Journey to The Joker
A quote from Mark Hamill, "I thought no way would they have the person that played Luke Skywalker cast as the Joker – they are the quintessential extremes of good and evil. So I just assumed they wouldn’t hire me so I went in with no apprehension"

Mark Hamill reflects on his role as the Joker