It’s Saturday Morning for the Dark Knight!

The first of many weekly newsletters focused on Batman in animation.

Welcome one and all to the first Saturday Morning Batman newsletter. I am SO excited to have this format and I had a good deal of my Instagram followers sign up for this, so I feel like we’ll be able to have a lot of interaction and community here.

Now, if you are new to my world, I am a huge Batman fan and have been for over 30 years now. I’ve been collecting basically for as long as I remember. Below you can see a peek at my collection circa 2017 (my modern collection no longer fits in one picture).

Anytime I meet a Batman fan, I am always curious about what brought them into Batman? For many it’s the ‘66 show, for others it’s Tim Burton’s Batman, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, or Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. For me? It’s Batman: The Animated Series. 

And that’s the amazing thing about Batman. He has this rich history that spans over 80 years and is filled with every kind of media you could imagine. Movies? Check. TV shows? Check. Comics, trading cards and video games. Check, check, check. 

But what’s interesting is whatever brings you into Batman; it’s that version that holds a special place in your heart. It’s that reason when someone talks about Batman: The Animated Series, I can’t help but listen. When it’s on TV, I will watch it. And no matter what anyone says, Kevin Conroy is The Batman. Well my Batman anyway. And therein lies the point: Everyone’s Batman is their Batman. And every Batman deserves his due.

So with that in mind, I decided to write a book all about Batman. But which version do I focus on? I wanted to really dive deep into the history the same way Paul Dini and Chip Kidd did in my all-time favorite Batman history book, Batman: Animated.

Now because of the very existence of Dini’s amazing book, I didn’t want to tackle Batman: The Animated Series. Despite being my favorite, Dini was not only there during the making of that show but he was pivotal to it and frankly no book would ever dive deeper into that series than his book. So if I couldn’t do MY Batman, maybe I should do my son’s.  

The Batman of Batman: The Brave and the Bold is my son’s Batman. I think when he’s older and people ask him why he loves Batman, he’ll point to the times we spent watching Batman: Brave and the Bold. So I decided that what Paul Dini did for Batman: The Animated Series, I would do for Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Done and done... or so I thought. 

As I began research on the series, I fell into this rabbit hole of Batman Animation. I learned that there has been over 15 animated TV shows that either feature Batman or one of his supporting casts as prominent characters. There are over 25 animated movies and countless shorts and guest starring roles. 

But not only that, these shows and movies feature all kinds of different Batmen. Oh sure they’re (mostly) Bruce Wayne under the cowl but each one is unique and different. Batman Beyond shows us a fun, tech-filled future of Neo-Gotham, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a loving tribute to all things Silver Age, Justice League Unlimited gives us “Team Player Batman” and Batman and Scooby Doo is... well, Batman and Scooby Doo. 

So many different writers, animators, voice actors, directors and more have all spent countless hours with this character creating their own version of the Dark Knight Detective. And despite what some fans may want to tell you, there is no wrong answer. Each of these versions has something special about it, something that makes it a true part of Batman’s lush history. 

As I discovered (and re-discovered) each series one-by-one, I realized it wasn’t enough to focus on one. I knew I couldn’t write every Batman interpretation ever in my desired level of detail, but I could write about every animated version. So I decided to write a coffee table/collector’s book that shares all the different Batman shows with people who know the character but may not know everywhere he’s been. My goal is to show how every producer, director, animator and more loves this character and his rich history. 

So what makes me qualified to dive into this role? Frankly, outside of fandom and pure will, not much. I mean yes, I’ve been reading Batman comics monthly since the early 90’s and have watched every Batman cartoon I could get my hands on. But for me, Batman is more than just stories of him punching Joker; I love to see behind the curtain as well. I am fascinated with the stories about the stories. I devour every Batman history book I can find. 

My favorite books are the aforementioned Batman: Animated by Paul Dini, Batman: The Complete History by Les Daniels, Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan by Chip Kidd and so many others. Every one of these books gave me that behind the scenes look at the people who love Batman. It’s these books that influence this book I hope to write. 

This book and this topic is something I am incredibly passionate about. This is a lifelong dream and I have every intention to bring the best looking, most informative book I can on Batman’s lush animation history. My goal is to teach something to every single fan, young or old and share this side of Batman’s world with anyone who will listen.

Over the next year, I will share with you all chapters, sneak peeks and excerpts, but I am not doing this to fluff my own ego and hear you tell me how great it is. I am doing this because I want legit feedback. I want to hear what you like, what you didn’t, what you missed and definitely any grammar mistakes. My only ask is that you be kind. I am fairly strong skinned, but I am still a person.

I am going to aim for one newsletter every Saturday. That should keep me on track and hopefully give you all some fun reading for the weekend. That’s it for now. See you this weekend and be sure to follow @SaturdayMorningBatman on instagram if you don’t for some small musings and great Batman pics from the shows.

*Banner art by Phantom City Creative