[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Directors: Bruce Timm & Eric Radomski

Story: Alan Burnett

Screenplay: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, & Michael Reaves

Starring: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Stacy Keach, Mark Hamill, Abe Vigoda, Hart Bochner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Reviewed by: Joshua Raynor

Summary

Gotham City’s most feared gangsters are being systematically eliminated, and the assumed blame is falling on the Caped Crusader. But prowling the Gotham night is a shadowy new villain, the Phantasm, a sinister figure with some link to Batman’s past. Can the Dark Knight elude the police, capture the Phantasm and clear his own name? Unmasking the Phantasm is just one of the twists in this dazzling animated feature, which provides new revelations about Batman’s past, his archrival the Joker, and Batman’s most grueling battle ever — the choice between his love for a beautiful woman and his vow to be the defender of right.

Positives

There are so many great things to say about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, so many that I’ll probably forget some. So, let’s start with the two things we get right off the bat (pun intended) — the score and the animation.

While the score for Batman: The Animated Series has always been top tier, composer Shirley Walker kicked it up a notch for this theatrical film by making it much more operatic. This gave the score a far more grandiose feel, which felt right at home on the big screen. It helped to create the dark and brooding atmosphere so well known with the Dark Knight, but in a bigger way.

Then there’s the animation. For those of you who know, Batman: The Animated Series was a unique case of animation style, where they painted their backgrounds on black paper to make the scenes darker, and that was carried forward into this film as well. Even though it’s 30 years old, the animation is simply incredible, and the new 4K version makes it all pop even more. It’s just stunning to look at.

Positives Cont’d

Alright, let’s get into the film itself now. Batman: The Animated Series, and therefore Mask of the Phantasm, is the greatest version of Batman ever put on screen. He embodies everything the comic book version of Batman has built, and did so right from the beginning. And in this film, we get to dive deeper into who this character really is and what motivates him.

We see Bruce’s early days as a budding vigilante, ten years prior to where we see him in the movie, wearing just an all-black outfit with a black coat and ski mask. He does, however, have one thing that has become a staple in Batman’s wardrobe — the utility belt. And we even get a glimpse of a young Bullock when he was still a patrol officer.

I loved getting to see the early side of Bruce, without getting the death of his parents, yet again. A large portion of this story is spent in the past, setting up Bruce’s relationship with Andrea Beaumont and what it meant to him, and for his future, to lose her the way he did. She was the one that got away. I’m sure many of you out there know just what that feels like, but for Bruce, it sent him on a path, a path toward being the vigilante hero we all know him to be.

He was completely ready to give up his quest for vengeance for a happy future with her, which is funny because he barely gave her the time of day at first. He showed no real interest in Andrea until she takes him down with a martial arts move. This is where he sees that there’s so much more to her than all these other women that surround him. She’s a strong, capable woman, and we all know that’s Bruce’s type — Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul, even Wonder Woman occasionally. But when she leaves him, this pushes him deeper into the darkness, and he spends the next decade as Batman before he sees her again.

His willingness to give it all up shows how deeply he just wants to be loved and to love someone in return. We even get a heartbreaking scene where he begs his dead parents to let him break his promise to them so he can finally have some joy in his life. He’s been holding onto an incredible amount of guilt all these years, and his subconscious makes it very difficult for him to move forward in any way. This is one of the best displays I’ve ever seen for why he continues to do what he does, and why none of his relationships ever seem to work out.

Positives Cont’d

While I absolutely love the past storyline in this film, it’s the story structure that really makes it work. The cutting back and forth at key moments to give present day scenes more context was a perfect way to tell this story. One of my favorite moments to do this was toward the beginning of the film, where Bruce is at a party and a woman comes up to him and throws a drink in his face, saying that he essentially led her on and then ghosted her. This woman has red hair and blue eyes. Right after that scene, we are introduced to Andrea Beaumont in a past scene and we see that she too has red hair and blue eyes. This tells me that Bruce was attempting to recreate what he lost after she left, to no success. It’s a very small detail, but one that really fascinated me upon my rewatch of the film.

One other thing I love about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is how the mob plays a major role in the story, something most on-screen Batman tales fail to utilize, though the recent Matt Reeves film, The Batman, did a great job with that. In this, Batman is being blamed for the mob murders perpetrated by The Phantasm, and we get a major tie-in with the mob, Andrea’s father, and even The Joker. We also get a small peek into Joker’s past because of this, and I thought that was really intriguing.

I would also be remiss if I failed to talk about the stellar voice acting throughout this film. Kevin Conroy shines as Batman/Bruce Wayne, as he always does. He will forever be the extremely high bar set for anyone else voicing the character. The way he is able to show such complex emotion just through his voice is simply incredible and shows how much art and skill there is in being a true voice-over artist. He is joined in this by Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumont and she does such a wonderful job, especially as she came into this never having done any voice-over work before. And, of course, Mark Hamill is superb as The Joker.

Negatives

I honestly have no real negatives about this movie. I love it so much. But if I had to list anything, I would say that the lack of resolution to what happens to The Joker would be one. We see Andrea take him in a cloud of mist to presumably kill him, and Batman doesn’t stop her. So she’s gone with Joker and we never know what happens to him, leaving the audience to assume she finished the job.

However, three years after the film, DC released the comic book issue Batman & Robin Adventures Annual #1, which explains what happens after she leaves with Joker. It’s a fascinating issue to read, and that part is just the beginning, so go check it out if you want more Phantasm.

Special Features

The 4K Blu-ray includes three special features: a 4×3 version of the film, the episode of Justice League Unlimited titled “Epilogue”, and the short documentary Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight.

4×3 Version – It was really cool to see them include this version, as the series was all done in 4×3. You actually get to see more of the screen with this, as the widescreen just cuts the top and bottom off of this version. So, if you want to enjoy more of the amazing art that is the animation of this film, check out this version.

“Epilogue” from Justice League Unlimited – This is one of my favorite episodes of JLU, and for multiple reasons. This episode serves, as the name suggests, as an epilogue to both Batman Beyond and Mask of the Phantasm. The events that take place show that she still cares about him after all these years.

It also has one of the most heartbreaking moments in all of Batman history with Batman and Ten from the Royal Flush Gang. If you haven’t seen it, you need to watch it.

Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight Documentary – This was an incredible tribute to the man who voiced Batman for three decades, the man who many of us still hear in our heads anytime we read a Batman comic, Kevin Conroy. The documentary included many great people who all praised Kevin’s work as the Dark Knight. And we even got some interview footage of Kevin himself, which was absolutely wonderful to see.

Verdict

For me personally, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the best Batman film ever made. It is an absolute gem and a classic that everyone who is even slightly a fan of this character needs to watch. And with the documentary about Kevin Conroy included on the Blu-ray, this is a must buy for all fans. So, do yourself a favor and pick this up today!!

Score: 5/5

The post Blu-ray Review: BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993) appeared first on DC Comics News.

If you are as excited about this release as we are, you can check out the full, official press release and trailer below!

BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF HERALDED

FAN FAVORITE ANIMATED FILM WITH FULLY REMASTERED EDITION

FOR 4K ULTRA HD^TM

AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

BURBANK, CA (July 26, 2023) – Celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the most universally acclaimed film in the Dark Knight’s legendary cinematic history when the newly-remastered animated movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, comes to 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. From Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, the film will be available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD on September 12, 2023.

The release will also include an all-new featurette Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight, which takes a look at the legacy of Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman for 30 years in film, television, video games and more.

Rooted in DC’s acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series and released theatrically on Christmas Day 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm has not only been ranked by Time magazine as one of the 10 best Super Hero movies ever, but is also arguably the core fans’ all-time favorite Batman film. The movie has been rated at the top of the Dark Knight film franchise by such popular entertainment media as Empire, Screenrant and Paste. And in the ultimate mainstream salute for its time, Gene Siskel & Robert Ebert didn’t initially review the film during its theatrical release, but later dedicated a portion of their At The Movies weekly TV series to pay compliment to the film – and voice their regret for not giving it the attention it deserved during its original run – when Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was distributed for home entertainment.

The 4K HDR/SDR remaster of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was sourced from the 1993 Original Cut Camera Negative and was scanned at 4K resolution. Digital restoration was applied to the 4K scans to remove dirt, scratches and additional anomalies, but special care was given to not touch the film grain or the animation cel dirt that was part of the original artwork. This is the first time since its theatrical release that it is presented in its 1.85 aspect ratio. The original 2.0 mix and the 5.1 tracks were remastered to remove or improve defects such as pops, ticks, dropouts and distortion.

The animated film features an all-star cast headed by the quintessential voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, alongside Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives, China Beach) as Bruce Wayne’s love interest, Andrea Beaumont, Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise) as the Joker, Stacy Keach (Nebraska, Prison Break, Mike Hammer) as Phantasm/Carl Beaumont, Abe Vigoda (Barney Miller, The Godfather) as Salvatore Valestra, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (The F.B.I.) as Alfred, Hart Bochner (Die Hard) as Arthur Reeves, Bob Hastings (McHale’s Navy, The Poseidon Adventure) as Commissioner Gordon, Robert Costanzo (Forget Paris, City Slickers) as Detective Bullock, Dick Miller (Gremlins, The Terminator) as Chuckie Sol, and John P. Ryan (The Right Stuff) as Buzz Bronski. Additional voices included Pat Musick, Marilu Henner, Neil Ross, Ed Gilbert, Jeff Bennett, Jane Downs, Vernee Watson, Charles Howerton, Thom Pinto and Peter Renaday.

The Batman: Mask of the Phantasm filmmaking team is composed of the award-winning core group behind Batman: The Animated Series. Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm directed the film from a screenplay by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko and Michael Reaves, based on a story by Burnett.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm will be available on September 12, 2023 to purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more. 4K Ultra HD Discs will be available to purchase online and in-store at major retailers. Pre-order your copy now.

SYNOPSIS:

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm opens with the city’s most feared gangsters being systematically eliminated, and assumed blame falling on the Caped Crusader. But prowling the Gotham night is a shadowy new villain, the Phantasm, a sinister figure with some link to Batman’s past. Can the Dark Knight elude the police, capture the Phantasm and clear his own name? Unmasking the Phantasm is just one of the twists in this dazzling animated feature, which provides new revelations about Batman’s past, his archrival the Joker, and Batman’s most grueling battle ever – the choice between his love for a beautiful woman and his vow to be the defender of right.

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE*:

Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight (New Featurette) – For 30 years, Kevin Conroy defined Batman for multiple generations using only his voice, best exemplified in the landmark film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Conroy passed away in November 2022, but his legacy lives on in 15 films, nearly 400 episodes of animated television series, a dozen video games, and as a live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s 2019-2020 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event. Several of Conroy’s contemporaries – including animation legend Bruce Timm, Batman producer Michael Uslan and revered voice actress Tara Strong – pay tribute to the star who remains the Dark Knight for millions of Batfans.

Bonus episode of Justice League: Unlimited featuring a cameo from Phantasm.

*Special features are not available in 4K Ultra HD.

Pricing and film information:

PRODUCT                                                                             SRP

Digital purchase                                                                      $ 14.99

4K Ultra HD + Digital Version**                                              $ 33.99 SRP USA

4K Ultra HD                                                                            $ 39.99 SRP Canada

4K/Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French

Blu-ray Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Running Time: 76 minutes

**Digital version not available in Canada

About Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (WBDHE) distributes the award-winning movies, television, animation, and digital content produced by Warner Bros. Discovery to the homes and screens of millions through physical Blu-ray Disc and DVD retail sales and digital transactions on major streaming, video-on-demand cable, satellite, digital, and mobile channels.  WBDHE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, one of the world’s largest distributors of entertainment programming.

About DC

DC, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, creates iconic characters and enduring stories and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels. DC’s creative work entertains audiences of every generation around the world with DC’s stories and characters integrated across Warner Bros. Discovery’s film, television, animation, consumer products, home entertainment, games, and themed experiences divisions, and on the DC Universe Infinite digital comic subscription service. Learn more at DC.com

About Warner Bros. Animation 

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Batman: Caped Crusader, Bat- Family, Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders, Creature Commandos, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Merry Little Batman, My Adventures with Superman, Noonan’s, Teen Titans Go!, Tiny Toons Looniversity, and Velma. The studio is currently in production with New Line Cinema on the upcoming original anime feature film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.  WBA’s full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC Universe Movies — for DVD, Blu-ray^®and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 40 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

The post BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM Coming To 4K Ultra HD This September appeared first on DC Comics News.

The actor, who has portrayed The Clown Prince of Crime across multiple media since 1992’s Batman The Animated Series, has declared recently that he will never voice the villain again. Further, he has also noted it has much to do with the passing of longtime Batman voice actor and collaborator, Kevin Conroy, last year.

Mark Hamill And Kevin Conroy, BTAS’ True Dynamic Duo

In fact, Kevin’s involvement in any Batman-related project was the tipping point in any pitch thrown at Hamill to step up to the mike again. “They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in.’ We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”

Mark’s words mirror a line that he read as The Joker in the BTAS episode “The Man Who Killed Batman.” With the Dark Knight believed to be dead, and his failure to appear at a robbery the clown had staged to draw him out, he told Harley and company to leave the goods behind.  A disheartened Joker finally declared, “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.”

Hamill was, in fact, not the first person to be cast in the iconic series as The Joker. Initially, it had been actor Tim Curry in the role. Mark had voiced the role of Ferris Boyle in the Emmy-winning Mister Freeze episode “Heart of Ice.” Winning Voice Director Andrea Romano over, he re-recorded the lines Curry had performed for the first few Joker episodes, and off they went. Mark went out of his way to make his laughter an indicator of Joker’s moods and based his take on Blue Meany from the animated Beatles project Yellow Submarine. And because he chose to stand and use manic body language as he read his lines, the animators took note of those gestures and incorporated them into their sketches. His take on The Joker was so defining and unique, Hamill has been the gold standard that every other Joker voice actor looks to for inspiration.

Since BTAS and its spinoff film Batman: Mask of The Phantasm, he had reprised the character on Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker, Justice League, Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Justice League Action, three of Rocksteady’s four Batman: Arkham games, DC Universe Online, and Batman: The Killing Joke. And yes, in every one of those aforementioned projects, Kevin’s Batman was there to trade quips and blows with Mark’s Joker. It seems poignant since the criminal never wanted to be separated from his nemesis that Mark would step away from the mic because Kevin would not be there to confront him. Regardless, there are no smiles in the animation fan community today, and no Joker Toxin will make any difference either.

RIP Mark Hamill Joker.  Thanks for the laughs.

Official Source – Mark Hamill Explains Why He Won’t Voice The Joker Again (comingsoon.net)

The post Mark Hamill Officially Retires From Voicing The Joker appeared first on DC Comics News.

From his casting in 1992, the actor portrayed Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego across the pop culture spectrum. Beginning with the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series, Conroy voiced the character in spinoff shows Batman: The New Adventures,  Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Static Shock, and Justice League Unlimited. He then starred in DC’s DTV animated features such as Batman/Mister Freeze: Sub-Zero, Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker, Batman: Mystery of The Batwoman, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Justice League: Doom, Batman: Assault on Arkham, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Batman: The Killing Joke. Batman: Mask of The Phantasm, the animated spinoff of BTAS, is the only one of Conroy’s Batman projects to have a theatrical release, back in 1993.

He also reprised the role for video games, infamously for Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight. His video game resume expanded with Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2. Kevin’s coup de grâce in his association with the character came in portraying a Bruce Wayne from an alternate dimension in the CW Arrowverse crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths, the first time using his Batman voice in front of the camera rather than behind a microphone. His final stints as The Dark Knight were in the Justice League Action! series and the DTV feature Justice League vs. The Fatal Five.

Former co-stars from Batman: The Animated Series, Diane Pershing, and Loren Lester – Poison Ivy and Robin, respectively – confirmed on Diane’s Instagram, featuring a photo of Conroy and Lester:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Diane Pershing (@diane.pershing)

Very sad news: our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday. He’s been ill for a while but he really put in a lot of time at the cons, to the joy of all of his fans. He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world.

Kevin Conroy – The Voice, The Man, The Legend Remembered

Since the announcement of his death, Kevin’s friends and former co-stars have paid tribute on their social media. Voice Actress Tara Strong, who starred as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl with Conroy on multiple projects, only had this to say:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tara Strong (@tarastrong)

I don’t have the words. Not today. My heart is broken. There will never be another like him. Rest legend.

Arrowverse alum John Wesley Shipp, best known as Barry Allen from the 1990 CBS short-lived series The Flash, tweeted the following:

Heartbroken at the passing of my decades-long friend from the early days of our careers – both amazed at finding ourselves closely identified with superheroes – the late great Kevin Conroy. Much love to Kevin’s family and friends. You are honored, Kevin, and missed already.

Above all, the great Mark Hamill, whose infamous portrayal of The Joker battled Conroy’s Batman for thirty years across multiple platforms, offered these words:

Kevin was a brilliant [actor. For] several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones, and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner – it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.

Hamill also said that he loved him like a brother.

Born on November 30, 1955, Conroy was one of three siblings raised in Westbury, New York. Acting was already in the family, as his aunt was the famous Broadway star, Susan Conroy. Having earned a full scholarship to Julliard at age 17 – studying under Academy Award winner John Houseman – he roomed with future legend Robin Williams. He graduated in 1978 and toured with Houseman’s group, “The Acting Company.” Although making his TV debut in 1980 on Another World, Conroy soon returned to the theater, even holding the title role of Hamlet in the 1984 New York Shakespeare Festival.  Other TV appearances included regular roles on Tour of Duty and Ohara.

However, it was a casting call in 1991 for the role of The Caped Crusader that truly showed his versatility. Unlike any previous voice actor before him, Kevin provided two distinctive voices for the same man; Bruce Wayne had a spoiled, upbeat tone, ideal for a billionaire playboy, while he delivered a dark, gravelly voice for The Dark Knight.

He tackled this dual identity in that radio drama-esque recording studio with an intimate knowledge of the character’s psychology. In the documentary Heart of Batman, Kevin said:

The trick over this long arc has been to not let it get stale. And I learned this early on that Batman is not the disguise. Batman is who he went to, and what he became, because of the tragedy of his childhood. It’s where he found safety. It’s where he is most comfortable, in that cave. The suit of armor he puts on, the role he plays for the world, is Bruce Wayne. That’s the performance. Once I found that about the character, it really made sense to me. It kept the Batman voice from sounding artificial, and it [made Bruce Wayne] such a different persona.

To date, his body of work associated with Batman gives Kevin the distinction of being the longest-running actor to portray the character in general. Although having never suited up himself onscreen, Conroy has outlasted every “bat-actor” from Adam West to Robert Pattinson. He had also taken part in the anthology DC Pride, penning “Finding Batman”, telling the story of his life and how he came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Voice Casting Director, Andrea Romano, the woman who cast Kevin into the role he became so synonymous with, also fondly reflected on her own experience working with him:

Kevin was far more than an actor whom I had the pleasure of casting and directing – he was a dear friend for 30+ years whose kindness and generous spirit knew no boundaries. Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh, and pure love of life will be with me forever.

As a man is defined by his actions, one of the best validations of that heart was found after New York’s darkest day. Kevin, during an interview, once recounted an experience volunteering at a meal station following the events of 9/11.

We’re getting hundreds of meals ready, and this one guy in the middle of the night, three nights into this, says; “My day job is I’m an architect, what’s your day job?” So, I said; “Well I do voices mostly”, and he said; “I knew it! You’re the guy that does Batman! You’re that Kevin Conroy!” He goes into this dining hall, and this is the first week after the attack, there was just this somber sadness, and this guy goes; “Guys! guys! you’re not going to believe who’s been cooking your dinners! It’s Batman!” There’s a long silence, and then you can hear “Bullshit!” from the back of the place, and someone else says; “Make him prove [it! So] I’m in the back kitchen, and they suddenly hear me saying; “I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!” There’s a long pause, then you hear from the back of the place; “Holy f@(#! That is Batman!” Suddenly people were laughing, and the architect who had [recognized] me said; “What does it feel like to be Santa Claus?” Cause that’s what just happened here.

BTAS writer and Producer Paul Dini, whose Mister Freeze episode “Heart of Ice” earned the series the first of two Emmy Awards, has nothing but praise for the late actor.:

Kevin brought a light with him, [everywhere, whether] in the recording booth giving it his all, or feeding first responders during 9/11, or making sure every fan who ever waited for him had a moment with their Batman. A hero in every sense of the word. Irreplaceable. Eternal.

Kevin is survived by his husband, Vaughn C. Williams, his brother, Tom, and sister, Trisha.

RIP Batman. Always The Night.

Official Source – Kevin Conroy, the Voice of Batman, Dies at 66 (cbr.com)

The post Kevin Conroy, Voice of Batman – R.I.P. (1955-2022) appeared first on DC Comics News.

The wonderful folks at Newsarama report that the latest in a series of charity sketches produced by industry icon (and DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher) Jim Lee has helped donate over $55,000 to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (or “Binc”).

According to the Binc website, “Binc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to assisting booksellers in need. The Binc Foundation grew out of a wish of bookstore employees to establish a fund to help their colleagues experiencing unexpected financial crises. Binc is dedicated to assisting bookstore employees across the United States in their greatest time of need.”

Lee has posted a sketch every day of April so far, in an attempt to assist comic book stores and their employees during the pandemic that is currently affecting millions of individuals and businesses (both big and small) all over the world.

The rules are as follows: whomever wins the auction for the original sketch gets to choose who he draws next, given that it cannot be a character he has sketched before. Some of these charity sketches have included Azrael, Dr. Fate and Big Barda.

Day 8! BATMAN BEYOND (from Arkham Knight) as chosen by the high bidder of Doctor Fate—Dhaval! Thank you Dhaval w/your continued generous support! All proceeds to benefit struggling comics shops during this crisis via @BINC ! 3 day auction is now live on https://t.co/OAz3DxKP3I pic.twitter.com/0xRlEKB7Th

— Jim Lee (@JimLee) April 8, 2020

This Batman Beyond sketch sold for $11,600 and was a big hit on social media, receiving almost 5,500 total likes across Instagram and Twitter. Many fans even noticed the smaller details within the sketch, such as the Ben Affleck armored Bat-suit from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

A couple of my favorites have been the sketches of Deadman and Phantasm, from the Batman: Mask of the Phantasm animated film, with the latter drawn by artist Rafael Albuquerque. Both of these sketches are still a part of open auctions.

If you would like to participate in the auctions, head on over to eBay.

For coverage on how the comic book industry continues to be impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, keep it on DC Comics News.

The post Jim Lee Sketches Batman Beyond For Charity appeared first on DC Comics News.

On Nov. 12, Fathom Events will be showing the film in theaters for one day only, a special treat for all Bat-fans.

Released on Dec. 25, 1993, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm only pulled in $5.6M at the box office in its initial run. Thanks to home video it has grown into one of the most beloved stories of the Dark Knight.

You can check out where the film is playing over on Fathom Events, as well as purchase your tickets.

Will you be heading out to the theater to check this out?  Let us know in the comments.

The post ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ Returns To Theaters For One Day appeared first on DC Comics News.

Jeff Brown, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment said about the limited edition box set:

“As many fans and media have noticed, Amazon and other notable retailers were forced to suspend sales of Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition due to unprecedented demand for this beloved series.  Sales surpassed our initial run of 30,000 limited edition box sets about four weeks ago and, rather than leave so many fans wanting, we implemented new production orders to accommodate the requests for this priced collection.  A significant portion of those increased numbers have already sold, and all sites are accepting orders again.”

The complete box set will feature approximately 2,700 minutes of entertainment over 10 Blu-ray discs plus two bonus discs and an extra disc of specially-selected episodes with audio commentaries by cast and crew.  In addition to the visual entertainment, Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Edition Limited Edition includes Funko mini-figures of Batman, Joker and Harley Quinn and seven lenticular art cards.  The box set is housed in a lay flat-book with dazzling slipcase.

The Emmy Award-winning series from Warner Bros. Entertainment set the standard for superhero animated adventures with its amazing storytelling and perfect voice casting.  Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition set includes all 109 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and two bonus discs that contain the animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero and the 90-minute documentary on the making of Batman: The Animated Series with interviews with cast and crew.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition box set will be available for purchase of $112.99 on October 30, 2018.

The post Warner Bros Increases Release of ‘Batman: The Complete Animated Series’ Deluxe Limited Edition Box Sets appeared first on DC Comics News.

“It was truly an honor to be entrusted to play the character in the original Batman:TAS back in ’92,” Hamill said on Twitter. “I had no idea at the time the impact it would have on my career or how it would be received by Bat-fans worldwide- but it’s the gift that keeps on giving!”

 

It was truly an honor to be entrusted to play the character in the original Batman:TAS back in ’92. I had no idea at the time the impact it would have on my career or how it would be received by Bat-fans worldwide- but it’s the gift that keeps on giving! https://t.co/9SizIQb10T

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) July 14, 2018

There’s good news for fans of the series. Batman: The Animated Series (or BTAS) is coming to the digital streaming service, DC Universe, and in HD for the first time next month.

What are your favorite memories of Hamill’s Joker? Let us know in the comments!

The post Mark Hamill Reflects On Playing The Joker In The Animated Series appeared first on DC Comics News.

In a panel in SDCC 2017 while promoting the Blu-ray release of Batman: Mask of The Phantasm, Bruce Timm, DC’s Animation veteran, shared his thoughts about Hamill doing The Clown Prince of Crime.

“Most of you guys probably know Mark first did the voice for us in the first Mr. Freeze episode; he played the guy who caused Mr. Freeze’s wife to end up in a coma. He was so excited and full of enthusiasm for Batman. He’s a huge comic book fan and he really wanted to play one of the big villains at that time and he specifically mentioned The Joker, and at that time we were using Tim Curry as the Joker. And he was really disappointed and he said, ‘well, if anybody else shows up like Hugo Strange or somebody, give me a call.’ So many months later we made the difficult decision to replace Tim and we brought Mark in to audition for The Joker and he nailed it.”

And as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Mark Hamill is an accomplished voice actor who was featured in various incarnations of The Joker. He first lent his voice in Batman: The Animated Series which was heavily influenced by Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. He then continued voicing the villain in The New Batman Adventures and Justice League. Mark Hamill also voiced The Joker in Rocksteady’s critically acclaimed and best-selling Batman: Arkham trilogy video games. He was also featured in animated feature length movies such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker. He has gone on to continue voicing The Joker and also Swamp Thing in the new animated series, Justice League Action. Recently, he voiced The Clown Prince of Crime in the straight-to-video animated adaptation of one of the most controversial and famous Batman stories, Batman: The Killing Joke.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released on July 25 on Blu-ray which stars Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker.

The post Mark Hamill Wasn’t DC’s First Choice To Voice The Joker appeared first on DC Comics News.

Mask of the Phantasm, directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, follows Batman as he tries to uncover the identity of a masked vigilante who has been murdering mobsters and pinning the crime on Gotham’s most notorious and entrench vigilante – Batman himself. The movie digs into Batman’s past and pinpoints the exact moment at which Bruce Wayne decided to become the Caped Crusader.

The post Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Remaster Heading To Blu-Ray appeared first on DC Comics News.