Earlier this week, reports came in that Batman: The Animated Series is getting a miniseries tie-in that would consist of six issues. The title of the new series, Batman: The Adventures Continue will debut this April.
According to EW, the series will be written by the original show’s producers, Alan Burnette and Paul Dini and will be illustrated by Ty Templeton, who you may recognize from the previous comic tie-in, Batman Adventures.
Like most, myself included, I learned nearly everything I know today about The Dark Knight from the 85-episode series, along with the tie-ins and sequel shows, including the various Justice League series Superman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond.
Batman: The Animated Series, which won went on to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, has been a pillar of the DC universe and has inspired countless video games and live-action movies, including the current run that has Margot Robbie running around as Harley Quinn.
Speaking with EW, Paul Dini, producer of Batman: The Animated Series and writer of Continues, says that the idea behind all of this is to introduce and acknowledge new (and old) characters into this animated universe.
“We’d gone from Dick Grayson to Tim Drake, and we had left out Jason. What we’re doing with this is looking at this as a chance to go back and actually acknowledge that was a part of the animated Batman’s history. For the first time, you’re going to see that story and you’re going to see what happened in that relationship. So, it’s our chance to not only to do Jason Todd but also the Red Hood. There are other characters like Azrael, who was popular in the comics around [the time of the show], and Deathstroke, who we never used in the animated series.”
-Paul Dini
Dini went on to explain how this new miniseries starts, with Batman taking on a couple of mysteries involving a giant robot and the return of Lex Luthor to Gotham City.
“We’re kicking off with the Bruce-Lex relationship in a semi-sequel of [the Batman and Superman crossover] ‘World’s Finest’ because the events of that are touched on. Where did that leave Bruce and Lex after they were busted by Batman and Superman? It’s interesting to see the little dueling that goes on between them.”
Without giving too much more away, Dini chimed in stating that there is also someone watching the Batman family, that knows them well, watching from the shadows, filled with hatred and amusement. Sounds a lot like Jason Todd, as it usually is when it comes to someone close to Batman wanting revenge. The mystery behind this shadowy figure will be something that looms over the head of not only Bruce Wayne and the others, but the reader as well.
“There’s a stranger in town who has staked out the Batman family, who knows them very well, and is watching them from a distance with a mixture of amusement and deep hatred. That’s gonna be a challenge and concern for them at some point. The guy is so good that even though Batman and the others get glimpses of him, they have no idea who he is or what he wants, and that’s a mystery for them to solve.”
There are a lot more details explored within the EW exclusive, and we encourage you to check it out when you can. For now, take a look at a couple of images, courtesy of EW, featuring some of the characters of the upcoming Continues miniseries, coming this April.
