Even though we have 79 years of comics and a healthy amount of films featuring the Caped Crusader to look back on, there are many fans out there who feel that Batman: The Animated Series was the definitive portrayal of the character. And while I do appreciate many other versions, it’s hard to argue that point due to it retaining the spirit of the source material, while also building its own legacy. Not only that, but it also was the first place where Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill voiced Batman and the Joker, respectively, whom have both since played those characters in a variety of other projects in the years to follow.
So, if you fancy yourself as a lover of this series, then you, like me, probably own every episode on DVD. Still, there are those who’ve been clamoring for a Blu-ray upgrade for years, only to see various other shows that followed in its footsteps receive the high definition treatment first. Yes, the likes of Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold are all available on Blu-ray, but what of the show that single-handedly changed the game when it came to superhero storytelling on TV?
To date, the only way to watch Bruce Timm’s baby on Blu-ray has been whenever individual episodes have been included as bonus content for various animated movies, or when it spun off into feature length flicks of its own. But now, that’s all about to change, as it was just revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that the complete series will be coming home on October 16th.
That’s right, all 85 episodes of the original run and the 24 that comprised The New Batman Adventures (or “the revamp episodes,” if you prefer) will be included, plus, according to SyFy, “three Funko figures (Batman, Harley, Joker), cards depicting certain scenes from the show, a behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the series, and some other awesome goodies.”
What I also couldn’t help noticing in the picture of the set (seen above) was that animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero also appear to be a part of the package. Conspicuous by its absence is that of Mystery of the Batwoman, an offshoot from The New Batman Adventures, so we’ll have to wait and see it that got invited to the party as well.
But if streaming is your thing, know that Batman: The Animated Series‘ first two seasons can soon be viewed in HD thanks to the upcoming DC Universe app. Still, you have to admit the Blu-ray set is hard to pass up.