Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
It has been a trying day for various reasons, but it's still Friday and that means it's time for a fresh round of news, memes, and entertainment. Although today is going to be a little bit different. This is the Friday edition of Evening Reading!
And, because it's the weekend, go find yourself something to play!
I'd like to do something different tonight. This morning, we lost Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman, and that's a death that hit me really hard. For tonight, I'd like to forego the normal routine. It'll be back next week, no worries. Instead, for this edition of Evening Reading, I'd like to dedicate it to Kevin Conroy by remembering some of his best moments.
Remembering when Kevin Conroy spoke with GamerHub
GamerHub was very fortunate to get to talk to Kevin Conroy over the course of the last few years. He's a wonderful interview and always brought enthusiasm to the Dark Knight.
Almost Got 'Im
People will often ask what the best episode of Batman: The Animated Series was. The answer is almost always "Almost Got 'Im." Here are a few clips to illustrate why.
"I... AM... BATMAN!"
The Tim Burton Batman movies are what helped define the modern Dark Knight, but everyone remembers Kevin Conroy's rendition of the character because of moments like this.
Batman Begins
Everyone who followed Conroy's Batman remembers him bringing that same gravitas to the big screen. Here's one of the most memorable scenes from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
What makes a Batman
Meant to be the final episode of Justice League Unlimited... until it got renewed (D'oh...), Epilogue was meant to tie everything up all the way back to Batman: The Animated Series. Before we got Terry's ending, we found out what made Batman who he was and it resulted in one of Kevin Conroy's finest depictions of the character.
Going Beyond
There's a lot I could have picked out from the Batman Beyond years, but I actually wanted to pick out this special short from the Batman 75th anniversary celebration in 2014, because it spotlights another talent who left us way too soon: Darwyn Cooke. Here's Cooke directing Conroy and Will Friedle in a special return to the Batman Beyond universe.
Return to Arkham
To set the scene, it was the late 2000s. Justice League Unlimited had just wrapped up and with WB moving on to new Batman stories, it appeared unlikely that we would ever hear Conroy voice the Caped Crusader again. Then came Batman: Arkham Asylum, which brought back both Conroy and Mark Hamill. Here's the opening that not only invoked all the nostalgia for Conroy's Batman, but also kicked off an all-time great video game trilogy.
And here's Rocksteady's own tribute to Conroy's work on the Arkham series.
Batman v. Superman
Conroy would also return to the video game cowl for Injustice: Gods Among Us, in an opening scene that reminded us that Batman fighting Superman could actually be good.
The Brave and the Bold
In the late 2000s, Warner Bros. had moved to a new Batman series that harkened back to the Silver Age. The Brave and the Bold was a lighter Batman show and a pretty good one. WB even found Diedrich Bader to capably voice the Bat, a role he still carries to this day in Harley Quinn. However, this show also paid homage to all eras of Batman. Observe this clip, in which Kevin Conroy voiced the enigmatic Phantom Stranger.
The lighter side of the Bat
Many people associate Kevin Conroy's Batman with a darker interpretation of the character, especially as Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's version of the Dark Knight advanced in years. However, Conroy always knew when to bring out a lighter side of the Batman. Watch this web-exclusive clip of Justice League Action, where Conroy got to have some fun with the character he brought life to for so many years.
Finding Batman
Earlier this year, Kevin Conroy went from the voice of Batman to the rare role of author. DC let him tell a short story in the DC Pride 2022 anthology and it was a story that impacted many people, especially as it acted as his coming out. Many were surprised to see the long-time voice of Batman come out. But it proved inspirational for the millions of marginalized LGBTQ+ people in the world, who could now look up to one of the great voice acting icons as one of them.
In tribute to Conroy, DC has made the full DC Pride 2022 anthology free to read for everyone.
Remembering the man himself
And finally, the people who worked with Kevin Conroy throughout his career remember him today.
That's Evening Reading. I'll see you all next week.