This week, DC Comics and Warner Home Video announced something that all the fans of their popular animated series franchise have been dying to get their hands on. For the first time in its history, every episode of The Dark Knight of Tomorrow, Batman Beyond, will be collected and sold to you in a single boxed limited-edition set coming November 23, just in time for the holidays!
Batman Beyond: The Complete Series box set comes loaded with 9 discs with all 52 episodes for a suggested retail price of $99.99, and is packed full of extra goodies to make that price tag seem like chump change. The set includes all new bonus content and an art book that opens your eyes to the creation of the series.
See the breakdown of the details on the bonus features and packaging here below.
TOMORROW KNIGHT: THE BATMAN REBORN
The “Batman Beyond” creative team gives you a peek into the character of Terry McGinnis, and what made him worthy to become the new Caped Crusader.
GOTHAM: CITY OF THE FUTURE
A look at Gotham City, circa 2039, and how the team built a realistic vision of the near future while remaining true to the city they created in Batman: The Animated Series.
THE HIGH TECH HERO
Explore the technology behind the Bat-suit, its amazing powers and the real world science that inspired it.
The collection will also contain the DC 75th anniversary documentary, Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics.
Included in the beautifully custom designed package is a 24-page, 8″x 12″ collectible booklet with the inside perspective and artwork from the vaults especially compiled by DC Comics for this release.
In my humble opinion, Batman Beyond doesn’t get the proper respect that it deserves, as this series took animation to a new level and took Batman to a place no one thought he would ever go. The series was centered around an aging Bruce Wayne reluctantly taking a young Terry McGinnis under his wing to train him in the ways of The Batman, which was truly a step out from Batman’s comfort zone. Batman Beyond also features some classic voice acting from the likes of Will Friedle, Kevin Conroy, George Takei, Stockard Channing, Wayne Brady, and even Henry Rollins, in addition to many, many more.
So, for fans of the series, and those who haven’t taken the time to get to know it, this box set will make a “totally schway” holiday gift.
[Source: Warner Bros.]
I really, really wanted to love this series. In fact the opening title sequence is about the best ever created for a US animated series, rivaling some of the more epic anime openings.
However the show just didn’t grab me as much as I would of liked. Not sure if it was the pacing of the episodes or the fact that The New Batman Adventures was still airing, and it being in the same universe gave the present time series a weird vibe. You knew forty years later, Bruce Wayne survived anything the villains threw at him during his stint under the cowl. Now obviously, Wayne would never get killed. That sounds like it would be some terribly cliche comic book gimmick. Oh wait…
Comment by Slipstream — August 19, 2010 @ 10:31 pm
I would really give it another shot. I didn’t love it the first time I saw it, either. But after it initially aired, I fell in love with it
Comment by MK2Fac3 — August 19, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
i hated it when i first saw it, the idea to me then was dumb…but im in love now and really want to buy this.
Comment by scoobydiesel — August 20, 2010 @ 12:38 am
To the detractors…come on, give credit where credit is due.
The series marked the first serious foray of Bruce Timm & Co. into a darker and edgier future. No happily ever after for the man who donned the cape and cowl to protect his beloved city, only old age, the accompanying frailty, and a wholly desolate mansion except for his beloved bat-hound, Ace.
Terry wasn’t as smart or fanatically driven as Bruce, but as Amanda Waller so simply stated in the series finale: when it came to heart, he was the one to succeed the mantle of the bat.
AND, most importantly, this series did not recycle Bruce’s villains (Mr. Freeze and Ras Al Ghul exceptions) and take the easy way out with future versions of Penguin, Two-Face, Scarecrow etc.
Comment by burning_chrome — August 20, 2010 @ 3:05 am
I don’t know. I liked the series and I still do, heck I’m even reading the monthly (which is pretty cool) but I really don’t know. Bottom line is I’ll keep my eye on it but I’m not going to pre-order.
Comment by RandomAtom — August 20, 2010 @ 10:03 am
I really enjoyed the series so it’s nice to see a complete box set of it.
Comment by Demonstrable — August 20, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
I found it kind of “meh” when it was on. Later I bought one of the seasons on DVD and I really started to get into it. While it was made more for the sales of toys rather than the storytelling, it still manages to do a great job of the story. The fact that this isn’t just the same cape and cowl stories of Batman; The Animated Series with shinier tech, but whole new stories with a teen coming into his own with the help of an adviser. And by the time that the 3rd season came, he truly became the Batman.
Comment by Slipstick — August 21, 2010 @ 1:27 pm
@burning_chrome – I’m not saying I disrespect or not give credit to Timm and his group at all. High amount of respect. Perhaps I just didn’t get into Terry’s character or the villains all that much. I can’t quite place it, but I by no means hated it. If I get the chance, I’ll check it out again.
Comment by Slipstream — August 21, 2010 @ 4:35 pm