BATMAN: 2014 75th Anniversary TV Short & Video Clip

Short film and feature video clip part of ongoing Batman 75th celebration. As part of the 75th anniversary of Batman, which officially kicked off on March 30, 2014, DC Entertainment has debuted Batman: Strange Days, an animated short created by fan favorite Bruce W. Timm – co-creator of the much beloved Batman: The Animated Series. The story pits Batman against both Solomon Grundy & Dr. Hugo Strange, and was done as a black & white tribute to Bob Kane‘s original Golden Age hero. The short aired as part of the April 9, 2014 prime time debut of Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans, Go! series; but is now available online.

No need to go looking; the complete short has been made available, below.

The next round, in the anniversary celebration, will come with the feature DVD/ Blu-ray release of Son of Batman, which is scheduled for an April 18, 2014 world premiere, at the Anaheim WonderCon, before going wide on May 6. The story is based on “Batman & Son,” a story arc that brought major changes to the ongoing singular “Batman” comic, and the larger Batman family of titles.

About Batman & Son:

Written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Andy Kubert, the story was published in four parts in the comic book Batman starting in #655 and ending in #658. The story was the beginning of Morrison’s run in the Batman comic as well as his long-term take on the character of Batman through multiple titles over the next seven years. The arc told the story of the introduction of Batman’s son, Damian Wayne, into the mainstream continuity of the DC Universe.

Morrison was hired by DC editors to give his take on Batman after having recently given his definitive take on the character of Superman in All Star Superman. In writing the arc, he took ideas from past Batman stories, especially the Elseworlds tale Batman: Son of the Demon. Morrison brought back the idea of a son, Damian, being born from a love affair between Batman and Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his nemesis, Ra’s al Ghul. The boy had been trained from birth by the League of Assassins and was sent by Talia to live with Batman in a plot to disrupt his crime-fighting and distract him. It also includes the use of sometime Batman adversary, Dr. Kirk Langstrom and the serum he uses to become the creature Man-Bat.

The story had a lasting impact on Batman stories as well as the DC Universe as a whole with the introduction of the character of Damian Wayne and the set-up of plot elements in Morrison’s stories. Damian would eventually become the fifth Robin and co-star in Morrison’s on-going Batman and Robin title since. He has also appeared in other titles, especially those set around Gotham City.

Son of Batman will have closer ties to Justice League: War, than the timeline of its source material, as part of DC/ Warner Bros. ongoing New 52 joint animated universe initiative. Jason O’Marawill be reprising his Justice League: War role, as the voice of Batman/ Bruce Wayne; Stuart Allen, Morena Baccarin, Giancarlo Esposito, David McCallum, Xander Berkeley, Thomas Gibson, Sean Maher, Bruce Thomas, and Fred Tatasciore will be rounding out the cast.

the first clip from Son of Batman features a face off between Batman and Killer Croc (Fred Tatasciore).

Leave your thoughts on the Strange Days short, Son of Batman clip, and the Batman 75th anniversary, below in the comments section. For more Batman photos, videos, and information, visit our Batman Page, subscribe to us by Email, follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

Sources: CBR (1, 2) Wikipedia