by Ricky Church
Batman fans really do have a plentiful time ahead as DC Studios announced at Annecy three more upcoming animated series. The studio will adapt Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’sBatman Absolutecomic alongsideJoker: Laugh Riot while the Superman side of DC will see Krypto lead his own currently untitled series.
DC launched the Absolute Universe in 2024 which focuses on different interpretations of their classic heroes and villains. Snyder and Dragotta’sAbsolute Batman has consistently been among DC’s bestselling titles. The series follows Bruce Wayne who instead of being a billionaire is reimagined as a blue collar worker who scraped together his own equipment to become Batman, taking to the streets to fight crime and the corrupt officials of Gotham City. Snyder will be Absolute Batman‘s showrunner and executive produce with Dragotta serving as a producer.
In addition, the Clown Prince of Crime himself will be headlining his own anime series in Joker: Laugh Riot. The series will see The Joker devasted after Batman is murdered by someone other than him, beginning a mission to find Batman’s killer. The official synopsis reads:
When Batman is murdered, the Joker launches a ruthless crusade through Gotham’s underworld to find the killer who took away his greatest adversary. But as his violent quest for answers pushes him closer towards vigilante than villain, Joker is forced to confront the truth that without Batman, he doesn’t know who he is.
Joker: Laugh Riotwill be directed by Yasuhuro Aoki (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim) with DC’s Jim Krieg executive producing.
Last on the docket is a children’s animated series focusing on Krypto, Superman and Supergirl’s faithful canine who made big waves in last year’sSupermanand returns in the just releasedSupergirl. Executive produced by C.H. Greenblatt, the untitled series will see Krypto getting into adventures with a neighbours of a bad influence when he’s not saving the world with Superman and Supergirl. The official synopsis reads:
When he’s not hanging out with Superman or Supergirl, Krypto tags along with a gang of misfit criminal wannabes who live down the block, and they soon discover he’s a ball of destructive, lovable energy worse than any of them! As he follows them into misadventures and poorly laid plans, Krypto’s pure nature slowly ends up redeeming them, whether they want it or not.
There is no word on when any of the series will premiere or how Snyder’s duties on theAbsolute Batmanseries may impact the comic. In the meantime, next month will seeBatman: Caped Crusaderreturn for its second season (watch the trailer here) and the first part of the hotly-anticipated Batman: Knightfalltrilogy will be released this summer (watch the trailer here).
