The Day Batman Lost His Voice

Sometime after Michael Keaton turned in the cape, but well before Robert Pattinson donned the cowl, there was another Batman. In 1992, what would come to be known as the defining Batman debuted. Some of us woke up on Saturday mornings to watch Fox Kids and see this spectacle. Others of us, rushed home after school to catch it in the afternoon. Even a few of us recorded every episode on their VCRs.  Batman the Animated Series has always garnered critical acclaim. For adults and kids alike, it was their Batman. Its look was unique. Its stories were compelling. The other thing that stood out for more than 30 years was the voice. Kevin Conroy created the voice that would define the dark knight. This weekend, that voice was silenced.

Kevin Conroy is the longest actor to play Batman. He has voiced him in multiple cartoons, video games, and various projects. He had been fighting cancer and this weekend, that fight ended at age 66. He was great to the fans and often showed up at conventions across the country. I met him in Detroit a few years back. He was kind and gracious. He was also gay and for years, no one knew. The coolest thing was, it didn't matter. He was Batman. He was accepted, but that was not always the case. He had a very troubled childhood and struggled for work in a Hollywood that was not always kind to gay performers. He chronicled this in Finding Batman last summer. DC Comics is publishing it in honor of his legacy.

He was one of the first openly gay men to play a superhero. Not just any superhero, Batman. If you didn't experience the show when it debuted, you can watch it all on HBO Max. If you want to see the impact one man's voice can have on a character, roll into the Chaos Comics, A&A, or Summit Comics and Games. Anyone one working there can tell you what Conroy's legacy is all about. Our voices our powerful and can live on long after we pass. Kevin Conroy's voice will be legendary as long as their is a Batman in Gotham. Rest in peace Kevin, you are Batman.

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