A book that promises to reveal new details…
The history of the seminal Batman: The Animated Series has been chronicled many times but a new book published by St. Martin’s Press promises a level of detail never revealed before.
I Am the Night, by Daniel Dockery, is due Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Dig the official description:
I AM THE NIGHT: THE ULTIMATE UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY OF BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
A narrative history of the popular television show Batman: The Animated Series, including exclusive interviews and never-before-shared stories from the making of the series.
At a time when televised cartoons―especially within the superhero genre―were often over-looked, Batman: The Animated Series introduced an entire generation of soon-to-be Batman fanatics to the caped crusader. The series triumphed into what is largely considered one of the best superhero cartoons of all time, and the best depiction of Batman mythology in any format.
But the road to genre-defying and genre-defining success was hardly guaranteed. Along the way, co-creator Bruce Timm and his team of artists at Warner Bros Animation battled a landscape that was often antithetical to their aims with Batman. Internal struggles led the writing team and the network to debate everything (literally everything) about how best to depict Batman―from whether or not the eco-friendly hero would have a recycling bin in the Batcave to how many women he was allowed to kiss onscreen.
In I Am the Night, Daniel Dockery lovingly deep dives into Batman: The Animated Series and the cartoon renaissance it inspired, becoming the definitive primary source for new and old fans of the series alike. Including exclusive interviews with the team behind the cartoon and many never-before-shared insights about the series, I Am the Night will surprise even the staunchest of Batman enthusiasts and capture what made people first fall in love with the series. As many ups and downs as the DC Cinematic Universe may have, Batman is eternal–and so is Batman: The Animated Series.
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The 304-page hardcover lists for $29.
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MORE
— BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES: This Is the Greatest Episode of All. Click here.
— BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES — Still the Best of Them All. Click here.
August 31, 2026
What makes it “UNAUTHORIZED”?
August 31, 2026
My guess is that Warner Bros. didn’t provide its blessing.
September 1, 2026
Guessing you are right. I was concerned when they didn’t use artwork from the show for the cover. It certainly doesn’t help sell the BTAS vibe. For that reason, unless I can see more interior pages I will most likely skip it.
August 31, 2026
“Largely considered ONE of the best superhero cartoons of all time”?
THE best. And this is from someone who thoroughly enjoyed Batman Beyond, Superman and the JLA iterations.
August 31, 2026
I’m hard-pressed to think of a better cartoon iteration of any superhero. Maybe Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse are in contention, because those are incredible, too.
August 31, 2026
Fleischer Superman says “Hold my beer…”
September 1, 2026
Yes! And thank you for the smile of the day. Spot on.
September 1, 2026
No doubt it was visually stunning, especially on the big screen, but I think even the most faithful fans would be hard pressed to come up with Superman’s equivalent of Heart of Ice. The layered storytelling of BTAS was a big part of its appeal for me.
September 2, 2026
I just now ordered my copy!!!! Thanks for the info!!!