Matt and Jenny are joined by author Daniel Dockery to discuss his new release I AM THE NIGHT: The Ultimate Unauthorized History of BATMAN: The Animated Series.
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By Matt Spaulding
In I Am The Night, Daniel Dockery tells not just the tale of the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, but unpacks the circumstances that helped create it, but manages to also tell a micro-history of television animation in the process.
I am a huge Batman fan, so of course I am a fan of Batman: The Animated Series. Being a fan, I of course, know quite a bit about said series. So, going into this book, I rather smugly thought to myself, “well, how much in here could I possibly learn for the first time?” Turns out the answer was “a lot”.
Batman: The Animated Series, as Dockery tells the reader, was a direct response to all of the superhero cartoons before. In fact, all of animation on television at that time was. So, not only does the reader get to learn about BTAS, but also a little bit about other classic shows of the early 90s like Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck, and more. All of these cartoons of the time helped shape, and were shaped by, Batman. Heck, an entire network was helped along by the show!
Dockery is a fantastic non-fiction writer. The trick with all non-fiction is to make the reader feel as though they are being told a very interesting story rather than just reading a school textbook. Dockery’s passion for the material shines through in his writing, and never once does the book feel like it’s just telling the reader times and dates and facts.
The other thing that comes through in this book is the passion that the people making Batman had for their art. In a time when every creative industry is battling the advance of soulless, ugly, AI generated slop, it’s so wonderful to read about people with creativity and vision working hard to bring their art to audiences. Through first- and third-hand sources, Dockery fills the book with quotes by people who were there, and their love and enjoyment of their work really shows.
An absolute must-read for any Batman: The Animated Series die-hard, and, in my opinion, an equally great read for a casual fan. Reading this book will make you want to go back and watch the whole series all over again.