From The Batman Adventures #9 (1993)
With the release of the blockbuster television show Batman: The Animated Series, DC launched a new ongoing title set in the universe developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and so many others. Titled The Batman Adventures, it hung close to the show’s character designs, setting, and continuity. The first six issues were very enjoyable and were fun, all-ages Batman stories. Then, Mike Parobeck became the series’ regular penciller at issue seven and the series got even better.
Known for clean, fluid lines and expressive character work, Parobeck took to the animated Batman universe with gusto. Inker Rick Burchett embellished Parobeck’s pencils beautifully and let the artwork shine. By the time the ninth issue in the series was released, the duo’s work was humming right along. In an issue written by Kelley Puckett, who wrote many of the early animated Batman comics, Batman broke into the house of Rupert Thorne, a well-known Gotham City gangster. As Batman picked away at the henchmen in and around the home, this page of him stumbling across a trio of gunmen in the kitchen shines. Batman takes out the goons silently, one-by-one, and the Dark Knight Detective looks as though he’s having fun. The humor of the piece remains strong as the thugs barely make Batman work up a sweat. The final panel, with its speed lined fist and enjoyable topper to the hoodlum’s story, remains a favorite.
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I love Batman smiling in that second panel. I feel like you never get the sense that Batman loves what he does anymore, it’s always this responsibility he has to bear. In fact, I’m pretty sure there was a moment during Dick Grayon’s time as Batman where his grinning while wearing the cowl tipped Two-Face off to the fact that something was different about him.
Is this available in trade format? I’m a huge Batman: TAS nerd and this is some awesome art!! 0_o If you say it sticks close to the Timmverse, all I gotta say is shut up and take my money! 😀
The first six issues of Parobeck’s run were traded in the mid-1990s, but that trade is long out of print. It can still be found relatively cheaply though, right here. The first 14 issues of The Batman Adventures are available through Comixology for the regular price of $0.99 each. They’re cheap because they’re aimed at kids. Don’t let that fool you though. They’re great.
Thanks, I’ll check it out! 🙂
Maybe I’ll go the Comixology route on this one.
And P.S.: whomever said that stuff for kids can’t be interesting to adults has no heart and/or is Grumpy Cat! 😉
Fun fact: The Animated series tie-in comics were the best Batman books of the 90s.
One of the best books of the 90s drawn by one of the best artists of the 90s.
Was this page from a Parobeck story or Burchett?
Both. Parobeck did the pencils, Burchett did the inks.
Thanks!
Superman Adventures was the best Superman book of the 90’s as well. Both the DCAU and its comic tie-ins were writing circles around the “real” Batman/Superman scribes of the time.
I forget I own this. I barely knew what comics were when I got it, think as a Christmas gift.
This is awesome! Parobeck & Burchett (I’m fairly sure) did a 4 issue Elongated Man miniseries in 91′ that I just picked up for about a buck an issue, and it’s a lot of fun and so beautiful. I think they also did a Justice Society series together that was pretty good too. He’s got a style that is kind of kid book looking at first glance, but he’s such a great storyteller, he & Burchett worked really well together.
Ah, Mike Parobeck. Fantastic artist, also did great work on JSA and Young Heroes in Love. We lost him far too early.
It’s funny how if it wasn’t for the Timm-like model for Batman you could easily think this was for the regular, ongoing Batman book. I can’t remember the last time I read a BATMAN ADVENTURES book…..since I was a kid really. DC should really reprint them cause I have to think they’re timeless.
@nl042 wait…..did Mike Parobeck pass away? I’m going to have to google this and brace myself for sadness. Yup, damn you wikipedia. He passed away at 30! God, I’m only 34 and that already feels like a baby. I’m sorry to hear that he’s passed, but good to see that he’s fondly remembered.
I’ve been picking up the old Impact Comics The Fly, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Parobeck. Pretty neat.
That was a great book! It was the first comic series I actually really collected, so in a way this is what got me started!
I still have the first, I dunno, 30 or so issues somewhere. Sadly all translated into German. Would love to get them in the original version again. The only reason why I bought them in German was that I was about 7 or 8 at the time and my english wasn’t up to snuff yet.
Yeah, great books. Loved them. There was this one issue by Dini, where Joker gets crushed under a giant bell on christmas eve that was phenomenal!