One of the best things to come out of the recent integration and cross promotion of DC Comics within the Warner Bros. family of outlets is what will be landing next spring, with the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network. While comic sales will never go back to what they were, the only way to draw in new fans (and not necessarily comic fans, but fans of the characters which can be marketed, make money and keep the comics alive as well as draw in fans through digital experiences) in a big way is through TV and movies. And the TV venue lets them start at a younger age while having the potential to draw on previous shows while building new ones. At the MIP Junior conference this weekend, word came out about what to expect next year as the integration blossoms into reality.
The first is that we now know the name of the new Batman series that will be replacing the very fun but also divisive series Brave and the Bold. The new series, which will debut in 2013, is Beware the Batman and will be a CGI animated series that according to the article, “will spotlight a classic-looking Batman teaming up with a gun-toting Alfred Pennyworth and a female ninja sidekick. Beware the Batman is executive-produced by Glen Murakami, and will explore the mythology’s more obscure villains, such as Professor Pyg, but also won’t shy away from featuring some of the more well-known Batman foes. In the series, Batman will team up with a younger female sidekick named Katana. During the keynote, Register added that Katana will fill the sidekick role, but won’t be a replacement for Robin.”
When it comes to the DC Nation block, it was also revealed that the block will “include Aardman Animation creating new claymation Batman shorts, Plastic Man animated shorts, and the creator behind My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic working on a series of animated shorts teaming Wonder Girl, Batgirl, Supergirl called Super Best Friends Forever. Additionally, there is also a series of Doom Patrol animated shorts in production. The block will also host a series of behind-the-scenes videos, special interviews, and much more. DC Nation, slated to run for at least three years on Cartoon Network, will debut in Spring 2012 with Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series.”
[Source: World’s Finest]
