Batman the Animated Series

Two popular Batman cartoons are finally arriving on HBO Max.

The comics will pick up right where the animated series left off.

Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most celebrated shows ever made. It had a huge impact on all of the DC Universe, and all the animated series that would follow. After a few seasons, the show was rebooted with a new look and a new dynamic as The New Batman Adventures, where it continued to be just as amazing as ever (although featuring a slightly less cool looking Joker). With a better budget and more experience, the team behind Batman: The Animated Series was ready to create some of the best episodes of --- not just the DCAU's Batman, but for the DCAU entirely.

Before we all left to enjoy the weekend, DC Collectibles spoiled us with a number of preview images of its numerous Toy Fair reveals. Seeing new Justice League statues, DC Icons figures and more Batman: The Animated Series collectibles was great, but there's nothing like seeing them in person to really get the full effect. We soaked all the details in when we visited with DC Collectibles, and this year and beyond look to carry the momentum built up during the later half of 2016.

Good gravy does DC Collectibles have a lot of new products its unveiling at Toy Fair 2017. Typically though the company waits until the event actually starts to unleash the flood gates, but hey, everyone else is spoiling collectors with an early look, so why not jump in on the fun now? Ahead of this weekend's event, DC Collectibles has dropped a bombshell of new images for statues and figures from the DC Icons line, the DC Bombshells line, the upcoming Justice League film, and a whole lot more. Want to see what's in store? What are you waiting for then; jump on in and feast your eyes.

When superheroes make the transition from comics to TV animation, it's always interesting to hear what kind of theme music they get. Songs with lyrics that explain who the heroes are can be fun, but they can also go awry. Instrumental tracks can be boring if you're not careful, but if they're well-executed, they can do a great job of creating just the tone you want for your cartoon. I've put together a chronological list of nine memorable theme songs from TV superhero cartoons. Obviously I can't include them all, but I expect to see in the comments which of your favorites I've left out.

For more than a year now, DC Collectibles has been making Batman: The Animated Series fans' dreams come true with an action figure line that captures everything we loved about the legendary cartoon. While the process of putting these figures out hasn't been 100% smooth all the way through, DC Collectibles' efforts have given us one of the deepest and most screen accurate action figure lines in the company's history. However, there have been a few characters fans have been looking for that haven't made the leap just yet. This August, it looks like that all changes when Renee Montoya, Bane, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy get their own box set.

Harley Quinn is one of the most popular comic book characters around today, and with the release of Suicide Squad, even more people have been exposed to her awesomeness. She's stylish, she's dangerous; she's basically perfect. Harley Quinn fans are awesome people, and if you're lucky enough to know someone devoted to the Clown Queen of Crime, we have some suggestions for awesome gifts to buy them.

Q: How essential is The Mark of Zorro to Batman's origin story? -- @TheKize A: Strictly speaking, I don't think it's necessary. For one thing, while I'm actually not sure where it was introduced, the idea that young Bruce Wayne was watching The Mark of Zorro on the night his parents were murdered was at least canonized in stone in the opening pages of The Dark Knight Returns, which means that there were almost 50 years where Batman got along just fine without that element. On top of that, there have been plenty of Batman stories that go in a different direction, and it doesn't really hurt the mythology behind the character to make it something else. But that said, The Mark of Zorro being the last thing Bruce Wayne sees before his world ends and he makes the choice to become Batman certainly makes it a whole lot better.

The Funko Pop craze shows no signs of slowing down, and yesterday the manufacturer announced perhaps its most inevitable line of Pop Vinyls yet, featuring the core cast of Batman: The Animated Series. It also announced a new line of Dorbz based around Green Lantern and the various Lantern Corps and, in a delightful surprise, a line of Mystery Minis based around DC Super Heroes & Pets.