"Batman Podcast Expands: New Companion Series Launched"

Superhero comics are not only inspiring movie and TV adaptations but are also making waves in the world of big-budget podcasts and audio dramas. DC has recently launched its most ambitious podcast initiative to date with the debut of *DC High Volume: Batman*, a series that aims to bring some of the Dark Knight's most iconic comic book storylines to life in an immersive audio format. However, to fully appreciate the depth and richness of this project, listeners should not miss out on the companion show that accompanies it.

DC is rolling out a companion series within the main *DC High Volume* feed, hosted by writer and journalist Coy Jandreau. This series will delve into the behind-the-scenes process of creating *DC High Volume: Batman*, featuring interviews with the cast, crew, and the original comic creators. The first companion episode, set to premiere on Thursday, April 24, will include insights from Batman voice actor Jason Spisak and DC's Creative Director of Animation & Audio Content, Mike Pallotta. IGN had the opportunity to speak with Jandreau about how these companion episodes will enhance your Batman experience.

What Is DC High Volume: Batman?

To grasp the significance of the companion series, it's essential to understand *DC High Volume: Batman*. This project is a collaboration between DC and podcast giant Realm, delivering an ongoing audio drama that closely adapts iconic Batman comics such as *Batman: Year One*. The series features Jason Spisak as the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jay Paulson as the voice of Jim Gordon.

"DC High Volume is the first of its kind to this scale, basically a one-to-one telling of classic Batman comic books but in this incredible audio long-format radio play," Jandreau explained to IGN. "It's taking *Batman: Year One*, *The Long Halloween*, and turning them into this full, immersive audio experience with incredible production design, audio special effects, super-talented voice actors, and a score where different villains and heroes/characters have their own piece. It adds up to this incredible new way to listen to a story that, for me, I've been reading my whole life but now can hear in a new way."

Jandreau emphasized that the series aims to craft an ongoing narrative using seminal Batman graphic novels as key chapters in the Dark Knight's story. It begins with Batman and Gordon's shared origin in *Year One* and progresses into *The Long Halloween*, set in Year 2 of Batman's career.

"The idea is to have the long-running Batman myth in this new medium and allow the audience, whether they're ride-or-die fans like myself or brand-new audience members who might only know Batman from movies or animated series, to have a jumping-on point," Jandreau said. "It is going back to the roots for a reason and playing the big moments but in this shared universe, keeping the same voice actors, and ensuring it grows and evolves through the storytelling of these classic stories."

As a lifelong comic book fan, Jandreau finds immense value in experiencing these iconic stories in a new format, translating them from a visual medium into a purely auditory experience.

"Listening to this, it's amazing the emotion and the experience that comes out of these stories in a different way," Jandreau noted. "I don't personally see it as subtracting art. I see it as adding audio. What's really great is you can listen to these by themselves in a car, with incredible headphones, or through tower speakers and get a unique experience."

He added, "You can also listen while you read if you want, and then you've got a full different experience than just audio. You can even do this and have conversations around a fire in the old 1920s way. There are so many ways to do it, but none of them are taking away from the comic. I've listened to this by itself, while reading, and while driving, and each version is different, but none of them make the comic any less interesting."

The High Volume Companion Series

Jandreau's companion series serves as an extension of the *DC High Volume: Batman* saga, exploring the production process and the challenges of adapting comics for audio. It will be available in both audio format on the *DC High Volume: Batman* feed and as a separate video series. The first episode premieres on April 24, following the kickoff of *Batman: The Long Halloween* adaptation.

"They've been developing this for a number of years before I was brought on board, but they always wanted to highlight the incredible behind-the-scenes talent," Jandreau said. "Whether it's voice actors, the composer, people at DC involved in the project, or the writers and artists of the original stories, they felt it was important for people to get to know them as well."

Jandreau's involvement stemmed from his work on the DC Studio Showcase video series, making him a natural fit for this project.

"I've been working at DC Studio Showcase, which is a bi-weekly show every other Friday on Max and Max's YouTube, focusing on the studio side of DC. Once that started going well, they tapped me to do this, and I was so honored because comics are the reason I want to do any of this. I love the medium of comics, so it's really cool to have a show that's about comics and another way to adapt them."

In the first companion episode, Jandreau discusses with Jason Spisak the challenges of finding Batman's voice in this universe and how it varies when interacting with different characters.

"Not to give spoilers for the first episode, but talking to Jason Spisak, who is our Bruce Wayne/Batman, he really found a fascinating new take on Batman in doing the role," Jandreau said. "In *Year One*, as you've been hearing, it's Bruce Wayne becoming the Bat, and we've seen that in TV, movies, and read it in comics. But hearing it, it's fascinating to hear the Bat voice develop, to hear it play like an equalizer and discover levels in it, and how Batman sounds with Gordon versus how Batman sounds with Alfred versus how Bruce Wayne sounds with Alfred, versus what does the voice in Bruce Wayne's head sound like, and does that change as he becomes Batman?"

Regarding the structure of the companion series, Jandreau explained that it's not strictly tied to each chapter of *DC High Volume: Batman* but rather focuses on key emotional beats and plot points.

"It doesn't always go this is *Year One* four issues, and then we have a conversation, and then it's *Long Halloween*," Jandreau said. "I actually love our first one is following a huge moment in the first issue of *Long Halloween*. We've got *Year One*, and then we have right from *Year One* a beat of *Long Halloween*. And then I dive in, and that way I got to discuss the evolution from *Year One* into *Long Halloween*, the character growth, and all those things. It's more about trying to hit an emotional beat that resonates with the people I'm interviewing that ties into where the audience is getting that interview, and I always want to make sure what I'm doing is additive to their experience. It's giving them context at the right time to what they just experienced."

Jandreau drew inspiration from various interview shows and podcast companion series, citing *Inside the Actors Studio*, *Hot Ones*, and classic late-night talk shows like those hosted by Johnny Carson and Conan O'Brien.

"I went *Inside the Actors Studio*. James Lipton has always been a hero of mine. It was kind of a blend of how James Lipton does his interviews in long form, meets how Sean Evans finds very nuanced ways to uncover new ideas from the talent across the table's perspective. And then old-school talk show Johnny Carson, Conan O'Brien. A blend of long-form Lipton, new wave 'find a question talent has never been asked' Sean Evans. And then I want it to feel the energy of a talk show a la a Conan or a Johnny Carson. To me, I want to blend all the different forms of this."

The Future of DC High Volume: Batman

Looking ahead, Jandreau expressed his desire to interview key DC creators such as *The Long Halloween* writer Jeph Loeb, his *Batman: Hush* collaborator Jim Lee, and Tom King, who wrote a significant Batman run from 2016-2019.

"Jim Lee, now that he's at his position at DC, has been so inspiring because he's got so much creative oversight while also being an artist," Jandreau said. "His own work is some of my favorite, and his insight is some of my favorite. Since he inspired so many stories I love and because of what he's doing at DC broadly, I think Jim Lee is definitely one."

Jandreau continued, "Jeph Loeb I've actually talked to at Cons. I've hosted some of his panels, and Jeph Loeb is responsible for so many of the comics that I consider the framework for the adaptations people know. When people look at classic Batman stories, a lot of times they don't realize it's *Long Halloween*. A lot of the DNA of *Long Halloween*. It's a lot of *Dark Victory*, and I feel like Jeph Loeb is someone who I want to have that long-form chat with to have that insight."

"Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee also just very conveniently are doing *Batman: Hush* again. Those two guys are absolutely cornerstones for me. I want to pick their brains about Batman."

Jandreau also mentioned Tom King, noting his interest in discussing King's unique perspective on Batman.

"He used to work for the CIA, and he literally has lived a Batman-adjacent life," Jandreau said. "The way he sees Batman and his view of the Bat and the Cat, the way he writes love, the way he writes women, the way he writes this pathos and vengeance, and especially the way he writes Bruce's pain and learning from it has always been how I see Bruce Wayne."

Jandreau added, "And I've really wanted to have a conversation with him in a way that I got to share it with others. I've talked to him briefly at Comic-Cons and those places, but I think it'd be really great to talk with someone who did such a long run on Batman who is currently working on the Lantern show. He's responsible for *Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow* which is being adapted. He's clearly such a diversified talent in what's being adapted. It'd be really cool to talk with him about Batman while we are adapting it in an all-new way. Tom King's up there as well."

Ultimately, Jandreau hopes his companion series will foster positivity within the Batman fandom.

"I think the internet can be a very dangerous place," Jandreau said. "I think it can be a place of hostility, especially in fandom, right? Genre content is very tribal because people are protective over these stories. These stories mean the world to them. There's so much passion, which is why they thrive, which is why Batman's been around for so many decades, which is why these stories can come out weekly, and we can still get excited about them, which is why you can adapt them so many times, so many ways."

Jandreau continued, "I think it's important we find the positivity in that because there's plenty of negativity in the world. I don't see any reason to make negativity about this genre content, about this fandom. I just think any way we can make fandom more positive and we can share in the internet a little bit more in an uplifting way ... That's what I want to do with this show and any show I'm a part of. I hope it makes comic fans, especially diehards, that have wanted to share in these stories in a new way, feel like they have a new home, a new comic store, but I also hope people that have always been like, 'Batman's so cool. I wonder what it's like to read a comic book,' ... They get a chance to also come in and go, 'This is something so special.' We want this to be the least gatekeeping. The comic book store door is wide open, and that's really important to me."

For more Batman fun, check out the top 10 Batman costumes of all time and the top 27 Batman comics and graphic novels.