"Batman Podcast Launches New Companion Series"

Superhero comics have transcended their traditional formats, not only inspiring blockbuster movies and TV shows but also fueling the rise of high-quality podcasts and audio dramas. DC has recently launched its most ambitious podcast series to date with DC High Volume: Batman, which aims to bring some of the Dark Knight’s most iconic comic book stories to life in an audio format. However, if you're only tuning into the main series, you're missing out on a richer experience. DC is also rolling out a companion series within the DC High Volume feed, hosted by writer and journalist Coy Jandreau. These companion episodes will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series, featuring interviews with the cast, crew, and the creators who inspired DC High Volume: Batman. The first companion episode, set to release on Thursday, April 24, will include conversations with Batman voice actor Jason Spisak and DC’s Creative Director of Animation & Audio Content, Mike Pallotta.

IGN had the opportunity to speak with Jandreau to delve deeper into the series and how it complements the DC High Volume: Batman saga. Here’s a detailed look at what DC is aiming to achieve with this innovative project.

What Is DC High Volume: Batman?

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

“DC High Volume is the first of its kind to this scale, essentially 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 and The Long Halloween, turning them into a 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 themes. It adds up to an 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 highlighted that the series aims to craft an ongoing narrative using seminal Batman graphic novels as key chapters in Batman’s story. Starting with Batman and Gordon’s shared origin in Year One, it 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, allowing both die-hard fans like myself, who have grown up with these characters, and 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 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 sees great value in experiencing these iconic stories in a new format, translating them from a visual medium to a purely auditory one.

“Listening to this, it's amazing the emotion and the experience that comes out of these stories in a different way,” Jandreau shared. “I don't see it as subtracting from the art. I see it as adding an audio dimension. What's really great is you can listen to these by themselves in the car, with incredible headphones, or through tower speakers for a unique experience. You can also listen while reading, which gives a full different experience than just audio. There are so many ways to enjoy it, but none of them diminish the comic. I've listened to it by itself, while reading, and while driving, and each version offers a different but equally compelling experience without making 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, offering insights into the production process and the challenges of adapting comics for audio. Available both as an audio series on the DC High Volume: Batman feed and as a separate video series, the first episode premieres on April 24, just one day after the main series begins its adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween.

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

Jandreau was brought on board due to his work on the DC Studio Showcase video series, which made him a natural fit for exploring the making of DC High Volume: Batman.

“I've been working on DC Studio Showcase, a bi-weekly show on Max and Max's YouTube, focusing on the studio side with James Gunn and Peter Safran. I'm the comic correspondent there. Once that started going well, they tapped me to do this, and I was honored because comics are my passion. 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 challenge of finding Batman’s voice in this universe and how it evolves depending on which characters Batman interacts with.

“Not to give spoilers, but talking to Jason Spisak, who is our Bruce Wayne/Batman, he really found a fascinating new take on Batman,” Jandreau said. “In Year One, it's Bruce Wayne becoming the Bat, and hearing it is fascinating. You hear the Bat voice develop, and it's like an equalizer discovering levels in it. How Batman sounds with Gordon versus with Alfred, or how Bruce Wayne sounds with Alfred, and what the voice in Bruce Wayne's head sounds like, and how that changes as he becomes Batman.”

The structure of the companion series is less rigid, with episodes tied to key emotional beats and plot points from the main series.

“It doesn't always follow a strict format like ‘this is Year One four issues, then we have a conversation, then it's Long Halloween’,” Jandreau explained. “Our first episode follows a huge moment in the first issue of Long Halloween, right after Year One. This allows me to discuss the evolution from Year One into Long Halloween, the character growth, and all those things. It's more about hitting an emotional beat that resonates with the people I'm interviewing, tying into where the audience is at that moment, and ensuring what I'm doing adds to their experience by providing context at the right time.”

Jandreau drew inspiration from various interview shows and podcast companion series, including Inside the Actors Studio, Hot Ones, and classic late-night talk shows.

“I looked to Inside the Actors Studio, where James Lipton has always been a hero of mine. It was a blend of how Lipton does his long-form interviews and how Sean Evans finds nuanced ways to uncover new ideas from his guests. Then, there's the energy of old-school talk shows like Johnny Carson and Conan O'Brien. I wanted to blend these different forms to create a unique and engaging show.”

The Future of DC High Volume: Batman

Looking ahead, Jandreau is eager to interview key figures from the Batman universe, including Jeph Loeb, the writer of The Long Halloween, and his collaborator on Batman: Hush, Jim Lee.

“Jim Lee, now in his position at DC, has been incredibly inspiring because of his creative oversight and his work as an artist,” Jandreau said. “His insight is invaluable, and since he inspired so many stories I love, I think he's definitely one I want to interview.”

Jandreau also mentioned his desire to have a long-form chat with Jeph Loeb, who he believes is a cornerstone of classic Batman stories.

“Jeph Loeb is responsible for so many of the comics that are 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 and Dark Victory. I feel like Jeph Loeb is someone I want to have a deep conversation with to gain his insights.”

Jandreau also expressed interest in interviewing Tom King, who wrote a lengthy Batman run from 2016-2019, including the controversial marriage between Batman and Catwoman.

“Tom King used to work for the CIA and has lived a Batman-adjacent life,” Jandreau noted. “The way he sees Batman, his view of the Bat and the Cat, the way he writes love, women, pathos, and vengeance, especially Bruce's pain and learning from it, has always been how I see Bruce Wayne. I've talked to him briefly at Comic-Cons, but I think it'd be great to have a conversation with someone who did such a long run on Batman and is currently working on the Lantern show and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. It'd be really cool to talk with him about Batman while we are adapting it in an all-new way.”

Ultimately, Jandreau hopes his companion series can foster positivity within the Batman fandom, which he believes is often overshadowed by negativity.

“The internet can be a very dangerous place, especially in fandom where genre content can be very tribal because people are protective over these stories,” Jandreau said. “These stories mean the world to them, and there's so much passion, which is why they thrive and why Batman has been around for so many decades. 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 or this fandom. I just think any way we can make fandom more positive and share in the internet 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, feel like they have a new home, a new comic store, but I also hope people who have always thought Batman was cool but never read a comic book get a chance to experience something 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, explore the top 10 Batman costumes of all time and the top 27 Batman comics and graphic novels.