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Batman begins (again) as DC is adapting Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli's Year One as a podcast, with more to come

The weekly scripted audio podcast will launch with a four-part adaptation of Batman: Year One

In the years since its original 1987 publication, Batman: Year One has become one of the most archetypal Batman stories, with Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli’s four-issue story about Bruce Wayne’s first year as the Dark Knight humanizing the character in a way that little else had to that point. It’s been collected (multiple times), reprinted, and adapted both indirectly and very faithfully for movies. This April, Batman: Year One evolves once again, becoming the first storyline in a new weekly Batman scripted podcast series.

DC High Volume: Batman, launching April 2 with the first two installments of Batman: Year One, will be a weekly scripted audio podcast adapting popular and iconic Batman stories for a new audience. The first four episodes will adapt Year One, before moving onto a new storyline with its fifth episode. (DC’s PR teases “a new face of villainy may appear, leading to a Long Halloween full of costumed criminals,” suggesting that the fan-favorite Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale series will be up next, but stops short of officially confirming that.)

The cast list for DC High Volume: Batman includes Jason Spisak (Young Justice, Arcane) as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jay Paulson (Mad Men, Catch-22) as Lt. James Gordon, Reba Buhr (Next Gen) as Catwoman/Seline Kyle, Adam O’Byrne (AMC’s Interview with the Vampire) as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Mike Starr (Goodfellas, Ed Wood) as Carmine Falcone, and Simon Vance (Bring Up the Bodies, Rod: The Autobiography of Rod Stewart) as Alfred Pennyworth.

“DC is committed to creating new ways to reach a broader audience with engaging, accessible and high-production value adaptations of our most iconic and essential Batman comic stories, including the audio format,” Anne DePies, SVP and General Manager at DC, said in a statement. “We want to offer audiences who may be new to DC a jumping on point for the Batman franchise, driving them back to our books, while engaging existing fans, podcast enthusiasts and audiobook listeners with direct adaptations that bring their favorite stories to life as faithfully as possible.”

This isn’t the first time DC has brought Batman into the scripted podcast space; 2021’s Batman: The Audio Adventures was followed by 2022’s Batman Unburied, both of which offering original storylines based on DC characters and concepts.

DC High Volume: Batman will debut April 2 on podcast platforms including Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, as well as DC’s YouTube channel. New episodes will be released every Wednesday.


He is vengeance, he is the night, he is... one of Popverse's favorite subjects. Learn how to do a Dark Knight movie marathon right with our Batman movie guide, and for the true World's Greatest Detectives out there, dive deep into the heart of Gotham City by getting to know Batman with Popverse.

Graeme McMillan

Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.

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