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Bruce Timm | |
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Born | Bruce Walter Timm February 5, 1961 Oklahoma, U.S. |
Area(s) | Artist, animator, writer, producer, director, voice actor |
Notable works | Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000) Batman Beyond (1999–2001) Justice League (2001–2004) Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) |
Awards | Inkpot Award (2013) [1] |
Children | 1 |
Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961) is an American artist, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for contributing to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably as the head producer behind Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman Beyond (1999–2001), Justice League (2001–2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006).
He also co-created Freakazoid! (1995–1997) alongside Paul Dini and developed Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2012–2013). Following the conclusion of the DCAU, Timm went on to produce several DC animated films under the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line, such as Wonder Woman (2009), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010), Justice League Doom (2012), Superman vs The Elite (2012), The Dark Knight Returns (2013) and Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015).
Outside of animation, Timm has also drawn and written several comic books. Timm and Dini collaborated on The Batman Adventures: Mad Love , which told the origin story of Harley Quinn and won the Eisner Award for Best Single Story in 1994.
Bruce Timm was born on February 5, 1961, [2] in Oklahoma, the third of four brothers. His father was an engineer and his mother worked for the phone company. Timm's family first moved to Ohio when Timm was two years old, and then to California when Timm was five or six. [3]
Timm began drawing from a young age and developed a serious interest in comics around age 12 or 13. His first exposure to superhero media was the 1960s Batman television series. [4] Timm went to college for only one year before dropping out due to bad grades. After dropping out, he began working full-time at Kmart until he saw a Filmation ad inviting new artists to take a layout test. Timm applied in mid-1980, but wasn't offered the job and went back to working for Kmart. The next year, Filmation began hiring again. Timm passed the layout test on his second try and from that point on began working in animation. [5]
Timm's early career in animation started at Filmation, working on the layout of Blackstar , Flash Gordon , He-Man and the Masters of the Universe , its spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power , and The Lone Ranger . He also did background work on G.I. Joe . [6] He also worked for numerous other employers, including Ralph Bakshi and Don Bluth Productions, and attempted to find work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, but was unsuccessful. [7] During an animators strike in 1982, Timm found himself out of work and went back to Kmart for about half a year, before being hired by Don Bluth to help work on The Secret of NIMH . In 1987, he was hired by John Kricfalusi to do layouts for Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures , which Timm called "artistically and creatively the most fulfilling job that I'd had in the animation business". [8] He worked at DIC Entertainment on The Real Ghostbusters for one season in 1988, then joined Warner Bros. in 1989. At Warner, Timm worked on Tiny Toon Adventures . [9]
Timm was one of the creators and producers of the animated series based on various DC Comics superheroes, known as the DC Animated Universe. The DCAU has also named the "Timmverse" or "Diniverse", after both him and Paul Dini, a writer and producer. [10] Along with his Tiny Toons partner Eric Radomski, Timm co-created and produced the Emmy Award-winning Batman: The Animated Series , which premiered on September 5, 1992, through which he and Dini co-created the character of Harley Quinn, and went on to co-create and produce Superman: The Animated Series (premiered in September 1996), The New Batman Adventures (premiered in September 1997), and Batman Beyond (premiered in January 1999), through which he and Dini co-created Terry McGinnis, the teenage Batman of the future, and his supporting cast. [11] He also served as producer on the feature-length Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) [12] before taking the helm as creator and producer of the animated version of Justice League , which debuted in November 2001; the series continued in the form of Justice League Unlimited in July 2004. [13] Timm was also the producer and creator of Green Lantern: The Animated Series (premiered in November 2011). [14] Along with Dini he created the animated series Freakazoid! (premiered in September 1995). [15]
Timm created virtually all the original character designs for Batman: The Animated Series himself, with the exceptions of Mr. Freeze and the Riddler, who were designed by Mike Mignola, and the characters Man-Bat and the Mad Hatter, who were designed by Kevin Nowlan. He shared character designer duties on Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League with James Tucker. [16]
The 2008 project Batman: Gotham Knight is a departure from the "Timmverse" style, with Timm in a producer role collaborating with Japanese animators on a direct-to-DVD anthology that takes place between the live-action Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) films. [17] In 2013, following the release of The Dark Knight Returns animated feature, Timm stepped down as DC animation supervising producer; James Tucker was named as his replacement. [18] Timm still works at Warner Brothers, and executive produced the DC Universe Original Animated Movies [19] Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015) [20] and Batman: The Killing Joke (2016), [21] and series Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles (2015). [22] He was a writer and executive producer for Batman and Harley Quinn (2017). [23]
Timm worked with Man of Steel director Zack Snyder in creating a 75th anniversary short of Superman in 2013. [24] In 2014, he released Batman: Strange Days , an animated short celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman and an homage to one of Hugo Strange's first appearances in the comic books. [25]
During DC FanDome 2021, Timm was announced to be executive producing a new Batman animated series titled Batman: Caped Crusader alongside J. J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Comparing the new series to Batman: The Animated Series, Timm stated, "There were certain limitations on what we could do in terms of adult content; in terms of violence and adult themes. My idea is basically to say, 'OK, it's 1990 again, I get to do what I want to do this time, and I got JJ and Matt backing me up.'" [26]
Timm has played several characters in the animated series he has been involved in. His cameos include the 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series , "Beware the Gray Ghost", playing the toy shop owner, [27] as himself in the 1997 episode of The New Batman Adventures, "Holiday Knights", and as the leader of the Jokerz gang in Batman Beyond , which he joked he did under duress and was "Emmy Award-winning material". [28] He subsequently appeared in an animated form in the 2009 episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold , "Legends of the Dark Mite", in a comic book convention parody scene, in which he wore Joker's costume, alongside Paul Dini in Harley Quinn's costume. [28] He played a guard in the 2000 direct-to-video animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker . [29]
Timm made a cameo appearance in the 2009 film Green Lantern: First Flight as Bug Boy. He played The Riddler in the 2010 film Batman: Under the Red Hood and appeared as Galius Zed in the 2011 film Green Lantern: Emerald Knights . [30]
Outside of his work in animation, Timm's first ambition was to become a comic-book artist and has thus produced several one-shots and miniseries, mostly for DC Comics. [31] His earliest comic book work was drawing He-Man and other Masters of the Universe mini-comics that would be packaged with Mattel toys in the 1980s. [32] [33]
In 1994, Timm and writer Paul Dini won both the Eisner Award for Best Single Story and the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story for Batman Adventures: Mad Love . [34] [35] Timm won the same Eisner prize the next year as well, for Batman Adventures Holiday Special, (a one-shot with several Christmas-themed stories) with Dini, Ronnie del Carmen, and others. [36] Later, Timm was involved with Batman Adventures and has also worked on Avengers and Vampirella . [37] [38]
In 2000, he did the art for an issue of DC's Vertigo imprint horror title, Flinch . [39]
Timm co-created Harley Quinn (with Dini), working from Dini's original design. [40] Harley's popularity on television led to her inclusion in the mainstream DC Universe. In 2004, Timm and Dini (assisted by Shane Glines as inker) released a three-issue Harley and Ivy miniseries, which was in the works for years. [41]
Timm also drew the 1999 Avengers 1½ special for Marvel Comics, written by Roger Stern. [39] In 2005, he contributed artwork for two comics. One was a short story in Conan #18, titled "Conan's Favorite Joke". The other was a Black Canary short story in Birds of Prey #86. [41] Timm provided the art work for a short two-page Harley Quinn origin story for Dini's Countdown in 2008. [41]
Timm was featured in "Conan Gets Animated", a skit in the December 9, 2010, episode of the TBS late night talk show Conan , in which host Conan O'Brien enlisted his help in designing a new superhero, based on O'Brien's specifications. The superhero, who was designed to resemble O'Brien, included a typically muscular superhero body and costume with chest insignia, as well as idiosyncrasies such as an oven mitt, a jai alai glove, golf shoes, sock garters, and fishnet stockings. [42] One month later, O'Brien aired a clip on his show in which the character, named "The Flaming C", appears in Young Justice . [43]
In 2013, Timm provided the cover artwork for Adventures of Superman #4. [44]
In 2012, Timm released a book of erotic art, "Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm," showcasing more than 300 pencil, line, and full color erotic drawings of women. [45] In 2020, he released another book of erotic art, "The Big Tease: A Naughty and Nice Collection," showcasing more than 208 pencil, line, and full color erotic drawings of women. [46]
Timm's minimalist, аngular style is heavily based in his love of 1950s- and 1960s-era comics and Art Deco architecture style. [47] He is also self-taught, having never received any formal art schooling. [5] Timm lists his artistic influences as Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Jim Steranko, John Buscema, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Dan DeCarlo, and Alex Toth. [48] [49]
Timm is married to his wife, Marta. [50] They have one daughter. [49]
Year | Title | Credited as | Network | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Writer | Producer | Developer | Showrunner | ||||
1992–1995 | Batman: The Animated Series | Fox Kids | |||||
1995–1997 | Freakazoid! | ||||||
1996–2000 | Superman: The Animated Series | The WB | |||||
1997–1999 | The New Batman Adventures | ||||||
1999–2001 | Batman Beyond | ||||||
2001–2004 | Justice League | Cartoon Network | |||||
2004–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | ||||||
2011–2013 | Green Lantern: The Animated Series | ||||||
2024-Present | Batman: Caped Crusader | Amazon Prime Video | |||||
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992–1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Red / The Mad Bomber / Ted Dymer | 2 episodes | [29] |
1999–2001 | Batman Beyond | J-Man / Jokerz Leader / Top Hat Joker | 5 episodes | [29] |
2003 | Justice League | Soldier | Episode: "The Terror Beyond" | |
2004 | Justice League Unlimited | Solomon Grundy / Stew / Husband (uncredited) | 2 episodes | [29] |
Dark Horse Comics
DC Comics
Art of Fiction
Eternity Comics
Flesk Publications
Image Comics
Pied Paper
Dynamite Entertainment
Marvel Comics
TwoMorrows Publishing
First Comics
H. H. Windsor
Source: [41]
Poison Ivy is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino, she debuted in Batman #181 and has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics character Superman. It was produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation and originally aired on Kids' WB from September 6, 1996, to February 12, 2000. It was the second series in the DC Animated Universe after Batman: The Animated Series, and like its predecessor, it has been acclaimed for its writing, voice acting, maturity, and modernization of the title character's comic-book mythos.
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes. Mid-way through the series' run, it was re-titled The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a 1993 American animated romantic superhero film featuring the DC Comics character Batman. It was directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, and written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves. The film is based on Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), and is the first film of the DC Animated Universe and the only one to receive a theatrical release. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings and Robert Costanzo reprise their voice roles from Batman: The Animated Series, joined by Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach Jr., Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller and John P. Ryan.
Harley Quinn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series as a henchwoman for the Joker, and debuted in its 22nd episode, "Joker's Favor", on September 11, 1992. While intended to appear in one episode, Quinn became a recurring character within the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the Joker's sidekick and love interest, and was adapted into DC Comics' canon seven years later, beginning with the one-shot Batman: Harley Quinn #1. Quinn's origin story features her as a former psychologist at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum who was manipulated by and fell in love with the Joker, her patient, eventually becoming his accomplice and lover. The character's alias is a play on the stock character Harlequin from the 16th-century Italian theater commedia dell'arte.
Justice League is an American animated television series which ran from November 17, 2001, to May 29, 2004, on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics. It serves as a sequel to Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, as well as a prequel to Batman Beyond, and is the seventh series of the DC Animated Universe. The series ended after two seasons, but was followed by Justice League Unlimited, a successor series which aired for three seasons.
The Batman Adventures is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other Batman titles because it is set in the continuity of Batman: The Animated Series, as opposed to the regular DC Universe.
Justice League Unlimited (JLU) is an American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the previous Justice League animated series and picks up around two years after it. JLU debuted on July 31, 2004, on Toonami and ended on May 13, 2006.
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Paul McClaran Dini is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), and the subsequent DC Animated Universe. Dini and Bruce Timm co-created the characters Harley Quinn and Terry McGinnis.
The Batman Adventures: Mad Love is a one-shot comic book written by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. It won the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue and the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story in 1994. It was later adapted as an episode of the animated series The New Batman Adventures, and incorporated in the video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham Origins. In 2018, Titan Books released a novelization of Mad Love written by Dini and Pat Cadigan, which expanded upon the original comic book.
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Roxy Rocket is a supervillain. Originally created in 1994 for The Batman Adventures Annual #1, a series published by DC Comics, based on Batman: The Animated Series, Roxy was incorporated into The New Batman Adventures in the episode "The Ultimate Thrill", which first aired on September 14, 1998. Shortly thereafter, Roxy appeared in "Knight Time", an episode of Superman: The Animated Series. Roxy later appeared in several comic books based on the TV show. In 2006, the character was introduced to the main DC Universe.
Glen Murakami is an American animator, artist, character designer, director and producer best known for his work on Teen Titans, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans Go!, Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. Murakami is the creator and producer of the Cartoon Network series Teen Titans.
Bret Blevins is an American comics artist, animation storyboard artist, and painter. He is perhaps best known for his stint as the regular penciler of New Mutants for Marvel Comics.
The DC Universe Animated Original Movies are a series of American direct-to-video superhero animated films based on DC Comics characters and stories. From 2007 to 2022, films were produced primarily by Warner Bros. Animation but subsequently fell under DC Studios. Many films are usually stand-alone projects that are either adaptations of popular works or original stories.
Batman: The Adventures Continue is a DC Comics comic book series starring Batman set in the world of the DC Animated Universe. It is a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series and its follow-up The New Batman Adventures. The book is co-written by Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, producers of the original animated television series, and illustrated by Ty Templeton, who also worked on previous comics inspired by Batman: TAS. The limited series was initially released as a "digital first" comic, beginning in April 2020. The first print issue, which collects the first two digital chapters, reached stores on June 10, 2020. The miniseries was extended from six to seven print issues, and later to eight. In March 2021, DC announced Season II of the series, with Issue 1 published in June 2021. As of June 2021, DC has planned seven issues for Season II. Season III, the final season of the comic, began publication on January 10, 2023.
"And then Bruce Timm's wife Marta said...