Denver Comic Con 2017 Panel Spotlight: Kevin Conroy

Written by Joel T. Lewis

The soundscape of my childhood was a wild cacophony of cartoon voices, whacky sounds, and 90’s theme songs. From Freakazoid to Goof Troop and everything in between, the impact of voice actors on my childhood cannot be understated as my Saturday mornings (and let's face it, all of my afternoons) were symphonies of talented voices behind colorful animated characters. But there is no cartoon voice, no voice actor whose work has impacted my life so dramatically as to permeate all the media I’ve consumed since the way Kevin Conroy has as the voice of Batman. Batman fans will argue themselves blue over Bale vs Keaton vs West about who wore the cowl best in the movies, but there is no such argument over the voice of Batman. Kevin is the King.
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All the comic books I pick up that feature the Dark Knight (and if you’ve read any of my content here you know that’s a large majority of what I read) are read in the voice of Kevin Conroy. It's not conscious, I don’t do it deliberately, that’s just how Batman sounds in my head. So naturally, I leapt at the chance get to see the man behind the voice this year at Denver Comic Con, and this year marks the 2nd time I was lucky enough to be in the same room as him. Now, when you’ve been to the multitude of Cons that a pop culture icon like Kevin has, there’s bound to be some overlap in the stories you tell, the questions you receive, and even the songs you sing (Yes Kevin sang ‘Am I Blue,’ and yes it was amazing). That being the case, the reason performers like Kevin draw such consistent crowds is that being in the same room with them makes the fact that you’ve heard the stories before inconsequential. For instance, I’ve watched about a hundred videos of Mark Hamill describing how he landed the part of the Joker in the Batman animated series, but would I sit in the back row of a crowded theater to hear him tell it again live? Absolutely. I felt the same way about Batman.

Hearing firsthand about how Kevin discovered Batman for the first time through the artwork and the tone of The Animated Series and how he found the voice of the Dark Knight and his Billionaire alter ego made me feel like a little kid sitting a little too close to the TV back in the house I grew up in. I kept thinking ‘It’s Batman! It’s Batman!’ Remember this was my second time seeing him. I’ve heard the stories before, I even heard him sing the first time, but I can’t really explain how happy it made to get to see him again.

Kevin was everything you’d hope for in an icon from your childhood; charming, humble, witty, and playful. After describing how he ended up with the role that would define his career, the first question from the audience was about Kevin’s experience working with the recently deceased Adam West on the ‘Gray Ghost’ episode of the animated series (a question I was hoping would be asked). Adam described his fellow caped crusader as a gentlemen and a tragic loss. He was also asked whether voice for television or voice for video game gigs were more difficult, which led Kevin to demonstrate the endless range and patience required for video game voice over work. Kevin's subtle variations of his signature Bat-Voice ranging from whimsical to smug to pained were a great showcase for his wonderful acting ability and it was a lot of fun to see.

You always hope your childhood heroes are fun-loving kind people and Kevin Conroy certainly fits the bill. If you ever get the chance to see the man in action you will not be disappointed with his generous spirit and his immense talent. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman. 

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