Batman Adventures (vol. 2, 2003–2004)
In 2003, DC Comics launched
Batman Adventures, shortly after the cancellation of
Batman: Gotham Adventures. The first issue was made available through regular purchases and
Free Comic Book Day (May 3, 2003). It ran for 17 issues before being canceled to make way for
The Batman Strikes!, a new title based on
The Batman. Every issue had two stories, one by
Dan Slott and
Ty Templeton, while the other was by Templeton and
Rick Burchett. The running plot in the series is that the
Penguin has managed to be elected Mayor of Gotham and has ordered the police led by a reluctant
Jim Gordon to pursue and arrest Batman. Batman for his part refuses to believe the election of Penguin was legitimate and amid his other crime fighting efforts pursues evidence to de legitimize Penguin’s mayoralty. Issue #15, written by
Jason Hall, bridges the gap between
Mr. Freeze's appearances in
Batman: The Animated Series and
Batman Beyond. Issue #17 ends the series with Batman confronting
Joe Chill, the man who murdered his parents, although he is unaware of Chill's true identity.
Original plan for Batman Adventures #15 The issue would have been a prequel to the
Batman Beyond episode "Meltdown", explaining how
Derek Powers acquired Mr. Freeze's disembodied head. Warren Powers, Derek's father, would have acquired Freeze's head and placed it inside his vault. The issue would also have shown the Mr. Freeze robot killing Ferris Boyle (from the
Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice") and Grant Walker (from the episode "Deep Freeze"). Other differences include
Nora Fries' visit with Koonak (from
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero) happening earlier in the issue, as well as focus on the deterioration of Nightwing and Batgirl's relationship.
The Red Hood The
Red Hood appears at the end of
Batman Adventures #8. The creative team behind the story (
Dan Slott and
Ty Templeton) had hoped for a chance to resolve the subplot, but then the series was canceled. This version of Red Hood was supposed to be someone crucial to the
DC Animated Universe. Slott revealed that
Andrea Beaumont's mother had faked her death. He also mentioned that the background of the character would tie into subplots concerning
Lucius Fox, the Valestra crime family from
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and the Powers family, including a young Derek Powers. Several years later, the 2020 miniseries
The Batman Adventures Continue, drawn by Templeton, introduced the
Jason Todd incarnation of The Red Hood into the DCAU continuity. ==
DC Classics: The Batman Adventures (2020)==