RIP Kevin Conroy

 I write this having just found out that Kevin Conroy, best known as the voice of Batman, even appearing as a live action Bruce Wayne has passed away at the age of 66. Of course his Batman went up against Mark Hamill's (Luke Skywalker) Joker in many memorable episodes of the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series and the best ever Batman movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Of course as an actor he played many other roles, but his work on Batman made him an icon in the fan community.

Looking at his imdb page, Mr Conroy lost out on the lead role in Wings to Tim Daly, who would go on to voice Superman, to KC's Batman. He had a roommate named Robin Williams, you might have heard of that guy too. He was on the show Tour of Duty and made a lot of TV movies as well.

But on the convention scene, he was a true star. He'd greet his autograph lines by yelling "I am vengeance! I am the night! I AM BATMAN!" which would get audience applause. I was fortunate enough to meet him, and get his autograph in 2015. Waiting in line, I could see him take the time to thank people for waiting and making the point to try to get to know his autograph seekers. When it was my turn, he noticed a poster sticking out of my bag, which was a Revenge of the Jedi teaser poster. I mean, how cool is it for Batman to notice something about you?! In a throw back to his line to Adam West's Simon Trent in my favorite ever BTAS episode Beware The Grey Ghost, I got to tell him I watched BTAS with my younger brothers and that it was nice to finally see the face behind the voice. He got a chuckle out of that and thanked me and them for watching. With that I thanked him and was off for more autographs and other Comic Con stuff.

What I admired most about him was that he was one of us, a true fan! He was as rabid a fan of comics, movies, etc as we were. He had something that just can't be faked: he was genuine. A one of a kind! While he may be forever known by us as Batman, he was so much more. He was our friend. His foot got in my door as the Caped Crusader. But his lasting legacy of kindness, compassion and being a genuine person are what I will personally remember the most about him. The world has lost a great man, and that's how I'll remember him. A kind, caring and friendly person. RIP Kevin Conroy, and thoughts and prayers to your family and loved ones.

 Kevin Conroy 1955-2022