Warning! Spoilers for DC Pride 2022 #1 by DC Comics below
Legendary Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy is telling a touching, personal story about being a gay man in one of the most important DC Comics stories in years. In this week's DC Pride 2022 #1, the actor, best known for voicing Batman in Batman: The Animated Series and numerous other DC animated films, video games, and television series, wrote an incredibly moving, must-read story about self-discovery.
When it comes to superhero voice actors, Kevin Conroy is among the most iconic and recognizable voices in the industry. The New York-born actor became the main voice of Batman: The Batman Animated Series in the early '90s while continuing to voice the character in Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and DC animated films to this day. Conroy even appeared as Bruce Wayne of Earth-99 in live-action during the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Ultimately, Conroy is in the same league as Adam West and Michael Keaton regarding Batman's best portrayals. Conroy's take on the Dark Knight is the definitive Batman for many.
As part of this week's DC Pride 2022 #1 anthology, Kevin Conroy wrote an incredibly personal story called "Finding Batman" alongside artist J. Bone and letterer Aditya Bidikar revealing how finding Batman was a turning point in his life and identity. Conroy its to putting on his own mask growing up in a devoutly Christian and troubled family, hiding that he was gay in his public life for decades. He recounts living through the HIV/Aids epidemic in the '80s, watching his close friends die, and being called slurs by fellow actors and producers. Conroy struggled with doubts about himself and his career for decades until getting a call about a voice role for Batman: The Animated Series.
Conroy writes that he related to Batman and what Bruce Wayne saw in Crime Alley with his parents, as he'd seen his father lying drunk in a pool of blood after he hurt himself during his childhood. Conroy asked if he made too many compromises in his public versus private persona as a gay man, which he related to Batman's struggles with his own duel life. As Conroy beautifully puts it, "thirty years of frustration, confusion, denial, love, yearning" for a sense of safety and identity was something he related to, as it helped him form the voice that would become Batman. He felt "Batman rising from deep within."
There are more heartbreaking details in "Finding Batman" not mentioned in this post that make Conroy's journey of self-discovery and connecting with Batman an even more incredible story. We strongly urge you to check out Kevin Conroy's story in DC Pride 2022, as it's a moving recounting about finding your own identity in a world seemingly doing everything it can to work against you. Frankly, it would be shocking if "Finding Batman" doesn't win Eisners, as it's one of the most important stories DC Comics has published in years as it will resonate with readers struggling with the same doubts, questions, and experiences as the legendary voice actor.
