Bruce Timm, the creator of Batman: The Animated Series, has expressed his interest in working on Jack Kirby’s Kamandi following his successful stint with Batman. Renowned for his exceptional work on the animated adaptation of multiple DC characters under the DC Animated Universe, Timm has recently been involved in the upcoming series titled Batman: Caped Crusader.
However, in an earlier interview, he addressed speculation about working on a series following Kamandi, a character created by Kirby. And Timm confirmed that discussions about working on The Last Boy on Earth had indeed taken place.
Bruce Timm Discussed Working on a Kamandi Animated Series
In an interview with George Khoury, the animation producer Bruce Timm addressed the rumors surrounding a potential series following Kamandi. Timm admitted that there were indeed discussions about a potential adaptation. “It was a kind of a truthful rumor,” he said.
He shared that after completing a new season of Batman, they were discussing a number of DC characters for a kids’ show, and Kamandi stood out to Timm as a great fit. However, no further steps were taken, as they got busy with other projects like Batman and Superman.
“I just immediately thought of Kamandi. I thought Kamandi would be a great kids’ show. We never really did much more on it than that; we just talked about the possibility that we might do it. Then we got busy doing the new Batman and Superman, and kind of put it on hold for a while.”
However, Timm still expressed his desire to work on a Kamandi show, saying that The Last Boy on Earth is his “favorite Kirby comic from the DC era.” He further shared his admiration for Kirby’s work on the comic book series, saying, “There’s something about Kamandi. I think it’s his best writing.”
Created by Jack Kirby, the character was introduced in 1972 in the comic book series titled, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. The comic book series follows the titular character’s adventures in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have been reduced to primitive tribes and intelligent animals have inherited the Earth.
Bruce Timm on Jack Kirby’s Influence on the Batman And Superman Series
During his interview, Bruce Timm also shared insight into the profound impact of the legendary comic book artist on the Batman and Superman animated series. He shared that they had a vision for the Batman series, with Film Noir and Art Deco style.
However, they faced challenges in distinguishing the Superman: The Animated Series visually while maintaining its appeal. In order to achieve this, Timm and his team sought to “Marvelize” Superman, drawing inspiration from Kirby’s iconic work. He shared,
“That’s why the police don’t just carry handguns, but these Kirby-like weapons. All of the science-fictional elements in this series-whether it’s a tank or something from outer space-has a kind of Kirby feel to it, or at least we try to.”
He shared that they tried to incorporate Kirby-inspired elements, including re-imagining villains like Brainiac and the Parasite in Kirby-esque costumes and touches to make these characters more interesting.
Superman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series are available on Max.
