Bat-fans rejoice: Batman: The Animated Series, one of the best animated shows of all time, is finally coming to Blu-ray! The stylish, and for some, definitive take on the Dark Knight will fly onto Blu-ray next year, in all its shadowy glory. Read on for more info regarding the Batman The Animated Series Blu-ray.

The huge success of Tim Burton’s Batman films helped bring the Caped Crusader back into the mainstream after the character had begun to fade from the forefront of the public view. Until Burton’s films, most people’s memories of Batman were courtesy of the campy, colorful Adam West TV series. Whatever their flaws, Burton’s dark, gothic movies changed that. To cash-in on the success of Burton’s films, Warner Brothers greenlight a new animated Batman series.

While Burton’s movies were the impetus for the series, the end result surpassed them in almost every way, and ended up creating what for many will always be regarded as the definitive incarnation of the character. Glen Weldon, author of the definitive history of the Batman character, The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture, wrote:

Batman: The Animated Series remains a beautiful anomaly, a perfect narrative paradox forever hovering in two simultaneous but mutually impossible states: it is at once the most fan-focused and nerdy, and the most accessible and normal, depiction of the Dark Knight that will ever exist in any medium ever.

For 85 episodes, Batman: The Animated Series explored Batman and his rogues gallery in creative, inventive, brilliant ways that feature films have so far been unable to completely replicate. The series was so influential that now when people pour over Batman comic books, it’s voice actor Kevin Conroy they hear in their heads speaking as Batman.

For years now, Batman: The Animated Series has only been available on DVD (boo, hiss), but now comes word that at long last, The Animated Series will make its way to Blu-ray. Warner Bros. Animation publicist Gary Miereanu revealed at NYCC this week that Batman: The Animated Series will hit Blu-ray sometime “later” in 2018.

Miereanu didn’t reveal any new features that might be included with the long-awaited Blu-ray release, but here’s hoping they find a way to cram that thing full of extras. One extra I’d personally would love to be included: the original Joker audition tapes, done by actor Tim Curry. Rumors abounded that Curry’s audition was so good that it scared people, and they had to replace him. The truth, however, seems more mundane: Curry later claimed he had bronchitis and was fired. No matter what the reasoning, I’d still like to hear those auditions. Of course, it all worked out for the show in the end, as Star Wars actor Mark Hamill landed the Joker role and quickly made it his own.

If you simply can’t wait for the eventually Batman The Animated Series Blu-ray release, you can currently stream the series on Amazon Prime Video.