This is the golden age of animated comic book movies with more high-quality animated features coming out than ever before. The latest addition from DC Comics,
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies features an all-star cast of voice actors, including the
Kevin Conroy as (the definitive) Batman,
Tim Daly as Superman,
Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor and
LeVar Burton as Black Lightning.
Burton broke out in tv series
Roots,then switched gears to do children's programming with
Reading Rainbow, before playing the character for which he is most widely known, Geordi La Forge
Star Trek: The Next Generation and its movie versions.
With Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation set to release the all-new
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29, Burton is making the rounds to promote the project.
When asked about how he came up with Black Lightning's voice,
Burton told IESB:
"I think everybody has a superhero that lives inside of them. So I just went to that place, that deep kind of super hero voice."
When asked about his childhood heroes, LeVar chose the Dark Knight.
"When I was a kid, it was always Batman over Superman. Batman had all the cool stuff, and he just had a vibe. Superman was the All-American guy but, with Batman, there's a little something going on. Batman's history was a little edgier, and there was just something really attractive to me about the cowl. Superman is all out there, even though he does the Clark Kent thing, but Batman keeps his identity hidden. He has this double life that's very sexy, very attractive for a kid. Not that I didn't like Superman - the whole kryptonite thing is all well and good - but Batman was my guy.
"(Now, I'm) Black Lightning. That ain't a bad place to start. I mean, come on, if you're going to play a super hero, why not play the first real black super hero in the pantheon? I'm good with that.