As the number of DVD releases escalates there will be more and more opportunities for pop culture retailers (see 'Pop Culture Stores and DVDs'). Case in point, a couple of animated Batman releases scheduled for this coming April. The first DVD featuring Batman: The Animated Series will bow then, and the collection will include the first five episodes of the series. This is good news for pop culture retailers since collectors want the episodes grouped in chronological order, not organized in thematic or character-oriented groupings. Extras will include introductions by animator Bruce Timm.
Of even more interest to savvy retailers will be the release of the uncut Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker DVD. Originally released in a bowdlerized form a year ago, the direct to video Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker horrified some of the timid souls at Warner Home Video when they saw the original version. To make the film 'safe' for kiddies some scenes were redone and others were just deleted. Fans became aware of the situation when some of the deleted scenes were posted on the Internet. Now the film will be available uncut, which should make it very attractive to Batman collectors. Mass market interest in an uncut version shipping a year after the film's initial release should be minimal, but retailers will still have to alert their customers to the fact that this 'director's cut' of the stylishly animated Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is worth a closer look.
