Actor Kevin Conroy, who died last week at age 66, was well known to Batman fans as the long-time voice of the Caped Crusader in Batman: The Animated Series, its spin-offs, and a host of other media including TV, video games, and more, even appearing in live-action as an older Bruce Wayne in the DC TV Arrowverse version of 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'.
But with the June 7, 2022 release of DC Pride 2022, the publisher's anthology featuring queer characters and creators, fans got to know a whole different, more personal side of Conroy thanks to his contribution to the volume. Conroy's story illustrated by J. Bone and lettered by Aditya Bidikar explained how voicing Batman and learning to embody a superhero helped him live as an out gay man, after facing scrutiny and abuse for his sexuality in his early career.
Now DC has made that story free to read his story along with the entire DC Pride 2022 anthology free to read in tribute to the iconic actor and his impact.
Conroy first publicly expressed his sexuality in a 2016 interview, though the revelation went largely unnoticed. But with the release of his DC Pride 2022 story, Conroy opened up more than he ever had before about how being Batman helped him come into his own, and how important stories that empower queer people and enlighten allies can be.
Conroy's story recounted his early days as an actor, struggling with his sexuality amidst harassment from his peers and others in the entertainment industry as well as his own upbringing, culminating in his landing the voice role of Batman for the now legendary Batman: The Animated Series. The story goes on to compare the idea of Batman and his secret identity as Bruce Wayne to living a double life as a closeted gay man - a life that Conroy lead openly until his death last week.
Kevin Conroy's Batman tops the list of the best alternate versions of Batman ever.
