Batman Unburied is a mind-bending narrative podcast about Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon’s fight against Gotham’s latest threat, “The Harvester”.
This Dark Knight podcast is a high-budget production with an amazing voice cast and a wonderfully mysterious, grim tale of deception, murder, and dual realities.
The series stars Winston Duke as Bruce Wayne, and he has crafted a take on the iconic DC character unlike any other. At the beginning of this show, Bruce Wayne is working as a forensic pathologist at a Gotham Hospital, examining bodies in order to help solve crimes. His parents, shockingly, are still alive and very big parts of his life. Bruce has only recently met his new assistant, Kell, when The Harvester attacks Bruce, stabbing him and continuing to carve into the same body which he sent to the table.
BATMAN UNBURIED: WINSTON DUKE’S PERFORMANCE OF BRUCE WAYNE GOES IN THE BAT HALL OF FAME
This direct assault on Wayne results in ordered psychiatry sessions with one Dr. Huniter, ordered by Thomas Wayne, to be precise. Lance Reddick plays Bruce’s father with a hard, stern, edge, but he is never cold to his son. That Thomas and Martha care as deeply for their boy, adult as he may now be, as he does for them is never in question. Toks Olagundoye plays Martha as the type of warm, caring mother every child dreams of. Their family dynamic is actually so heartwarming that it breaks your heart when you stop and remember that this is not the way the story is supposed to go.
RELATED: THE BATMAN: THE EVOLUTION FROM VIOLENT VIGILANTE HIDING IN THE SHADOWS TO GOTHAM CITY’S HERO
Deep down, Bruce Wayne realizes the same thing. His life as a forensic pathologist, his work against The Harvester, there’s something undeniably off about it all. And the mystery of just where Bruce is, and what reality really looks like, well that will have you on the edge of your seat episode after episode after episode. And that incredible mystery is only one side of the coin.
BATMAN UNBURIED: THE HARVESTER IS A MORE UNSETTLING VILLAIN THAN THE RIDDLER
Some of the episodes follow Barbara Gordon otherwise known as Batgirl/Oracle, daughter of Gotham’s finest cop, James Gordon, and partner to Renee Montoya, as she attempts to solve another mystery, specifically the apparent death of Bruce Wayne. In these episodes, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne is reportedly found dead, a victim of a crash while flying his private plane. Barbara knows Wanye far too well to buy that phony story and begins digging for the truth, much to the dismay of her coworkers.
Her journey leads her to forge some paperwork and release The Riddler from Arkham Asylum, realizing that this supervillain has the intellect and ability to help her solve the mystery of Bruce Wayne’s disappearance. Her partner Renee Montoya has her back as always, but there’s only so much she can do to prevent the other corrupt GCPD officers from coming after Barbara and The Riddler.
After the conclusion of Batman Unburied Episode 5, “Park Row”, some mysteries, relating to the double reality of the scripted podcast, as well as the secret identities of certain parties, are finally revealed. This marks the halfway point for the ten-episode series, setting the second half up for a very different Batman story than the first. Episode 6, “Work Clothes” starts off that portion of Batman Unburied with one of the most amazing Batman action sequences you will ever experience, and it’s all pure auditory sensation.
RELATED: THE BATMAN: 7 DC COMIC BOOKS FOR FANS OF MATT REEVES’ NEW SUPERHERO MOVIE
The sound design, voice work, and worldbuilding in this new DC podcast are next-level, a notch above competitors like Wolverine: The Long Night, and Marvel’s Wastelanders: Old Man Starlord. The only other podcast like this of similar quality which I’ve listened to is Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show, which has a totally different tone and story but is equally great in comparison to Batman Unburied.
This is one of the greatest adaptations of DC comics into another medium, and chances are, it will be an experience, unlike anything you’ve encountered before. Batman: Unburied is a podcast I would recommend not just for superhero fans, but for anyone who loves a great mystery and unconventional storytelling.
BATMAN UNBURIED PLAYS WITH DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS IN WAYS DC NEVER HAS BEFORE
Batman Unburied stars Winston Duke as Bruce Wayne, Lance Reddick as Thomas Wayne, Toks Olagundoye as Martha Wayne, Sam Witwer as The Harvester, John Rhys-Davies as Dr. Hunter, Hasan Minaj as The Riddler, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Kell, Gina Rodriguez as Barabara Gordon, Jessica Marie Garcia as Renee Montoya, and Jason Isaacs as Alfred.
Writers on the show include Eric Carrasco, Saladin Ahmed, Rebecca Klingel, and Graham Westerson. The podcast is executive produced by David S. Goyer, Keith Levine, Peter Girardi, Shaleen Desai, Gracie Wheelan, Liz Gateley, and Elena Blekhter. New episodes of Batman: Unburied arrive on Tuesdays, with two new episodes arriving every week. The first six episodes of the Spotify original series are out now, with four more on the way.
Batman: Unburied is available to listen to on Spotify. Have you been listening to Batman Unburied? What did you think of Batman Unburied Episodes 5 & 6 “Park Row & Work Clothes”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media!
KEEP READING: THE NEW PENGUIN SERIES TO EXPAND THE BATMAN UNIVERSE: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
