Bruce Timm
Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961)[2] is an American artist, character designer, animator, writer, producer, and actor. He is best known for his contributions building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, the DC animated universe.[3]
Bruce Timm | |
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Timm at the 2019 WonderCon | |
Born | Bruce Walter Timm February 5, 1961 Oklahoma, United States |
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Artist, animator, writer, producer, director, actor |
Notable works | Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000) Batman Beyond (1999–2001) Justice League (2001–2004) Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2012–2013) Freakazoid! (1995–1997) Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015) Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles (2015) All Star Superman (2011) |
Awards | Inkpot Award (2013)[1] |
Children | 1 |
Early life
Bruce Timm was born on February 5, 1961, in Oklahoma, the third of four children. His father was an engineer and his mother worked for the phone company. Timm's family first moved to Ohio when Timm was two years old, and then to California when Timm was five or six.
Career
Animation
Timm's early career in animation was varied; he started at Filmation, working on the layout of Blackstar, Flash Gordon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, its spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power, and The Lone Ranger (Timm also did background work on G.I. Joe). He also worked for numerous other employers, including Ralph Bakshi, Don Bluth Productions, and attempted to find work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, but without luck. In 1988 he worked at DiC on The Real Ghostbusters for one season, then joined Warner Bros. in 1989. At Warner, Timm worked on Tiny Toon Adventures.
However, Timm is best known for his subsequent work on the animated series based on various DC Comics superheroes, popularly referred to as the "DCAU" (DC animated universe). Along with his Tiny Toons partner Eric Radomski, Timm co-created and produced the Emmy Award-winning Batman: The Animated Series, which premiered on September 5, 1992, and went on to co-create and produce Superman: The Animated Series (premiered in September 1996), The New Batman Adventures (premiered in September 1997), and Batman Beyond (premiered in January 1999). He also served as producer on the feature-length Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker before taking the helm as creator and producer of the animated version of Justice League, which debuted in November 2001; the series continued in the form of Justice League Unlimited. Timm was also the producer and creator of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Along with Paul Dini he created the animated series Freakazoid! (premiered in September 1995).
Although he shared character designer duties on Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League with James Tucker, Timm did virtually all the original character designs for Batman: The Animated Series himself (with the exceptions of Mr. Freeze and the Riddler, who were designed by Mike Mignola and the characters Man Bat and the Mad Hatter, who were designed by Kevin Nowlan).
His 2008 project Batman: Gotham Knight is a departure from the "Timmverse" style, with Timm in a producer role collaborating with Japanese animators on a direct-to-DVD anthology that takes place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. In 2013, following the release of The Dark Knight Returns animated feature, Timm stepped down as DC animation supervising producer; James Tucker was named as his replacement. Timm still works at Warner Brothers, and executive produced the DC Universe Original Animated Movies[4] Justice League: Gods and Monsters and Batman: The Killing Joke, and series Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles.[5]
In 2013, he worked with Man of Steel director Zack Snyder, in creating a 75th anniversary short of Superman.
In 2014, he released Batman: Strange Days, an animated short celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman and an homage to one of Hugo Strange's first appearances in the comic books.
Acting
Timm has played several characters in the animated series he has been involved in. His cameos include the episode of Batman: The Animated Series, "Beware the Gray Ghost", playing the toy shop owner, as himself in the episode of The New Batman Adventures, "Holiday Knights", and as the leader of the Jokerz gang in Batman Beyond, which he joked he did under duress and was "Emmy Award-winning material". He appeared in animated form as Arkham Asylum patient in The Batman. He subsequently appeared in an animated form in Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Legends of the Dark Mite" in a comic book convention parody scene, in which he wore Joker's costume, alongside Paul Dini in Harley Quinn's costume. He played a guard in the direct-to-video animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
Timm made a cameo appearance in the 2009 film Green Lantern: First Flight as Bug Boy, he played The Riddler in the 2010 film Batman: Under the Red Hood, and appeared as Galius Zed in the 2011 film Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.
Comics
While Timm is known primarily for his work in animation, his first ambition was to become a comic-book artist and has thus produced several one-shots and miniseries, mostly for DC Comics. In the 1980s, he made some mini-comics for Masters of the Universe.
In 1994, Timm and writer Paul Dini won the Eisner Award for Best Single Story for Batman Adventures: Mad Love. Timm won the same prize the next year as well, for Batman Adventures Holiday Special, (a one-shot with several Christmas-themed stories) with Dini, Ronnie del Carmen, and others. Later, Timm was involved with Batman Adventures and has also worked on Avengers and Vampirella. He is also a popular cover and pin-up artist.
In 2000, he did the art for an issue of DC's Vertigo imprint horror title, Flinch.
Bruce Timm co-created Harley Quinn (with Paul Dini), working from Dini's original design. Harley's popularity on television led to her inclusion in the mainstream DC Universe. In 2004, Timm and Dini (assisted by Shane Glines as inker) released a three-issue Harley and Ivy miniseries, which was in the works for years.
Timm also drew the 1999 Avengers 1½ special for Marvel Comics, written by Roger Stern.
In 2005, Timm contributed artwork for two comics. One was a short story in Conan #18, titled "Conan's Favorite Joke". The other was a Black Canary short story in Birds of Prey #86.
In 2008, he provided the art work for a short two-page Harley Quinn origin story for Paul Dini's countdown.
Timm was featured in "Conan Gets Animated", a skit in the December 9, 2010 episode of the TBS late night talk show Conan, in which host Conan O'Brien enlisted his help in designing a new superhero, based on O'Brien's specifications. The superhero, who was designed to resemble O'Brien, included a typically muscular superhero body and costume with chest insignia, as well as idiosyncrasies such as an oven mitt, a jai alai glove, golf shoes, sock garters, and fishnet stockings.[6] One month later, O'Brien aired a clip on his show in which the character, named "The Flaming C", appears in Young Justice.[7]
In 2012, Timm released a book of erotic art, "Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm," showcasing more than 300 pencil, line, and full color erotic drawings of women.[8]
In 2013, Timm provided the cover artwork for Adventures of Superman #4.[9]
In 2020, Timm released a book of erotic art, "The Big Tease: A Naughty and Nice Collection," showcasing more than 208 pencil, line, and full color erotic drawings of women.
Drawing style and influences
Timm's minimalist, angular style is heavily based in his love of 1950s- and 1960s-era comics and Art Deco architecture style. He is also completely self-taught, having never received any formal art schooling. He lists his artistic influences as Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Jim Steranko, John Buscema, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Dan DeCarlo, and Alex Toth.[10]
Personal life
Timm is married and has one daughter.[10]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | Guard[11] | Direct-to-video |
2009 | Wonder Woman | Attacker[11] | Direct-to-video |
2009 | Green Lantern: First Flight | Bug Boy[11] | Direct-to-video |
2009 | Superman/Batman: Public Enemies | Mongul[11] | Direct-to-video |
2010 | Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths | Uncle Super (credited) / Captain Super Jr. (uncredited)[11] | Direct-to-video |
2010 | Batman: Under the Red Hood | The Riddler[11] | Direct-to-video |
2011 | Green Lantern: Emerald Knights | Galius Zed[11] | Direct-to-video |
2012 | Justice League: Doom | Ace[11] | Direct-to-video |
2012 | Superman vs. The Elite | MI-5 Agent[11] | Direct-to-video |
2012 | The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 | Thomas Wayne[11] | Direct-to-video |
2016 | Batman: The Killing Joke | Patrolman[11] | |
2017 | Batman and Harley Quinn | Michael J. Carter / Booster Gold[11] | Direct-to-video |
2018 | Batman: Gotham by Gaslight | Arkham Radio Man[11] | Direct-to-video |
2019 | Justice League vs. the Fatal Five | Two-Face[11] | Direct-to-video |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992–1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Red / The Mad Bomber / Ted Dymer[11] | 2 episodes |
1999–2001 | Batman Beyond | J-Man / Jokerz Leader / Top Hat Joker[11] | 5 episodes |
2003 | Justice League | Soldier | Episode: "The Terror Beyond" |
2004 | Justice League Unlimited | Solomon Grundy / Stu / Husband (uncredited)[11] | 2 episodes |
Writing
Year | Title | Credited as | Network | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Writer | Exec. producer | Developer | Showrunner | ||||
1992–1995 | Batman: The Animated Series | FOX | |||||
1996–2000 | Superman: The Animated Series | The WB | |||||
1997–1999 | The New Batman Adventures | The WB | |||||
1999–2001 | Batman Beyond | The WB | |||||
2001–2004 | Justice League | Cartoon Network | |||||
2003–2004 | Teen Titans | Cartoon Network | |||||
2004–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Cartoon Network | |||||
2012–2013 | Green Lantern: The Animated Series | Cartoon Network | |||||
Bibliography
Dark Horse Comics
- Madman #6 (1995)
- Adventures of the Mask #1-6 (1996)
- He-Man & The Masters of the Universe: Minicomic Collection #1-2 (2015)
DC Comics
- The Batman Adventures #12 (1993)
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - The Animated Movie (1993)
- The Batman Adventures: Mad Love (1994)
- The Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1 (1995)
- Batman Black and White #1 (1996)
- Superman Adventures #1 (1996)
- DC animated universe (comics)#Adventures in the DC Universe #3 (1997)
- Gen 13 Bootleg #18 (1998)
- Batman Beyond (comics) #1, 5 (1999)
- Harley and Ivy #1-3 (2004)
- The Spirit #15-16, 22 (2008)
- Adventures of Superman #11-13 (2013)
- Harley Quinn #0, 14, 23 (2014-2016)
Art of Fiction
- All Crime Comics #1-2 (2013)
Eternity Comics
- Ex-Mutants: The Shattered Earth Chronicles #4 (1988)
- The Trouble with Girls #7, 11 (1988)
Flesk Publications
- Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art Of Bruce Timm (2012)
- The Big Tease: A "Naughty and Nice" Collection (2020)
Image Comics
- Savage Dragon #100 (2002)
Pied Paper
- The New Humans #1, 5 (1987-1988)
Dynamite Entertainment
- Vampirella: Master Series #3-4 (2011)
Marvel Comics
- Avengers #1½ (1999)
- Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine #1-12
TwoMorrows Publishing
- Back Issue! #17, 99 (2006-2017)
First Comics
- Whisper #13-16, 22-23, 25 (1988-1989)
- Twilight Man #1-4 (1989)
H. H. Windsor
- Masters of the Universe minicomic #25, 30, 32-35, 39, 42-44, 48-49 (1984-1986)
References
- Inkpot Award
- "Bruce Timm" – Norman Rockwell Museum
- https://comicvine.gamespot.com/bruce-timm/4040-7365/issues-cover/
- Melrose, Kevin. "Bruce Timm Steps Down as DC DVD Producer". Newsarama. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
- "Machinima Lands Exclusive Animated 'Justice League' Series". Variety. September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- "Conan Gets Animated", Conan, TBS, December 9, 2010
- ""The Flaming C" Returns!". Conan. Team Coco/TBS. January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- "Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm, exclusive excerpt". Boing Boing. January 13, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- "Adventures of Superman #4". DC Comics.
- "Comic Book Artist Magazine Special Edition - (Bruce) Timm of the New Gods - TwoMorrows Publishing".
- "Behind The Voice Actors – Bruce Timm". Behind The Voice Actors. – green check mark indicates roles that have been verified by BTVA through closing credits
Sources
- Nolen-Weathington, Eric & Timm, Bruce (2004). Modern Masters Volume 3: Bruce Timm. TwoMorrows Publishing. ISBN 1-893905-30-6.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce Timm. |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Bruce Timm |
- Bruce Timm at IMDb
- The Bruce Timm Gallery
- An interview with Bruce Timm primarily discussing the (then yet-to-be-aired) second season of Justice League