Scott Beatty is the author of:

BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE DARK KNIGHT

JLA: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE JUSTICE LEAGUE

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES GUIDE

(for a look at these check out his great website:
http://www.scottbeatty.com/sneakpeek.html)

He's also a long time DC writer. He's worked on such books as:

Batgirl: Year One

Gotham Knights

Robin: Year One

Batman Chronicles

and MUCH more~

Scott Beatty: I wouldn't presume to consider myself anything but a lifelong fan with a fairly good memory for obscure details.

Fortunately, Bat-Continuity is pretty linear compared to the revamps of Superman or Wonder Woman. If you keep all the crime-driven or more "realistic" stories and ignore the Batman-in-Space camp of the 1950s, you can't go wrong.

To be honest, aside from shunting Batwoman (Kathy Kane) and Batgirl (Bette Kane) to a remote corner of continuity, the only significant alteration to Bat-History is the omission of Joe Chill. Post-ZERO HOUR, Batman never found his parents' murderer... thus EVERY criminal might be "the one who got away" unless he continues to fight his war on crime

Scott Beatty: I don't think there's anything wrong with reinventing or recasting the characters and continuity. I've done my share of it in co-writing ROBIN YEAR ONE and BATGIRL YEAR ONE, making minor alterations to history.

Certainly, the new animated series has the appeal of introducing a new audience to the Bat-Mythos. The wonderful thing about Batman is that he has such a pure origin. His mission is simple. You can condense all the basic information someone would need to know about Batman into a few sentences.

Many of the villains could use a good dusting. I'm anxiously awaiting to see what the animated creators do with the straitjacketed Joker, who has always been one of my favorites.

But as far as animated continuity goes, I think it's likely best to take the last animated series and appreciate it as one singular (and damn well done) take on Batman and Gotham. If you put it into a comics perspective, it's no different than liking Steve Englehart's Batman for reasons other than why you like Frank Miller's take... or Gerry Conway's... or Chuck Dixon's.

Scott Beatty: As far as I know, there are no plans for a softcover release of the DK Ultimate Guides.

However, I am in the process of gearing up to add 20 or more new pages to BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE DARK KNIGHT. There have been some major changes to Batman's world, including new supporting characters and villains, since the initial publication, so we're going back and updating the book in time for the release of BATMAN BEGINS next summer.

Scott Beatty: I've pitched one or two ideas to DC. I'd love the opportunity to walk on the dark side and get inside a villain's head or write something from the bad guy's perspective. We'll see...

Scott Beatty: I like the simplicity of the animated continuity, which is to say that I appreciate that the extraneous baggage has been pared away without compromising the characters' rich history. Again, you can explain the characters in just a few sentences. There's a clear through-line AND character development. With comics, you always run the risk of riding roughshod over other stories, or having your own well-intentioned continuity ignored or negated. But many times, continuity can tie your hands as a creator

Scott Beatty: Sorry, BatWulf... no plans for a Joker Ultimate Guide. However, I'm in the process of completing THE DC COMICS ENCYCLOPEDIA with fellow writers Bob Greenberger, Phil Jimenez, and Dan Wallace. It's quintuple the size of an Ultimate Guide and covers EVERY DC character.

Dan Wallace is writing JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE ANIMATED SERIES GUIDE.

SUPER FRIENDS (and TEEN TITANS) aren't out of the question, especially with many DC animated series being released on DVD. If I'm involved with any, you can read about it on my personal website (www.scottbeatty.com).

Scott Beatty: Definitely, PPAIN. Chuck and I are close friends and we have a blast co-writing. Right now, we have several irons in the fire, so to speak, but nothing I can talk about presently.

Scott Beatty: Aside from BATMAN BEYOND: THE ANIMATED SERIES GUIDE (due in September) and THE DC COMICS ENCYCLOPEDIA (released by year's end), I've also written THE BATMAN HANDBOOK: THE ULTIMATE TRAINING MANUAL for Quirk Books, the fine people behind THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL GUIDE. I've collaborated with many experts in real world crime-fighting to show readers how to accomplish what Batman does. Wanna know how to survive a poison gas attack? Or how to take out a roomful of goons? Or how to drive your Batmobile on two wheels? It's all in there, with easy-to-follow directions and illustrations.
Otherwise, as I gear up to update BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE DARK KNIGHT, I'm working on a few comic book projects for DC Comics. Right now, I'm sworn to secrecy on both. One is something old. One is something new. But all of my writing is inspired by Batman in large part. One project is slated for November release. The other will begin in January. Both will very likely be revealed at one of the major comic book conventions this summer in San Diego and Chicago, respectively

Scott Beatty: Anytime! Thanks for having me! And all you fans should know that I appreciate your continued support! See you in Gotham!

thanks matt!
although I just skimmed it, I'm going to read it later!

Don't forget to pick up Scott's latest book, The Batman Handbook. Its fantastic! here's a sample and a link to Amazon.