The Batman also received a spin-off comic book series – "The Batman Strikes!" – published by DC Comics. The spin-off comic books were set in the same continuity and style as "The Batman". The man known as Batman, the costumed protector of Gotham City, is secretly billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne (voiced by Rino Romano). Batman began three years prior to the start of the series, and the Gotham City police do not publicly acknowledge the vigilante's existence. Operating out of a secret lair underneath Bruce Wayne's mansion — known as the Bat cave — Batman and his butler, Alfred Pennyworth (voiced by
Batman: The Animated Series dialogue from the trailer.<ref name="BTAS/TDKR trailer">BTAS/TDKR trailer on The Hub, Web Video.</ref> "Batman: The Animated Series" has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest animated television shows ever made, as well as the most faithful Batman animated series to date. It has been critically and commercially acclaimed for its sophistication, mature writing, voice acting, orchestrated soundtrack, artistic ambition, and faithfulness to the source material. In its 1992 year-end issue, "Entertainment Weekly" ranked the series as one of the top television series of the year. In his reference book, "Batman: The Complete History", Les Daniels described "The Animated Series" as