Batman writer Tom King has revealed that his short story from Batman Annual #1 was inspired by his rescue dog.
On Twitter, King explained the origin for the “Good Boy” that introduces Ace, the Bat-Hound into current DC continuity. The idea came from his daughter after the King family adopted a rescue dog.
Yup, I wrote that story a few months after getting my own little troubled rescue dog. I won an Eisner for it, which is crazy. Also, the idea came from my daughter, as she never tires of reminding me. https://t.co/BrWWfuKJgL
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) May 18, 2018
Inspiration for today’s Batman Annual. My feisty little shelter dog, Roxy. pic.twitter.com/wHZv0fZ2s4
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) November 30, 2016
Ace, the Bat-Hound Explained
For those who have not read “Good Boy”, Batman adopts Ace after seeing him in abused in a dog-fighting ring. Over the course of months, Ace tears through Wayne Manor until Alfred and Bruce are able to calm and eventually accept him. “Good Boy” ran in 2016’s Christmas-themed Batman Annual. It also went on to win an Eisner award for “Best Short Story”. Check out DKN’s review of the annual here.
Ace has been a fixture in Batman mythos since the 1950’s. However, subsequent reboots continue to retcon Ace out of continuity. Fortunately, writers like King continue to re-introduce Ace back into the Batman stories. To mainstream audiences, Ace is probably most well-known as the elderly Bruce Wayne’s canine companion in Batman Beyond. Unfortunately, he never wore a dog-mask on the show.