I’m going to see The Dark Knight in nine days.

You have no idea how happy and excited I am to be able to say those words and know that they’re true.

And!

There are a couple of Dark Knight-related DVDs coming out today that will hold us over until next week.

First up is Batman: Gotham Knight, an anthology of animated vignettes by different animators, directors and writers that expand upon the new Batman movie legend created by our capable new caretaker, Christopher Nolan.

A single-disc version includes commentary by DC Comics Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs Gregory Noveck, writer/editor Dennis O’Neil (who made Batman a serious hero again in the 1970s), and Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman on Batman: The Animated Series and voices him again here. Last but not least, there’s a preview of the new Wonder Woman animated movie I’ve mentioned a couple of times here on the site.

A two-disc special edition includes all of the above plus a documentary about Batman creator Bob Kane, another documentary about Batman’s villains, and four episodes of Batman: The Animated Series selected (and presented) by series architect Bruce Timm.

The Blu-ray has all of the stuff that’s on the two-disc DVD in whiz-bang high-definition glory.

You can learn more and see more here:

Warner Bros. Gotham Knight official site

And you can read an excellent review by my good friend Bill “Jett” Ramey right here on his ever-awesome Batman on Film.

Though I’ve no doubt that The Dark Knight will soundly trump its sterling predecessor, there is no end to the love I have for Batman Begins. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It’s the first Batman film that takes us inside the heart of Bruce Wayne while still delivering the most capable and inspiring Batman yet.

It’s out today in new special editions for DVD and Blu-ray.

The two-disc standard-definition DVD has the same documentaries and extras found on the original two-disc Batman Begins special edition but packages them in a fancy new box along with a 128MB Batman-branded flash drive, five Batman Begins postcards and a coupon for $7.50 off of your Dark Knight ticket (at participating theaters, of course).

But the Blu-ray folks get a massive exclusive that we standard-definition kids weren’t deemed worthy enough to receive: The single-disc Blu-ray edition and the limited edition Blu-ray gift set also include the six-minute “prologue” of The Dark Knight, in which The Joker (Heath Ledger) pulls off a spectacularly clever (and significantly deadly) bank heist.

The Warner Bros. press release confirms that the prologue is indeed the first six minutes of the actual film.

Anyway, the single-disc Blu-ray has the movie and the Joker prologue.

The two-disc Blu-ray gift set also includes a comic book adaptation of the Joker prologue, exclusive photos, script pages, storyboards, five postcards and some kind of fancy lenticular moving picture thing, and of course the previously mentioned coupon for your Dark Knight ticket (at participating theaters, of course).

The Blu-ray will also do your laundry and serve you a lunch of a grilled cheese sandwich, Doritos and a Pepsi while you’re watching it.

I really need to get a Blu-ray player.

And a high-definition TV.

And three more jobs to pay for it all.

But!

I’ll get to see both Batman Begins and Gotham Knight on Blu-ray next week when my friend Kareem and his family host me in Los Angeles before we go see The Dark Knight next Thursday night at midnight on IMAX.

It’s the best time ever to be a Batman fan.