Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of November 21 – November 27/28, 1999
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping”
THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “WHY THE @%$#*@ ARE THEY MAKING AN ONGOING HARLEY COMIC
SERIES?”
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IN MEMORY
Another member of the BATMAN voice-actor alumni passed on November 11, 1999. Craig “Gookie”
Crumpton supplies us with this news:
*****
Mary Kay Bergman, aka Shannen Cassidy, was reported dead on November 11, 1999. Speculation of her death ranges from suicide to death from sudden illness. Mary Kay Bergman is one of the most prfilic voice actresses today; she has appeared in dozens of animated series and movies.
She was an amazing talent. She played Batgirl in BATMAN: SUB-ZERO; she played Daphne in the two recent SCOOBY-DOO movies; she voiced almost the entire female cast of SOUTH PARK; She did voices for MEN IN BLACK and THE PHANTOM MENACE as well. If anyone watched IRON GIANT, you would notice her name in the credits. She had a great ear for impressions. She could talk like Gillian Anderson or Meg Ryan for example, and you would swear it was the genuine article. We’ll provide you with more information as it becomes available to us. She was only 38 years old.
We’re all sorry to see you go Mary Kay.
MARY KAY BERGMAN 1961-1999
*****
For more information, or if you’d like to leave a message to her in her guestbook, visit her site at the following address:
http://klaxon.simplenet.com/wackyvo/index.html
Another Universe.com also has put up an obituary to the late Mary Kay Bergman. The URL is:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/TV/features/bergmanobit.html
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SPECIAL PETITION
We all know that a BATMAN BEYOND score CD was released this past August. Fans were thrilled to be getting this, but were also peeved that the “regular” Batman/Superman shows have been overlooked. Who here would buy a BTAS/STAS CD set if one were ever made? Remember, the one BEYOND CD handled only 13 episodes in 40 minutes; BTAS has 109 episodes and STAS has 54 – that means it would be a multi-CD set, to be sure. Who would buy this? I DEFINATELY would!
Our friend RIDDLERWB has supplied us the following e-mail address. E-mail the people at RHINO RECORDS and demand a BATMAN and/or SUPERMAN score CD!
drrhino@rhino.com
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UPCOMING NEW EPISODES
This section will just basically give an insight into what the new episodes are about and hopefully a synopsis of the episode. This section will feature new episodes for BATMAN, SUPERMAN, and BATMAN BEYOND.
‘MINDGAMES’
Batman Beyond #23
Air date: December 4, 1999
A young girl with eerie psychic powers mentally contacts Batman and begs him to save her from the nefarious clutches of a secret organization known as “The Brain Trust.”
‘LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)’
Superman #44, 48
Air date: Fall of 1999
This two-parter features the final showdown between Superman and Darkseid in which he strips Superman of his memory and adopts him as a son in an effort to take over Earth. This is being touted as the FINAL Superman episode EVER. However, I must say that I’ve read a synopsis of the episode, and it’s a doozie.
For synopses of all other upcoming second season BATMAN BETOND episodes, check out of BTAN at this address:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES airs Mondays thru Saturday; BATMAN BEYOND also airs on these days. Check local listings each day for what show is on at what time.
http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/episodes.html
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/
http://www.ktla.com/backstage/programming/kids_framed.frm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 11-22-99: Batman #78 Showdown
B-BEYOND #13 Ascension
Tue 11-23-99: Superman #46 Absolute Power
NO SECOND EPISODE TODAY
Wed 11-24-99: Batman #75 Catwalk
NO SECOND EPISODE TODAY
Thu 11-25-99: Superman #43 New Kids in Town
B-BEYOND #05 The Winning Edge
Fri 11-26-99: Batman #107 Chemistry
B-BEYOND #14 Joyride
Sat 11-27-99: Batman #96 The Ultimate Thrill
B-BEYOND #17 Lost Soul
All episodes #86 and onward of BATMAN are considered THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES while the original 85 are considered BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS) episodes.
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CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BTAS/BEYOND on YTV)
(courtesy of our friends at YTV)
-To find the episode guide and airing schedule of BATMAN and BATMAN BEYOND on YTV then please go to http://www.ytv.com and click on the YTV GUIDE icon at the bottom of the screen. To check out the schedule then click on BATMAN or BATMAN BEYOND in the time grid and it will have the schedule for the current week.
BTAS will air at 7:30am on weekday mornings (in all time zones), and BATMAN BEYOND will air at 2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. YTV has the rights to show all 109 BTAS episodes. They also have the rights to air the first 26 episodes of BATMAN BEYOND (all of season 1 and the first half of season 2).
THIS WEEK:
Mon 11-22-99: BTAS #37 Robin’s Reckoning (Pt. 2)
Tue 11-23-99: BTAS #47 Birds of a Feather
Wed 11-24-99: BTAS #58 Blind as a Bat
Thu 11-25-99: BTAS #43 Day of the Samurai
Fri 11-26-99: BTAS #15 See No Evil
Sat 11-27-99: BEYOND #21 Hooked Up (?)
Sun 11-28-99: BEYOND #22 Rats! (?)
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CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE:
“Yabba Dabba Doom”
(courtesy of Brian Cruz)
THE CARTOON NETWORK was able to get the exclusive rights to 52 episodes of the classic BTAS, as well as both animated movies. BTAS airs Monday-Friday at 6pm (ET) and then repeated again at midnight. If our schedule listings is not complete or up to date then please go to either of these sites for the schedule:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html
http://homes.acmecity.com/animation/saturday/352/schedule.html
To see the 52 episodes that the CARTOON NETWORK does show, go to this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/eplists/batman-cn.html
NOTE: The schedules at Brian Cruz’ site are currently unavailable; if anyone knows of any other place where people can get listings for BTAS on the Cartoon Network, please e-mail us!
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EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
All of Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton’s reviews of the new-style BTAS episodes and BATMAN BEYOND can be found via these links, which link to “Two-Face’s Tower of Tranquility and Terror”:
MAIN PAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BTAS PAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFaceText/bats.html
NOTE: Due to the loss of the WGN, editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton has been virtually unable to review any new episodes. Until he can once again, we’ll be having someone substituting for him.
Thank you to Justin Chen for this review!
NOTE: DAMN! I made a mistake again! Last week’s column was NOT submitted by Justin Chen, but by Zanna…geez, I need to keep awake while I write this…I’m sorry, Zanna – please don’t beat me up (again)…*CRINGES*
RATS!
Written by ???
Directed by Curt Geda
Animation by Dong Yang, Koko
Original Air Date: November 20, 1999
Rating: ** out of 5
I’d say the new season’s been off to a good start, with some great episodes (Lost Soul, Hidden Agenda) and the rest, which are still very watchable. Unfortunately, streak of quality couldn’t last forever, and “Rats” is the one to break it.
This one’s another teen-trouble sort of episode, starting with Dana, Chelsea, and Max having one of their little chats together. As they talk, a news report comes on, exposing the “hidden shame” of Gotham – Giant Mutant Rats! (Does this sound ridiculous to you? It did to me.) Anyway, Terry makes his way onto the scene, only to receive a cold reception from Dana because he missed their last date. Terry’s “Mr. Wayne” reasons don’t fly with her. She storms off, and Max expresses her sympathy for Terry’s situation. Dana walks to her car, but then notices a white rose in her seat. Along with it is a note, which reads “I’ll be there”.
Terry comes home that night and receives a phone call from Dana, during which his little brother Matt does his now-annoying “Dana and Terry” routine. “Flowers can really change a girl’s mind”, she tells him, and Terry agrees to meet her at Rhino’s Famous Chili. She puts on a very nice dress and heads off to the door. We see Mr. Tan for the first time on the show. He’s the protective type, and expresses some concern over her being with Terry.
While on his way to the restaurant, Terry receives a call from Bruce to go fight Mad Stan. Stan’s a new character who simply comes out of nowhere in this episode. From what I can tell, he’s some type of psychotic anti-technology person, but that’s about it. His origins aren’t explored one bit in this episode, although it does make for a pretty good fight scene (which is about the only good one).
Meanwhile Dana is sick of waiting for Terry at the restaurant; she storms off. Another white rose catches her eye, and she walks over to pick it up. Suddenly she’s surrounded by – guess what – giant mutant rats! She tries to run, but trips over some debris on the ground and is knocked unconscious. When Dana awakens, she finds herself on a bed of roses and in the company of some short guy that looks like a cross between a bat and a beaver…which I guess is supposed to mean he’s like a rat. His name’s Patrick, and he’s been stalking Dana for quite some time now from his subterranean home. He sees how unappreciated she is above and wants her to stay in the sewers with him. Dana’s not too receptive to this idea, though. Patrick goes on to show her some hybrid plants he developed that don’t need sunlight. Dana does ask him for some food, and Patrick heads off to Rhino’s Chili to get some.
In between here and then end, we see a sequence with Mr. Tan going off on Terry about how Dana never came home last night. Dana also makes an attempt to escape the sewers, but only ends up hurting herself. However, we do see tons of radioactive waste dumped in the sewers, giving off an eerie green glow.
Terry sees giant rats attacking the chili restaurant and manages to follow Patrick back into his sewer home as Dana fails to escape confinement. Patrick sees that she is unwilling to stay, and gets extremely angry. We learn Dana isn’t his first victim, and she asks of their fate.
“What happened to the others?”
“They don’t make fun of me anymore.”
He sics his rat army on her, but Terry manages to grab her just in time. Dana sets some objects on fire and joins Batman in fighting off the creatures. As they fly off, she drops the torch she’s made into the toxic waste. The resulting explosions totally obliterate Patrick’s world and his mutant rat friends. As fires shoot from below ground in a nice visual sequence, Terry flies Dana to safety. Later, as rescue workers put out the blaze, Terry approaches Dana near the ambulance. Dana ends up much more appreciative of Terry.
Enough of the summary…why the rating? Giant mutant rats…ugh. I would have vastly preferred the story concentrate more on simply the outcast stalker, rather than throwing in the rodents.
I don’t see how they improved the episode in any way. Quite a few eps lately have been dealing with teen issues (Splicers, Earth Mover, Hidden Agenda, Once Burned). Enough is enough. And Mad Stan…the action was nice, but that’s about all he was good for. And Patrick…so he was ugly and looked like a giant rat. We never learn much about his past or about his amazing plant hybrids. We probably never will either, since he apparently died in the explosions.
This ep was NOT worth getting out of bed for, and poised to become the “Heroes” of season 2.
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EDITORAL #1
(by Laura Hysert, aka “Phoenix”)
Oh where, oh where has our Laurrrra gone? Oh where, or where can she beeeeee? Oh where, oh where has our Laurrrrra gone? I guess she’ll no longer work for freeeeeee….
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EDITORIAL #2
(by Kelly Tindall)
BADDIES BEYOND
The Crooks of Tomorrow
We’re off to a good start, my children.
The first season of Batman Beyond was full of great moments as fledgling psychopath after fledgling psychopath stumbled towards what he or she thought would be an easy victory over Batman.
Boy, were they wrong. And they are totally out of luck now.
I’m speaking, of course, of the villains of the future. We’ve got a motley crew of new blood, so let’s put them under the microscope and see what we will see, eh?
First of all, let’s start with one we won’t be hearing from again. Blight. The human x-ray. Derek Powers himself was a great villain, a vengeful nutcase with nine lives who managed to surround himself with the second biggest load of animal humanity Gotham City has ever seen. The sorry lunatic even had his son screaming for his glowing blood! But before Blight slept with the fishes, he soared with the eagles. As Powers, he stomped on Bruce Wayne repeatedly. Abuse of senior citizens always makes for good villainy, but for sheer evil, I suggest his Iago-like manipulation of Shreev into the super-nut Shriek. Perhaps his callous suggestion to Victor Fries’ doctor to biopsy his organs? Surely his insistence that the Fox family be decimated forever by wiping out and buying off the dessicated husk of Foxteca Inc.? Excellent work. Of course, the greedy old fart really went to work as Blight. Burning, torching, melting, killing…he was a force of nature, and it’s quite the loss that we won’t be seeing the living special effect anytime soon. That is, if he truly DID perish in the submarine…judging from the lack of a sophomore appearance by Mr. Fixx, I’d think it’s safe to assume the producers are all for letting a villain go down with the ship, so to speak.
And while we’re on the topic of water, how about “up the river” for the Royal Flush Gang? A lot of you chaps were up in arms about the lack of character development in the gang. Boo hoo. The episode was just as much about Terry and Melanie’s teenybopper love as the gang in the white tights. Ten and her loonie-tune father (played by ex-Bond George Lazenby, who must kick himself right around this time when a new Bond movie is out) were drawn quite well, and the personalities of the others were drawn sharply and hardly needed at all. Visually, they’re great. In action, they’re great. Looking forward to seeing them again.
Inque. What else can you say? WOW. Excellent. The producers of that lame-assed Spider-Man cartoon (and the new travesty) must be kicking themselves for not using Venom or Carnage as well as Inque. Sensational, sexy, insane, and more than a little bit deadly, Inque is a real boon to Batman Beyond’s credibility. I miss her already.
Spellbinder. Genius costume, and brilliant modus operandi. His hallucinations allow the animators to have some real fun with their work, from Chelsea’s Indiana Jones adventure to the bride’s trip through Zerg-land. It’s all good. I simply wish they’d get somebody notable for Spelly’s voice…he’s rather dull. Not as creepy as Sherman Howard’s Blight and not as British as Shannon Kenny’s Inque. Good guy.
Shriek. Great gimmick villain. His second outing as a crook will be the real test. He does have a very unique suit, but sound hardly lends itself to visual metaphors as easily as ‘fear’ or ‘death’. We’ll see. Jury’s out.
The Jokerz. I love ’em. Akira’s Clowns have nothing on these slapstick crazies. Not exactly worthy contenders to Joker’s crown, but that’s rather the point. I missed Joyride, but I’m sure that one’ll cement their place as ‘funny, yet lethal’ in my mind. I’m still waiting for President Harleen Quinzel of the United States to pop up as their secret benefactor. Paul? Mr. Dini? Are you listening?
Who else? Ahhhh, nobody important. The new guys, Lost Soul, Earthmover, they’re just metaphors for Terry’s struggle with his own identity or lessons in lame teen instruction. Good guys, but we’ll hardly be seeing them again.
I’m outta here…I can’t stay…this is bat country!
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AND THAT’S THE FACTS
(by “Reliable Source”)
(Yes, I understand that the title is grammatically incorrect. So sue us. Actually, nix that. Don’t sue us.)
(DISCLAIMER: For those of you who are not yet familiar, Reliable Source is an anonymous character who first surfaced on Batman: The Animated Message Boards, spewing forth ridiculous predictions about the future of Batman Beyond under the guise of spoiler warnings. His controversial posts created quite a buzz, and have landed him a temporary column with this newsletter. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this shady character are in no way officially connected to Kids WB, Batman Beyond, this newsletter, or anything that is decent or holy. That said, on with the show.)
Well folks, we’re here once again for another edition of this fine publication. As we often do, let’s start things off with a reach into the Reliable Source mailbag. This week’s letter comes to us for the second time from Cpl. Michael C. Wilson. He writes:
“Ooh rah and good morning or afternoon.”
“When they introduce the Huntress will it have any kind of an Earth 2 mix, in that Batman/Catwoman’s kid. Will they ever tell the whereabouts of all of rogues gallery. When is Paul Dini gonna pull his head out of his *** and quit ruining the best hero even to be invented in this life time and start fixing stuff. So far there are heroes with x-ray vision that can fly, people with metal skeletons and claws coming out of their forearms that don’t apparently don’t age, all this crap. We finally get a man that is like you and me, we can’t even give him happiness with a wife and son, instead we have a Batman that in a few months we’ll find out is Bruce Wayne’s greatest enemies son the Joker. We can do **** like incest with his twin sister Ten from the Royal Flush Gang but we can’t throw Bruce in the Lazarus Pit. At least give us some kind of offspring with Talia so Bruce Wayne Jr can become the new Batman. If I was Bruce and punk*** Terry talked his ***, I’d whoop his *** on a weekly episode. The new name of that episode would be ‘You Better Run You Little Bastard Cause When My Old *** Catches You, I’m Gonna Beat The Crap Out Of Your Disrespectful High School Drop Out ***’. I’m sorry, but Terry is a punk; I could maybe take it if Bruce trained him as Robin, but Batman? Come on. That’s all I got, but keep me informed. Respectfully submitted, Michael C. Wilson, Corporal of the United States Marine Corps.”
Well, Corporal Wilson, I couldn’t have said it better myself. In fact, I really can’t add anything to that at all. Really.
But since you do seem interested in the direction that the show is headed in, I will enlighten you with some information on what we can all look forward to in the show’s third season, starting next fall on Kid’s WB.
There will be one main story arc for the entire season, as many people have speculated. This story arc will start out with the aforementioned introduction of Terry’s younger brother Matty as the new Robin – but that’s is not all. Mr. Freeze, seeking a new home for his disembodied head, manages to steal Terry’s Batman suit and form a new body from it. However, the memory chips in the suit have Victor believing he is, in fact, Batman. This is an epic story called “Batman On Ice,” and Terry and Matty must find a way to convince Mr. Freeze that he is not Batman, without turning him back to a life of crime. With the high success of the recent Batman and Robin movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger will provide the voice of Bat-Freeze, rather than Michael Ansara. This promises to be the most moving episode since “Critters.”
The storyline continues when Barbara and Bruce decide to rekindle their old romance. There is actually a surprisingly graphic scene planned for what is supposedly a “kid’s show,” that involves Bruce, Barbara, and a tub of whipped cream. “It’s very erotic,” said one spokesperson for the WB, “that’s all we can say. The censors are having some problems with it, but we are seeing what we can do.” The plot continues with Dick Grayson returning to the picture.
Suddenly, we have the classic love triangle scenario. “We’re calling the episode ‘Three’s A Crowd,’ because, well, three is a crowd,” the spokesperson said. “We won’t say what happens, but someone dies, and it is not Dick or Barbara. Wait… take that last part out, I think I gave it away…” The episode also introduces the new villain, Three-Face, son of Harvey Dent and Pamela Isely, thus adding another meaning to the title.
Wow, I can hardly even believe the stuff I write, I’m sure you all can’t either. That’s all for this week, I’d like to thank Cpl. Wilson for writing to us again, and thank you all for reading. Those of you that still are, that is. Remember, you can send me your thoughts at Reliable_S@hotmail.com .
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
This is one of my favourite sections, where I get to boggle the minds of all our readers! *EVIL LAUGH* This trivia is all animated-related in some form, and can deal with ANY aspect of the show or comics based on the show. Remember, answer the questions WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANIMATED CONTINUITY. Now have fun – let’s see how well you do! Answers are provided below.
I certainly have tapped into a huge reserve of possible questions with this “gang” theme. I’ve decided to follow suit with the previous two weeks and centre this quiz around gangs, too.
216. Who told Sid the Squid to go see Rupert Thorne?
A: The Joker
B: Eddie G.
C: Danny Cee
D: Candace
E: The Penguin
217. Who’s the leader of the gang that Danny Cee belongs to?
A: The Ventriloquist
B: The Penguin
C: Two-Face
D: The Scarecrow
E: Rupert Thorne
218. Which villain(s) have ever used bears to assist them with their criminal activities?
A: Farmer Brown
B: The Mad Hatter
C: The Penguin
D: Mr. Freeze
E: Man-Bat
219. In which episode does “Ricky the Hook” appear?
A: YOU SCRATCH MY BACK
B: SECOND CHANCE
C: VENDETTA
D: I AM THE NIGHT
E: DOUBLE TALK
220. Which villain has had a gang in which one member was a informercial-esque guru, one had a drill attached to his hand, and one is named “Anthony”?
Answer: _____________________
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA
Answer to #216: B
Answer to #217: E
Answer to #218: B, D
Answer to #219: A
Answer to #220: The Scarecrow
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LITTLE FACTS AND BLOOPERS
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
Here is a section that just points out various little facts and bloopers that we have noticed while watching BTAS and STAS countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!
CONBTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
I have many eyes, yet I see nothing, like a potato…
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by “Ultros”)
1) When Batman and Robin are persuing the Joker in “Christmas with the Joker,” they drive past “Pontiac Brewery” three times on the same street. This is an example of why you should never put text in a cycling background.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by anyone that wants to contribute)
Geez, Christmas is coming and there’s nothing good to review? Or possibly everyone is just tired of saying how much they hate the BATMAN BEYOND figures – could that be true? Agh…anyone, ANYONE out there who can contribute something for this column will be heavily rewarded! Really!
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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)
Mr. Maurer was unable to submit a review for the printing of this newsletter, so editor Tim “Two-Face” Leighton is here to fill the void.
BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE #1
ISSUE: “Two of a Kind” (it’s the second story in this anthology)
WRITTEN BY: Bruce Timm
PENCILED BY: Bruce Timm
INKED BY: N/A
ISSUED: June 1996
RATING: ***** (out of 5)
I recently finished my Batman “Animated-Comic” collection: I now own every issue of the BATMAN ADVENTURES, BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES, GOTHAM ADVENTURES, LOST YEARS, BATMAN BEYOND, and all the annuals/specials/graphic novels that go along with them. That adds up to over 100 issues (103 to be exact, I think). I was thrilled to find out that I missed one from a few years back; I was even more thrilled to find out that Bruce Timm wrote AND drew the issue. I had to find it.
Found in issue #1 of the BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE series from 1996, is an 8 page tale by Bruce Timm that deals with the scenario of what would/could happen should Two-Face ever recieve the reconstructive surgery that continues to elude him.
Two-Face tells the story in flashback to Batman just as he captures on the final page: A doctor named Marilyn Crane (no relation to Jonathan Crane), has accomplished what no one ever has: the complete destruction of Two-Face – both physically and mentally. As a result, Harvey falls in love with her, and they even plan on getting married. Despite being turned down by the D.A.’s office (with good reason, considering), things go smoothely until he runs into her sister – her identical TWIN sister, Madeline.
Harvey is enraged. Marilyn never wanted to tell him about her, because he thought the fact that they were twins would ignite is obsession with duality again. Even worse, Madeline’s very naughty – not just in a kinky way, but in an “evil” way. Two of a kind, huh? Madeline arrives in Harvey’s office (now at a small law firm) with intentions of seducing him; Harvey tries to resist, but cannot. At this point, there’s no stopping him. His perfect world has been shot to hell. After some time, he decides to call it quits; in a jealous rage, Madeline returns home and kills her sister. Written in blood on the wall is the following: “NOW IT’S JUST THE TWO OF US”. Harvey is enraged, wanting her blood, but realizes that he’s supposed to be cured – that Harvey Dent is a GOOD guy. In response, he reaches into the fireplace, retrieves some burning embres, and smothers half his face with them. Two-Face is reborn. Some time later, Madeline meets up with him at oceanside, declaring her undying love for him. Two-Face and Harvey are at war with each other, not knowing whether to love or hate her. In the end, just as they are about to kiss (brilliantly drawn in slow motion), Two-Face pumps her stomach full of lead. Then he just waits for Batman to show up with her in her arms, waiting for him to bring him back where he belongs, “with the rest of the crazy people.”
Brilliant story. What makes it even better is that it could fit into the animated continuity at any given point – it makes it even more poignant. I’m surprised that Timm got away with such coarse language and such iffy artwork throughout – there’s a lot of not-so-subtle sexual imagery and blood and gore in this tale. The black-and-white format of this book (no colour at all) actually compliments this story: Two-Face’s entire life has been black or white. (Heck, even all the actors in the movies that have been portrayed him have been either black or white, but that’s beside the point.)
Either way, it’s a great story, and I suggest you all go out, search those back-issue bins, and pick it up!
If only Bruce Timm had the time to elaborate on this tale and turn it into a graphic novel a la MAD LOVE – that would be awesome.
;-Y
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more indepth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!
The price is $1.99 in the US and…grrrrr…a whopping $3.25 in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the “grrr”.)
If we are unsure of the exact date of when an issue is being released, just check out “DIRECT CURRENTS” at http://www.dccomics.com for details.
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #21
December 1st?
Synopsis: A young girl has been kidnapped and the only “eye witness” is a blind jazz musician. Can even Batman, the world’s greatest detective, use the information the old man provides to find the girl before the kidnapper takes his revenge?
Cover: Unavailable
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl are in the spotlight of the first animated comic to hit the shelves in 2000!
BATMAN BEYOND #3 (ongoing)
November 24th
Synopsis: The Terrific Trio returns.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/
covers/download/dbmbd3.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #4.
Synopsis: The Royal Flush Gang returns.
Cover: Unavailable
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #40
December 8th?
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-The Febuary DC shipping titles, including the BATMAN titles and the SUPERMAN titles are up at the COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM! Check them out here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/16/index.htm
-Don’t forget that MASK OF THE PHANTASM and SUB-ZERO will be released on DVD on December 21! Just in time for Christmas!
-Terry Beatty has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on ebay. His Seller ID is: wlee@muscanet.com Do yourself a favor and check out some great art!
“CURRENT” ANIMATED SERIES’
-BTAS/STAS will return in the fall of 2001 with NEW EPISODES, when Batman Beyond goes on hiatus.
-Then again, there is ALSO word that BTAS/STAS WON’T return. So which do we believe? Hopefully the first…
BATMAN BEYOND
-Shriek will re-appear in BATMAN BEYOND #5, in January.
-The Stalker will be featured in BATMAN BEYOND #6, in February.
-1999’s 6-issue BATMAN BEYOND mini-series will be collected in tradepaperback in February. The cost will be $9.95 US. The cover can be found here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/16/bmbtpbth.jpg
-Synopses of episodes #17 through 36 have now been posted, thanks to the COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM. Check out of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER for a complete listing.
ANIMATED COMICS
-Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon will be in the spotlight for of GOTHAM ADVENTURES.
-Northern Canada is the backdrop, the kidnapping of oil is the crime, and Ra’s Al Ghul is the villain in of GOTHAM ADVENTURES. This issue comes out on February 2nd. The cover can be found here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/16/bmga23th.jpg
-Lock-Up is planned to be used in the near future.
-Ty Templeton’s upcoming two-issue stint on Superman Adventures will be co-written with Dan Slott.
OTHER COMICS
-An ongoing Harley Quinn series is planned for a mid-2000 release. Oh, please, shoot me now; here I thought that DC would be improving with the new creative teams next year. She can’t hold her own series – the Joker couldn’t, so why would a second-rate female-quota-fulfilling copycat villain be able to? Let’s all hope it gets canned, shall we?
-Here’s a sneek peek at the redesign of the BATMAN titles, courtesy of AnotherUniverse.com. The redesigns were done by Chip Kidd (BATMAN: ANIMATED). Opinions? Click this link to check it out:
BATMAN #576
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/gifs/comics2/Bm576.jpg
-The HUNTRESS will gueast-star in AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #63. (I guess this lays to rest all the rumours of her dying at the end of NML.)
-John Byrne (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN: HIDDEN YEARS) will be providing a BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE story in BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #2.
-Issue #5 of DARK VICTORY has Catwoman on the cover.
-Issue #6 of DARK VICTORY features the Penguin on the cover.
-The Two-Face/Montoya relationship will be picked up midway through next year in DETECTIVE COMICS #747.
MOVIES
-Rumours have it that the WB want to use a gritty crime-drama as a backdrop for their next Bat-movie. In keeping with this “prequel” phenomenon in recent months, they’ve decided to use the much-underused “Two-Face” character in a Batman “prequel”, set sometime between “Batman Returns” and “Batman Forever”. Should this plan go ahead, word has it that the WB is attempting to woo Tommy Lee Jones back into the role, promising him what they originally promised when they signed him on for “Forever”, before either Carrey or Schumacher joined the crew: that the film would play out like a darker, more sinister version of his origin on the animated series.
TIM’S NOTE: Now if only Greg Rucka or Jeph Loeb could write this tale…I’d love that.
TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-More BATMAN BEYOND figures are coming out – and these ones are actually GOOD! Here’s a link for:
JOKERZ TWO-PACK: http://209.197.117.27/databases/features/actionfigures/2/sub/22.3.34.jpg
BLACK-SUITED BATMAN: http://209.197.117.27/databases/features/actionfigures/2/sub/22.3.43.jpg
-Sadly, there are reports that some of the 140 Warner Bros. stores will be closing down indefinately.
-The SUPERMAN video game for Playstation will be out in the first quarter of 2000.
-The first issue of the Sega Dreamcast magazine says a Batman Beyond video game is due out in 2000.
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THE ROAD THROUGH NO MAN’S LAND
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
Yes, I know this isn’t really an animated topic, but I thought, hey, it’s Batman’s 60th anniversary, and this is the big event that celebrates it, so I should have a section dedicated to this year-long crossover. Besides, so far it’s been excellent in every issue. We have this section split up into two parts – the first saying what has already happened, the second previewing what’s to come. Enjoy!
UP UNTIL NOW…
JANUARY – APRIL: For synopses of what happened in the first four months of NO MAN’S LAND, go see Issues #26 and #27 of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
MAY, JUNE: For synopses of what how things really heated up in the fifth and sixth months of NO MAN’S LAND, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
JULY: For synopses of the many things that happened in the month that all of the other major players in Gotham broke back into the city, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”.
Follow this link: http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
AUGUST: For synopses of the many things that happened in the final full month of summer, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
SEPTEMBER: For synopses of the issues dealing with the set-up of the final crunch of No Man’s Land, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
OCTOBER: For synopses of the issues dealing with the “beginning of the end” of No Man’s Land, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
NOVEMBER: To become friends with Gordon once again, Batman made the ultimate sacrifice and revealed his identity to him; however, Gordon had his back turned, and does not WANT to know. They made up and banded together, joining forces to liberate Gotham in the final two months of NML.
Then in ASSEMBLY REDUX, the mysterious benefactor that sent Bane into Gotham is revealed to be Lex Luthor; he enters Gotham, along with the media, promising to clean up the city. The Penguin tries to muscle in on Luthor’s territory. It is revealed that Two-Face was not sent to Blackgate along with the other villains after his capture, but remains in Blue Boy territory; Petit tries to break into Gordon’s territory to kill him, and Huntress is with him; Montoya turns them away. Catwoman and Batman have a truce. It is revealed that the woman that was bargaining with the Penguin in JURISPRUDENCE was Mercy Graves. The Joker prepares his final assault on Gotham, with Harley along for the ride; Batman, knowing that the Joker will do anything to lure him out of hiding, informs Oracle to evacuate the city and bring everyone in Batman’s territory into Gordon’s.
Azrael and Batgirl evacuate the Joker’s territory, telling all the citizens to enter the safe Blue Boys sector. The Joker recruits a number of people to impersonate him; Azrael and Batgirl meet Joker and Harley face to face, saving a girl’s life. The “farm team” prepares for war. Lex Luthor continues his plans to rebuild Gotham in SHELLGAME; Batman meets him on his turf (Lex took over 20 square blocks of Penguin’s territory), threatening him; Lex is scared out of his mind and sics Bane on him. Petit’s deterioration becomes more and more serious; Huntress begins to reconsider her alliance with him. Bruce contacts Lucious Fox in an attempt to get the public interested in NML again, and to get WayneTech involved, as well. Joker and Harley make their move, in an attempt to stop Luthor’s rebuilding scheme. NML reaches the 315-day mark.
That’s 69 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.
WHAT’S TO COME…
-November: The Joker, realizing that Batman has totally neglected him since NML began, tries to get his attention in the worst way possible: murdering thousands of innocent citizens.
-December: NML concludes with the three-part “Endgame” story, and then a final reflection in the final issue of SHADOW OF THE BAT (#94). The hope of a new Gotham comes into view – which is when the event we’ve been waiting for finally hits. The Joker returns in a big way to “destroy hope”…by kidnapping and killing children. And this all happens during the Christmas season.
Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Azrael, Oracle, Batgirl, and Huntress all have major roles. Lex Luthor completes his takeover of Gotham.
-ONE OF THE MAJOR HEROES WILL DIE BEFORE “NO MAN’S LAND” ENDS. (This is in Detective Comics #741). TWO OTHER “NAMED” CHARACTERS WILL ALSO BE KILLED.
-See below for more.
AS FOR THE OTHER HEROES:
-Robin goes up against Killer Croc in Robin #72.
-Azrael faces off against the Joker AGAIN in AZRAEL #60 and 61 – both guest-starring Batgirl.
-The Huntress hangs out with Petit for the remainder of NML.
-Tim Drake’s father breaks into NML to retrieve his son from the ghastly warzone – in December.
AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS…
-Killer Croc attacks the Penguin’s territory in Robin #72, in November.
-Bane is defeated by the end of November.
-Lex Luthor, the mysterious benefactor, continues his scheme to rebuild Gotham in his image.
-Catwoman seeks refuge in the Penguin’s territory in CATWOMAN #76, in November; she then faces Deadman in December.
-The Joker and Harley re-appear in November in the two-part “Shellgame”, just as Gotham is beginning to be re-built. This leads directly into the three-part “Endgame” in December, during Gotham’s Christmas season, just as NML draws to a close, to once and for all destroy Gotham and all of its citizens.
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FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE
???
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ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:
* – indicates a shameless plug for a site a certain double-faced editor created with his bare hands – in other words, a cheap advertising technique.
OFFICIAL SITES
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THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.batman-superman.com
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://www.batmantas.com
BATMAN BEYOND
http://www.batmanbeyond.com
YTV’s BATMAN BEYOND Page
http://www.ytv.com/shows/batman_beyond/
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
KID’S WB
http://www.kidswb.com
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
PSYCOMICS
http://www.psycomics.com
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
VOICE CHASERS
http://www.voicechasers.org
UNOFFICIAL SITES
—–
*TWO-FACE’S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BATMAN & SUPERMAN:THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
BRIAN CRUZ’ WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html
BRIAN’S BATMAN PAGE
http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk
GOTHAM GAZETTE
http://members.aol.com/gothamajp
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm
RA’S AL GHUL’S THE LAZARUS PIT
http://zap.to/lazaruspit
THE DARK KNIGHT
http://www.darkknight.ca
BATMAN BEYOND: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
http://www.batmanbeyond.net
TIM WAN’S BATMAN BEYOND
http://come.to/batmanbeyond
DCU ANIMATED
http://welcome.to/the_dcu
HARLEY’S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/harlequinhideaway
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
GOTHAM CITY LIMITS
http://www.batman.gexner.net
BATMAN: DEFENDER OF GOTHAM
http://www.fandom.com/batman
THE RIDDLER – EDWARD NYGMA’S PUZZLE WEBSITE
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/prospero.milan/nygma
THE BATMAN ACTION FIGURE PAGE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7659/
THE BATCOMPUTER
http://members.spree.com/batcomputer
BATMAN: FOREVER KNIGHT
http://batman.techv.net
WORLD’S FINEST
http://members.spree.com/sip/worldsfinest
CHARACTERS ON THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN
http://www.xse.com/leres/batman.html
ARKHAM ASYLUM
http://animation.acmecity.com/saturday/352
JOKERZ TERRITORY
http://members.xoom.com/Jokerz84/index.htm
THE BATZONE
http://www.batzone.cjb.net/
JLA: THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://animation.acmecity.com/character/375
THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES: THE UNOFFICIAL SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158
ANIMATED TALES
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/2294/at
A TRIBUTE TO BATMAN
http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/russkafin/batman.html
BATMAN CEL SITE
http://animation.acmecity.com/carbon/111
NEWSGROUPS
—–
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
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QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL
If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else then please e-mail this address with your problems and we’ll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you’d like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:
juno@direct.ca
As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on anything pertaining to BTAS. Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does not change, as that is the most important part of any artcile, and everyone is entitled to it. And if you do submit something, please don’t just submit a basic review of an episode or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) – write about an issue you’d like to discuss.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES
The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The archives contain past newsletters and is semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:
TOONZONE’s BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
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LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE’S HOW!!!
For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section, and want to subscribe just follow these simple instructions:
To subscribe email juno@direct.ca , put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, and put the e-mail address you’d like the newsletter to be sent to in the body of the message.
For more information the newsletter just email juno@direct.ca
Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading! Tell your friends!
-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors
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TO ALL GOOD THINGS…
…there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it! See ya next time!
CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
EDITOR: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITOR AT COLLEGE: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz & RiddlerWB (our friend at the official BTAS/STAS site)
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna, Justin Chen
EDITORIAL #1: The Ghost of Laura Hysert
EDITORIAL #2: Kelly Tindall
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Christian Fitzgerald
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
ROAD THROUGH NO MAN’S LAND: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
TWO-FACE’S TRADING POST: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN’ THE WORD AROUND: Dick Grayson, Eileen Delgadillo, Brian Cruz, Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane & Bill Finger (who else?)
Rest well, Mary Kay.
Batman and all related indicated are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 1999.
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