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Batman The Animated Newsletter #50

Batman The Animated Newsletter #50

Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of December 20, 1999 – January 1/2, 2000
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping”

THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “EDITOR’S MESSAGE: MERRY CHRISTMAS TWO ALL, AND TWO ALL, A DARK KNIGHT!”
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CHRISTMAS GREETINGS, BATMAN STYLE
(by “Ultros”)

Blasting through the roof
In a one horse open tree
O’er the fields I go
Laughing all the weeeeeeeeee!

Now that I’ve escaped
From that wretched asylum
I think I’ll reek havoc on
The city of Gotham.

Oh, Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
And the Joker takes ballet.

Oh, Harley’s dozin’,
Ivy’s poison,
Clayface has grown mold;
Mr. Freeze did fin’lly sneeze
From all that bitter cold

Oh, Scarecrow’s bad
Hatter’s mad
Two-Face lost his coin
The Catwoman ate Friskies and
Kicked Riddler in the…nose

Oh, Jingle Bells,
Bullock yells,
Penguin ate raw fish.
Then Rupert Thorne got caught with porn –
And so did the Commish.
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YAY FOR US!

FIFTY ISSUES AND GOING STRONG!

What a nice way to finish off another year on the newsletter, with a beefed-up . 
Thank you to everyone that has contributed to our publication over the past 18 months – we couldn’t have pulled it off without you!
Fifty issues down, let’s see if we can go for another 50 – as long as this Y2K bug doesn’t destroy my computer…argh…
We also passed another milestone with this issue. In the evening of Wednesday, December 15, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER welcomed it’s 1500th subscriber! Thank you to everyone for their support!

We will return on January 3, 2000, after an extended Christmas/New Year’s vacation. See you all then!

-editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton.
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ANNOUNCEMENT

It’s that time of year again! As the year…decade…century…millenium (Y2K! Y2K! Beware!) comes to a close, it’s only natural to do a “year’s best” poll. Just like last year, we’re giving you fans out there the opportunity to vote for the best/worst of 1999 in a wide range of categories. Below, just after the credits section of the newsletter, you’ll see a list of categories to vote in; all you gotta do is submit your answers back to us by New Year’s Eve to be included in the poll. Results will be posted in the first issue of the New Year, due out on January 3rd.
Don’tcha feel special?
Don’tcha just wanna go out and vote RIGHT NOW!?
Don’tcha just hate how I keep saying “don’tcha”?

Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton, editor
-realizing that he’s getting pudgy cuz he’s been sitting down in front of this infernal machine for too long
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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.

‘BABEL’
Batman Beyond #25
Air date: January 8, 2000
Shriek returns, throwing Gotham into chaos with a device that distorts all sound waves, making communication impossible. In exchange for normalcy, Shriek demands a ransom of Batman’s life.

‘LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)’
Superman #44, 48
Air date: January 2000
This two-parter features the final showdown between Superman and Darksied 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 12-20-99: Batman #109 Judgement Day
B-BEYOND #17 Lost Soul

Tue 12-21-99: Superman #33 Apokalips…Now! (Pt. 1)
Superman #35 Apokalips…Now! (Pt. 2)

Wed 12-22-99: Batman #88 Cold Comfort
Superman #46 Absolute Power

Thu 12-23-99: Superman #47 Obsession
Batman #99 Critters

Fri 12-24-99: Batman #86 Holiday Knights
B-BEYOND #13 Ascension

Sat 12-25-99: Batman #101 Animal Act
B-BEYOND #12 Disappearing Inque

NEXT WEEK:
Mon 12-27-99: Batman #96 The Ultimate Thrill
B-BEYOND #04 Golem

Tue 12-28-99: Batman #57 Shadow of the Bat (Pt. 1)
Batman #61 Shadow of the Bat (Pt. 2)

Wed 12-29-99: Superman #52 Little Big Head Man
Batman #92 Joker’s Millions

Thu 12-30-99: Batman #87 Sins of the Father
Superman #49 The Demon Reborn

Fri 12-31-99: Batman #67 A Bullet for Bullock
B-BEYOND #20 Once Burned

Sat 01-01-00: Superman #43 The New Kids in Town
B-BEYOND #21 Hooked Up

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 12-20-99: BTAS #72 Harlequinade

Tue 12-21-99: BTAS #73 Time out of Joint

Wed 12-22-99: BTAS #74 Catwalk

Thu 12-23-99: BTAS #02 Christmas with the Joker

Fri 12-24-99: BTAS #86 Holiday Knights

Sat 12-25-99: BEYOND #?? RATS??

Sun 12-26-99: BEYOND #?? MIND GAMES??

NEXT WEEK:
(at the time of the publication of this issue, the YTV schedules didn’t cover this week…here’s an educated guess of what probably WILL be on. Check out their website in the near future for updates).

Mon 12-27-99: BTAS #75 Bane

Tue 12-28-99: BTAS #76 Baby-Doll

Wed 12-29-99: BTAS #77 The Lion and the Unicorn

Thu 12-30-99: BTAS #78 Showdown

Fri 12-31-99: BTAS #79 Riddler’s Reform

Sat 01-01-00: BEYOND #?? REVENANT??

Sun 01-02-00: BEYOND #?? BABEL??
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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: ALRIGHT! I’ve been messing up WHO is writing WHAT for this column for too long now. If you wanna see who’s writing each review, just go to the bottom – they all sign it there. Sorry Zanna and Justin! I feel so foolish…agh…*HALF OF MY FACE BLUSHES*

NOTE: Since there are no new episodes to cover, I went back and inserted a copy of my review of COLD COMFORT from two years ago. It’s getting chilly out, and I already reviewed the Christmas episodes, so I figured this would be a perfect candidate.
-Tim


COLD COMFORT
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by Dan Riba
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: October 11, 1997
My rating: ***1/2

Cold Comfort is the first Mr. Freeze episode on the new BTAS, which takes place a couple of years after the yet-to-be-released Sub-Zero.

In Sub-Zero, Nora Fries was finally saved…but by a doctor other than Freeze. Freeze was also presumed to be dead at the end of the movie. Nora had waited for Victor to return, but he never did…so she married the doctor that saved her.

That is Freeze’s motivation…he is on the prowl in Gotham, destroying everything that everyone values, for he lost everything he loved – Nora. he eventually attacks Bruce Wayne, and freezes Alfred inside the manor. Batman and Batgirl then track Freeze down and discover that he plans to drop a reverse-atomic bomb in Gotham which would freeze the city in a white blanket of death. But that’s only part of the discovery…

The freezing of his body finally caused Victor to deteriorate…which, in short, caused all parts of his body below his neck to wilt and die. Now, Freeze has been decapitated…he’s just a disembodied head in a detachable glass dome, and a newer, sleeker, cryogenic suit. Quite a cool switch for Mr. Freeze…and a welcome one at that…just a little hard to digest at first.

I liked this episode. It is, in many ways, just like BATMAN & ROBIN, but has a much darker tone – a combination of the grande-scaleness that Schumacher is known for, and the mood of Burton.
Perfect for Batman. A great touch was the fact that the sky was blood red through the entire episode – even when the sun was up. Another plus was that only Batman and Batgirl were used in this episode…no overcrowding of heroes.

Other cool (no pun intended) scenes are Batgirl’s training in the cave, the interaction between Bruce and Tim about failing a politics test, and the fact that this is the THIRD time in the BTAS continuity that Batman bleeds! (The only other time was in On Leather Wings and Mask of the Phantasm.) That was a nice touch…the animation is great, as always. The moodiest scene was when Batman and Batgirl discover Freeze’s lair…no music is used, just a tonne of creepy X-Files-type sounds…I love it!
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EDITORIAL
(by Kelly Tindall)

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

Ho ho ho, my happy little elves!

It is I, your loving uncle Kelly, bestowing his good wishes (and 500-hundred page wish list) upon you. Let’s have some ‘special’ eggnog, and go move Grandma away from the fire! I hate the smell of roasting geriatrics!…

So, my kiddies, what have the wise and wonderful gods of the WB bestowed upon us for Christmas? 
Lessee…Pokemon…Pokemon…AHH! Here we go! The Batman Beyond aisle! Let’s go have a look…

ACKK!

These are TOYS? What MOCKERY is THIS? These are NOT TOYS, they are the unused plastic from leftover SUPER-SOAKERS! What loon thought these toys up! They’re all ugly. None of them look like Batman actually looks like. They’re not even colored like him! They’re all REPAINTS! No new molding at ALL…oh, sorry, wait, I almost forgot the ‘crappy little gas mask’ Batman with Ace the Bathound. Now, there’s an ugly add-on right there.

And villains? HA! Just one badly-done Jokerz toy. Ugly, ugly, ug-ly. I’ve heard something about a Blight toy…but I haven’t seen one in this part of the world. Sad, really. No Inque…Spellbinder…Dana(mrrrr-ow!)… not even Bruce-with-a-cane.

Sight. Depressing.

So, because THAT stank, what else have we got? Ohh, here’s a nifty thing…the Batman Beyond logo baseball hat. $19.95 where comic books are sold! Not bad..kinda cheesy, but most comic-book stuff IS…the logo is pretty small, I’m not impressed, really. Moving on.

Heyyyy…this is more like it! The Batman Beyond statue! He’s in a cool pose, got those wicked-looking wings spread out, lots of attitude…neat base, too, sort of ‘Metropolis’…I like it! How much…

ACKK!

Okay, moving on…

That’s all I know, kids. There’s some other neat junk out there, but nobody really NEEDS a Batman Beyond zippo lighter. Plus, the amount of cool Batman/Superman junk you can score, I can count on my left hand.

I guess the moral of our story is, its not what you get for Christmas, it’s what you’re mad at for NOT getting for Christmas! Next year, we’ve got to raise our dissenting voices high! “We want more Batman/Superman action figures! Scarecrow first!” We’ll yell, “Good Batman Beyond stuff for less than $170!” And we’ll bark, “The Harley Quinn 11-inch doll is nice, but overpriced and hard to get!”

Oh well. I guess we’ll just have to watch our shows on television, and hope one day that they’ll be a bit more 3-dimensional.

Until then, I gotta get out of here. This is bat country!

Kelly
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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.)

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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.

CORRECTION: Question #233 of the trivia (in ) was as follows:

233. At the time of this newsletter’s publication, which of the following villains have yet to make more than one appearance in the BATMAN BEYOND series (including both TV and comics)?

A: Inque
B: The Terrific Trio
C: Blight
D: Dr. Cuvier
E: Shriek

I claimed the answers were C and E. I was mistaken (obviously), for Blight has appeared more than anyone else has. The correct answer was B and E. Sorry for the mistake, and the many that noticed and e-mailed me about it! ;-Y

*****

It’s Christmas-time – isn’t it a magical time of year? That said, I thought I’d focus this quiz on the magical and sorcery-like elements in Gotham. (I used up all the Christmas questions last year, so sue me.)

236. What does Zatanna believe Bruce’s name really is?

A: JOHN
B: ALFRED
C: BRUCE
D: DICK
E: JIM

237. What was the object of Klarion the Witch-Boy’s desire in THE DEMON WITHIN?

A: KING ARTHUR’S CROWN
B: MERLIN’S MAGIC WAND
C: AN IRON BRAND
D: A CAULDRON LADEL
E: AN ANCIENT SCROLL

238. What is the name of the magician that Batman and Zatanna joined forced to defeat?

A: Klarion the Witch-Boy
B: Zatarra
C: Montague Cain
D: Onyx the Sorceress
E: Houdini
F: Paul Dini

239. Aside from Ra’s Al Ghul, which of the following people have ever entered a Lazarus Pit?

A: Talia
B: Ubu
C: Jonah Hex
D: Arkady Duvall
E: NO ONE

240. It’s not magical, but it’s close…what is the name the girl referred to the “Invisible Man” as?

Answer: ____________
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA

Answer to #236: A
Answer to #237: C
Answer to #238: C
Answer to #239: E
Answer to #240: “MOJO”

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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’m snow blind! Ack!

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by “Peter Ashworth”)
1) In “Sub-Zero”, when Bruce and Alfred stop their car and notice the Dr. Belson’s overturned car, they’re perplexed by the amount of water on the road. Alfred comments that there isn’t “a cloud in the sky”, yet, as the camera angle of alfred clearly shows, there is an enormous (full width of the screen) bank of clouds overhead.

(by “Dr. Midnite”)
2) In the BEYOND episode “Rats”, the collection of junk that the “rat-boy” has includes a Beppo the monkey doll seen in the Superman episode “Monkey Fun”.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by anyone that wants to contribute)

Hello! We have a fellow subscriber, Steve Nauert, on board to fill the void know as this column for this week’s newsletter. Let’s see what he has to say for us, shall we?

BATMAN BEYOND LANDS – AT BURGER KING?
(by Steve Nauert)

As soon as the dust settles at your local Burger King and the Pokemon toys are gone, there will be the dawn of the Bat! That is right, after a year with great ratings on the air, BATMAN BEYOND is getting kids meal toys! After McDonalds’ last Batman promotion years ago (the BATMAN FOREVER and related “animated” toys) fans were left wanting more – and it finally came!

Details about the toys are not known very clear now, but speculation leads us to believe there will be about 8 toys: four vehicles, four figures. If you go to the Burger King website and click on there bat link graphic indicate there will be toys of batman, the Jokerz Leader J-Man, as well as Inque and Blight. Other than this nothing is known. Can it really be possible that Burger king will make toys of all the villains Hasbro has given the shaft.

By the way, I currently have obtained a BB Blight figure and this is a great toy with a mediocre accessory. The glow in the dark affect is magnificent and well worth your Bat Cash!
The BATMAN BEYOND madness starts JANUARY 3rd!

Thanks for reading!
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COMIC REVIEWS
(GOTHAM ADVENTURES by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
(BATMAN BEYOND by Tim Wan)

Welcome a new member to the newsletter staff, everyone! Tim Wan (many will know him for his great BATMAN BEYOND site – check out the links section for more) has hopped aboard to help me with the comic-reviewing duties. I will still be covering GOTHAM ADVENTURES, but the OTHER Tim will be covering all issues of the ongoing BATMAN BEYOND series. Let’s put our hands together and welcome him to the newsletter!

BATMAN BEYOND (ongoing)
ISSUE: “Zoologically Speaking” (#3)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILLED BY: Craig Rousseau
INKED BY: Rob Leigh
ISSUED: November 24, 1999 (cover date, January 2000)
RATING (out of 5): ***1/2

First of all, an interesting tidbit, Batman Beyond #3 was originally slated to cover the return of the Terrific Trio, but was canceled when Marvel complained about their similarity to the Fantastic Four. Instead we get the return of another “dead” villain. It’s unfortunate that the Terrific Trio was ditched, as I thought they had potential but were definitely written poorly in their first episode.

Anyway, the comic titled “Zoologically Speaking” marks the return of the Splicers. For those that didn’t catch the season premiere of Batman Beyond, splicers are humans that have combined their human DNA with animal DNA to become creatures will human smarts and logic, but animal strength.

The comic opens with a dramatic battle between Batman and an alligator splicer. Along the way, a monkey splicer who can barely speak English helps the alligator escape. Both of these new splicers are far more “animal” than their predecessors from the cartoon. Bruce and Terry can only conclude that Dr. Cuvier has returned, and is attempting to improve the splicer formula. I don’t know if I can tell anymore without spoiling too much of the story, but let’s just say that Batman makes a new ally, Terry gets in a bar fight, and the ending is touching (as touching as comics can get anyway).

There are some down points to the issue as it seems to try and cram too much into the pages, and if there’s anything worse than a bad story it’s no story. Dr. Cuvier’s resurrection is never explained, since the last time we saw him he was merely a walking piece of meat.

Overall the Batman Beyond comic line seems to have rebounded from a poor sophomore effort, and this issue is step in the right direction. It’s not better than the first episode, and certainly not better than the Batman vs. Batman story in Issue #1.
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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 #22
January 5th?
Synopsis: Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl are in the spotlight of the first animated comic to hit the shelves in 2000!

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Northern Canada is the backdrop, the kidnapping of oil is the crime, and Ra’s Al Ghul is the villain.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/16/bmga23th.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #4 (ongoing)
December 22nd?
Synopsis: The Royal Flush Gang returns.
Cover: Unavailable

FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #4.
Synopsis: The Royal Flush Gang returns.
Cover: Unavailable

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #40
December 8th?
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Mark Millar’s final issue of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES.
Cover: Unavailable

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NEWS AND RUMORS

ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-The Canadian TV channel GLOBAL (which airs BTAS and BATMAN BEYOND) finally has a website of their own. Want to check it out? Here’s the link: http://www.GlobalTv.com
-THE BATMAN BEYOND INFO PAGE will be holding a contest. The prize and rules of the contest are posted up at the site:
http://www.rogue-spear.com/BB
-Thanx to www.batmanbeyondvideo.com, the newsletter has aquired the OFFICIAL episode list to the BATMAN BEYOND tapes becuase released Dec. 21st:

BATMAN: TECH WARS
Ep #1 – HEROES
Ep #2 – LOST SOUL
Ep #3 – SPLICERS

BATMAN: DISSAPEARING INQUE
Ep #1 – BLACK OUT
Ep #2 – DISSAPEARING INQUE
Ep #3 – SHRIEK

BATMAN: SCHOOL DAYZ
Ep #1 – GOLEM
Ep #2 – THE WINNING EDGE
Ep #3 – DEAD MAN’S HAND

All three tapes are scheudled to be released Dec. 21st at all music store/video store outlets.
-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’
-The final SUPERMAN episode ‘Legacy’ could air as soon as January!
-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
-The name of the upcoming BATMAN BEYOND direct-to-video movie will be BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER. Comics Continuum spoke to BB producer Paul Dini about the upcoming film. Dini revealed what was up with the upcoming feature saying, “Mark Hamill is back playing several key roles, one of which is, of course, the Joker, who has miraculously turned up in the time of Batman Beyond… The other role is sort of a surprise, and that’s all I’ll say about it now.”
Dini continues, “I will say that for long-time Bat-fans, this is the big story they’ve been demanding for two years, bridging the gap between the classic Batman Animated series and Batman Beyond. Nearly a fourth of the film is a flashback which shows the classic Bat-team in action, dealing with a problem that is not fully resolved until Terry McGinnis enters the picture decades later… Throughout the film a number of secrets will be revealed, including what happened to Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing, as well as the details of that fateful night years before when the first Batman fought the Joker one last time… Fans will also learn secrets about Terry’s past and his reason for continuing to be Batman long after he’s avenged his father’s death. In addition to this, we’ve got a bunch of new villains, appearances by a few old ones and many more surprises.”
-YTV will resme normal programming schedule after the Christmas holiday. BATMAN BEYOND is slated to return on the shedule either the weekend of December 25th-26th, or the following weekend.
-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
-The long-procrastinated Harley & Ivy miniseries will be released in late 2000.
-Here’s a link for an article regarding Mark Millar’s last issue of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, coming in January:
http://www.wizardworld.com/news/dc/
superman_adventures/announcement.html
-After Mark Millar leaves SUPERMAN ADVENTUERS, long-time fan-favourite Ty Templeton (GOTHAM ADVENTUERS) will jump one board for a few issues.
-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
-GOTHAM ADVENTURES #24: Batman and Batgirl must track down the missing Nightwing and Robin, who are being held by a villain who has outwitted them both. Batman can track the heroes down, but will he follow their footsteps right into a trap? This issue also features Killer Croc. Ships on March 1. 
-BATMAN BEYOND #7: Batman takes on the Jokerz gang to save the life of…Terry McGinnis? Nothing is what it seems as Terry learns the secret connection between Batman and his brother, Matt, forcing him to doubt everything he believes in. But who’s really behind these “revelations”? Ships on March 22.
-Min S. Ku, a storyboard artist for BATMAN BEYOND will be pencilling SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #43. Ku got his start thanx to a Wizard article done on his work. Aside from working on Beyond story boards he’ll be guest pencilling some Marvel and DC titles int he near future. SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #43 is slated for a March release.

OTHER COMICS
-The Comic Continuum now has the March solicitations for DC, uncluding the BATMAN and SUPERMAN titles, as well as alot of cover pics! To check ’em out, use this link:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9912/14/index.htm
-At the Comic Book Resources BATMAN message board, there’s a post up with Rucka’s comments toward ENDGAME:3 and the Epilogue. To check it out, follow the URL…
http://www.comicbookresources.com/
boards/articles.cgi?artid=4538&board=2
-Want to know more about Metropolis’s Urban Renewal? Check out this ANOTHERUNIVWERSE.COM Superman article:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/superman2k121799.html
-Along with THE BANNER, new villains next year will include Whisper D’Aire (‘TEC) and Samsara (GOTHAM KNIGHTS).
-The Huntress is a major player in issues #63 and 64 of AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT.
-Man-Bat returns in ROBIN #76.
-Alex Toth (inspiration behind BTAS) will be providing the cover to the BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE softcover slated for a March release.
-Paul Ryan (Fantastic Four, GREEN LANTERN) will be one of the regular alternating artists on
BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS. Paul Ryan is slated to alternate with NML’s Dale Eaglesham.
-REALWORDS: BATMAN will hit the shelves in March, followed by REALWORLDS: SUPERMAN, REALWORLDS: WONDER WOMAN, REALWORDS: JLA. The REALWORLDS projects take DCU Super-hero and throws them into ‘real-life’ surroundings and situations.
-The Joker and Harley take action against Lex Luthor in ACTION COMICS #765.
-Remember that SUPERMAN/BUGS BUNNY 4 issue crossover slated for summer of 1999? Yeah, well there was some difficulty but it’s back on track for a May 2000 release.

MOVIES
-BRUCE WAYNE: The Television Show? Sources have told the Comics Continuum that WB is interesting in doing a pilot about Bruce when he is 18 and training around the world. For more on this somewhat bizarre (but cool) news, go to this link:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/30/index.htm
-It seems that the proposed live-action BRUCE WAYNE show has a writer. The writer slated for the series is THE IRON GIANT screenwriter Tim McCanlies. This show looks ever more possible that it could actually happen, and sooner then expected as well! For the latest news update (Thursday) go to this link:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/buzz/index.asp?x_date=12/2/99#7274
Here’s another link with some info: http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=4806
(Thanks to THX1138 for supplying that!)
-Fans of the new animated TV hit will not want to miss this cutting-edge collection, which includes the premier movie Rebirth and four exciting bonus episodes, Golem, The Winning Edge, Dead Man’s Hand and Meltdown. The collection is armed with futuristic Bat-technology, dazzling effects and a youthful Bat attitude! This is on DVD. Due out December 21.

TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-A review of the NO MAN’S LAND novelization by Greg Rucka has hit Psycomic and the novel looks great! Read the review yourself:
http://www.psycomic.com/articles/current/sjnomansland_19991211.shtml
-With anticipation of the novel BATMAN: NO MAN’S LAND being released in January, DC Comics online has given NML it’s own section. It includes information on both the hardcover novel, and the Youger Readers version, as well as excerpts. Follow the URL given:
http://www.dccomics.com/features/nmlbk/nmlbk.htm
-In January, Burger King & Batman Beyond will team up for four weeks of action figures and kids meals. Once BK is done with Pokemon toys, they will start a four month promotional Batman Beyond Kids’ Meal pack. These will include all-new action figures made spefically for the fast food franchise. Go to http://www.burgerking.com for details.
-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.

____________________________
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: For synopses of the issues dealing with the wrapping of of many important tales and the revelation of the mysterious benefactor, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

DECEMBER: Helicopters fly into Gotham on November 29 – day 333 of NML – bringing the bare necessities and joy for the forthcoming Christmas season. LexCorp, Wayne Enterprises, Star Labs, and the US Government come together (some grudgingly) to rebuild Gotham. Gordon is reinstated as Police Commissioner; Montoya is given a promotion by Essen with regards to her dealings with Two-Face; Bullock and Hardback are joined by a number of volunteers to police Gotham City, with more coming by the New Year. Petit grows even more barbaric; Huntress remains in his camp just to keep him in check. Batman hunts for the Joker, and goes to Penguin, Ivy, Ventriloquist, and Two-Face for answers; no one lends him a hand. On Christmas Eve, when all the “good guys” (the cops, the Bat-squad, and Leslie) are having Christmas dinner, Petit’s camp is attacked by the Joker. He finally makes his move.
Installment #2. Billy Petit is dead. The Joker draws him out of his lair, offing many of Petit’s own men; Petit kills Foley (who’s like his right-hand-man) and is then shot by the Joker. The Joker is attacking the stronghold to kidnap the children inside; Huntress stands in the way, and the Joker shoots her once, twice, and thrice. To be continued.

That’s 75 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.

WHAT’S TO COME…
-December: Batman and all his allies unleash a no-holds-barred war on the Joker, the final fight to reclaim No Man’s Land.
-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:
-Azrael faces off against the Joker AGAIN in AZRAEL #61 – guest-starring Batgirl.
-Tim Drake’s father breaks into NML to retrieve his son from the ghastly warzone – in December.

AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS…
-Lex Luthor, the mysterious benefactor, continues his scheme to rebuild Gotham in his image; he and Mercy will be around throughout “Endgame”.
-Catwoman faces Mercy Graves in December.
-During Gotham’s Christmas season, just as NML draws to a close, the Joker returns to once and for all destroy Gotham and all of its citizens.
___________________________
FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE

*MASSIVE WORLD’S FINEST WEBSITE UPDATE*

There have been alot of changes at BATMAN, SUPEREMAN, & BEYOND: THE WORDS FINEST. For one thing, it is now frames capable and non-frames capable. Expect two unenhanced versions of the site to go up soon as well, seeing how the site is graphic based and heavy. There have been a lot of new additions:

A new COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION Chat Room
(URL at the site)

A new COMIC BOOK Discussion Board
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mn916995

The ANIMATION board is now ANIMATION & SCI-FI
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb158314

The additions of reviews, sounds, more news links, misc. links, & much more!

Plus a tonne of more updates, which can be viewed in the ALL-NEW Updates section. The biggest update is the combination of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE and WORLD’S FINEST. The site is much bigger and has alot more variety then before. This site has almost everything for a BATAMN/SUPERMAN/BEYOND, or even a comic or animation fan. There have been new updates almost daily so check back often!
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest

Note: The Christmas Chat on Dec. 23rd @8pm (ET) and the New Year’s Chat on Dec. 31st @ 8pm will be held in the BATMAN/SUPERMAN chat room of WORLD’S FINEST! Don’t be late!
___________________________
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
—–
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.batman-superman.com
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://www.batmantas.com
BATMAN BEYOND
http://www.batmanbeyond.com
BATMAN BEYOND VIDEO SITE
http://www.batmanbeyondvideo.com
YTV’S BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES PAGE
http://www.ytv.com/shows/batman_animated/
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, & BEYOND :THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
BRIAN CRUZ’ WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html
BATMAN UK (BRIAN’S BATMAN PAGE)
http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk
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://www.DCUAnimated.zzn.com
HARLEY’S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/harlequinhideaway
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/
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
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
DARK JUSTICE
http://www.mania.com.au/~grahark/darkjustice/

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

___________________________
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.
___________________________
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
___________________________
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
___________________________
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 (at the official BTAS/STAS site), and YTV.com
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna/Justin Chen
EDITORIAL: Kelly Tindall
COMIC REVIEWS: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton, Tim Wan
MERCHANDISE REVIEW: Various
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
ROAD THROUGH NO MAN’S LAND: 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:-Y 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?)

Batman and all related indica are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 1999.
____________________________

1999 POLL FORM

Alright! Fill this out and e-mail it right back to juno@direct.ca if you’d like to be included in our poll for the best of 1999!

NOTE: The eligible episodes in the “animated series” categories are all the BATMAN BEYOND episodes, “Mad Love” from BTAS, and “In Brightest Day”, “Superman’s Pal”, “Absolute Power”, “Unity”, “Fish Story”, and “The Demon Reborn” for STAS. As for toys, it’s hard to draw the
lines here, but as far as action figures are concerned, all MISSION MASTERS lines of the
animated Bat-toys are OK, as well as anything BATMAN BEYOND related.

As for the comic series’, all issues of BATMAN BEYOND are eligible, all issues of GOTHAM ADVENTURES from #10-21 are eligible, and all issues of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES from #29-40 are A-OK, too.

THE REALMS OF THE ANIMATED UNIVERSE
#1. BEST “BTAS/BEYOND” EPISODE
#2. WORST “BTAS/BEYOND” EPISODE
#3. BEST “BATMAN BEYOND” DESIGN
#4. WORST “BATMAN BEYOND” DESIGN
#5. BEST “BATMAN BEYOND” VOICE
#6. WORST “BATMAN BEYOND” VOICE
#7. BEST “BTAS/BEYOND” MUSIC SEQUENCE
#8. BEST “BTAS/BEYOND” VISUAL EFFECTS
#9. BEST “BATMAN BEYOND” ‘GOOD GUY’
#10. BEST “BATMAN BEYOND” VILLAIN
#11. WORST “BATMAN BEYOND” ‘GOOD GUY’
#12. WORST “BATMAN BEYOND” VILLAIN
#13. BEST “BTAS/BEYOND” WRITER
#14. BEST “BTAS/BEYOND” DIRECTER
#15. BEST “GOTHAM ADVENTURES” COMIC
#16. WORST “GOTHAM ADVENTURES” COMIC
#17. BEST “BATMAN BEYOND” COMIC
#18. WORST “BATMAN BEYOND” COMIC
#19. BEST “GOTHAM AVENTURES” COMIC COVER
#20. BEST “BATMAN BEYOND” COMIC COVER
#21. BEST “BTAS/BEYOND” ACTION FIGURE
#22. BEST “STAS” EPISODE
#23. WORST “STAS” EPISODE
#24. BEST “STAS” COMIC
#25. WORST “STAS” COMIC

NO MAN’S LAND
#26. BEST OVERALL CHARACTER
#27. BEST HERO
#28. BEST VILLAIN
#29. WORST HERO
#30. WORST VILLAIN
#31. BEST STORY-ARC
#32. WORST STORY-ARC
#33. BEST SINGLE-ISSUE STORY
#34. WORST SINGLE-ISSUE STORY
#35. BEST WRITER
#36. WORST WRITER
#37. BEST ARTIST
#38. WORST ARTIST
#39. FAVOURITE MOMENT OF NML

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
#40. BEST “BTAN” ISSUE
_______________________________________

Batman The Animated Newsletter #50

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