Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of April 24 – April 29/30, 2000
Volume 3,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping”
THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “YES, BATMAN WILL BE BACK ON THE CARTOON NETWORK.”
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APOLOGY
We apologize for not notifying you of our two-week hiatus between this and the last issue of the newsletter. Situations beyond our control came up in our editors’ lives, and they took precedent over the newsletter. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
-editor
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING…
New episodes are on the horizon! Here’s what we can expect in the near future…
‘SENTRIES OF THE LAST COSMOS’
Batman Beyond #37
Air date: May 13, 2000
Synopsis: Unavailable
‘PAYBACK’
Batman Beyond #36
Air date: May 20, 2000
Synopsis: A new vigilante, who calls himself Payback, begins taking revenge on the tormentors of troubled teenagers.
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES air 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
NOTE:
If our schedule is not updated, then go to the following URL. It will ALWAYS contain the most up-to-date schedule possible.
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/airdate.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 04-24-00: Superman #37 Little Girl Lost (Pt. 1)
Superman #38 Little Girl Lost (Pt. 2)
Tue 04-25-00: Superman #08 The Main Man (Pt. 1)
Wed 04-26-00: Superman #11 The Main Man (Pt. 2)
Superman #14 Blasts from the Past (Pt. 1)
Superman #17 Blasts from the Past (Pt. 2)
Thu 04-27-00: Superman #44 Legacy (Pt. 1)
Superman #48 Legacy (Pt. 2)
Fri 04-28-00: Superman #01 The Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 1)
Superman #02 The Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 2)
Sat 04-29-00: Superman #03 The Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 3)
B-BEYOND #34 The Eggbaby
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
(BATMAN, SUPERMAN, and 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 Noon on weekdays (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).
YTV will be making some schedule alterations very soon. Thanx to WF’s official newsman Mr. Eye, we were able to get a hold of some of them! And here they are…
THIS WEEK:
Mon 04-24-00: BTAS #59 The Demon’s Quest (Pt. 1)
Tue 04-25-00: BTAS #63 The Demon’s Quest (Pt. 2)
Wed 04-26-00: BTAS #64 Read My Lips
Thu 04-27-00: BTAS #62 Fire From Olympus
Fri 04-28-00: BTAS #57 Shadow of the Bat (Pt. 1)
Sat 04-29-00: BEYOND #23 Mind Games
Sun 04-30-00: BEYOND #24 Revenant
NEXT WEEK:
Check out http://www.ytv.com for updated schedules for this week!
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R.I.P. CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE?
As of March 27, 2000, Batman: The Animated Series was taken off of the Cartoon Network. Now, coupled with the absence of Batman/Superman on KidsWB next season, it would appear to be virtually impossible to view these episodes.
However, the Cartoon Network has announced that Batman will return in June, possibly in a new format (ie: as The New Batman/Superman Adventures). We’ll provide more informaiton as it becomes available.
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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
The creative “team” for this column alternates between Zanna and Justin Chen, two loyal subscribers and great friends of ours here. Any other reviews printed here are written by editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton. Enjoy!
APRIL MOON
Story by Stan Berkowitz & James Tucker
Teleplay by Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Butch Lukic
Animation by Dong Yang, Koko
Original Air Date: April 22, 2000
Rating: *** (out of 5)
DESCRIPTION: Batman takes on a group of thieves who have been given artificial body enhancements by a famous doctor.
HIGHS: Attempts to mix several plotlines, Max is kept to a minimum, return to the darker colors.
LOWS: Out-of-place music, hokey looking villains, just plain weird.
OVERALL: This ep is…just…different.
A group of punk kids are given cybernetic enhancements by a known Gotham prosthetics doctor, and use them to commit crimes. The Doc isn’t a willing partner in all this, it turns out that the thieves have kidnapped his wife April and demanded that they be given these upgrades in exchange for her release. When Terry finds out about this, he must defeat the criminals and rescue her.
This episode tried to do a lot of things – it mixed in action, a romantic aspect, unwilling partnerships, and even a betrayal at the end. Some of them were executed better than others, like the partnership and betrayal parts. The doctor’s anger at cooperating with these criminals is very evident, as shown when he breaks down in front of Batman, or when he says “It’s a chance to do some good…for a change”, when leaving the punks.
Max is given a role in this episode, but it’s kept to no more than 30 seconds. Now that’s what she should be there to do, give Terry a quick idea if he needs it, not tagging around with him all the time. Bruce is also present, but his lines are also brief; no more walking Terry through his fights. The colours are also darker in most scenes than in the last few episodes…yes!!
But the above aspects haven’t really been the big thing about this episode. The whole feel of “April Moon” wasn’t the same as the rest of the eps. From the start, there was always a swinging jazz beat in the background, rather than the usual hard techno/rock tunes. For me, it was simply out of place.
And then, the villains just looked kind of hokey, especially one guy who had chainsaws in his knees…it seemed like they were always causing him to get stuck somewhere, although it was funny to see his limbs fall off at the end.
The impact of the romance and other supposedly emotional scenes never really hit me that hard though, it just didn’t feel right…maybe it was the music. It kind of felt like a cheesy film-noir deal, which isn’t what I’m looking for in BB. And they had little swirling blurs when the Doc went into a flashback…since when did we see THAT on this show?
In the end, I’m still not sure what to say on this episode. I’d still hold it above any of those teen-angst eps any day. It’s different to be sure, but too much deviation can alter the concept originally set. If I was looking for lightheartedness I’d watch Superman (the early ones anyway), know what I’m saying? I have a feeling this was just a “experimental” sort of deal, now I’d like to return to watching some darker material.
-Justin Chen aka The Overseer
overseer@writemail.com
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE #1
OUR GOOD FRIEND THX1138 HAS BROUGHT US THESE SCOOPS FROM “AIN’T IT COOL NEWS”! ENJOY!
(reprinted without permission – but since we’re not making any money off of it, we don’t see it
as a problem)
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SCOOP #1
Good day, citizens, El Cosmico here with some fun words from a friendly reader, who wishes to be known as The Indestructible Man (don’t we all?). He brings glad tidings of the Batman/Superman world, in fine detail, and spoiler-packed, so be forewarned. Read on and glean gladness.
Heya Geeks! A reader of two years and a poster of one, this is my first bit of correspondence to you guys on anything. However, I literally just got in the door from the Wondercon comic convention in Oakland, CA, where one of the panels was Paul Dini discussing Batman Beyond and such, and there’s a nice chunk of news from it. So, I decided to file this report. Paul talked a bit about the direct-to-video “Return of the Joker” (October 31), especially mentioning the details of the DVD (same day, including both a making of video and two additional scenes cut from the VHS for time including a supposedly spectacular mood scene of elderly Bruce Wayne revisiting the ruins of Arkham Asylum for the first time in forty years). Also, he explained how WB wouldn’t comment on extending [Batman Beyond] to a fourth season unless, by January, the film sales were good (I suppose they need another Pokemon spot so buy this video! Because the third season sounds really cool!)
Beware, from here on in there be MASSIVE SPOILERS (don’t say you weren’t warned)!
First, on a minor front, Dini commented that Batman Terry McGinnis would be having at least one crossover on the show’s new spinoff Zeta, as well as an appearance by the robot on Batman Beyond again in the new year. Also, some other characters, mainly villains will be present. More Inque (including her origin), Kobra (2-parter), Stalker, the Royal Flush Gang, Curare and (very cool) Talia al Ghul herself (although no Ra’s al Ghul, at least in season 3).
Some of the points visited upon in the movie about Bruce’s past will be fleshed out too (especially his time with Barbara), but Dini said that most of the remaining huge revelations would have to wait for a fourth season, after Terry and his world (and rogue’s gallery) is fully assembled (so buy the movie and save the show!) Oh yeah, and Dini finally spilled the beans on the two-part third season finale: the Justice League! Led by an aged Superman (in a costume and characterization Dini described as part Kingdom Come and part Kryptonian-influence), it includes his lieutenant Barda (replacing Wonder Woman, as the legality of getting her character for an appearance was too tough, he explained at length), Aquagirl (daughter of Aquaman and Mera), a new Green Lantern, and a few other new characters. In a surprising move, Kal-El comes to Terry to request the boy’s membership needing a strong detective on the established team. Terry however, rightfully feels out of his league among all the big shots, especially with such confidence in him on Superman’s part. If the fourth season is greenlighted (they’ll know in January), that season will be divided between Bruce dealing with the past as its revealed and Terry among the Justice League (so we’ll get big roles back for each of Conroy’s Bruce Wayne and Tim Daly’s Superman!!!)
Dini also announced that, starting next March, Warner Brothers Online will be featuring two new flash animation series: Lobo and Gotham Girls. Lobo is said to be in the style the Main Man was presented in his Superman appearance. Gotham Girls however, he explained in more details. Using stylized character designs from Glen Murakama (of Superman and Batman Beyond), the series would focus on six characters: on the side of good Batgirl, Zatanna, and Black Canary (from a complete character design of Dinah Lance that Bruce Timm did back in the Fox days) versus Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. Things are looking up for the original voices to return as well. If all these are successful, Dini said he’d like to do more direct-to-video movies, including a Batman-Superman teamup in the old animated style (in the old B:TAS story/visual mold), and a more mature Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy film (which had been previously pitched as an idea for prime time animation).
And one last thing: each year at Wondercon, Dini has brought a new un-aired Batman or Superman (last year he premiered A Fish Story for example). This year, however, he instead brought one of the episodes of Clerks: The Animated Series he had helped co-write (the second one with their reminiscing to the 1st episode). Frankly, I don’t know why ABC passed on this. All 300 or so people in the room were literally rolling in the aisles non-stop for the entire 24 minutes, it was that funny.
-El Cosmico
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SCOOP #2
The London Daily Mail reports that Richard Donner, who directed Gibson in four Lethal Weapon movies and is set to direct the next Batman film for Warner Bros., wants Gibson to play the Caped Crusader. The original plan was to cast Kurt Russell in the title role, but the Mail indicates that Gibson has tentatively agreed to don the Batsuit for the next theatrical episode, now titled ‘The Dark Knight’. No word on whether it is the same story as the Frank Miller penned comic from 1986. The new movie is to be filmed in Australia, where Gibson hails from. According to The Mail, Jack Nicholson will return to play Batman’s arch nemesis, The Joker.
— Sun Media
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EDITORIAL
(by Kelly Tindall)
cointoss@hotmail.com
TGIt’s WARNER
Well, I just read a recap on www.aint-it-cool-news.com about the latest smattering of animated *sigh* television and straight-to-video projects coming out of the Mouse House. Disney has not really been hitting fly balls lately…their live-action department has been a cheese factory for years. Their only really decent live-action flick (not counting their Touchstone or Miramax arms) was “George of the Jungle”. Their animated films have been sort of touch and go lately, although “Mulan” had two great acts and a weak third and “Tarzan” was simply brilliant. I hardly count the utterly fabulous “Toy Story 2” as a Disney flick, what with the geniuses at Pixar an unheralded three-for-three in great family entertainment.
So, what does a minute diatribe levelled at the Mouse House have to do with Warner Bros?
Well, Warner Bros. Animation has been doing some seriously superior family entertainment for about, oh, nine years now. It’s about time somebody shook their hand, big-time. I mean, I’ll be the first to admit it, Disney makes some seriously good stuff and really tries to put their butts into the things that they know matter, namely their animated films. And I say it again, nobody can cut a trailer like Disney. Their Tarzan trailer still gives me shivers, and their Inspector Gadget trailer was incredible. The movie stank, but the trailer was total genius.
I bring this up, because I saw “Tarzan”(for the fourth time) in September at a cheap theatre. Before it played two trailers, both of which I’d seen before. “Inspector Gadget”…and “The Iron Giant”.
Did any of you kiddies go and see Iron Giant? Didja? Did you guys go out and support a film, made by Warner Bros. Animation, whose success could have meant another theatre-length animated Batman film? DID YOU?
I DIDN’T THINK SO!
Be ashamed. If that movie cleaned up at the b.o., which it should have, then there would be all sorts of interesting WB stuff on the way, and NOT a butchered Pokemon movie and NOT just Titan A.E., which I am utterly on the fence about.
Note to Warners, by the way…the trailer for “The Iron Giant” utterly stank. It was unfunny, boring, uninteresting, and gave away the number two most important plot point, that the Giant could fly. What madness possesses you to DO THAT? IDIOTS!
So, what are we left with?
Well, I’m not too hurt that Boyd Kirkland’s attempt to make a Bat-film with the Joker and Bane was aborted…frankly, it seems Kirkland’s been riding the coattails of Burnett, Dini, and Timm. The only thing I’ve seen of his since Batman folded on Fox was “SubZero”, which was okay but really rather disposable in the long run of things. It could have been tragic, could have dealt with honest emotion and pathos. We could have seen some real loss, but no, they had to tack on a happy ending for everyone involved. Too bad the happy ending negated the reason that Barbara Gordon was even kidnapped!
Anyway, “Return of the Joker” sounds like a lark (although it looks pretty predictable). I’m looking forward to it, and the next season of Beyond with appearances by Inque, a complete Rogue’s Gallery, and the JLA sounds absolutely smashing. I just wish I had a theatre-sized movie to look forward to. I think that would be the best treat of all.
I’m outta here. 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.)
Greetings and salutations, sports fans! This is your old friend Reliable Source, back once again with another hot scoop. You may remember a few issues back I had some info on the upcoming live-action Batman TV series for the WB (it was in for those of you who want to go check your archives). A refresher for those who missed it…rather than doing the originally planned “Bruce Wayne in training” route, the network has realized that it is the villains who draw the crowds, and have given the green light to a show called “Arkham,” focusing on the inmates at Gotham’s notorious asylum.
So who will be filling Batman’s tights on the show? No one. “It’s kind of funny,” said one of my sources inside WB. “We went through all the processes to acquire the rights to use the different villains, but apparently no one even thought to get the go-ahead to use Batman…and as it stands right now, we can’t.”
“Who needs him anyway?” said a WB spokesman, when questioned. “The show is about the inmates at a particular asylum in a particular city. The fact that it happens to be Gotham and they happen to be Batman villains has nothing to do with it. You won’t even hear the name ‘Batman’ mentioned on this show if I can help it.”
The pilot episode will focus on The Ventriloquist, who has been re-cast. Originally Max Wright (of “ALF,” and, more recently, ABC’s “Norm”), the role has since been given to Ben Stien. Gilbert Gottfried will supply the voice of The Ventriloquist’s puppet, Scarface. Expect cameos from other major players in the asylum, including Jim Brewer’s Joker, Edward Norton’s Riddler, Brad Garrett’s Killer Croc, and David Duchovney’s Two-Face. The series also features Richard Belzer as Jeremiah Arkham.
That’s all for this week, kids. Remember, you can always write to me at Reliable_S@hotmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. More as I hear it.
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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.
Since BTAS had gone AWOL on CN (enough abbreviations for ya?), I decided I’d do a quiz based on the original series. Let’s relive the good ol’ days and enjoy…
301. What was the name of the individual that murdered Dick Grayson’s parents?
A: Tony Zucco
B: Two-Face
C: Gil Mason
D: Mr. Haley
E: Joe Chill
302. In which of the following episodes would you find “The Peregrenator’s Club”?
A: HEART OF ICE
B: MAD AS A HATTER
C: JOKER’S FAVOR
D: HARLEY & IVY
E: THE STRANGE SECRET OF BRUCE WAYNE
303. Ed Begley, Jr., provided a voice of a character that appeared in a two-part episode. What character was this?
A: Gil Mason
B: Germs
C: Ubu
D: Rupert Thorne
E: Charlie Collins
304. Which of the following characters has NOT shed a tear in the first season of BTAS episodes?
A: Mr. Freeze
B: The Joker
C: Two-Face
D: Harley Quinn
E: Batman
305. What is the racial background of a man Batman once referred to as “Crocker”?
A: Caucasian
B: African-American
C: Latin American
D: Asian
E: Aboriginal
E: Reptilian
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AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)
Answer to #301: A
Answer to #302: C, D
Answer to #303: B
Answer to #304: E
Answer to #305: A
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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!
CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) At the beginning of Harley’s flashback in MAD LOVE where she remembers her first day at Arkham, watch closely; the crossbar in the “A” of “ASYLUM” is missing as the camera zooms in past the gates.
2) When Harley grabs the swordfish at the end of MAD LOVE to protect herself from the Joker, notice how its size changes drastically between when she first grabs it and when she gets thrown out the window.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by Kathi Heckenlively)
3) In the episode, “The Underdwellers,” in which Batman must fight the Sewer King to free some orphans, Bruce brings one of the youngsters back home with him after saving the child’s life; he asks Alfred to look after the boy for him, to which Alfred replies, “I don’t know anything about taking care of children, Sir.” EXCUSE ME? Isn’t this the same man who RAISED both Bruce and Dick since they were orphaned at the age of 10? How can he not know anything about caring
for children?
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‘UNDER THE KNIFE’ – BATMAN BEYOND UK CUT REPORTS
-by Brian Davis
Batman Beyond is called Batman of the Future in the UK. It is shown on CITV Sundays at 9.25am and they make a lot of cuts !!!! Brian Davis uncovers these cuts and lets the public know how good BB episode are being butchered in the UK.
*Brian Davis will be back next issue with a new article*
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by anyone who cares to contribute)
Come on, contribute! Someone! Please? 🙂
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COMIC REVIEWS
(BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
(BATMAN BEYOND by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
(SUPERMAN ADVENTURES by Dick Grayson)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUES: “…Recognized, in Flashes, and with Glory…” (#25)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILLED BY: Terry Levins
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: April 5, 2000 (cover date, June 2000)
RATING (out of 5): ****
Peterson has DEFINATELY found his niche.
Prior to this issue (#25), my only exposure to the Flash has been some stories in ROBIN and the animated SUPERMAN episodes; I know that he’s a super-speed smart-aleck, and that’s all. I was worried that teaming the Flash up with Batman would have the same result as the pairings with Bats and Supes – one is all brawn, the other is brain. In this issue, Batman is still portrayed as the intelligent master of his craft – crime-fighting – and is teaching his younger, egocentric partner, the Flash, about not relying completely on speed to solve the world’s problems.
Of coruse, Robin is thrown into the mix, acting as a mediator between the two – his lines are among the wittiest in the issue. Robin’s always great with the insulting, depreciating one-liners…that goes for both Dick and Tim.
The art was fabulous as always. Levins continues to impress. The cover was terrific – I loved the blurry Flash images and Batman’s “show off” comment. The subway sequence was very well done, too…a frame-by-frame account of what happened. It must be hard to involve such a high-speed character into a story without the art jumping all over the place from scene to scene, but Levins pulls it off terrificly.
Terrific issue! I loved it!
;-Y
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BATMAN BEYOND
ISSUES: “McGinnis’ Secret” (#7)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILLED BY: Min Ku
INKED BY: Sean Parsons
ISSUED: March 22, 2000 (cover date, May 2000)
RATING (out of 5): ****
Another tale with the delightful Ira Billings and another terrific outcome. I don’t know what it is, but every time Spellbinder is used in a story, the result is fantastic. It’s odd, seeing how Spellbinder himself is terribly undeveloped…he was in SPELLBOUND, HOOKED UP, EYEWITNESS, and Issue #1 of this series, and yet, I loved all of those stories. I guess the writers just know how to use his gimmick to its true potential.
It’s nice to see Spellbinder going back to his roots at Hill High to torment the kids again. The hallucination with Matt McGinnis in the Batsuit was also a nice touch – as whiny and stereotypically little-brother-y Matt is, he’s still entertaining to watch in action, assuming that it’s a dream.
The art is superb. I love Rousseau’s work, just as I love Burchett and Levins over at GOTHAM ADVENTURES; Min Ku, introduced here, fits in seamlessly. He’s excellent with angular action shots – it makes the comic that much more dynamic.
Another stellar issue. I can’t wait for more!
;-Y
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more in-depth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES, BATMAN BEYOND, and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!
The price for any of these issues, unless otherwise posted, 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 #26
May 3rd
Synopsis: Everyone from the CIA and the FBI to the local Gotham mobs (Russian, Italian, Jamaican, Chinese) are in search of Kristov…and they’re willing to kill to get it. Batman doesn’t know what Kristov is, but he’s not going to let anyone kill – or die – for it.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0002/
22/BatmanGothAdventCvr26.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: A popular college professor of law who teaches a class on organized crime is in jail for the murder of a known mob boss. Has the professor stepped over the line and become judge, jury and executioner? Or is he being framed by a new player on the mob scene in Gotham?
Cover: Unavailable
BATMAN BEYOND #9
May 24th
Synopsis: Batman VS. Curare. Oh, and Bruce Wayne, too.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/
0002/22/BatmanBeyondCvr9.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH: .
Synopsis: A new, improved Golem returns to Gotham.
Cover: Unavailable
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #44
May 9th?
Synopsis: The Commander, the manipulative malefactor with the power to force anyone to obey his orders, returns! And his only desire is to have all of Metropolis kill one man: Superman! How can the Man of Steel fight an entire city that has turned against him?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics
/apr12/covers/down/dsupa44.jpg
FOLLWOING MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-CARTOON NETWORK has announced that Batman will return to the popular cable channel in June, in a possible new format (ie: as The New Batman/Superman Adventures). More informaiton as it becomes available.
-Another interview with Greg Rucka can be found at this address:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/features/rucka/
-Terry Beatty has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on eBay. His Seller ID is: beatty@machlink.com Do yourself a favor and check out some great art!
-Craig Rousseau has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on eBay. His Seller ID is: cerousseau@aol.com Feel free to check it out! You don’t wanna miss it!
ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND)
-Three new episodes of BATMAN BEYOND will air over the summer months (May-August).
-Kids’ WB! Animated series The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Batman Beyond earned a total of 9 Daytime Emmy Award nominations on Wednesday, including special nominations in special categories. The New Batman/Superman Adventures was nominated in the Outstanding Children’s Animated Program category (to be broadcast as part of the televised Emmy Awards ceremony on May 19th ), while Batman Beyond was nominated for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program.
Both shows were nominated – included Batman/Superman twice – for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition, as well as for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing Special Class. Batman Beyond was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing Special Class. The Emmy winners will be announced on May 13.
ANIMATED COMICS
-The first six issues of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES will be collected in tradepaperback form, being released on May 17. These six issues feature great stories by Ty Templeton and great art by Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty; characters in the spotlight are Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, Joker, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, the Riddler, Clayface, Deadman, and more. It will cost $9.95, and the cover will be the same as the cover of GOTHAM ADVENTURES #1.
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #27 is as follows: A popular college professor of law who teaches a class on organized crime is in jail for the murder of a known mob boss. Has the professor stepped over the line and become judge, jury and executioner? Or is he being framed by a new player on the mob scene in Gotham? It comes out on June 7.
-BATMAN BEYOND #10: A new, improved Golem returns on June 28.
OTHER COMICS
-Frank Miller is currently in the planning stages of his DARK KNIGHT RETURNS sequel, tentatively titled THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN.
-NIGHTWING #50 will be a double-sized issue.
-DETECTIVE COMICS #747, focusing on Two-Face and Montoya, comes out on June 14. Here is the cover:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0003/
21/DetectiveCmcs747.JPG
-DARK VICTORY #9 features the first team-up of Batman and Robin. Check out the cover:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0003/
21/BatmanDarkVictory9.JPG
-Devin Grayson will be revealing the narrator of the GOTHAM KNIGHTS series in a five issue story beginning in issue #8, this August.
-Dale Eaglesham and Paul Ryan will be dropping their pencilling duties at GOTHAM KNGIHTS and move onto other projects once Roger Robinson (of AZRAEL fame) comes in with issue #8.
MOVIES
-A SPECIAL EDITION of the 1989 BATMAN film is in the making. It will feature two previously deleted scenes (the Joker at a radio station???), as well as the two preview trailers and commentaries by Tim Burton and Michael Keaton. This is due out in October.
-Check out the following URL for a rather amusing Budweiser commercial featuring clips from that wonderful show, “Superfriends”. You must have Quicktime 3 or higher to view it.
http://63.249.196.103/files/wassup.mov
-WIZARD #104 reports that BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER will be a two-hour film. (Personally, I think this is a typo – I’m betting on 70 minutes – but hey, they might be right!)
-Richard Donner is working on a new restored and longer cut of SUPERMAN that will hit theaters in late fall and than be released as a special edition DVD with a lot of supplements. It is still being decided whether the theatrical release will be wide or limited to certain markets.
LIVE ACTION TELEVISION
-For more info about the ONSTAR commercials, go to:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html
-Check out http://www.fandom.com/batman for downloadable versions of the ONSTAR commercials if the official ONSTAR site is not being cooperative with your PC. The commercials can also be found at http://www.adcritic.com – just search for “Batman”.
-A fourth ONSTAR commercial will now be made. The release date is currently unknown.
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-Alfred FINALLY has a figure of his own! He’ll be included in a four-pack including Batman, Robin, and Clayface. Thanks to Bobby Simic for pointing that out! Go here for the pics:
http://www.geocities.com/jokerinc_2000/4pack.html
-Here are two pics of the forthcoming Stalker figure from the BATMAN BEYOND line:
http://www.figures.com/archives/images/52/2852.jpg
http://members.xoom.com/AnakinTsang/Stalker1.jpg
SPECIAL NOTE
For more BATMAN, SUPERMAN, AND BEYOND news throughout the week, check out the WORLD’S FINEST NEWS PAGE at:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html
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FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE
(feel free to submit your own for our consideration)
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED BY “Mage7007”.
Ever wondered what happened to all the fantastic Bat action figures? Ever wondered where you could possibly find some of the real good figures of Batman: Animated and Batman and Robin? Ebay is the place to find such a bountiful lot of Bat Loot! I have more than made up my collection by tracking down some great toys in MINT! Not to forget that there are some new action figures on the horizon…one butler in particular will be available exclusively in Toys R’ Us toy stores! A butler? Could I be talking about Alfred? Yes! Alfred is coming soon in a four pack which features three other action figure repaints: Batman, Robin, and Clayface. A dream come true in my book…all we need now is a Gotham PD four pack with the Commish, Montoya, Bullock, and maybe the Mayor!
Another surprise must for bat fans is the Strikecycle Batman Beyond Deluxe figure…a cool red bike and partial removable armor on Terry! This is a great figure! There are more fun toys coming out for Batman Beyond…a villain, not a good villain, but a villain nonetheless…it is the Stalker figure. Out of all the villains…they had to choose Stalker? I wish I worked on the design team at Hasbro…get the toys we really want to buy on the shelves. Well…that is all for now. Good luck collecting…and don’t forget bargains and bat treasures galore can be found on Ebay!
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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
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 DEFINTIVE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
KID’S WB
http://www.kidswb.com
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
KTLA KIDS WB SCHEDULES
http://www.ktla.com/backstage/programming/KIDSWB.htm
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
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*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
THE DISCUSSION CENTER (same as above)
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/boards.htm
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.harley-quinn.com
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
ANIMATED STYLE ARTWORK ARCHIVE
http://hjem.get2net.dk/twt/asaa/home.html
BATMAN CEL SITE
http://animation.acmecity.com/carbon/111
DARK JUSTICE
http://www.mania.com.au/~grahark/darkjustice/
ROGUE AVENUE, GOTHAM
http://www.ultros.com/rogue_avenue
THE BATMAN BEYOND INFO PAGE
http://www.rogue-spear.com/BB
THE VAULT
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Voice_Actors
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 article, 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 archive contains 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 about 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! Thank you for reading! See ya next time!
CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
EDITOR AT COLLEGE, NOT IN A DORM: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITOR AT COLLEGE, BUT IN A DORM: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz, RiddlerWB (at the official BTAS/STAS site), and YTV.com
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna/Justin Chen, and occasionally Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITORIAL: Kelly Tindall
AND THAT’S THE FACTS: “Reliable Source”
COMIC REVIEWS: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton, Dick Grayson
UNDER THE KNIFE: Brian Davis
MERCHANDISE REVIEW: Various
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: 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 indicia are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 2000.
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