Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of September 4 – September 10, 2000
Volume 3,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping”
THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “HOORAY! NOT ONLY ONE GOOD POTENTIAL BAT-MOVIE IS ON THE HORIZON, BUT TWO!!!!!”
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING…
New episodes are on the horizon! Here’s what we can expect in the near future…
‘KING’S RANSOM’
Airdate: September 16, 2000
BATMAN BEYOND
Episode #42
Synopsis: No idea. But could it somehow involve the Royal Flush Gang? Perhaps.
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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 09-04-00: NONE
Tue 09-05-00: B-BEYOND #32 Sneak Peek
Wed 09-06-00: B-BEYOND #33 Plague
Thu 09-17-00: B-BEYOND #37 Sentries of the Lost Cosmos
Fri 09-08-00: B-BEYOND #24 Revenant
Sat 09-09-00: NONE
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 has just got the rights to air episodes #27 – 52 of BATMAN BEYOND. It’s unknwon when these episode to air, but expect fall 2000. YTV may air all the episodes through in ONE run, unlike the first 26 episodes.
NOTE: If this schedule is NOT updated, go to the following address – there, an updated schedule is ALWAYS present.
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/airdate.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 09-04-00: BTAS #48 What is Reality?
Tue 09-05-00: BTAS #33 The Laughing Fish
Wed 09-06-00: BTAS #56 Harley & Ivy
Thu 09-07-00: BTAS #55 The Mechanic
Fri 09-08-00: BTAS #51 The Man Who Killed Batman
Sat 09-09-00: BEYOND #05 The Winning Edge
Sun 09-10-00: BEYOND #09 Spellbound
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THE CARTOON NETWORK
BATMAN IS BACK ON THE CARTOON NETWORK!!!!
Thanx to CNX: Toonami Revolution – Batman: The Animated Series is getting more airtime on Cartoon Network; more accuratly, on Toonami. Toonami has a weekend block called Rising Sun which airs shows in morning hours. airing from 9 AM to Noon EST/PST. Rising Sun will be changed this weekend. Not only will Ronin Warriors be dropped from the lineup, but also, the second airing of Gundam Wing is dropped as well.
So technically, Rising Sun is missing an hour. Surely they’re not going to give that mutt an extra hour, so they’ve but in a American flavor to the block, one a familiar Midnight Run standby while the other is making its debut to Toonami (finally). Batman: The Animated Series airs on Rising Sun at 11 AM EST/PST while Powerpuff Girls ends Toonami at 11:30 AM EST/PST. This is the new Rising Sun. Check it out! Now you’l have something to watch besides Pokemon! The lineup, as of May 13, is:
9am-Thundercats (One Hour)
10am-Dragon Ball Z (The Garlic Jr. Saga)
10:30am-Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
11am-Batman: The Animated Series
11:30am-Powerpuff Girls
(all times in Eastern Time)
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EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Justin Chen and/or Zanna)
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!
It’s the summer. It’s hot. Here’s an episode review to cool ya’ll off!
ACE IN THE HOLE
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by James Tucker
Animation by Dong Yang, Koko
Original Air Date: August 19, 2000
Rating: ***1/2 of 5
DESCRIPTION: Ace the Bathound is kidnaped, and Terry’s got to get him back.
HIGHS: Pretty interesting plot considering a dog is the focus, a good check into the relation between Bruce and Ace.
LOWS: Seemingly childish premise might turn some people off, unoriginal end fight.
OVERALL: A decent episode to break the summer reruns.
Contrary to some statements I’ve seen online, this is NOT the start of the new season, just an unaired episode left from last year’s batch. Anyway, being used to sleeping past air time for months now, I reluctantly dragged myself up to check this one out. I’ll admit when I found out that the dog was the focus here I was ready to dismiss it as another one of the less mature and more “cartoony” eps from last season’s end. Fortunately that’s not entirely the case.
It starts with Bruce going to the chiropractor, and Terry is left outside to watch Ace. Suddenly the dog gives chase to an odd man nearby. Terry tries to restrain the beast, but the man pulls a gun and fires. Terry drops low to avoid the shots, and Ace chases the stranger all the way to his car, and then runs off. Bruce thinks Ace may have somehow recognized this man, and checks the computer files. The guy turns out to be a major dog fight gambler in Gotham…a Mr. Boxer. Terry has to go out to shut him down, while Ace is out wandering the streets. This sets up the main plot of the episode…now I’ll comment on a few points.
-Terry goes undercover to find out about this dog fighting league. He wraps his arms with fake bandages and adopts a rough streets accent-classic Batman tactic. Good to see Terry use his brains here.
-This dog fighting organization is a cruel business. We see scenes of the proprietor deliberately provoking the animals to make them more aggressive. He shows no concern for the dogs, even when his assistants mention the dangers here he just shrugs it off and says there’s plenty more where he came from. This isn’t some kiddie theme…it’s a real problem.
-We see how Bruce first met Ace. Trained by Boxer to be a fighting machine, Ace is about to risk death in the ring when the police raid the match. The dog escapes during the confusion into the snowy streets. Bruce is paying his annual visit to the site of his parents’ death long ago. It can be assumed that he would keep doing so up until now, but it’s still great to see confirmation that Bruce still remembers. As he lays flowers on that spot, Ace saves the old man from a Jokerz gang member. Cool origin story…my only complaint? The butler/chauffeur just looks kind of goofy. Oh well…Alfred was one of a kind.
My biggest gripe about this episode however, is the end battle. Terry tracks down the dog fighting mastermind, and must face…a giant dog? This aspect is corny and ruins the dark feeling set by earlier scenes. The creature is drawn rather poorly too…I wasn’t scared by its appearance, rather the thing was laughable. This scene is almost exactly like the TNBA episode “Cult of the Cat”…which isn’t exactly a compliment.
In my opinion, this was an alright ep, I found it satisfactory for injecting some freshness into the boring rerun season, and pretty good as an exploration into Bruce’s companion. Personally I’d like to see more gritty and hard-hitting stories like from BB’s early run, but I’ll accept this one for now.
-J.Chen, aka The Overseer
overseer@pacificwest.com
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EDITORIAL
(by Anne Onymous)
Anyone wanna contribute?
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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.
“HEIGHTS”
(All these questions have to do with “heights” of things in and around Gotham City. Enjoy!)
371. What villain does Batman confront on the “highest building in Gotham”?
Answer: _____________
372. In what episode does this confrontation take place?
Answer: _____________
373. How tall is Poison Ivy?
Answer: _____________
374. In what episode is this fact revealed?
Answer: _____________
375. In which “design style” is the Mad Hatter shorter? The old style or new?
Answer: _____________
376. In which episode can you see Batman and Robin jumping from a very high snowy cliff?
Answer: _____________
377. Name the BTAS episode in which Mr. Freeze can be seen at the highest altitude (SUB-ZERO
excluded).
Answer: _____________
378. When Harley Quinn was knocked out of a window, how many storeys did she plummet before she
hit the pavement?
Answer: _____________
379. What is the name of the mountain in Gotham City upon which an observatory can be found?
Answer: _____________
380. In which episode of BTAS can Batman and Robin be found sky-surfing?
Answer: _____________
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AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)
Answer to #371: The Joker
Answer to #372: OLD WOUNDS
Answer to #373: 5’1″
Answer to #374: PRETTY POISON
Answer to #375: New style
Answer to #376: THE DEMON’S QUEST (Pt. 2)
Answer to #377: COLD COMFORT
Answer to #378: Five storeys.
Answer to #379: Mount Gotham
Answer to #380: In ANY episode – granted that you’re hallucinating. (Batman and Robin would NEVER sky-surf. Whoever would come up with such a nutty idea and put it on film? Like, really!)
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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) In the BEYOND episode “Dead Man’s Hand”, Melanie walks off from Terry wearing HIS coat after their…night together; they never explain how he gets it back.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by “Dark Lantern”)
2) In “The Demon’s Quest (Pt. 1)”, Batman and Ra’s Al Ghul go to a volcano in Malaysia, right?
Well, I live in Malaysia, and there are no volcanoes here at all.
(by “Belle Book”)
3) I’ve noticed a James Bond connection to the Royal Flush Gang. Ten/Melanie Walker is voiced by Olivia d’Abo, and her sister, Maryam, was Bond Girl Kara Millovy in the Bond film “The Living Daylights”, starring Timothy Dalton as Bond. George Lazenby is the voice of the King/Mr. Walker, and he was the Bond of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. In fact, his line in “Dead Man’s Hand” — “We have all the time in the world” — came straight from the end of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Of course, in that movie, Bond was speaking it to his wife, Tracy, and Tracy had just died.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by Bill Curtis)
NOW AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL TOY STORES…
The latest for fans of The New Adventures of Batman, is the exclusive Wal-Mart two-pack, from their “World of Batman” line, featuring a repainted Detective Batman, in the comics classic blue and grey costume. He’s called “Gotham City Adventures Batman”. The second figure is also a repaint from the old “Total Justice” line, as well as the KB Toys line of “JLA” figures. This one is a better representative of the current Batman from the comics: all in black. His title is “Knight Watch Batman”. Wal-Mart should be applauded for both these repaints, finally someone understands what the fans want. Most of the Wal-Marts I’ve been to seemed to have gone overboard on stocking these, so if you’re looking for them, availability shouldn’t be a problem. Which brings me to the next item…
The new Batman 4-pack, featuring the blue and gray repainted Batman, Robin (finally mass-produced!), a repainted Clayface, and one of the most requested, and sought after: Alfred, complete with serving tray. I did manage to get my hands on a couple of these, which wasn’t easy. The set is another Toys R Us exclusive, and the 2 stores I visited only had a few sets. They may also impose a one-two box limit per customer to prevent hoarding. As for the figures themselves:
Batman’s grey is darker than the Wal-Mart repaint, but the blue looks the same, and still gives him a “darker” feel, although not as cool as “Detective” Batman. Robin is the same basic figure that was never mass-produced, and is in scale to Batman, so it’s cool to see a “little” Robin, next to Batman. Alfred is great, but I have two problems with this figure. One, his legs are so thin, and so close together, that he can’t stand up by himself without the clunky serving tray, and two, his hair is black. Now, I guess you can use him for a younger Batman, but to go with the current Batman animated, the hair should have been grey or white. Minor nit-picking aside, it’s still cool to finally have this figure. (Now if they could only make a Commissioner Gordon figure!)
The last figure in the set is the repainted Clayface. This is the same figure used in the original BTAS set, and is not a good repaint. The original was a dark brown, which looked like clay and was menacing, this one is sand-coloured, and loses the menacing aspect in the repaint. This guy doesn’t look scary, he just looks like a big pile of goo.
All this minor griping aside: a big “Thank You” to Toys R Us and Hasbro, not only for this box set, but for continuing to support this line which they easily could have killed with the demise of the animated series. Batman is truly a cash cow, indeed!
The next good news announced recently is that there will be new figures produced in support of the direct-to-video feature “Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker”. There will be at least 3 new Batman figures, and a new Joker figure! I haven’t heard names for the figures, or seen photos of the prototypes yet, but if the Joker figure looks anything like the released pictures we’ve all seen by now, this will be one great line! I’m hoping for a middle-aged Bruce Wayne figure, or a quick change middle-aged Bruce Wayne/Batman Beyond. No word on any vehicles or playsets from this line, but stayed tuned. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!
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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)
(This review is by Dick Grayson, courtesy of the WORLD’S FINEST website.)
BATMAN BEYOND
ISSUE: “The Perfect You” (#11)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILLED BY: Craig Rousseau
INKED BY: Rob Leigh
ISSUED: July 26, 2000 (Cover date, Sep 2000)
RATING: 5/10
SYNOPSIS: Teens are using nano-technology to enhance their looks. But when the nano-tech becomes sentient, it takes over! Can Batman stop the problem before it get’s out of hand?
DESCRIPTION: The issue opens with Dana, Max, and Terry at their usual club haunt when a teen goes bezerk and trashes the place. As usual, Terry springs into action, but is unable to stop the teen from his rampage. The teen, named Langston, seems to be quite powerful. He’s throwing people left and right and snapping manacles. To quote Batman, he feels like “solid steel”. Batman is able to subdue him, via electrocution. The next day, it’s the hot topic around school. Dana mentions how Langston is “doing better”, which leads to the revelation the he was a little chubby porkerthat everyone called “The Sausage Prince”. Turns out he went to some clinic, and got a couple treatments that put him back into shape. Max mentions that a few other kids who got complete physical makeovers have ran away or dissapeared without a trace.
Back at home, Terry and Matt are playing a video game togethor when their mom freaks out over her weight. It seems that having a waste thinner than a pencil isn’t good enough. She begins to gripe about how old age is quickly ravaging her body in typical female fashion. She then mentions that a clinic does “fix-ups”, which are totally surgery free. That it’s all done with bio-nanites. Terry brings the news to Bruce who then begins to search the clinic list for any leads. The next day at school Terry runs into a friend who also has gotten some work done at “The Perfect You” clinic. The friend signals his other buddies who suddenly begin to grow metallic blades and weapons out of their shoulders and arms. Terry is able to escape and he makes the connection. Terry goes to the clinic to meet with the doctor.
He has no idea what Batman’s talking about and assures him that the bio-nanites are just helping out patients. He evn brings in a co-worker, Sasha, who’s had the ‘fix-up’. She freaks out and attacks the doctor. Batman is able to subdue her quickly. It turns out that the nanites aren’t dieing off when they’re supposed to, their actually taking over, multiplying and becoming sentient. The doctor tells Batman to finish this mayhem he must find the “Queen” nanite, and gives him a device to aid him.
All “The Perfect You” clients have gathered togethor in one big arena where they are about to kick their plans into over-drive. Batman quickly breaks in and begins scanning them for the Queen. He fights through person upon person. Then, he finds the “Queen” and takes her down. She breaks down sobbing and crying, and proclaims that she only wanted to be beautiful. Soon after everything seems to have become normal once again. Terry and his mom are in “Retro Mart” pickin gup groceries when the boy at the register (a starting-to-get-chubby-again Langston) tell’s Terry’s mom that she shoud “let your brother carry thast”. She’s so flattered that it knocks all ideas of having surgery done out of her mind for good.
COMMENTS: What great art! This was probably the best art I’ve ever seen on the title. Max and Terry look great! Terry looks exactly like he does on the show. Perfectly matched. Rousseau pulled out all the stops this month and gave us some great, great, great art! The only problem I had with the art was the 1st panel on the last page where Batman’s head seems to do a really painful 180 turn. The story on the other hand was…ugh. The story, while a good premise, was just executed badly. Bader has pulled off some good stories in here, but the bad stories outweight the good. The title has been around for almost a year now, and it’s still an inconsistent book. The great art is somewhat able able to save a mudane story.
Ratings: 5/10
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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 #30
September 6th
Synopsis: Batman must enlist the aid of Clayface to help a young child afflicted with a rare skin disease. Can Batman convince Clayface to do what’s right, or does Clayface have other tricks up his sleeve?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0006/20/BatGothAdv30.JPG
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: Ty Templeton’s leftover Joker story! Don’t miss it!
Cover: Unavailable
BATMAN BEYOND #13
August 27th
Synopsis: Fears brought on by the Scarecrow’s fear gas (from OVER THE EDGE) are now manifesting themselves in the future-day Commissioner Barbara Gordon.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
comics/sept27/covers/down/dBMBCv13.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #48
???
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-An interview with DC editor Darren Vincenzo can be found at the following address:
http://www.sequentialtart.com/vicienzo.shtml
-The following artists are selling artwork on eBay. The following are their names and Seller ID’s:
Terry Beatty: beatty@machlink.com
Craig Rousseau: cerousseau
Tim Levins: tlevins
Min S. Ku: min3000gt
ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND)
-YTV has just got the rights to air episodes #27 – 52 of BATMAN BEYOND. It’s unknwon when these episode to air, but expect fall 2000. YTV may air all the episodes through in ONE run, unlike the first 26 episodes.
ANIMATED COMICS
-Craig Rousseau will be penciling and Rob Leigh will be inking the comic adaption of RETURN OF THE JOKER, most likely due out Oct. 18 or 25.
-Check out the following link for a cover of the RETURN OF THE JOKER comic book adaption:
http://www.craigrousseau.com/gallery/bb/rotjcover.html
-For a sneak-peek of some panels from this comic, go to this link:
http://www.geocities.com/wfnewspage/rotjcomic.jpg
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #32:
On sale November 1. The Scarecrow is up to his usual sinister tricks as he unleashes a deadly gas that has the entire city of Gotham going completely crazy! Mass mayhem and destruction ensue as millions of Gothamites literally lose their minds. Can Batman and the gang save the masses from themselves?
-BATMAN BEYOND #15:
(Written by Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Brian Stelfreeze)
On sale November 29. Just who is the mysterious new being called Erica Electra who`s been crossing paths with future Batman Terry McGinnis? Is she friend or foe? And will Terry`s girlfriend now have reasons to be jealous?
Cover: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/
Miscellaneous/BatmanMiscellaneous226298.jpg
OTHER COMICS
-DARK VICTORY #13: Has Batman finally found the identity of the Hang Man killer (if, in fact, there’s only one)? What connection does the Hang Man have to Harvey Dent, and can the murders be stopped before the most horrifying killing of them all takes place? This time Batman is no longer alone in his quest for justice as a young, inexperienced Robin joins him. But will the addition of an untested partner prove to be more deadly than it’s worth? Witness the last stand of the crumbling criminal empire, as the Falcone Family faces off against Two-Face and a mob of freakish allies that includes the Joker, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Solomon Grundy. Will all of Gotham City be left in ruins before the last gang war is over? Which, if any, of the Falcones, the Marionis and the Vitis will survive? And how will the change the lives of James Gordon, Harvey Dent and Janice Porter?
The cover can be found here: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0007/20/BDarkVict13.jpg
-The first issue of HARLEY QUINN, due out on Oct 11, is described as the following: Harley Quinn is not the story of an honorable woman and her quest for justice. Instead, it’s a love story gone horribly, horribly wrong, especially in the first issue, as the Joker’s girlfriend must do with out Mister J’s “calming” influence. Harley is driven to astounding lengths to free her loony lover. And that’s just in the first seven pages. What follows is too strange for words, though it does involve a cameo by Batman.
-The cover can be found here: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0007/20/HarleyQuinn1.jpg
-The second issue of HARLEY QUINN: On sale November 8. Harley finds herself alone, adrift and without direction. Even a bizarre cameo by Poison Ivy (among others) can`t get our darling little nut job out of her funk — but maybe a new job will? Enter Two-Face, and a wild kidnapping scheme which only gets stranger as the job unravels! And if that weren`t enough, a familiar face is now hunting for Harley, and the Penguin drops by for a visit!
-The cover can be found here: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/
Miscellaneous/BatmanMiscellaneous226292.jpg
-A preview of the first six pages can be found here: http://www.searth.net/wfnews/
-Volume 3 of the collected NO MAN’S LAND editions will be out on September 27. It features “ASSEMBLY”, “FRUIT OF THE EARTH”, plus some stories by Larry Hama, and the various one-issue tales from April 1999.
-Batman’s war against the Penguin continues in BATMAN #585.
-ROBIN: YEAR ONE #2
On sale November 29. Robin squares off against the Mothman, the original Blockbuster, and Two-Face – all while trying to live the life of a normal teenager. When duty gets in the way of blooming romance, Dick at last learns the impossible cost he must pay to be a champion of good.
Cover: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/
Miscellaneous/BatmanMiscellaneous226294.jpg
MOVIES
-The fourth GOTHAM GIRLS webisode can be found at http://www.gothamgirls.com
-From the Comics Continuum website comes news that from Oct. 9 through Nov. 6, the Kids WB! will air a National Watch and Win! promotion with prizes including VCRs, videos, DVDs, CDs, video games, WB Studio Store gift certificates, Batman books from DC Comics, Batman Beyond bedroom makeovers and a grand-prize trip for four to New York City.
-Along with Conroy, Friedle, and Hammill, joining the voice cast are Melissa Joan Hart and Angie Harmon.
-Exciting sounds from the movie will be available in October on the Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker soundtrack, featuring a hot single from debut Warner recording act Mephisto Odyssey (featuring platinum act Static X). Guitar wonder Kenny Wayne Shepherd also appears on the soundtrack. Additionally, a music video for the song “Crash,” the first single from the soundtrack, will be running on music-video outlets beginning in October.”
-The Batman Beyond website (www.batmanbeyond.com) has added interactive features that include a 10-minute “Return of the Joker” preview Webcast, a soundtrack sampler, a clip from the music video, interactive arcade games, character biographies, weekly contests and sweepstakes for chances to win great prizes, questions for the creators, chat events and much more. (all the previous movie info was taken from Alan J. Porter’s “Gotham Weekly News” newsletter)
-DARK HORIZONS and CINESCAPE report that Paul Dini has confirmed that a live-action BEYOND movie is in the making. Dini and Alan Burnett are writing the script, and is set to Boaz Yakin direct.
-Apparently Freddie Prinze, Jr., is vying for the role of Terry McGinnis (this, after he was unable to hang onto the role of Spiderman in that OTHER superhero movie being made). Nic Cage is also said to be interested in the role of Derek Powers/Blight.
-Director BOAZ YAKIN says this about his take on the BATMAN BEYOND feature:
While talking to Popculprit, the helmer gushed about the coming project, saying, “It’s a great opportunity, and I love the series. It’s the time of superhero aesthetic I groove to, really dark in tones but just hopeful and youthful.”
When asked if he can avoid the cliches of previous comic book films, Yakin answered, “Just because the characters are familiar and mainstream doesn’t mean we need to follow a traditional, generic arc with them. Everything I do I hope is really sophisticated, so this will not stop here.”
-It is also reported that despite this new BEYOND movie news, WB is still hoping to move ahead with a fifth movie in the current movie series. DARK HORIZONS once again reports that Julia Roberts is in talks to play Catwoman (I highly doubt this, though). CINESCAPE reports that Brad Pitt is in talks with director Darren Aronofsky to play Batman.
-Considering that one of the RETURN OF THE JOKER action figures is entitled “Arkham Assault Joker”, it looks like the Joker…well…assaults Arkham Asylum at some point in the movie.
-Robin is electrocuted at some point in RETURN OF THE JOKER.
-At least one character dies.
-Here’s an in-depth look at the new ROTJ trailer:
1. The trailer begins with a long shot of “Beyond Batman” gliding over Gotham City. Fade to a very solemn “Old Man Wayne” partly shadowed in the future Batcave.
2. Flashback scene: Batgirl running, barely dogding rapid fire (machine gun? — see #3).
3. Flashback scene: Harley touting a really really big gun (not a machine gun — nastier), as well as aiming and firing it.
4. Close up of an irked Beyond Batman driving the Batmobile, with a small projected vignette of the Joker’s head in the foreground gleefully talking — most likely about…
5. An overhead satellite powering up and projecting a nasty laser beam at Gotham City. There are a few shots of the beam wiping out a few buildings in a mass-destruction animation just short of Akira. And a later shot shows the beam cutting through more of Gotham as it pursues the speeding Batmobile.
6. The final scene is a tight close-up shot of a grim Beyond Batman saying, “Let’s dance, Bozo.”
-SUPERMAN 5 is back on track again? Apparently Brad Siberling (“City of Angels”) is directing, Russel Crowe is being eyed for the role of Superman, and Kevin Smith’s original script may be used after all.
LIVE ACTION TELEVISION
-To view anything regarding the Batman ONSTAR commercials, go here:
http://www.onstar.com
-Four online, interactive comic books (featuring Batman, the Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, Alfred, and Commissioner Gordon) can also be found at the OnStar site.
-It looks like a fifth webisode featuring the Riddler will be coming soon.
-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. Two of the commercials can also be found at http://www.adcritic.com – just search for “Batman”.
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-I snagged some pictures of four of the upcoming RETURN OF THE JOKER action figures. Have a look!
GOTHAM KNIGHT BATMAN
http://images.honesty.com/cgi-bin/honesty-image/
12309796/newbatman.jpg
ARKHAM ASSAULT JOKER
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/viewimage.x/
000c8bb9/jamil/Mvc094s.jpg
GOTHAM DEFENDER BATMAN
http://imagehoset.auctionwatch.com/bin/imageserver.x/
000cdbf1/toysexpo/BatBeyondJoke_a.jpg
RAPID SWITCH BRUCE WAYNE
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/imageserver.x/
000d1497/toysexpo/RetJok_BruceWayne_a.jpg
-On September 1, it will be possible to order a copy of Paul Dini’s RETURN OF THE JOKER script through Amazon.com.
-THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES will be available for Game Boy by Christmas 2000.
-Looking for a Batman-related costume this Hallowe’en? E-mail CowardlyLot@aol.com and put in a request! Go to http://www.fandom.com/batman/editorial.asp?
action=page&obj_id=225572 for details and sample pics!
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)
BATMAN NET
http://batman.fanhosts.com
Batman Net offers daily coverage of all the Batman Universe, from comics to animation and movies. If that’s not enough, try playing our Bat-Games or converse with other fans of the Dark Knight on Batman Net’s Interactive Message Boards. All this and more is just a bat-click away!
(Written by “Viceroy-Batman”)
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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
—–
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/
GOTHAM GIRLS
http://www.gothamgirls.com
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
—–
*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
BRUCE TIMM ARCHIVE SITE
http://members.xoom.com/brucetimm
BATMAN ANIMATED: THE UNOFFICIAL FAN CLUB & FANZINE
http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk/club/
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@dccnet.com
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@dccnet.com 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: Help Wanted
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
THE CREATION OF THIS NEWSLETTER INSPIRED BY: Alan J. Porter
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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