Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of June 11, 2001 – June 24, 2001
Volume 4,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping”THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “Everyone is graduating right now – shouldn’t have Tim Drake graduated, like, a decade ago? This double-time scheme is really tough to follow, I swear…”
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
-GOOD NEWS! THE BATMAN SITE AT FANDOM.COM WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON, EVEN AFTER FANDOM DIES! CHECK OUT OUR “Internet Endeavours” SECTION FOR DETAILS!
-CHECK OUT THE NEWS SECTION FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF JLA ANIMATED SERIES INFORMATION!!!!
-BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE RULES OF OUR ‘RETURN OF THE JOKER’ GIVEAWAY! SCROLL DOWN TO JUST
BELOW OUR Letters to the Editor Section FOR DETAILS!
Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
-who’s pumped, baby…pumped!
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING…
New episodes are on the horizon! Here’s what we can expect in the near future…
UNMASKED
Batman Beyond #47
Air date: June 16, 2001
Synopsis: A little kid gets a glimpse of the face under the Batman mask. It is rumoured that Bruce Wayne may be featured in the costume. Written by Hilary J. Bader, directed by Curt Geda.
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KIDS WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Toonzone & Kids’WB!)
Kids’WB! currently airs BATMAN BEYOND on weekdays and weekends. Remember, Kids’WB! is notorious for switching schedules around at the very last minutes. Batman Beyond currently airs at 11:30am (ET) on Saturdays and during a 3-4pm block on Monday-Thursday. Check out these links if we are unable to update our schedule:
http://www.kidswb.com/cgi-local/sched.cgi?976584931
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
http://www.toonzone.net/shows/schedules
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.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 06-11-01: B-BEYOND #03 Black Out
Tue 06-12-01: B-BEYOND #24 Revenant
Wed 06-13-01: B-BEYOND #06 Shriek
Thu 06-14-01: B-BEYOND #10 Dead Man’s Hand
Fri 06-15-01: NONE
Sat 06-16-01: NONE
NEXT WEEK: (NOT YET AVAILABLE)
Mon 06-18-01: B-BEYOND #
Tue 06-19-01: B-BEYOND #
Wed 06-20-01: B-BEYOND #
Thu 06-21-01: B-BEYOND #
Fri 06-22-01: NONE
Sat 06-23-01: NONE
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CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BATMAN on YTV – courtesy of our friends at YTV)
BATMAN BEYOND will be returning to show the remainder of its 52 episode run to YTV shortly! Keep reading here in future issues for details!
YTV currently has the rights to air all 109 episodes of BTAS. YTV usually airs these episodes in either chronological order, or in the original order they aired on Kids’WB! and FOX. Batman now airs at 3:40am Monday – Friday (well, technically, Tuesday – Saturday). If our schedules are not updated or are inaccurate, please use these links:
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
http://www.ytv.com/ytvguide
THIS WEEK:
Mon 06-11-01: BTAS #06 The Underdwellers
Tue 06-12-01: BTAS #34 Night of the Ninja
Wed 06-13-01: BTAS #36 The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne
Thu 06-14-01: BTAS NONE
Fri 06-15-01: BTAS #41 Tyger, Tyger
NEXT WEEK: (this week may be slightly inaccurate)
Mon 06-18-01: BTAS #28 Dreams in Darkness
Tue 06-19-01: BTAS #18 Beware the Grey Ghost
Wed 06-20-01: BTAS #35 Cat Scratch Fever
Thu 06-21-01: BTAS #45 Terror in the Sky
Fri 06-22-01: BTAS #49 I am the Night
THE WEEK AFTER THAT: (this schedule may also be slightly inaccurate)
Mon 06-25-01: BTAS #46 Almost Got ‘Im
Tue 06-26-01: BTAS #42 Moon of the Wolf
Wed 06-27-01: BTAS #02 Christmas with the Joker
Thu 06-28-01: BTAS #37 Heart of Steel (Pt. 1)
Fri 06-29-01: BTAS #38 Heart of Steel (Pt. 2)
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THE CARTOON NETWORK
Cartoon Network has the right to air all 109 BTAS episodes, as well as all 54 SUPERMAN episiodes. Cartoon Network currently airs both shows in rotation and together during the weekday Toonami block. Since Cartoon Network is unpredictable with their schedules, we may be unable to keep up with them. Please, use these links to find out the schedule information you need:
Here is where you can find an air date schedules:
http://www.CartoonNetwork.com/TOONAMI/lineup/batman.html
http://www.CartoonNetwork.com/TOONAMI/lineup/Superman.html
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv/schedule.html
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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/btas.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!
With no new episodes debuting, we have nothing to review…anyone wanna submit reviews of older BTAS episodes? We’re always taking submissions!
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EDITORIAL
(by A. H. Blom)
e-mail: eolo@netzero.net
NO GUTS, NO GLORY?
Since the storm over the ROTJ cuts, I’ve been watching the televised BATMAN BEYOND episodes with a new interest. What I’ve been trying to evaluate, in brief, is how restrictions on violent content affect our experience of BB as a drama.
This question bears on a number of aspects of the show, the first of these being its set of “content rules.” Clearly the show is aimed at a certain age group, and clearly the “censors” take that age group into account when they decide which kinds of violence can be shown, and which kinds cannot. A set of content rules for the show must exist in a more or less defined form from the beginning, with refinements being made along the way as new or borderline situations arise. The first and most general BB content rule is obvious: the producers will never show the protagonist (Terry/Batman) to kill someone with his own hands.
The second aspect of the show which is relevant to this question is its set of “dramatic rules.” It is impossible to have rules of the censorship variety without also having a related set of rules of the esthetic or dramatic variety; and the first proof of this is precisely the fact that everyone knows Terry/Batman is not a killer at heart. In this particular case, we can’t really say whether or not the dramatic rule is conditioned by the content rule; after all, if it simply isn’t in Terry’s character to kill, there is no conflict with the content directive that says killing can’t be shown. But we can be pretty confident about saying that Terry never *could* be a killer, because this would violate the show’s inflexible content rule to the effect that he *can’t* be one. This, to my mind, is where things get interesting. Let us put the initial question in more specific terms: what are the esthetic and dramatic effects of this careful treatment of violence in BB, and do they on the whole elevate or detract from the experience of BB as drama?
To be clearer about what I mean, and to show that such sets of rules aren’t automatically a bad thing, let me take an entirely different example: the Iliad of Homer. Anyone who reads the Iliad will soon notice that, while the story is full of sensationally bloody and violent deaths, no one is ever maimed, tortured, or struck with mortal wounds that lead to protracted suffering. It’s either an arrow scratch, or you get your brain run through with an eleven-foot spear. This is evidently a kind of censorship, since in real war we would expect to see a lot of horrible wounds and maiming injuries, and perhaps even torture. But Homer doesn’t show us these. And while some commentators have suggested that this is evidence of real censorship, that is, that Homer originally put all this stuff in only to have someone else excise it from the written poem, the text itself really doesn’t show evidence of this kind of snipping. It’s likelier that Homer himself, feeling that such scenes would be detrimental to his esthetic or dramatic purposes, kept them out in the first place; and no one would suggest that the Iliad is anything less than a great work of literature, despite the fact that it features these strict limitations on content. In fact, Homer reaps great dramatic benefits from this restriction. He is for example able to invest death with a uniform dignity, one that it normally takes on only at a distance, and so to weigh death, fame, and mortal happiness with an immediacy undisturbed by the shocking spectacle of personal physical suffering. Or again, he is able to appeal to death as a great human equalizer, offsetting the accidents of character, rank, and nationality. In this way, an unrealistic restriction on content actually allows him to bring other kinds of realism into relief, and to heighten certain dramatic tensions built into the mortal experience.
Now, there are at least two significant differences between BATMAN BEYOND and the Iliad in this respect. First, any individual episode of BB, even if it has only one credited writer, is inevitably the product of the decisions of many people, and of course the writers themselves change from episode to episode; so we’re not talking about a modern Homer articulating a single-minded artistic vision here. Second, it is clear that the writers of BB *are* given a set of censor’s rules within which they have to work, and the esthetic or dramatic rules they come up with are in some measure determined by these, not the other way around. Nevertheless, we can speak of a more-or-less consistent *team* vision by limiting the scope of our inquiry to the televised BB continuity only; since there is no reason why the writers shouldn’t try to craft their artistic vision within the confines of the given content rules, there is no reason why we can’t look at that relationship and eventually evaluate what we find.
To begin with, Terry is not a killer. But in REBIRTH (Pt. 2) he is, in effect, the agent of Mr. Fixx’s death. So why are we not disturbed by this? The answer, obviously, is that he is taking revenge for his father’s death (and we’ve heard Fixx’s confession, so the moral matter is pretty cut-and-dried. No Hamlet issues here). This is esthetically acceptable, because it arises from a necessity which is in some sense bigger than Terry himself, and not from an out-of-character voluntary choice. In fact, it strengthens the drama immeasurably, because if Terry had not had such a compelling motive to don the Batman suit – if he had simply wanted it for lesser reasons, or if it had been in his character to seek power for its own sake – we wouldn’t have had a hero, or at least not one of the same stature. Moreover, Terry doesn’t even kill Fixx directly, but only brings about the circumstances in which he drowns; and yet he is satisfied that vengeance has properly been served. In this case, then, if indeed it is the content rules (can’t show killing, blood associated with killing, or death) which have forced these particular dramatic choices, we can say that they actually *contribute* to the dramatic experience: we now have a hero who is not a killer, but who can, under the weight of extraordinary necessity, rise above himself to take on grave responsibility, whether that be the responsibility of power without hubris, or the responsibility of vengeance without thirst for blood.
Of course we can get as particular as we like about the dramatic rules, but in Terry’s case I’ll just add one more notable one about killing, one that I think applies in every case except that of Fixx: Terry does not kill, except by allowing his adversary to be killed by the source of his own power. In SPLICERS, for example, Terry arguably kills Cuvier, but he does it with Cuvier’s own medicine, so to speak. In THE WINNING EDGE, too, it’s Bane’s friend “Slappy” who overdoses on Venom and puts himself into a coma. In BETRAYAL, Big Time lunges too far while trying to kill Batman, and falls to his death as a result. In A TOUCH OF CURARE, Terry doesn’t try to stop the League of Assassins from (as far as he knows) killing Curaré, just as in APRIL MOON, he doesn’t try to stop the Doctor from killing Bullwhip. (This also applies to non-lethal situations; in SHRIEK, for example, he only cuts out the insulator, allowing Shriek’s own devices to destroy his hearing.) It may be that these restrictions on Terry’s behavior stem from the demands of censorship, rather than character; but once again, if this is the case, the content rules work very well indeed. Dramatically, they show us a character who goes to work every night prepared to stop violence, rather than inflict it, and who must therefore improvise with whatever falls to hand if he gets into a bigger than average jam. Even more importantly, the constant reminder that what goes around, comes around (so to speak) provides us with a meaningful reason to accept Terry’s commitment to his job. He isn’t doing it for the money, he isn’t doing it for the rush, and he sure as hell isn’t doing it out of love for the old man (except maybe a little). He’s doing it because everybody from Ace to Zeta is in some way a part of the macrocosm of Gotham, and whatever you end up doing in that macrocosm comes back around to your microcosm, and vice versa. In short, I think Terry’s character is very solid and very well conceived in this respect, and I don’t think the violent-content rules imposed by censors hurt the televised BB at all as far as he’s concerned.
The only problem here is that the real dramatic center of the BB universe, in my opinion, is not so much Terry as it is Bruce. The fact is that Terry’s even-handedness would be a little fatuous if it existed entirely apart from Bruce’s unrelenting drive to do the work of Batman. We can even make the case that Terry would have been killed or finished off a number of times by now (DISAPPEARING INQUE, EYEWITNESS, etc.) if not for the unblinking eye of the Old Guy, and this not just as an accident of storylines, but as a natural product of their characters: Terry is young, a little uncareful, still a student; Bruce was never young, never uncareful, and has always been his own most demanding teacher. Terry could not exist as Batman without the mind and will of Bruce preceding and underpinning his own. Quite obviously, Bruce’s motivation is different from Terry’s. Terry, again, accepts the responsibility of being Batman out of a certain regard for karma, a sense of the future which will justify his efforts in the present; but Bruce, it seems to me, doesn’t know anything about the future. His attention is focused obsessively on the present, on the fallen or broken or corrupted state of Gotham which he is trying to fix at every moment, in order that the perfection of the present will subsume and repair the imperfection of the past. And this, of course, is impossible to achieve.
What results is that Bruce, like many frustrated idealists, struggles profoundly with a strong inclination to violence: if all other attempts to achieve perfection fail, there is always the perfection of absolute destruction. This is of course most obvious in the stories outside the BB continuity, the stories in which Bruce himself wore the Batman suit. There, he’s always having to restrain himself, to pull himself back from the edge of a terrible, purified Arkham of his own. But traces of it appear in BB as well, as in WHERE’S TERRY, when Bruce makes Max leave the room so that he can “deal with” the T-gang members off-camera. This is again a product of the content rules, a manifest censorship: like Max, we’re not allowed to see what Bruce does to them, because it’s too violent. Does this work well from a dramatic standpoint? Maybe. We’re left to imagine what he does to them, and maybe that’s more terrifying than actually seeing him tweak noses or break fingers. But in the long run the dramatic coherence of this central aspect of BB depends on the violent legacy of Bruce’s story as it’s told outside BB. BB still works, because this outside legacy exists. But the fact remains that the content rules which are imposed upon the BB continuity are ultimately unsustainable.
As a final note, it’s worth pointing out that the restrictions on violent content in BB are oddly countered by its restrictions on sexual content. Here, the poles of dramatic coherence are exactly reversed. Bruce’s total asexuality works, because it’s absolutely in character: ever striving after a perfection of the moment and of his individual person, he’s never accepted the inevitable conditions of corruption, mortality, and succession of one generation to another that lead normal people to stop and pluck the rose that blooms, let alone shack up and have kids. Terry’s apparent limitation to what Barbara Gordon (in A TOUCH OF CURARE) derides as “puppy love,” on the other hand, doesn’t work very well at all. It’s a bit ludicrous to see him cast such a natural, impassive eye on the hazard of his own life, and at the same time not only *not* have a correspondingly natural relationship with Dana, but apparently have no greater goal in love than to make it to the discotheque on time. That said, Terry’s young, learning, and a character rich with possibilities. There’s no reason why, in the future, he can’t be developed into a figure who is not Bruce and yet fully attains to Bruce’s status in myth. For that, however, we’re eventually going to have to lose the “Y7” rating that comes with every episode.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Due to demand by some of our subscribers, we’ve decided to give a “Letters to the Editor” section a shot. Feel free to submit something you’d like to say to us, and each issue we’ll choose one to post and then reply to. (NOTE: It can be completely uncensored, positive OR negative, though any coarse language will be bleeped out. We want this to be a no-holds-barred column!)
* * * * * *
Dear Newsletter staff,
This can’t be true! BATMAN BEYOND is getting cancelled? First the TV show, and now the comic book! Why are they doing this? Is there any way they can be saved?
Please, find me some answers!
(signed by no one)
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TWO-FACE’S SIDE OF THE COIN
Hmmm. Yes, it’s true, the BATMAN BEYOND comic book series will be cancelled as of , and it looks like it will not return any time soon. (Ditto for SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, actually. Sigh.) This is definately an unfortunate thing, but I saw it coming for quite some time. Though BATMAN BEYOND was a good interpretation of the character, I really didn’t it seeing lasting forever – the show has been cancelled, so how long would the comic series survive afterwards? (I guess everyone still following GOTHAM ADVENTURES has just gotten lucky, since that series will be around for quite some time yet.)
Not only was the property no longer nearly as profitable as it was when it began, the quality of the stories has lagged as of late. They’re still not terrible, but nothing too special, either. Back in the day (1999) when the series began, nearly every story was great – probably because the ideas were fresh and exciting. After two years, these great stories have been less consistant, both in the comic series and the TV episodes.
That BATMAN BEYOND toy line didn’t help keep people all too excited, either.
So, with the comic getting cancelled, you can almost officially call the entire universe of BATMAN BEYOND dead – or on hiatus. Take your pick. It’s sad because there was still so much potential. Fans are still dying to see what happened to Nightwing and the other heroes, just as we saw Robin’s final fate in RETURN OF THE JOKER. What about the villains? There are still a handful of them that deserve follow-up stories. This being the case, I wouldn’t rule out a second BATMAN BEYOND animated movie – just don’t count on it any time soon. Perhaps if the live-action BATMAN BEYOND movie comes out, that will respark everyone’s interest and things will get cracking again. That’s exactly what happened with the animated Bat-universe when (gag) BATMAN & ROBIN came out in ’97, truth be told.
Perhaps the animated crews can go the route DETECTIVE COMICS and GOTHAM KNIGHTS has gone over the past eighteen months and have a back-up feature in each issue. For example, have GOTHAM ADVENTURES as the main feature, and have a story of shorter or equal length dealing with the BATMAN BEYOND universe in the back-up section. Of course the book would cost more, but would you buy it? Perhaps that’s something they can look into.
So, with that, I encourage you all to write in and give a suggestion or opinion on the fate of the BATMAN BEYOND comic series. Should DC reverse their ideas of cancelling it and let it continue? Should it become a back-up feature? Should they only have “specials” come out every few months? Or should they just let it die? Let us know! We’ll post results in . And hey, I’ll give one ROTJ copy away to one of our pollsters, just as I did with that whole “No Man’s Island” thing I had going for the past 19 issues.
Let’s see if we can make some changes here, shall we?
;-Y
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‘RETURN OF THE JOKER’ GIVEAWAY
READ BELOW FOR THE RULES AND MORE!
In trying to get people both more involved with the newsletter AND want to help them out at the same time, we’re offering anyone that participates in our FATE OF BATMAN BEYOND poll a chance to win unedited copies of RETURN OF THE JOKER.
The way it works is as follows: Simply vote and state your opinion on what you’d like to see happen with the BATMAN BEYOND comic book. (Read the above “Letter to the Editor” section for some suggestions.) Anyone who submitted a suggestion will be entered into a draw, according to the e-mail address from which their ballot was recieved. We will then randomly select one e-mail address (from a hat, to make it fair) and that participant, if willing, wins a copy of the unedited movie!
If the selected winner for whatever reason declines, there will be another draw for that same week. The catch? The winner, if agreeing, must provide a tape and enough money to cover postage ($5 American) of the tape to and from their place of residence. There will be no extra profit for us at BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER (as that would be illegal) or anything. We just want to get this movie out to more people as it’s not going to be definately released on tape just yet.
NOTE: I am not promoting the act of bootlegging videos for profit, I am merely looking for the cost of the tape and postage, so fans will be able to view the movie as it was supposed to be.
That said, let’s get cracking!
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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! (Mwuhahaha!) 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.
BLAH
(It’s the summer, and our brains have gone to mush. Mine has, too. Let’s get these relatively easy questions out of the way, shall you?)
556. To date, aside from the WORLD’S FINEST comic adaption, in how many issues of the animated Bat-books has Superman appeared?
A: One
B: Two
C: Three
D: Four
E: None
557. The Creeper’s civilian occupation is…
A: Actor
B: District Attorney
C: Chemist
D: Journalist
E: Golfer
558. What character from ALICE IN WONDERLAND didn’t appear in the episode MAD AS A HATTER?
A: The Queen of Hearts
B: The March Hare
C: The Doormouse
D: The Walrus
E: The Cheshire Cat
Answer: _________________
559. Which villain did NOT appear in the GREAT EASTERN costume emporium in the episode THE WORRY MEN?
A: Two-Face
B: Bane
C: Catwoman
D: Clayface
E: Mr. Freeze
560. When Catwoman was hunting down the rat-fink known as the Chemist, she was looking for information pertaining to what individual?
A: Commissioner Gordon
B: Rupert Thorne
C: The Joker
D: Roland Dagget
E: Poison Ivy
561. At what location in Gotham did Catwoman approach the Chemist?
A: The Stacked Deck
B: Gothcorp Lab
C: Arkham Asylum
D: Police Headquarters
E: In some back alley that smelled really funny
562. In what episode do Batman and Robin dance the Batusi?
A: BEWARE THE GREY GHOST
B: OUT OF THE PAST (Batman Beyond)
C: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT
D: HARLEQUINADE
E: Wrong BATMAN series, nimrod! It ain’t 1966 no mo’, foo’!
563. Prior to his two recent appearances in GOTHAM ADVENTURES (Issues #30, 39), Clayface has made a brief cameo. In what city was the story of this issue primarily set?
A: Paris
B: London
C: Tokyo
D: Gotham City
E: Igloo shantytown in “northern” Canada (2 hours from Seattle)
564. Aside from RIDDLE OF THE MINOTAUR, what game has Dick Grayson been shown playing on the Bat-computer?
A: Riddle of the Minotaur II: Revenge from Beyond the Labrynth
B: Doom/Quake (or some variation of)
C: Some Batman video game
D: A flight simulator
E: Solitaire
565. Including appearances in SUPERMAN episodes and all BATMAN BEYOND episodes, how many episodes of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES are there? (Do not include any theatrical or direct-to-video animated movies.)
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AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)
Answer to #556: B (Batman Adventures #25, Batman: Gotham Adventures #36)
Answer to #557: D
Answer to #558: C
Answer to #559: B
Answer to #560: D
Answer to #561: A
Answer to #562: E
Answer to #563: A
Answer to #564: E
Answer to #565: 165 (109 BTAS, 52 BEYOND, 4 appearances on STAS)
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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, STAS and BEYOND countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!
CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
Nuthin’.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
Nuthin’!!!
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FIGURE THIS OUT!
(by Marc Rosenzweig)
Marc Rosenweig was unable to get PART TWO of his interview to us in time for the delivery of this newsletter. Fear not, he will return shortly to continue to his ongoing article!
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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
ISSUE: “Acts” (#39)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILS: Tim Levins
INKS: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: June 6, 2001 (Cover date August 2001)
RATING: *** (out of 5 stars)
What a special treat. My favourite Shakespeare play AND my favourite superhero in the same issue! I’ve been well aware of the curse of the Scottish Play for some time now – yes, I believe in it too, since it has plagued all my performances in this play be they in class or on stage. Ugh. That whole fire incident is something I could have done without. Firefly would’ve been proud, though.
Anyway, the issue was another solid read. It was nothing epic, but that’s where the charm in this series lies – it takes the smaller stories and makes them all the more personal. The perfect example was showing how Clayface had no ulterior motive for plaguing an amateur stage production – he just wanted to act again. I have the actor’s spirit myself, so I can totally relate to the big ol’ lug o’ mud.
Peterson did a good job of hiding Clayface’s involvement until the final few pages of the issue, too. All of the previews and synopses of the issue that I’ve read over the past few months spoiled it, but if that were not the case, it would have not been nearly that obvious. Scott Peterson’s writing ability just deepens and deepens with every issue.
Seeing Batgirl and Nightwing take to the forefront of the action – both in and out of costume – was a nice change, too. Now that’s two issues in a row with Batman out of the spotlight; I guess he even needs a break now and again.
;-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 and BATMAN BEYOND. 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 (or higher) in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the well-deserved “grrr”.)
If we are unsure of the exact date of when an issue is being released, just check out “DIRECT CURRENTS” for details:
http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #40
July 4th
Synopsis: Mr. Freeze is back in Gotham City, and he’s looking for a way to bring about a new Ice Age. But he`s not working alone this time – there’s a mysterious person who has gotten Freeze to implement this latest plan. Batman must figure out what Freeze is looking for, what he`s trying to do and who`s got the influence over Freeze to push him toward this mad plan. But time is running out.
Cover: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages269036.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Written by Scott Peterson; art by Tim Levins and Terry Beatty; cover by Bob Smith and Beatty
In stores August 1. Batman’s giving his all to help one of Gotham City’s denizens get on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, the subject of all of his efforts couldn’t care less whether or not he was on the right side of the law – or the right side of the Bat. Batman may have to deal with someone who’s too lethargic to care about redemption, when dealing with “The Man Called Joe.”
BATMAN BEYOND #22
June 27th
Synopsis: The conclusion to “In Blackest Day,” guest-starring the Justice League Unlimited. Batman and the JLU battle the strange new threat called Blacklight for the life and power of JLU member Green Lantern.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0103/13/BB22.htm
FOLLOWING MONTH:
-BAMTAN BEYOND #23
Written by Paul Storrie; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke.
In stores July 25. There`s a new “King” in town, and he`s putting together a new Royal Flush Gang. Is Batman playing with a full deck when he asks “Ten” to help him take down this dangerous and motley crew?
Cover: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages269033.jpg
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-A DVD of the original 1966 BATMAN movie with Adam West and Burt Ward is due out in August. West and Ward are both providing a retrospective commentary on the DVD, too.
-OnStar is staging an online promotion, with the prize being a walk-on role in the next Batman movie. Starting May 31, fans will have a chance to enter a sweepstakes at www.onstar.com to win a walk-on role in the next Batman movie, which is still in the planning stages with no firm dates set yet. The promotion is part of OnStar’s marketing campaign, teaming with DC Comics, that includes two new TV spots, print ads and an interactive animated comic on the Internet. “The relationship between OnStar and Batman has been extremely successful, helping to push OnStar awareness to new heights,” said Mike McEnaney, OnStar director of sales and marketing services. “With this new integrated campaign, OnStar and DC Comics have created a simple, yet compelling way to tell more of the OnStar story.”
The TV ads highlight OnStar’s newest services, Personal Calling and Virtual Advisor. In one, which premiered during the Academy Awards, while fighting off an attack by the Penguin on his Batmobile, Batman places a hands-free call to longtime girlfriend Vicki Vale to warn her that he might be late for their dinner date.
The second ad pits Batman against the Riddler, who sends an e-mail via the OnStar Virtual Advisor. Batman also uses the Virtual Advisor to solve the riddle and prevent a crime. The commercials were directed by Vincent Ward.
-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, JLA)
-WE HAVE LOTS OF JLA STUFF HERE FOR YOU, TOO!
-The show has undergone a name change. It will just be known as “Justice League” now.
And, for example, here’s the run-down of everyone doing the voices of major characters on the show:
-Batman (Kevin Conroy, of course)
-Superman (George Newbern)
-Green Lantern (Phil LaMarr)
-Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg)
-Hawkgirl (Maria Canals)
-Martian Manhunter (Carl Lumby)
-Flash (Michael Rosenbaum)
-The injustice league includes two arch-foes that have already appeared in the animated series, each character still being voiced by the same voice actor:
-The Joker (Mark Hamill)
-Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown)
-COMICSCONTINUUM has snagged a huge interview with Bruce Timm on this series. Here are some things we learned…and go to the following URL for the full interview:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0104/24/jlaindex.htm
*November 2001 will be the premiere date.
*26 half-hour episodes were ordered for this coming season.
*Though the show is set in the same continuity of the current Batman and Superman shows, don’t expect the show to stick to it 100%.
*The painted backgrounds for the show will be more realistic and less stylized than they were on the other shows.
*The style of the show will look more like the original BTAS series, not the “new” designs of BTAS, BEYOND, or SUPERMAN. Yes, Batman got a new character design once again. Superman and the Flash still look pretty much the same. For a pic of them, go here:
http://www.cinescape.com/insider/jla010424a.jpg
*Storyboards of the pilot has been completed and are ready to be shipped overseas to begin production.
*The crew behind JL is still unsure whether the show will air as an hour or 30 minutes. It does look like it’ll be in a prime-time slot, though!
*There will be episodes focusing on specific characters. A Wonder Woman episode is currently in the works. An Aquaman episode is expected, and a Green Lantern episode (the premiere) has already been greenlighted.
*There will be a sub-plot throughout the season, behind each epic battle, that will lead to
a big finale. (Much like how the first seasons of BATMAN BEYOND and SUPERMAN were structured.)
*Along with Lex Luthor and the Joker, other villains appearing on the series will be: Cheetah, Solomon Grundy, Shade, Copperhead, the Ultrahumanite, and probably Darkseid in the future (season two). Expect other DC Universe villains (including those from Gotham and Metropolis) to appear as well.
*Rich Fogel is the supervising/writing producer.
*Stan Berkowitz is the major staff writer.
*Glen Murakami and James Tucker are the artists and co-producers.
*Butch Lukic and Dan Riba are the directors.
*Andrea Romano is back as the voice director.
*Regarding the music of the series, no contracts have been signed as of yet, but Timm hopes to get Shirley Walker and all of the other BTAS, STAS, and BEYOND composers to contribute to the music for JLA.
*The first episode arc of the series will feature how the JLA got together. It is 90 minutes long and is entitled “Secret Origins”, is written by Rich Fogel, and is directed by Butch Lukic and Dan Riba.
*Paul Dini WAS writing for the show, but he’s had to bow out of writing his Flash/Green
Lantern vs. Grodd story due to recent injury. Dwayne McDuffie has picked up the script and will complete it.
-The show will feature 10 60-minute stories, and 2 90-minute stories. That makes up the 26 episodes.
-Count on a JSA appearance in the future.
-BATMAN BEYOND is airing on GLOBAL in some regions of Canada, again! Check out GLOBAL at 3:10am on Thursdays
ANIMATED COMICS
-BATMAN BEYOND #24 WILL BE and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #66 (probably) will be the last issue of each series, as each of the comic series based on the animated series is being cancelled. It looks like BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES is still making the cut, though.
-Just as with all WB animated series, the JLA animated series will also recieve a tie-in animated book, drawn in the animated style. It is tentatively entitled “JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES.”
-In a chat conducted with Tim Levins, he has confirmed that the following villains will all be showing up in GOTHAM ADVENTURES over the next few issues: Talia, the Riddler, and a solo Harley story (). Also, at long last, Two-Face finally re-appears in GOTHAM ADVENTURES #44.
-Terry Beatty reports that the art-crew from BATMAN BEYOND (Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh) will be working on of the series.
-Mr. Freeze is getting another new suit in of GOTHAM ADVENTURES! It’s pretty similar to his newer, sleaker suit, but with a few modifications. Check it out here!
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/wfnewspage/bgafreeze.jpg
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #41
Written by Scott Peterson; art by Tim Levins and Terry Beatty; cover by Bob Smith and Beatty
In stores August 1. Batman’s giving his all to help one of Gotham City’s denizens get on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, the subject of all of his efforts couldn’t care less whether or not he was on the right side of the law – or the right side of the Bat. Batman may have to deal with someone who’s too lethargic to care about redemption, when dealing with “The Man Called Joe.”
-BAMTAN BEYOND #23
Written by Paul Storrie; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke.
In stores July 25. There`s a new “King” in town, and he`s putting together a new Royal Flush Gang. Is Batman playing with a full deck when he asks “Ten” to help him take down this dangerous and motley crew?
Cover: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages269033.jpg
-BATMAN BEYOND #24
This is the final issue of the series. Written by Hilary Barda; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke. In stores August 29. There’s something curious about Mom’s new boyfriend. Could it be the claws, the fangs or the glowing eyes? That’s right, it’s the issue you’ve been waiting for as “Terry’s Mom Dates a Splicer!” But what does Batman have to say about it?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/BB24.htm
-For more animated comic updates, go here:
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/bbeyond/previews.html
OTHER COMICS
-For some previews of Shawn Martinbrough’s inks of DETECTIVE COMICS #761 and 763, go to the following link. There’s a cool one of the Batcave, more of the Mad Hatter arc, and it looks like the Huntress will be back in #763, too!
http://www.fandom.com/batman/editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=270757
-DETECTIVE COMICS #761: In stores August 8. Bruce’s bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux has thirty days to prove her worth, or she’s fired! Meanwhile, Internal Affairs heats up the M.C.U., and you won’t believe whom they’re after! Plus, “Trail of the Catwoman” continues in the backup written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke (BATMAN: EGO).
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/Det761.htm
-LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #146: Doug Moench is back as the writer for another three-part storyline!
-BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #20: In stores August 15. Bruce Wayne makes a trip to Metropolis for a meeting with Talia, the new CEO of LexCorp – but it doesn’t turn out as planned, and Batman has a run-in with Superman! Meanwhile, Dick Grayson and Batman both have to deal with the possibility that all of Grayson’s family isn’t dead after all, when a man claiming to be Dick’s grandfather comes to town.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/BmGK20.htm
-BATMAN #594: Ed Brubaker’s two-part “Our Worlds at War” tale featuring an alien in Gotham concludes.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/Bm594.htm
-BATMAN: OFFICER DOWN will be collected in a trade paperback coming out on August 29.
-Ed Brubaker has shed light on what DC plans for the “event” involving BATMAN #600, in 10 months time:
*It will be a 64-page issue.
*It will have an extra-sized lead story and a lot of back-ups.
*Brubaker said that he has approached James Tucker from the Batman and upcoming Justice League animated series to work on a Dick Sprang-influenced story for the issue. (Tucker worked on the portion of the “Legends of the Dark Knight” animated episode that featured a Batman from that era.)
-Here is a preliminary cover of Catwoman’s new ongoing series (entitled CATWOMAN: VOLUME TWO):
http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages267930.jpg
-Later this year, DC will be taking a shot at attractive new BATMAN readers by offering a full-length, in-continuity one-shot by Greg Rucka and Rich Burchett entitled BATMAN: THE TEN CENT ADVENTURE – seriously, DC will actually sell it for 10 cents! It will also tie in with an important upcoming BATMAN storyline entitled BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE.
Cover: http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages267928.jpg
-HARLEY QUIIN #11 Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/HQ11.htm
-HARLEY QUINN #12 will be an extra-sized issue featuring Harley, Bo, Surley, and Killer Croc.
MOVIES
-For videos of the cut scenes from the edited ROTJ video, go here:
http://4colorreview.simplenet.com/reviews/return_of_the_joker/return_of_the_joker.shtml
-Paul Dini is pondering ideas for a second BATMAN BEYOND direct-to-video movie, but nothing, repeat, NOTHING has been greenlit by the studio just yet.
*BATMAN: YEAR ONE (BATMAN 5) NEWS:
-Clint Mansell (who did the score for Darren Aronofsky’s PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) will be providing the score for the movie.
-The projected release date for this movie will be sometime in 2002 – but I wouldn’t say it’d be out ’til a year or two after that.
-YEAR ONE will be set in a 1970’s-like era.
-Aaron Eckhart (ERIN BROKOVICH), originally pegged to play the young Batman, has now been said to be “set to play the young Commissioner Gordon”, according to E! Online.
-Jack Nicholson IS still interested in doing another Bat-film if he were ever asked by the WB;
unfortunately, they can’t seem to get around the fact that his character died in the first movie.
-Read an interview with Darren Aronofsky here:
http://www.fandom.com/batman/editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=248753
*BATMAN: YEAR TWO (BATMAN 6) NEWS:
-Yep, you guessed it! The sequel-hungry WB is already planning a sequel to Aronofsky’s YEAR ONE adaption. Whether this is going to be based on the YEAR TWO comic storyline (which, in my opinion, is NOT that great) or another story (like a LONG HALLOWEEN or an original tale, also set in Batman’s earlier years) is unknown.
*BATMAN BEYOND: LIVE ACTION NEWS:
-Word has it that Paul Dini is moving well along with their script, and it may be in the second draft already!
-This is NOT official, but rumblings at the WB seem to indicate BATMAN BEYOND will make it to theatres before YEAR ONE does.
*BATMAN BEYOND: THE FOURTH ANIMATED MOVIE
-Nothing new today…just expect it to revolve around Nightwing, folks.
*CATWOMAN
-According to FANDOM, Ashley Judd has agreed to play Catwoman in the upcoming film of the same name.
-John Rogers is writing the script.
-Denise DeNovi (producer of BATMAN RETURNS) is producing the film.
-Batman has yet to officially have a cameo appearance.
-It looks like this Catwoman won’t even be named Selina Kyle…apparently a new “mousy geeky girl” named Patience Prude is donning the Cat-cowl. Ugh – what’s up with that?
-For a review of the script, go here: http://filmforce.ign.com//articles/50949p1.html
-(Can someone please explain to me how this even works as a Batman film? Or even a spin-off?)
LIVE ACTION TELEVISION
-For some shots from the new SMALLVILLE series coming this fall, go here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0106/01/index.htm
-A fifth ONSTAR commercial, featuring Batman and the Riddler, will be airing on TV soon.
-The fifth ONSTAR webisode, featuring (sorta) the Riddler and the Penguin, is now online, too.
-For a current airing schedule for the 1966 Adam West series, click here:
http://www.scifi.com/bin/schedulebot.cgi?wd=w&s=batman&ds=1&db=US%3AEastern&mon=4.01
EXCLUSIVE INTERNET ENDEAVOURS:
-BATMAN and future CATWOMAN writer Ed Brubaker now has his own web domain:
http://www.edbrubaker.com
-More “Gotham Girls” episodes are on the way! Paul Dini has already scripted a Catwoman/Zatanna team-up, and it looks like Hilary Bader will be writing a number of other ones, too.
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-BATMAN: VENGEANCE, a new game by Ubi Soft for the Playstation 2, is in production! The story is being written by the show’s writers, and it will have the “new” design look. Go to this address for stills from the game, featuring Batman, the Freezettes, Poison Ivy, Ivy’s Lab (?), Batgirl, something else from what I presume is the Mr. Freeze level, the Funnibone warehouse (looks like Joker’s in it for sure, too), the Batcave, and a whole bunch of shots of Gotham City. The game will probably price around $49.99, US.
http://www.fandom.com/batman/editorial.asp?action=page&obj_id=269762
-BATMAN: GOTHAM CITY RACER for PLAYSTATION is now available!
-Subscriber Victor Espinosa has told us that there is another Toys R Us exclusive four-pack on the way! It is called the GOTHAM CITY ENFORCEMENT TEAM, and it features figures of Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing, and, finally, Comissioner Gordon! Check out these links for more:
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/frames.htm
http://www.jokerinc.action-figure.net
-A new Poison Ivy statue will be available on September 26 from DC Direct. Here’s a picture:
http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages265326.jpg
-A Harley Quinn snowglobe is due out on November 21. Here’s a picture:
http://www.fandom.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages265335.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 BATMAN INTERNET ENDEAVOURS FOR THIS ISSUE
(feel free to submit something for our consideration)
WHICH GOTHAMITE ARE YOU MUST LIKE?
A loyal subscriber and friend of mine has come up with a rather intriguing site in which us every-day Batfans input personal data. It then analyzes your answers and gives you a response, telling you what Batman-related character you most resemble. It’s really quite cool! Check it out at the following link:
http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php3?client=batman
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ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:
Wow, our links section has grown so big that we’ve had to eliminate it from the newsletter! Fear not, you can still find all these links at the WORLD’S FINEST NEWSPAGE, if you follow this link…that’s hypocracy for ya!
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/linkpage.htm
NEWSGROUPS
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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/news/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@dccnet.com, 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, & WORKING, TOO!: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
CO-EDITOR AT COLLEGE, ALSO WORKIN’: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Toonzone, Kids’WB!, and YTV
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna/Justin Chen, and occasionally Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITORIAL: Help Wanted!!!
COMIC REVIEWS: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton, Dick Grayson
NO MAN’S ISLAND: SURVIVAL IN GOTHAM: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
‘RETURN OF THE JOKER’ GIVEAWAY: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
FIGURE THIS OUT: Marc Rosenzweig
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
PROMOTIONS, JUST GETTIN’ THE WORD OUT: 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 2001.
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