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Batman The Animated Newsletter #16

Batman The Animated Newsletter #16

Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of Feb 8 – 13/14, Feb 15 – 20/21
Volume 2, THIS WEEK’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: DON’T TAKE THE WB NETWORK OFF THE WGN SUPERSTATION!
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another action-packed issue of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”!
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
We have no special interviews or anything, but we have a number or regular features starting in this issue – a continuing “Batman Beyond” column, blasts from the past with reviews of the original 85 BTAS episodes, and more! Enjoy!
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DC’S ANIMATED LEGACY
In early 1990, in the aftermath of the blockbuster “Batman” film, ideas began to form about an animated Batman series. This task had been attempted in the past, from the 60’s to the 80’s, but the series were, moreover, a disappointment. However, in September of 1992, when “Batman: The Animated Series” debuted, it became a financial and critical success – seen as the best non-comics interpretation of Batman in history.

After 65 episodes, season two began in 1994 with a new name for the series – “The Adventures of Batman & Robin”. Like all other aspects of the Bat-mythos in that year, things lightened up a bit – mostly due to Robin playing a heavier role in the series. In 1995, the series passed away silently with 85 episodes, a feature-film, and 4 emmy awards under its Bat-belt.

In 1996, the BTAS team moved on to work on a series for DC’s other major hero, Superman. After 13 episodes, the season got off to a shaky start, but when it was paired up with Batman in the fall of 1997, it got the exposure it needed and began to thrive. In this year, Batman was renewed and 24 more episodes (including a number of crossovers with Superman) were given the go-ahead.

Just as the 1998/99 season of Batman/Superman was drawing to a close, the WB team surprised us once again with a new animated series – a futuristic version of Batman entitled “BATMAN BEYOND”. The season has just begun and it’s already a hit! This is the episode the WB team will be working on until the end of the 1999/2000 season. What will follow? Rumor right now is…MORE BATMAN (the regular one)! Woohoo!
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES
The real nice people at TOONZONE (thanx!) have set up an archive section at their site, storing back issues of BTAN. You can look back on past newsletters or maybe even print them out, if you don’t already. This has been very useful and got alot of positive feedback from subscribers wanting copies of past newsletters. The URL is:

TOONZONE’s BATMAN:TAN ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/btan

If you’re interested in information about the newsletter or are just plain curious about some of our news, schedules, websites, etc… then please e-mail here:
btaninfo@yahoo.com
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NEW EPISODE(S)
This section will just basically give an insight into what the new episodes are about and hopefully a synopsis of the episode. This section will feature both new Superman and new Batman episodes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There was some report in Cinescape magazine that the WGN superstation (from Chicago) may not be hosting the WB network starting September of 1999. We don’t know if it’s true or not, so if someone can contact someone there and get some newsbytes for us, that’d be great. Over 50% of WB viewers use JUST THAT CHANNEL so it’d be a real pity to see it go. WE MUST START A PETITION TO KEEP IT ON THE WGN UNTIL THE WB IS MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE!

‘MELTDOWN’
Batman Beyond #07
Air date: February 13, 1999

Derek Powers/Blight returns, but to fulfill his latest diabolical task, he seeks the help of the un-dead Mr. Freeze. (He’s baaaaack!)

‘HEROES’
Batman Beyond #8
Air date: February 20, 1999

The Future Knight battles another member of the futuristic rogue’s gallery; comic villain Spellbinder. (This might be completely wrong, though…this might not even be the plot for this episode!)

‘SUPERMAN’S PAL’
Superman #51
Air date: February 20, 1999

An episode focusing on Jimmy Olsen and Superman taking on Metallo.

‘DEMON REBORN’
Superman #??
Air date: ??

BATMAN’S FINAL CURRENT-DAY ANIMATED APPEARANCE! This episode, originally entitled “Rise of the Demon”, features Batman and Superman teaming up to take down Ra’s Al Ghul. One parter, probably – WOOHOO! THE BAT IS BACK! This’ll probably air in May.

‘LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)’
Superman #??
Air date: ??

This two-parter, featuring the final showdown between Superman and Darksied, will be the season finale, airing this May.
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)

This section of the newsletter highlights the schedule and times that WB airs The New Batman/Superman Adventures. For most affiliates it airs Monday – Friday at 4pm (ET) and Saturdays beginning at 8am (ET). WGN airs Batman/Superman Monday – Friday at 10am (ET) and Sundays beginning at 8am (ET). There’s a chance that your local WB channel airs it at a differant time. To find out when, we recommend you follow this URL (provided by Toonzone): http://www.toonzone.net/brian/stations/index.html

PS – Remember that “Batman Beyond” airs 30 minutes AFTER “Batman/Superman” is over, because “Men In Black” has been squeezed in between.

THIS WEEK:

Mon 2-8-99: Superman #34 Heavy Metal
Batman #77 The Lion and the Unicorn

Tue 2-9-99: Batman #76 Baby-Doll
Superman #25 Brave New Metropolis

Wed 2-10-99: Superman #14,17 Blasts From the Past (Pt. 1 & 2)

Thu 2-11-99: Superman #26 Monkey Fun
Batman #14 Heart of Ice

Fri 2-12-99: Batman #01 On Leather Wings
Batman #92 Joker’s Millions

Sat 2-13-99: Batman #94 Love is a Croc
Superman #47 Obsession
B-BEYOND #07 Meltdown ————-NEW!!!

NEXT WEEK:

Mon 2-15-99: Superman #08,11 The Main Man (Pt. 1 & 2)

Tue 2-16-99: Batman #70 House and Garden
Superman #05 A Little Piece of Home

Wed 2-17-99: Superman #09 Stolen Memories
Batman #72 Harlequinade

Thu 2-18-99: Batman #82 Lock-Up
Superman #31 Prototype

Fri 2-19-99: Superman #30 Bizzaro’s World
Batman #88 Cold Comfort

Sat 2-20-99: Batman #109 Judgement Day
Superman #51 Superman’s Pal —-NEW!!!
B-BEYOND #08 Heroes ————NEW!!!

Note: 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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CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE:
“Yabba Dabba Doom”
(courtesy of Brian Cruz)

CARTOON NETWORK ‘BATMAN’ SCHEDULE

Mon 2-08-99: #06 The Underdwellers
Tue 2-09-99: #07 P.O.V.
Wed 2-10-99: #08 The Forgotten
Thu 2-11-99: #09 Be A Clown

Due to the unpredictable airing schedule of Batman: The Animated Series on CARTOON NETWORK we may not be able to keep track or schedule changes, episode changes and when the animated movies air (either on TOONAMI or CARTOON THEATRE). To keep you most up to date, go to this section of TOONZONE to keep updated with what’s airing on CARTOON NETWORK and when:

NOTE: MASK OF THE PHANTASM will be airing on CARTOON NETWORK again at 8pm (ET) on March 13th. It also looks like Kids’WB! won’t be airing MASK OF THE PHANTASM at all.

BATAMN:THE ANIMATED SERIES ON CARTOON NETWORK
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html
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EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Bob Evatt)

Mr. Evatt is an experienced reviewer of the new BTAS episodes and has much of his work shown at the Lazarus Pit website, and is now contributing to this newsletter! His other reviews can be reached via this link:
http://effect.net.au/allan/lazarus-pit

NOTE: Mr. Evatt was unable to supply a review for this newsletter so Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton is filling in for him.

REBIRTH (Pt. 1 & 2)
Written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, & Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Curt Geda
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: January 10, 1999
My rating: ****

The beginning of a new series, which caused the temporary death of BTAS, one of the best shows on television, to go on a two year break. Most people were very peeved about this, but there was one thing that kept our hopes alive – at least this new show, “Batman Beyond”, still starred our favourite hero and still took place in Gotham City. Everything else, however, is completely different.

In the mid 2020’s, a group of hoodlums had kidnapped a supermodel relative of Veronica Vreeland; Batman came to the rescue. This was not the typical Batman though. He was still Bruce Wayne, yes, but his entire look was completely different; it was on this night, he chose to test the prototype of a new, enhanced Bat-suit. Unlike in “Batman Forever”, this suit didn’t bring about such pleasant results. During the fight with the thugs, Batman suffers a heart attack, and nearly resorts to using a gun on one of them to save his life. The GCPD arrive, and take the crooks away. Batman disappears into the shadows, retreats to Wayne Manor, and throws in the crime-fighting towel. Batman is dead.

Flash forward to 2050 or so. Gotham City now resembles more of a moon-colony, a cross between the old Gotham, Metropolis, and the sets in “Blade Runner”. Long-gone are the post apocalyptic red skies – instead, they’re vomit-yellow, very disturbing in their own way.

Enter Terry McGinnis. A 17 year old student at Hamilton Hill High School, is thrown off the wrestling team, due to his quick temper getting in his way. He goes home, sulking. (Don’t worry, this is getting somewhere).

Warren McGinnis has just come across that his employer, Derek Powers, owner of “Wayne Powers” (he took over “Wayne Enterprises”, another reason why Bruce is now secluded), has been developing Nerve Gas. Powers discovers that Warren knows this, and sends his right-hand-man, Mr. Fixx, out to silence him.

Terry lives at home with his mother, Warren, who is seperated from his mother (where Terry’s younger brother lives). Warren grounds him from going out after hearing about the fiasco at wrestling practice; Terry blows up in his face and runs out on him, going against his father’s wishes.

While waiting to get in a nightclub (and he’s only 17? Ah well…), Terry and his “sort-of” girlfriend, Dana, are attacked by the vicious biker gang known as the Jokerz, who dress in honour of the villain of the past. (Sorry, no Harley-dress-alike here.) Terry fights the gang and gets involved in a huge chase-sequence, eventually ending up at the gates of Wayne Manor. The 80 year old Bruce Wayne emerges from the shadows and helps Terry rid himself of these nuisances.

Terry is invited into Wayne Manor and, when Bruce is asleep, decides to do some exploring – and, lo and behold, he finds the Batcave, complete with the trophy room, the old Batmobiles, the Batcomputer, and the old costumes of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing. Bruce wakes to find out about this and tosses Terry out of the mansion…Terry returns home only to discover that his father has been killed, and his entire apartment has been spray-painted in purple, green, and orange, with the words “HA HA” splattered everywhere. Outraged, Terry returns to Wayne Manor to steal the Batsuit that caused Wayne’s heart attack, and goes out to find the killer of his parents…the Jokerz.

That about covers all of Part One. I won’t spoil Part 2 for you, but let me say that the action is terrific, just as the characterization. True, it is a bit difficult to see a new person in the Batsuit – but Terry isn’t even referred to as “Batman” in this episode (except by himself and disbelieving onlookers). Besides, we’ve seen both Jean Paul Valley and Dick Grayson stay in the Batsuit for extended periods of time in the comics, so this isn’t tough to digest.

The idea of having the Jokerz as being a street-gang was a wonderful idea. Batman wouldn’t be as popular as he would be today without the rogue’s gallery, so it was obvious that his arch-nemesis had to live on in some form.

Finally, the trophy room is introduced to the Batcave! The Joker’s card, Two-Face’s giant penny, and (Calendar Girl’s?) dinosaur are all there, as well as otehrs, such as Harley’s headwear and the Scarface puppet.

Ace the Bathound, the campiest of the heroes in the Bat-lore, appears as Bruce’s sole pal in Wayne Manor. A wonderful nod to the comics of the past.

We learn that Barbara Gordon is now the Commissioner of the GCPD, who appear to be just as corrupt as the series’ main villain.

Derek Powers is a worthy adversary in the Batman-lore. His obvious influence was Superman’s arch-foe, Lex Luthor, but this man has a twist; after the final fight, Terry exposes Powers to the nerve gas, in vengeance of his father’s death, and undergoes a transformation, giving his skin a translucent radioactive glow…we have yet to see what happens though. Should be interesting…but even as just a generic-brand corporate raider, he’s a worthy villain. Just think of Lex Luthor, but 10 years older or so – with hair.

Powers’ right-hand-man is Mr. Fixx, a hulking bodyguard with a horrific, disfigured face, who carries out all of Powers’ plans…such as the murder of a certain employee of his…hmmmm…

The only other notable new character is Terry’s high school colleague, Nelson Nash – a friend/foe sorta character. From early rumors, he’ll probably end up to be a more serious, mature version of Nelson Muntz on “The Simpsons”, which puts Terry in Bart’s shoes. (HAAA-HAAA!)

Bruce Wayne is darker and more brooding than ever, and, even though he’s only the co-star of the series, is still the best character so far. He is still voiced by Kevin Conroy.

Anyhow, this is a wonderful intro to the series. There is still skepticism as to whether such an idea has the ability to stay as a continuing series, instead of just a “what if” story (which I originally hoped), but we’ll see. There are a lot of new characters – and some visits from some older ones – that will be appearing in the next 24 episodes.
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THE ORIGINAL 85
(by E. Nygma)

Welcome to the first installment of my bi-weekly column. In this column you will read about all of the episodes ever made of Batman, Superman, and Batman Beyond starting from the very beginning. This week, I will detail BTAS episodes #1-5, and then next issue, and then #6-10, and so on. Enjoy!

#001 – ON LEATHER WINGS
Written by: Mitch Brian
Directed by: Kevin Altieri
Originally aired: 09-06-92
Heroes: Batman
Villains: Man-Bat
Villain Cameos: Two-Face (as Harvey Dent)

Quote:
BATMAN: “Gotham police declare war on Batman”?
ALFRED: I gather you’ve been reading “How to Make Friends and Influence People?”

Picture: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/olw_05.jpg

When a creature with the appearance of a bat terrorizes the city, the police assume that the assailant is Batman. Harvey tries to hunt down the mysterious vigilante while Batman tries to discover the real culprit. While investigating, Batman discovers a tape recording of the giant bat creature. After escaping from the police, he takes the recording to Dr. Kirk and Francine Langstrom and Dr. March since bats seem to be thier specialty. Batman soon discovers that the creature known as Man-Bat is actually Kirk Langstrom and, after Kirk again evolves into the creature, they take it to the skies in a spectacular final duel.

#002 – CHRISTMAS WITH THE JOKER
Written by: Eddie Gorodetsky
Directed by: Kent Butterworth
Originally Aired: 11/13/92
Heroes: Batman, Robin
Villains: The Joker

Quote:
JOKER: Live from Gotham City! The show that nobody wants to see, but everyone will watch! Yes, it’s ‘Christmas With The Joker’!!!

Picture: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/cwtj_06.jpg

As the residents at Arkham Asylum sing Christmas carols around the most wonderful time of the year, the Joker escapes only to wreak havoc over his own television show. He kidnaps Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock and Summer Gleeson to be his TV family and challenges Batman and Robin to find them before midnight otherwise they’ll be the chestnuts roasting on the open fire. Batman and Robin set out on the search and battle canons, toys, and gigantic bears. After stopping a train that’s about to run into a destroyed ridge, their search leads them from the top of Mt. Gotham to the abandoned Laffco Toy Factory where the Joker awaits to give Batman his Christmas gift.

#003 – NOTHING TO FEAR
Written by: Henry T. Gilroy & Sean Catherine Derek
Directed by: Boyd Kirkland
Originally aired: 9/15/92
Heroes: Batman
Villains: The Scarecrow

Quote:
GORDON: Bullock! What the blazes is going on here?
BULLOCK: Blaze is right, Commissioner. It’s attempted arson. Zorro here is withholding evide–
BULLOCK TURNS AROUND AND BATMAN IS GONE.
BULLOCK: Where the–

Picture: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/ntf_06.jpg
A mad master of fear seeks revenge on Gotham University for firing him. Jonathan Crane was fired for performing fear experiments on students. He developed a gas that could bring out any man’s worst fear and during an encounter with Batman, sprayed him with it. Batman must try to defeat the Scarecrow as he battles another enemy, his fear that his parents think of him as a disgrace.

#004 – THE LAST LAUGH
Written by: Carl Swenson
Directed by: Kevin Altieri
Originally Aired: 9/22/92
Heroes: Batman
Villains: The Joker

Quote:
JOKER TRAPS BATMAN IN A LOCKED GARBAGE CAN.
JOKER: We wouldn’t want our little caged rodent to suffocate, so we’ll just puncture air holes!
JOKER BEGINS TO STAB THE CAN WITH A KNIFE.
JOKER: Okay, Captain! Give her the old heave-ho!
CAPTAIN CLOWN THROWS THE GARBAGE CAN INTO THE RIVER. THE CAN FLOODS AND SINKS.
JOKER: Whoops! Looks like our air holes are water holes too! What a shame! Ha ha ha!

Picture:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/tll_02.jpg

Joker employs his patented laughing gas on the citizens of Gotham to play an April Fools joke on them. As the men and women of the city go mad with uncontrollable laughter, including Alfred, the Joker goes on a shopping spree. When Batman tries to stop the Clown Prince of Crime, he encounters the metallic monster, Captain Clown and then chases the Joker into a garbage dump where he attempts his get away.

#005 – PRETTY POISON
Story by: Paul Dini & Michael Reeves
Teleplay by: Tom Ruegger
Directed by: Boyd Kirkland
Originally Aired: 9/14/92
Heroes: Batman
Villains: Poison Ivy
Villain Cameos: Two-Face (as Harvey Dent)

Quote:
BULLOCK: So what did you put in this mousse?!
CHEF: Chocolate, sugar, eggs, cream. . .
BULLOCK: Strychnine?!
CHEF: No, no. No Strychnine, but I added just a pinch of vanilla.
BULLOCK: You know who did it? Talk!
WAITER: Hey, I just clean the dishes, okay?

Picture:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/pp_05.jpg

After catching an escapee, Bruce Wayne has dinner with Harvey Dent to meet his new girlfriend, Pamela Lilian Isley. After she leaves and gives Harv a good night kiss, Bruce discovers that Dent proposed to her. But Harvey gets poisoned and Batman sets out to discover the culprit while doctors rush to save the D.A.’s life. After tailing Pamela because of suspicions, he discovers that she is a new villain going by the name of Poison Ivy and attempted to kill the District Attorney for destroying precious wildlife in order to bild a new prison. This leads to the final confrontation of man vs. foliage.

And that’s it for my first column. See you in two weeks. Thanks to the following sites: Batman: The Animated Homepage, Brian’s WB Cartoon’s Page, and www.batmantas.com for the information above. Their links are provided in the links section.
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE #1

BATMAN BEYOND…thanx to Gookie!

Good ol’ Pal Gookie was kind enough to send this whopping amount of information our way for the newsletter! And as Gookie says “Give credit where credit is due” so thank you Gookie, and thank you STARLOG magazine! Without further adieu…
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STARLOG Magazine
February, 1999 9
“Tomorrow’s Night”, by Pat Jankewicz

The Story

“I wrote the story for the pilot, and Paul [Dini] and I wrote the script together,” states [Alan] Burnett, who also co-scripted “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm”. “Even though Batman Beyond takes place about 40 or 50 years in the future, we fudge the date because we don’t want to get too specific on how old Batman was when he was the big thing in Gotham, and how old he is now.”

The Background

“Terry has a short fuse which he always has to hold back….[Bruce] Wayne still plays an active part in Batman’s life – ‘Bruce Wayne, as we ill show, is pushing 80, and has become a complete recluse. He’s still living in the Wayne Manor outside of Gotham City, which is nearer the city now because Gotham has built upon itself and become a real megalopolis….Bruce has become a bitter old fart,’ Burnett notes, ‘We actually show the last time he puts the suit on and what caused him [to call it quits]. His reasons are not as physical as they are psychological…. two minutes into the show, you’ll see Batman do something you’ve NEVER expected him to do in all of your life.”

“Born of mutual tragedy and brought together by shared need, the senior citizen and the student form an unlikely friendship–something Burnett finds challenging. ‘Even though it’s a future show, the heat for me and everybody is NOT the SF aspect, but the relationship between this kid, Terry, and this old guy, Bruce Wayne. It’s not really a friendly relationship. They learn to respect each other, but it starts off edgy and remains so. They’re not patting each other on the back….They test each other. That’s the crux of the series.”

WHAT’S TO COME

“As for Batman’s friends and sidekicks, many are no longer around. ‘Alfred is gone now, departed. We toyed for about 45 seconds with actually having Alfred as the voice of the new Batcave computer, until we looked at each other and said, ‘No, that’s too maudlin.’ We supect that Alfred could be buried right there on the estate.'”

“James Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Summer Gleason are all gone. Catwoman is mentioned, and there’s always the chance you’ll see an 80-year-old lady crossing the street with a bunch of cats,” Burnett smiles. “In the first season, we haven’t dealt yet with what happened to Robin and Nightwing. We’re saving that for the second 13 episodes.”

“Despite the secrecy, Burnett does finally allude to a less-than-rosy fate for Wayne’s ex-wards. ‘Let’s put it this way: We hint that whatever occurred among Bruce, Robin and Nightwing, and whatever happened between Robin and Nightwing, was NOT happy. Maybe [Robin and Nightwing] had a falling out or maybe they’re not even on this planet anymore,’ he says coyly. ‘We have an idea, but we’re NOT saying.”

“Barbara Gordon is still here and kicking, [and married, too – Paul Winfield supplies the voice of her husband. An interacial marriage in Batman? Cool!]….Barbara hasn’t seen Bruce in quite some time–and for a very good, personal reason.”

“There’s a lot of new stuff with a feeling of the old history, Burnett explains. The past does pop up every once in a while in different ways, and of course there’s the Batcave, with all the paraphenalia from the past that Terry wants to find out more about. Otherwise, we have a brand new show.”

“Sadly–or happily, depending on your viewpoint–the Clown Prince of Crime is also merely a statistic. “We consider the Joker dead,” [Burnett] states. “He has been gone for quite a while. [But through the Jokerz gang], Joker’s spirit lives on.”

“As for any of Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery haunting [Gotham Future], it’s unlikely–with one cool exception. “You will see one, but it’s NOT Ra’s Al Ghul, whom everyone expects. The character makes perfect sense when you hear it.” SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER! (Here’s a hint–he hates warm weather.)

The Cast

“Ironically for the megalomaniacal [Derek Powers as the primary antagonist], it’s his dark scheming that brings Terry and Bruce together.

“The new Batman is seeking vengeance for his father’s death. It’s a big story with the groundwork laid out pretty extensively.”

The Production Team

“Despite their zeal regarding the classic crimefighter, putting a kid in the cowl gave the team a new enthusiasm. “It’s fun to do this character as the new Batman,” Burnett admits. “We’re all true-blue Batman fans, but nobody was really sure about doing another franchise based on the character. There was, however, interest from the corporate side to spin off the Batman show, and this is what we came up with. It’s what we thought might be intriguing.”

“We’re using the same team of writers and directors we’ve used on Batman and Superman, Glen Murakami is our art director and he’s really an unsung hero on all three series, as well as our usual terrific gang, Dan Riba, Curt Geda. Andrea [Romano] continues with voice direction and Leslie Lamers on casting. Shirley Walker and her crew are doing a completely different musical score, more like hard-driving rock, with pounding rhythem. Batman Beyond sounds different not only from [B/S ADV], but from every other Saturday-morning series.”

On The Voice Cast

“Does [Kevin] Conroy [the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne], feel he’s being put out to pasture in “Beyond”? “Actually, he has the best of both worlds,” the writer/producer laughs. “The traditional Batman still goes on, so he’s playing himself at ages 30 and 80. He’s happy, and great as the old Bruce. He’s still the regular Batman/Bruce Wayne on “The Batman/Superman Adventures”. His performance on that and as Old Bruce are wonderful.”

Possible inclusion of other DC characters

“Since BB takes place in the future, one wonders if there is a chance of seeing any members from a budding Legion of Superheroes, or other futuristic characters. “Initially, no, but we have been talking about where Superman is in this world,” Burnett muses. “We’re including the

Royal Flush Gang [JLA villains] in “Beyond”. We tried to use the Royal Flush characters on Batman and Superman; we toyed with them, but it wasn’t until “Beyond” that we found a way to bring them in. We’re always looking at personal character angles to these shows; it’s not enough that our heroes are god and our villains bad, we have to hit upon what their personal story is.”

On Burnett himself

“Burnett is clearly excited about this latest Bat-venture, and expects that “Beyond” has a successful future ahead of it. “I’ve been in the game of writing scripts for superheroes for some time, going back to the 80’s [as story editor for “Superfriends: Galactic Guardians”]. I wrote them at a time when superheroes couldn’t even make a fist, let alone hit anybody. When I finally got on “Batman”, I couldn’t believe that we were actually going to do this sophisticated show. Now, if you asked the crew what show they would rather work on out of all the superheroes we’re doing, it would be BATMAN BEYOND. It has captured everybody’s imagination.”
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Once again, thanx alot Gookie for the information!
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EDITORAL
(by Laura Hysert, aka “Phoenix”)

We were sitting in the living room of their basement apartment, two old high school friends and I, polishing off glasses of a very good Chardonnay white, and talking about our callings.

Each of us feel our callings are to be storytellers. Rob and Tara self-published a black-and-white comic not too long ago, a labour of love that put them in the red. So they gave up the comic and got “real” jobs. Meanwhile, I’m in journalism school, learning a craft that demands my time and my soul, both of which I’m reluctant to give.

Even though we know our callings, the reality of rent and phone bills chase those passions further and further into the blurred edges of our lives. But that night we decided that having a calling, a purpose, was still the most important thing of all.

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life coming home the way Tara does,” Rob said. Tara, after an almost 14-hour day spent commuting and working in a job she doesn’t love, came home tired and grumpy, with no energy to do more than watch Buffy and talk to her boyfriend on the phone. Even eating was too much effort — by the time she went to bed, her cereal bowl of spaghetti Diablo was still only half-finished.

The trick, Rob said, is to find something to do that sends you to work happy every day. You must commit yourself to something with all the passion you can summon. And that’s your calling; it is, as someone said, the thing that lights a fire under your butt.

No one can say that Batman doesn’t have a calling. No earthly or heavenly court could convict him of not having passion, or of not committing his entire being to his purpose. To me, Batman is the character that epitomizes passion and dedication to a calling. When I want to get serious about my own calling, I place a four-inch-high plastic figure of Batman in front of my computer and type away. Frozen in a fighting stance, his face hard with a grimace, he dares me not to write.

We can argue about the motivations behind Batman’s purpose; we can debate whether or not he should be alone when he executes his calling; we can even start a flame-war over what kind of cape he should wear when he’s doing it. But these arguments overshadow the most important question. The one that would be the first we would ask ourselves, when we consider the various callings of our lives.

Does being Batman make him happy?

One line in “Knight Time” always sets me laughing. When Robin shows Superman the videotape of Bruce that made him first think that Bruce wasn’t quite himself, he says, “See what I mean about him acting strange? He’s smiling.”

Batman rarely smiles. You would think if he were truly happy doing what he does, he’d smile more. Perhaps he traded his own happiness for the grimmer satisfaction of pushing back the tide of chaos and pain a little more each night. He never expected happiness – not after that night in the alley.

Or maybe he is happy. Maybe being Batman gives him a contentment that goes far deeper than just having a good day at the office. The freedom from the limits that the rest of us mortals suffer under, freedom gained for him by his mastery of physical and mental arts, perhaps this fills his soul. The challenge and exhilaration of dispensing violent justice on the drug pushers and murderers could be enough to make him grin in glee.

Or maybe even he is in that space between happiness and unhappiness, fulfillment and hollowness, that most of us inhabit. After all, he is the most human of superheroes.

I’m not going to give my opinion on this one. I’m leaving this up to you. Does being Batman make Bruce happy, or is his soul ever discontent? Or is he something in between? Is being happy really integral to following your purpose?

Send your opinions and comments to me via juno@direct.ca . Put my name in the subject line or something. And maybe, editors willing, we can publish some of the responses in the next newsletter. That’s assuming there are responses, of course. Ahem.

Laura
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TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
– a column dedicated to “Batman Beyond”

(by Ed Wiser)
ewiser@iglou.com

Like all BTAS fans, I waited for the premier of “Batman Beyond” with mixed feelings. The reason cited for the new show’s creation, “TOYS for Kenner,” did not seem to be a good one for “Batman Beyond’s” existence. As fans of BTAS, we don’t look at the resulting franchises that make money. However, in the business world BTAS is a money making entity. Just look at all the products that BTAS has generated for Warner Brothers and all their licensees. Paper plates, candy, comic books, video tapes, and, or course, action figures are just a few product made using BTAS designs that have made Warner Brothers money. So with “Batman Beyond” the powers-that-be at Warner Brothers are hoping to create a new cash cow. Luckily, the team of writers, artists, and producers of the animated Batman projects have artistic integrity. They have worked hard to make “Batman Beyond” both a succesful money maker and a show Batman animated fans will love.

So on January 10, 1999, I fully enjoyed the new show I had anxiously anticipated these last few months. From its opening to the very end, I was amazed the new show was so good. It was a much darker view of the future than we would have expected, given the press releases. The show was to have been aimed at a younger viewer than the BTAS show, which attracts 21 to 50 year olds. The Japanese animation influence was also a welcome surprise. After receiving the Batman Animated book as a Christmas gift and reading it in a couple days, I looked at the new show in a different light. Think of the teamwork necessary to put the show together, as well as the mix of ideas required to bring the vision of Batman’s future to this point. Yes, it would be nice to have more BTAS and STAS shows. It think it is good for the Warner Brothers animation team to stretch their collective creative energies into new areas, as they did in creating the origiinal BTAS show.

In the future, this column will discuss the new chaper in the Batman mythology. We will keep a close eye on how the show will affect the future of both BTAS and STAS. If “Batman Beyond” is as successful as it has proven to be in the first two shows, might a Justice League show be next? Or perhaps another superhero based show that would be a great success?

Batwishes,
Ed Wiser
ewiser@iglou.com
______________________

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. Some are easy, some are not. Now have fun – let’s see how well you do! Answers are provided beneath the “Animated Batman/Superman Sites” section.

I figured that with the premiere “Batman Beyond” looming in our midst, this would be a good time to take note of some of the more important pieces of info you should know prior to watching the series.

66. What is Man-Bat’s human identity?

A: Francine Langstrom
B: Kirk Langstrom
C: Emile Dorian
D: Waylon Jones
E: Dennis Rodman

67. Bane has appeared numerous times in the “animated” continuity. In how many appearances did Batman fight him, but NOT in a dream, as of the printing of this newsletter?

A: ONE
B: TWO
C: THREE
D: FOUR
E: FIVE

68. What happened to Killer Croc’s tail? Where’d it go?

A: In an untold “Lost Years” story, it was ripped off during a fight with Batman.
B: It was the Alligator Bag company, dude – the Alligator Bag Co.
C: It was amputated after his fight with Bane in the “Bane” episode.
D: He never had a tail, ya nimrod!
E: Croc used it as a toothpick but ended up biting it off by accident.

69. Which of the following has Clayface morphed into?

A: Annie
B: Bruce Wayne
C: Some of Daggett’s thugs
D: Lucius Fox
E: Commissioner Gordon

70. In which episode did the Werewolf appear?

A: “WERE-WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN FUNKY BUNCH”
B: “PETER AND THE WOLF”
C: “HOWLIN’ GOOD TIME”
D: “‘DIS EPISODE SUX”
E: “MOON OF THE WOLF”
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LITTLE FACTS
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)

Here is a section that just points out various little facts that we have noticed while watching BTAS and STAS countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

CONBTRIBUTED BY STAFF:

1) Producer Bruce Timm provides the voice of the Mad Bomber in “Beware the Gray Ghost”, as well as the Jokerz leader on “Batman Beyond”.

2) Voice of Firefly, Mark Rolston, can be seen in “Rush Hour”, now on video. (He played the leading guy for the FBI in the film – the one with blonde hair, who’s in a cast at the end of the movie). So if ya wanna see what one of the BTAS voice actors looks like, rent the movie! Beside the point, it’s a fun movie.

3) Boxy Bennett and Chuckie Sol (from “Mask of the Phantasm”) are both voiced by the same person – Dick Miller.

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:

“Grey Eyes”

3) The men singing in the cafe at the end of “Holiday Knights” are based upon BTAS producers Paul Dini and Bruce Timm (but what about the “other” guy?).

4) Bruce Timm ALSO provides the voice of one of the guys gettin’ fresh with Harley and Ivy in the famous “Here’s the paddle” scene of “Harley & Ivy”.

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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)

“FREEZING IVY, CROCS OF CLAY, AND A BIG OL’ DICK”

Since Mr. Smith was unable to provide a toy review for this newsletter, we have dug an earlier toy review from BTAN #05, discussing the third wave of “animated” Bat-figures. Enjoy!

The third wave of figures saw a change in the card art; the backdrop no longer faded from yellow to orange to red, but from yellow to white to blue, which looked better, in my opinion. But more imporantly, more figures were released:

First up was Mr. Freeze. He was an excellent figure who looked exactly like he did in the show. I would have preferred the helmet be removable, but how it came was A-OK. He came with Firing “Ice” Blaster, which was a weak water gun. However, the gun looked a lot like the gun he used in the show, so it’s not that bad, and besides, the tube connecting the gun to the backpack helped to balance him. The card art was great too. It looked like either the artist improved, or was replaced.

Then there was Clayface with Launching Spiked Ball, who was also a surprise, but welcome regardless. I mean, who WOULDN’T want more villains? One of his hands had what looked to be “metal” claws, and his other hand fired a spiked ball when his body was squeezed – both of which were seen in his first animated appearance, “Feat of Clay”. However, his legs didn’t move, his head didn’t turn (which I’ll give to them, since he doesn’t really have a neck!). The card art was done well, too. It had a sense of action and movement with it and again looks like he does in the show.

Also released in this wave was Dick Grayson/Robin. The card read “Transforms into Robin with High-Tech Gear!” It was a worthy effort, since it was nice to get a Dick Grayson figure. They handled the Robin mask well, which was rubber and fit over his head, but the tech gear was really silly, and as usual, he had a racing outfit on, though it could almost – ALMOST work. Another complaint, is that Dick Grayson has the same wild hair look as Robin instead of the tame combed back hair, which helped to further distance the two identities. The card art was passable, and at least it looked like Robin this time.

Another unexpected addition to this wave was Poison Ivy. True to form, she was relatively short, and yet, still slim. She came with Snapping Venus Flytrap and Dart Weapon. The dart weapon was just a plastic crossbow, but it was the closest we’d get to the little wrist dart thing she has. The Venus Flytrap thing was kind of dumb. I mean, carrying a large Venus Flytrap? I recall it being a plant, and therefore requiring planting. Oh well, it’s her mutant breed. Like Catwoman, she had this weird in-step pose, but not as bad, so it was easier to balance. I liked the fact that when posing without the flytrap, her hand was on one hip. The card art was adequate, though the artist did a bad job of trying to make her hair windblown.

Killer Croc was a late release. This figure really sucked. The sculpting sucked, (What are proportions?) the painting sucked, (a grand total of three colors used!) and the dumb crocodile accessory sucked. (It was the size of a baby crocodile. What a challenge for the great Killer Croc to wrestle!) He also had a Power-Punch arm that sucked too. They didn’t give his eyes any detail, which were simply yellow. Also, they failed at capturing his face, although I’ve discovered that it looks more like Killer Croc if you color eyes on him. They got the body ok, but the arm punch action was really weak. The card art was equally terrible. His only saving grace, was that he was a much needed villain in a wave filled with asinine Batman variants, which included Power Vision Batman, Ground Assault Batman, Anti-Freeze Batman, Decoy Batman, Mech Wing Batman, Lightning Strike Batman, Knight Star Batman, (which was later released in a two pack with a similar Robin) and the worst, Total Armor Batman (black and purple).

The vehicles were the stupid Aero Bat and Hydro Bat, and the really kewl Batplane.

So, what’s in the next issue? Hmmm…we don’t quite know ourselves…
______________________

COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES ISSUE: “The Oldest One in the Book!” (#11)

WRITTEN BY: Ty Templeton
PENCILED BY: Rick Burchett
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: February 3, 1999 (Cover date is April)
RATING: ***** (out of 5)

“I really didn’t want to leave you any clues. I really planned never to go back to Arkahm Asylum. But I left you a clue anyway. So I… I have to go back there. Because I might need help. I… I might actually be crazy…” –The Riddler, defeated

SUMMARY: The Riddler has broken out of Arkham and he visits Charles Baxter (CEO of Wacko Toys from “Riddler’s Reform”) to find a place to stay. He blackmails Baxter into giving him the penthouse at his new hotel, the Cleopatra. Nygma has a grand scheme this time: he will use his compulsion to leave clues, not to his crimes (he won’t be committing any), but to those of other criminals’. It begins with a message to Commissioner Gordon which leads Batman and Nightwing to arrest a gang known as the Morning Mob. Nygma likes this “dectective work,” and his next clue will be an even bigger one, and he’s going to do some major legwork on it. Four days later the police get their second clue which reveals a missing diamond was stolen by its museum’s curator. Batman, meanwhile, believes he sees the Riddler’s bigger clue: all the clues have playing card references. For his next clue, the Riddler interrogates Boxy Bennet (seen in “Harley’s Holiday”), but when Batman uses it to track down a major criminal, he realizes their isn’t a card reference. However, something Nightwing says clicks, and Batman knows where to find Eddie. When they get to his suite, they reveal that all his clues included elements adding up to the riddle of the Sphinx (leading them to the Cleopatra) from Oedipus Rex. The Riddler is furious, because he didn’t want or mean to send any clues to his whereabouts. He realizes that he has a problem, and he actually needs to return to Arkham.

COMMENTS: This issue is perfect. The Riddler is my favorite villain, and this issue was masterfully put together. Aside from an excellent plot (that would make a great episode of the show), this issue features beautiful art and coloring. Rick Burchett’s illustrations convey the feel of the animated series and flow of the story excellently. His variations on the Riddler’s costume also shine (including a purple jacket and hat with the new costume, and a green sports jacket with question mark insignia). These make me appreciate the new costume ecen more. Lee Loughridge’s colors jump off the page (see bottom, page 14 and panel 2, page 15 especially), creating a vibrant atmosphere that keeps the eye busy. All in all, this was a fantasic episo… I mean, um, comic…

CRITICISMS: I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this story!

BOTTOM LINE: This is, by far, one of (if not the) best issues so far, so go pick it up!
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS

This section gives a little bit more indepth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. We have meshed this section with our “COVERING THE BASICS” section, to make the newsletter much more succint. Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!

The price is $1.99 in the US and..grrrrr….now a whopping $3.25 in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the “grrr”.)

“ANIMATED” COMICS

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #12

March 3rd
Two-Face has escaped again, but this time he’s been slipped a trick coin that’s rigged to come up heads every time. Coupled with his rather tenuous grip on reality, it results in his becoming a suicidal force for good in Gotham. The Judge is also set to re-appear.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmga12.jpg

NEXT MONTH: – It’s the return of Mastermind, the Perfessor and Mister Nice (from the pages of the original BATMAN ADVENTURES series)! This criminal trio has faced its share of challenges in the past, but now a visit from a strange child could lead to the dissolution of their partnership, if not their very lives! Can Batman save some of his greatest enemies?
Cover of #13: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmga13.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #2
Feb. 17th
An adaption of part two of the animated debut of the NEW Batman, “Rebirth”.
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bb/bb2.jpg

NEXT MONTH: Issue #3 – One of the all-new villains from the Batman Beyond animated series menaces the Batman of the future. As the radioactive foe known as Blight tries to procure a substance that will help him render inert all the sources of power in Gotham City, Batman might have to choose between stopping the villain and saving a group of homeless kids who get in the way.
Cover of #3: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bb/bb3.jpg
Cover of #4: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmb4.jpg

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #31
March 3rd
The conclusion of a two-part story. Blasted a year into the future, Superman stands as the final line of defense for Earth. And the threat he’s trying to protect the planet from? Himself.
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/sa/sa30.jpg

NEXT MONTH: – Meet Daily Planet janitor Ben Sullivan’s girlfriend… Lois Lane? Ben, a mild-mannered staffer with a huge crush on Lois, accidentally becomes the object of the reporter’s affections when she’s hit by a supervillain’s hypnotic device. Now Ben’s in seventh heaven while Superman not only must foil a foe who can plant hypnotic suggestions in anyone’s mind, but also find a way to break Lois’s trance before it becomes irreversible!
_______________________

ANIMATED NEWS AND RUMORS

GENERAL

MEN IN BLACK and BATMAN BEYOND now have their own official message boards. Check them out here:
http://wbboards.warnerbros.com

MOVIES

-Rumors of the making of a “Catwoman” film (which was first rumored in 1992) are re-surfacing. Is the WB trying to satisfy our taste for a Batman film by giving us one about the Feline Fatale, while they decide how to rework the Bat-franchise? Hmmm.

-MASK OF THE PHANTASM will be airing on CARTOON NETWORK again at 8pm (ET) on March 13th. It also looks like Kids’WB! won’t be airing MASK OF THE PHANTASM at all.

“CURRENT” ANIMATED SERIES’

– An internet interview with Kevin Conroy is approaching. Keep your eyes and ears peeled!

-At the end of this month, the 1999-2000 schedule for the WB will be released. Batman/Superman, Batman Beyond, and MIB are all going to be there FOR SURE.

-“Legacy” will be the two-part season finale for Superman, featuring his final showdown against Darksied.

-The Comic Book Continuum has a short article on the new Superman episode SUPERMAN’S PAL:
http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9902/02/index.htm#2

-If you want to see some REAL good pics of all your favorite DC characters in animated style then check out DC KIDS. Its the new kid section of DC COMICS that focuses on the animated versions of the DCU characters. Just go to the coloring section and you’ll see 20-25 pics of DCU characters in the animated style, as well as their usual comic book style!
http://www.dccomics.com/dckids/index.htm

-Mania.com’s ANIMATED SHORT has an interveiw with the writers of LITTLE GIRL LOST. Check it out here:
http://www.mania.com//columns/animated/animated020599.html

BATMAN BEYOND

-For all of you wondering what villians we’ll get to see in the next month of so on BATMAN BEYOND here’s a list. After the two-part premiere wraps up on the 23rd, we’ll see Inque in “Black Out” on Jan. 30th. This will be followed by 4 new episodes in a row which features these characters as villians:

(Feb. 13) (#7) Blight (with Mr. Freeze)
(Feb. 20) (#8) Spellbinder (?)
(Feb. 27) (#5?) and a suprise!

Thanx to Chip once again fore the news!

-The Comic Book Continuum recently had a huge column on alot of upcoming Batman Beyond events. Go to this URL to check ’em out! http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9901/28/index.htm

-Brian Cruz has also provided us with this link: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/2359

-Wanna see how good BATMAN BEYOND is doing in the ratings? Well check out this press release provided by Brian Cruz: http://www.pathfinder.com/corp/warnbros/wbpr99/batman012599.html

-By the time you read this, the all-new official BATMAN BEYOND site should be fully up and functionable, so go check it out now!
http://www.batmanbeyond.com

COMICS/BOOKS

Re: NO MAN’S LAND (LOTSA SPOILERS)

– Well, four issues into the story and we’ve seen Oracle show us where all the villains (but the Joker and Bane) have claimed territory in devastated Gotham. We have seen dealings with the Penguin and a cameo by the Joker. The new Batgirl has appeared. Then, in the most recent issue, Batman has FINALLY returned (along with Alfred), 100 days after the bridges were blown up – but his absence was not explained. The GCPD have reclaimed the LoBoyz and Demonz territory of Gotham, threatening to kill anyone if they come back. Batman also has his first encounter with the new Batgirl.

– After a time in Bludhaven, Superman and Nightwing will come to Gotham to assist the Bat; ditto for Robin. The GCPD gets medieval on everybody’s hiney. Azrael also becomes a more intricate part of the team, hunting down businessman Nicholas Scratch. Huntress is also stickin’ around in the religious sector of town. The JLA won’t appear (aside from some appearances of Superman), and we’re going to see why. As for Spoiler…she just had her baby and then what? Hmmm?

The latest development is that Batman has taken down the first of the major villains in No Man’s Land – the Ventriloquist/Scarface – and now Batman has put Rhino in control of the area.

Now, it looks like we’ll see the Huntress and the Scarecrow battling it out in the religious sector of town, as Scarecrow has sought refuge there. We know something is gonna go down. Then, underworld kingpin Black Mask makes his appearance, as well as Penguin trying to gain more territory, moving in on the “Fatih Sector”; then Batgirl and Montoya take on Two-Face in what used to be Downtown Gotham.

“NO MAN’S LAND” BACK-STORY AND OTHER COMICS NEWS:

– Villains aplenty:

-Riddler has left, only to be persued by Robin and the Flash.

-Catwoman returns to Gotham about half-way through after New York proves to be a waste of her time.

-Mr. Freeze seizes control of the power plant to stay alive – and to have something valuable to trade with the rest of society.

-The Scarecrow has a field day tormenting Huntress in the religious sector of town.

-Bane tries to gain control of the city – again – but has to break in from the outside.

-Poison Ivy seeks refuge in the Robinson Park.

-Penguin seems to have the only access to points of the world OUTSIDE of Gotham, and basically rules the city, living in luxury.

-Two-Face has seized control of the political and financial districts in Downtown Gotham, and has a unique tie to Rene Montoya of the GCPD.

-The Joker doesn’t appear as a major player until close to the end, along with the new, improved Harley Quinn – whom will appear in civilian form mid-way through the crossover.

-The Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Mr. Zsasz, and various other “lesser” villains have their own chunks of Gotham to rule as well.

-Other villain heavyweights like Clayface, Firefly, and Ra’s Al Ghul will most likely have roles as well, but no details have been given for them yet.

– Lots of new NO MAN’S LAND info can be found at this site now: http://www.mania.com

– For all Superman fans, read this: The January issue of Cinescape includes a review of Les Daniels and Chip Kidd’s Superman: The Complete History, reviewer Frank Kurtz called it “A beautifully designed book that would do any coffee table proud”, and “even seasoned comics enthusiasts may find themselves surprised by the depth of the material.”

Re: ANIMATED COMICS

– It looks like Kelly Puckett and Scott Peterson, writer and editor of “Batman Adventures” (1992-1995) well at least write two issues of “Batman: Gotham Adventures” after Ty Templeton’s departure following .

– Rumor has it that if the “Batman Beyond” series and comic series are popular enough, it will become a continuing series, instead of just a six-issue mini-series as currently planned. The same happened with “The Batman Adventures” many moons ago.

– Joe Staton has been pegged as the artist for the BATMAN BEYOND comic series, while Terry Beatty is inker and Hilary J. Bader is writer.

– Another current comic character will be making an appearance in BATMAN BEYOND! In Issue #4 of the comic series based on the TV show, Jason Blood/Etrigan will appear. Cool huh?

-Sometime after , Bane will make an appearance in GOTHAM ADVENTURES.

TOYS & MERCHANDISE

-As for the regular animated line, a wave featuring the new-style Mr. Freeze and three Batman variants is due sometime in 1999 – some have said this “MISSION MASTERS” assortment has been sighted in stores right now! I have seen pics of the Mr. Freeze figure and it looks really good, just like his original figure – it even has the detachable head and spider legs!

-There have been alot of rumors floating around that there is an Animated Batman game in the works. Check out the full details at Brian’s Batman Page (URL provided below in the website section)

-TITUS has just announced that the N64/PLaystation video game based on Superman: The Animated Series will be released on May 25th, 1999. The extra long delay is reportly due to some control problems. (Remember, however, the “Batman & Robin” Playstation came had an extended delay, too, only to make the game superb. Hopefully SUPERMAN will be just as good!)

-More pictures of the “Batman Beyond” figures have been released! Follow this link to see a figure of the Jokerz Leader!
http://www.aiusa.com/chip/timm/news/news.htm
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HELPING ALL YOU COLLECTORS OUT THERE
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)

I know that there are many people out there that collect Batman OR Superman items – like myself. I only started a year ago and, believe me, finding some of these items (like action figures) that were released a couple years ago is pretty tough! So, I decided to start up a little section in the newsletter to help out our fellow Bat-fans. I can only personally guarantee that my entries are 100% true, for I saw these items with my own eyes. So we’re working on the honour system here. Sound fair?

Well, if this section proves to not be a help for anyone, I’ll just abandon it. But I thought I should give it a try. If anyone has any items they’d like to post in this section, feel free to do so – just give a brief description, name, e-mail address. Thank you!

Well, here we go! I hope this helps out someone out there!

1. HUGE AMOUNT OF FIGURES READY TO SELL. Yep! Just look at this list! A figure without an “MOC” marking is NOT in the package. Figures with a “*” mean that they are without some/all accessories. All figures are of the animated “Batman” style. E-mail jodyctmp2@kih.net for more info, if interested.

-Mint on card:

RAPID ATTACK BATMAN (MOC)
HOVER JET BATMAN (MOC)
ANTIFREEZE BATMAN (MOC)
TORNADO BATMAN (MOC)
TOTAL ARMOUR BATMAN (MOC)
BRUCE WAYNE (w/ snap-on armour) (MOC)
KNIGHTSTAR BATMAN (MOC)
SKYDIVE BATMAN (MOC)
TURBOJET BATMAN (MOC)
TRANSFORMING DICK GRAYSON (MOC)
NINJA ROBIN (MOC)
BATMAN VS. TWO-FACE: ARKHAM ASYLUM ESCAPE (MOC)
BATTLE HELMET BATMAN MAIL AWAY FIGURE (MOC)
THE JOKER (w/ laughing gas gun) (MOC) – quantity: 2
CATWOMAN (MOC)
THE RIDDLER (MOC)
POISON IVY (MOC)
THE SCARECROW (MOC)
MR. FREEZE (MOC)
BANE, 1st Card (MOC) – quantity: 3
THE PHANTASM (MOC)

-Loose:

BATMAN TURBO SURGE (Duo Force)
BATMAN VECTOR WING (Duo Force)
DECOY BATMAN
COMBAT BELT BATMAN
GLIDER ROBIN
ROBIN (Duo Force)
WINDBLITZ BATGIRL (Duo Force)
RIDDLER (Duo Force)
POGO STICK JOKER
RA’S AL GHUL

-Loose, with some accessories missing:

INFRARED BATMAN*
THE PENGUIN*
MAN-BAT*

-Vehicles and Miscellaneous:

BATMOBILE
BATPLANE
BATMAN COLLECTORS CASE
HYDRO BAT
JOKER-MOBILE
NIGHTSPHERE (w/ excl. Batman figure)
———-

WANTS TO BUY

1. DARKSEID. We are looking for one Superman: The Animated Series DARKSIED figure. E-mail the following address if you are able to help our fellow subscriber out! E-mail: kbenso@msn.com

2. CLAYFACE. Anyone know where to get a “Legends of the Dark Knight” Clayface figure? I know it’s not animated, but it still counts for this column…can anyone help? E-mail: juno@direct.ca

______________________

SITE WORTH CHECKING OUT

THE BRUCE TIMM ARTWORK ARCHIVE has somehow made it into this section again! It is the 3rd time its been in here! This site is constantly able to make itself better and better. The newest redesign of the site is the best, and permenent. The layout gives the site a real fun quality to it, which perfectly fits the man its paying homage to – Bruce Timm. This site has some of the most up to date news that any site can get, as well as sneek peek photos, storyboards, and pics of new characters! I urge you to give this site a well deserved shot! I mean, it didn’t get in this section three times (so far) for nothin’!
http://www.aiusa.com/chip/timm/archive.htm

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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

KIDSWB!
http://www.kidswb.com
http://www.wbanimation.com

BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO
http://www.warnerbros.com/subzero

SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com

DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com

TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net

RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com

UNOFFICIAL SITES
—–

*TWO-FACE’S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html

BRIAN CRUZ’ WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html

BRIAN’S BATMAN PAGE
http://members.aol.com/bdavis2613/main.html

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm

THE BRUCE TIMM ARTWORK ARCHIVE
http://www.aiusa.com/chip/timm/archive.htm

ANIMANIA
http://hjem.get2net.dk/twt/home.htm

HARLEY’S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/harlequinhideaway

THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html

THE BATCOMPUTER
http://members.spree.com/batcomputer

BATMAN:FOREVER KNIGHT
http://batman.techv.net

WORLD’S FINEST
http://members.spree.com/sip/worldsfinest

CHARACTERS ON THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN
http://www.xse.com/leres/batman.html

ARKHAM ASYLUM
http://animation.acmecity.com/saturday/352

THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES: THE UNOFFICIAL SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158

THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN F.A.Q. SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/1216

MESSAGE BOARDS, INC
—–

HEAVY DUTY DUBBAS DISCUSSION CENTER
http://members.spree.com/sip/hddboards

BATMAN:TAN MESSAGE BOARD
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb205617

NEWSGROUPS
—–

news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.comics.catwoman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
_______________________

ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA

Answer to #66: ‘B’
Answer to #67: ‘B’
Answer to #68: ‘D’
Answer to #69: ‘A, B, C’
Answer to #70: ‘E’
______________________

LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE’S HOW!!!

Now that this newsletter is archived at THE WBC HOMEPAGE, those who haven’t subscribed have been asking how to do so. Well here it is for those who would like to subscribe:

To subscription requests e-mail
juno@direct.ca
and that’s all ya do. Just put ‘subscribe’ and your e-mail address in the e-mail message.

A little cash donation would be appreciated, but it’s not obligatory.
(Dang!)

Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading!

-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors
_______________________

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:

BATMAN and all related property is a registered trademark of DC Comics. Visit DC Comics website at:
http://www.dccomics.com

DC Comics is owned and operated by Warner Brothers. Visit their website at:
http://www.warnerbros.com

Kids’WB! is a part of Warner Brothers. Visit the Kids’ WB! site at:
http://www.kidswb.com
______________________

TO ALL GOOD THINGS…

…there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it! See ya next time!

CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER

EDITOR: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton and “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz
BTAS REVIEWS: Bob Evatt and Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITORIAL: Laura Hysert
BATMAN BEYOND COLUMN: Ed Wiser
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
ORIGINAL BTAS REVIEWS: “E. Nygma”
STARLOG INTERVIEW: “Gookie”
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
COLLECTOR’S CORNER: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN’ THE WORD AROUND: Dick Grayons, Eileen Delgadillo, Brian Cruz, Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane (who else?)

All elements in this newsletter have been copyrighted (copywritten?) by DC Comics, 1999.

_______________________

Batman The Animated Newsletter #16

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