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Batman The Animated Newsletter #38

Batman The Animated Newsletter #38

Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of September 27 – October 2/3
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping” THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “THANK YOU TO RIDDLERWB FOR SAVING US FROM THE WRATH OF THE POKEMON!”
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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.

THE LOSS OF THE WB ON WGN: The WB is no longer be carried on WGN-TV’s national feed to avoid conflicts with other WB affiliates. WGN-TV will continue carrying the prime time WB in the Chicago area. If you’re outside the Chicago area and know of no other way to pick up the WB, you may call them at (818)977-5000 for more information. This is taken from the info section of the WGN website, http://www.wgn.com . Thank you for Peter Destructo for pointing this out.

‘JOYRIDE’
Batman Beyond #15?
Air date: October 2, 1999
Anyone have any idea what this is gonna be about?

‘ONCE BURNED’
Batman Beyond #17?
Air Date: 1999-2000 season
Ten returns to rekindle her love for Terry, and the Royal Flush Gang returns to once again kill Batman – but then again, is there more than meets the eye this time?

‘LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)’
Superman #44, 48
Air date: Fall of 1999
This two-parter features the final showdown between Superman and Darksied in which he strips Superman of his memory and adopts him as a son in an effort to take over Earth. This is being touted as the FINAL Superman episode EVER. However, I must say that I’ve read a synopsis of the episode, and it’s a doozie.
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)

THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES airs Mondays thru Fridays beginning at 4pm (ET). It also airs every weekend at 8am (ET). BATMAN BEYOND airs on the occasional weekday at 4pm (ET), sharing the time slot with THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. BATMAN BEYOND also airs every weekend at 9am (ET). Check your local listings for time and station in your area. If this newsletter section is not updated in time, please refer to either of these two links for schedule information:

http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/episodes.html
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/

THIS WEEK:
Mon 9-27-99: Batman #108 Beware the Creeper
B-BEYOND #10 Dead Man’s Hand

Tue 9-28-99: Superman #24 Solar Power
Batman #87 Sins of the Father

Wed 9-29-99: Batman #94 Love is a Croc
Superman #28 Father’s Day

Thu 9-30-99: Superman #33 Apokalips…Now! (Pt. 1)
Superman #35 Apokalips…Now! (Pt. 2)

Fri 10-1-99: B-BEYOND #06 Shriek

Sat 10-2-99: Superman #47 Obsession
B-BEYOND #?? Joyride ———–NEW!!!

All episodes #86 and onward of BATMAN are considered THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES while the original 85 are considered BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS) episodes.
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CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BTAS/BEYOND on YTV)
(courtesy of our friends at YTV)

-To find the episode guide and airing schedule of BATMAN on YTV then please go to http://www.ytv.com and click on the YTV GUIDE icon at the bottom of the screen. To check out the schedule then click on BATMAN in the time grid and it will have the schedule for the current week.
-To find the episode guide and airing schedule of BATMAN BEYOND on YTV then please go to this http://www.ytv.com and click on the YTV GUIDE icon at the bottom of the screen. To check out the schedule then click on BATMAN BEYOND in the time grid and it will have the schedule for the current week.

BTAS will air at 7:30am on weekday mornings (in all time zones), and BEYOND will air at 2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. YTV has the rights to show all 109 BTAS episodes; it is still unclear as to whether they’ll be showing any of the new STAS or BEYOND episodes as of yet, but we’ll keep you posted!

THIS WEEK:
Mon 9-27-99: BTAS #09 Be a Clown

Tue 9-28-99: BTAS #26 Appointment in Crime Alley

Wed 9-29-99: BTAS #07 P.O.V.

Thu 9-30-99: BTAS #25 The Clock King

Fri 10-1-99: BTAS #04 The Last Laugh

Sat 10-2-99: BEYOND #07 Meltdown

Sun 10-3-99: BEYOND #08 Heroes

NOTE: It would appear that the YTV schedules are following the order in which new episodes aired on the FOX network back in 1992. Sometimes it will be impossible to get the YTV schedules in time for the delivery of this newsletter. We will notify you if this is the case; just follow example set by FOX. I shall put up a page at my website to show the order in which these episodes aired, as a rough guide to follow.
It would appear that BATMAN BEYOND is following the same order, too.
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CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE:
“Yabba Dabba Doom”
(courtesy of Brian Cruz)

THE CARTOON NETWORK was able to get the exclusive rights to 52 episodes of the classic BTAS, as well as both animated movies. BTAS airs Monday-Friday at 6pm (ET) and then repeated again at midnight. If our schedule listings is not complete or up to date then please go to TOONZONE for the complete episode schedule at:

http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html

To see the 52 episodes that the CARTOON NETWORK does show, go to this link:

http://www.toonzone.net/brian/eplists/batman-cn.html

NOTE: The schedules at Brian Cruz’ site are currently unavailable; if anyone knows of any other place where people can get listings for BTAS on the Cartoon Network, please e-mail us!
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EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)

All of Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton’s reviews of the new-style BTAS episodes and BATMAN BEYOND can be found via these links, which link to “Two-Face’s Tower of Tranquility and Terror”:

MAIN PAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BTAS PAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFaceText/bats.html

NOTE: Due to the loss of the WGN, editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton has been unable to review any new episodes. Until he can once again, we’ll be having someone substituting for him. Thank you to Justin Chen, aka “The Overseer” for this review!


EARTH MOVER
Story By Alan Burnett & Stan Berkowitz
Written By Stan Berkowitz
Directed By Dan Riba
Animation By Dong Yang
Original air date: September 25, 1999
My Rating: *** (out of five stars)

The second episode out of the much awaited new season of Batman Beyond comes off more or less as an average, but still enjoyable viewing experience.

As the episode opens Terry and Dana are doing homework at a girl named Jackie’s home. Jackie’s heart isn’t into math though, and the pair ask what’s wrong. Jackie has a feeling that someone’s been following her recently, but she can’t put her finger on who it is. A man, who we assume is her father, arrives to encourage the kids to be a bit louder…seems he can’t concentrate on his work when it’s too quiet. Oddly, Jackie calls the man Bill, rather than Dad, which raises questions from Dana that Jackie dismisses as “a long story”.

Meanwhile, Terry notices someone watching from outside their window, and leaps outside in pursuit. As Terry catches up, he spins the figure around, only to find a dark faceless mass. He knocks Terry backwards, but soon the hero is back on him again. He tackles the giant and they fall onto the road, where a car slams into the mysterious figure. When Terry recovers, all he finds is a pile of dirt.

Bruce has little to say about the sample Terry picks off the road. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” Terry says after Bruce examines it. Of course he seems to be, since the sample is ordinary soil. Terry decides to keep an eye on Jackie anyway, and the next day after school, he questions as to who the mysterious intruder was after. In the course of their discussions, we learn that Bill is not Jackie’s real father, which is why she calls him by his first name.

Bill gives Terry and Dana a lift home from school, but stop by a vacant plot of land, where Bill, who is revealed to be an industrialist, plans to build his latest factory. Suddenly, earthquakes shake the land, as multiple earthen figures just like the one who trespassed the night before erupt from the ground. But that’s not all, chemicals bubble out of cracks in the earth. The kids are shocked and confused, but Bill knows very well not to touch them. In the chaos, Terry manages to become Batman, and fights off the monsters. Bill pulls Jackie into their car and speed off.

Throughout the rest of the episode, we learn about Bill’s shady past and his suspicious relationship with Jackie’s biological father. It seems that Bill cut corners to become one of Gotham’s leading industrial tycoons, and Jackie’s father got shortchanged in a very bad way. Batman forces the truth out of Bill, but then, the earth swallows Bill, Jackie, and their home in a quick and terrifying moment, leaving Terry on the surface. Terry must go underground in Gotham’s massive subterrainean river system to rescue them.

From then on, we learn many secrets as to who the Earth Mover really is, why he’s after Jackie, and his major problem with Bill. It’s not really a big mystery, and most people should be able to figure out the solutions to these questions before they are answered in the show.

The action in “Earth Mover” lacks the intensity found in some of the Season One episodes, but that’s understandable. (He’s fighting dirt after all! ). And as with many BB episodes, the ending feels quite rushed. Frankly, I was kind of surprised at Jackie’s reaction at the end, given the revelations she learns about Bill, who she has trusted as her surrogate father for years. However, the most important thing in this episode is Terry’s overshadowing of Bruce. That’s right, Bruce only appears in about a couple short scenes, and his voice a few times elsewhere. But over 90 percent I’d say is purely Terry’s time. I’m aware that this new season is promising a more independent Terry, and this seems to be where it starts off. The dark appearance of Terry actually scares someone in this episode, something we haven’t really seen in BB.

Overall, “Earth Mover” came off as one of the middle of the pack episodes, which is still above the best of most other animated shows. It had nothing particularly grating about it, and even was a bit saddening at times. I’m still waiting for a truly groundbreaking episode to occur, but eps like Earth Mover will keep me watching until that happens.

-Justin Chen, aka The Overseer
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EDITORAL #1
(by Laura Hysert, aka “Phoenix”)

Breaking news: We’ve just gotten word that Ms. Hysert is trapped down a well. Fear not, we’ve already sent out our brigade of collies to find her. Nevertheless, she’s still unable to submit an article for this issue…let’s hope our entourage of Lassies find her quickly…
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EDITORIAL #2
(by Kelly Tindall)

The Gotham Adventures: Can the Bat-Team Carry On?

Long dismissed as a byproduct of Warner Bros. TV Animation department, the comic-book series based on Batman and Superman have nevertheless found their voice and their fans in the world of comic books. The stories and art are uniformly strong, and the characters are easy-to-digest variations on those that have been with generations of readers. But how stable are the books without a regular infusion of new material?

One of the more recent stories in Batman’s Gotham Adventures dealt with perennial fan-favorite villain Man-Bat. The story was a well-constructed, well-thought-out mystery that had its set-up, its confrontation, and its conclusion. What was wrong with it?

Perhaps it’s heart. Long-time animated-style writer Ty Templeton has left the book after a distinguished run. In his years crafting Batman tales, he was usually respectful to what the producers of the television show had done. His stories were disposable enough that they would not interfere with the often life-changing events of the cartoon…If Mr. Freeze were free at the conclusion of “Cold Comfort”, then he’d be free at the end of his comic story. The stories seldom conflicted.

In my opinion, Templeton did an excellent job moving the comics past the conventions of the show. His most recent Riddler tale managed the impossible; it was complicated and wildly entertaining, but showed a human side to a misused baddie who had long been regarded by those in TV as a simple ‘gimmick villain’. When using a character whose character is his mystery, such as the Scarecrow, Templeton showed the strength of will of Batman’s greatest fan, a ten-year old boy. The David vs. Goliath story was charming, and Scarecrow lost none of his cadaverous menace.

The quality of the book, however, has been slipping in the last few months. Rick Burchett, longtime animated-style artist, was obviously hungry for a new challenge. His work was wonderful, particularly in the new style, but he had been pigeonholed and no creative person ever desires that. He has since left. The lack in distinction of the last while, I found, was not necessarily in the art but the design…many of his own designs for characters were simply unsatisfying.

To Burchett’s credit, his successors have not achieved his level. Not only was Horace Pack, the true villain of “Bat Outta Gotham” a poorly realized and unthreatening little ogre, but the fight scenes with Man-Bat carried little punch. It has always been interesting to see an artist do a set-piece action segment in one page, while animators have several minutes. The best action in the book was the gimmicky but welcome two-page spread that opened the story, and ManBat’s throwing Batman BACK through a window they’d both just exited.

Will the Bat-Team carry on, or will we be stuck with simple stories that always feature two heroes and a villain? It remains to be seen if the current writer and artist can match Ty and Rick…but judging from Ty’s final Harley script, they don’t have much of a challenge. And that’s too bad.

So, with Poison Ivy on the horizon and the mysterious Lion Man and Prairie Girl on their way, the future is up in the air. Now, don’t ‘Lion Man’ and ‘Prairie Girl’ sound like aliases for other villains, a la Two-Face/the Judge? Now, THAT would be a story…Killer Croc and Baby Doll return, only as nutty heroes…Ah, the good old days.

Kelly Tindall
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AND THAT’S THE FACTS
(by “Reliable Source”)

(Yes, I understand that the title is grammatically incorrect. So sue us. Actually, nix that. Don’t sue us.)

(DISCLAIMER: For those of you who are not yet familiar, Reliable Source is an anonymous character who first surfaced on Batman: The Animated Message Boards, spewing forth ridiculous predictions about the future of Batman Beyond under the guise of spoiler warnings. His controversial posts created quite a buzz, and have now landed him, at least at this moment, a temporary column with this newsletter. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this character are in no way officially connected to Kids WB, Batman Beyond, this newsletter, or anything that is decent or holy.)

Greetings, folks, it’s your favourite reliable source, Reliable Source. For those of you who took the time to read, you’ll remember that last edition I offered some insight on the direction of the live action Batman franchise. In light of that, I have been bombarded with questions from people who want to know, “what about the animated Batman Beyond movie?” Well, don’t worry, kiddies, that project is still definitely a go. “So what can we look forward to seeing in it?” I thought you’d never ask. Here, at long last, are some answers.

First of all, of course, everyone wants to know what happened to The Joker. As it turns out, he and Harley Quinn did get married. They had a daughter; she was named Melanie. We will soon learn that this is Melanie from The Royal Flush Gang. However, there will be a climactic scene in an upcoming episode where a geriatric Joker tells Terry, “Batman, I am your father.” That makes Terry and Ten brother and sister, which will lead to complications down the road.

Joker eventually took his own life, when he realized he wasn’t funny any more. Harley then tried to settle down with The Riddler, who turned out to be an abusive alcoholic husband, and they quickly divorced. Harley decided to try “Trick or Treating on the other side of the street,” and found the forbidden “candy” of Poison Ivy to be much sweeter. ‘Nuff said there, folks. But because of the adult themes, this movie will be at least PG-13, if not R rated.

Meanwhile, Blight returns, along with the much-anticipated ressurection of Mr. Fixx. Since they were both sucked underwater and both exposed to the nerve gas, they bonded beneath the sea and are now two heads living on one body. They call themself “Blixx.” Together they try to take over the world’s dairy supply and ruin it with their horrible horrible hygiene. There is one extremely disturbing scene where Blixx is swimming through a vat of milk, crying “this will do your body good, kiddies!” Then one of the heads gets a milk mustache, and asks the other, “Hey, where’s YOUR mustache?”

Other surprises in store include what really happened to old favorites like Catwoman (she got a disease after getting a little TOO friendly with her cats and had to be put to sleep) and Penguin (he dropped the soap and was later beaten to death in prison).

Our source also says not to be too surprised if some new characters show up. “A lot of people really really really want to see a new Robin in the show,” our informant said. “We are listening, really. We know the obvious choice is to have Bruce become Robin, but we think we will surprise people.”

In an unrelated bit of news, “Matty will be playing a much much larger role soon. And it involves a costume with the letter R on it. But that is all we are saying. Don’t read into it too much. Maybe I said too much, can we have that last part stricken from the record? Really, stop writing this down. Hey. Come on, stop. I said stop, writing, you stupid…” That was all we got, sorry. I was then escorted off the premises.

Next time, we’ll discuss the wonders of the Hasbro toy lines based on our beloved Batman and B.B. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Send me e-mail at reliable_s@hotmail.com and tell me what’s on your mind. Stay tuned and, as always, more as I hear it.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)

This is one of my favourite sections, where I get to boggle the minds of all our readers! 
*EVIL LAUGH* This trivia is all animated-related in some form, and can deal with ANY aspect of the show or comics based on the show. Remember, answer the questions WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANIMATED CONTINUITY. Now have fun – let’s see how well you do! Answers are provided below.

*YAWN* *BIG STRETCH* OK, I’m tired, forgive me. Here are some aimless ramblings of mine…have fun! Mwuhahahaha!

176. Name the only two recurring characters on BTAS that have the same first name.

177. Which villains that have appeared on BATMAN BEYOND have appeared outside of the “Batman Beyond” universe?

178. Everyone knows that the BTAS version of Clayface is named Matt Hagen. Which of the six comic-book incarnations of this character has this name? The first? Second? third? etc?

179. In which BTAS episode can an American flag be found?

180. A character by the name “Germs” has appeared in a number of BTAS episodes; the voice actor for this character also provides the voice for another character on the series. Name this character.
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA

Answer to #176: HARVEY (Dent, Bullock)
Answer to #177: Mr. Freeze, Bane, the Royal Flush Gang
Answer to #178: The second mainstream-comic-book Clayface is named Matt Hagen. He’s dead.
Answer to #179: House and Garden
Answer to #180: Charlie Collins
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LITTLE FACTS AND BLOOPERS
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton) Here is a section that just points out various little facts and bloopers that we have noticed while watching BTAS and STAS countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

CONBTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) In “Joker’s Favor”, just as Charlie Collins realizes he was cussin’ out the Joker, he sheepishly rolls up his window. We HEAR it roll up, but we never actually SEE it…what gives?

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:

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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by Kevin Smith) 
Oh_Ho77@hotmail.com

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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: “Daddy Dearest” (#17)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILED BY: Tim Levins
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: August 4, 1999 (Cover date is October)
RATING: ***.5 (out of 5)

“Any murder is unacceptable. But to target a child…never. Not in MY city.”
–Batman

SUMMARY: After an apparent mob hit is thwarted by Batman, he goes undercover to find out who was behind it and why. He finds out that the men were after the family’s son. Batman goes after the man responsible, who explains that after a rival gang hit that left him wheelchair-bound, his only son had died. Checking at the hospital revealed that it wasn’t his real son, but one who was switched at birth. The boy he is after is his real son. Batman has to give the boy the right to meet his dad, even though he’s a vicious mafia boss. However, after talking with him, the son says thanks but no thanks and leaves his father. Batman trusts the father to stay away from his son because of something he saw in his eyes.

COMMENTS: This issue actually had some good characterization, some plot, and some very good moments. It’s the first of the issues after Ty Templeton left that I can say that about. The cover is great, as well.

CRITICISMS: I think that the switched-at-birth thing is something that’s been done to death in all forms of entertainment and media lately, so I didn’t find anything all too remarkable or new to the story. Also, the art seemed a lot more cartoony than I’m used to in the animated style. It was more cartoon-like than the actual show.

BOTTOM LINE: A nice story that will entertain and maybe even make you think. Maybe.
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS

This section gives a little bit more indepth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!
The price is $1.99 in the US and..grrrrr…a whopping $3.25 in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the “grrr”.)
If we are unsure of the exact date of when an issue is being released, just check out “DIRECT CURRENTS” at http://www.dccomics.com for details.

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #19
October 6th?
Synopsis: Who are the deadly Lion Man and mysterious Prairie Girl? And what part do they play in Robin’s dillusionment with crime-fighting? The answers will definitely surprise you!
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga19.jpg

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Poison Ivy makes a comeback in a story featuring none other than…breakfast cereal?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmbga20.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #2 (ongoing)
October 13th?
Synopsis: The shadowy villainess known as Inque has found a way to get Gotham’s citizens to commit her crimes for her. She hopes to use the ill-gotten gains to finance a cure for her inhuman condition, but she doesn’t realize that becoming human again may cost more than just money. Can Batman capture her…and save her from a cure that is worse than the disease?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmbd2.jpg

FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #3.
Synopsis: The Terrific Trio returns.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmbd3.jpg

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #38
October 6th or 13th?
Synopsis: Unavailable.
Cover: Unavailable

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS

ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-CINESCAPE ONLINE is currently running a poll on who should play Batman in the next Bat-film (there are five choices, Keaton and Clooney amongst them). Go to http://www.cinescape.com to pick who’d you like to see!
-CINESCAPE ONLINE also reports the developments on the Bat-movie front: BANDITS. Could this be that mysterious film project that Joel Schumacher has been closed mouthed about, which was often rumored to be BATMAN 5? According to the Hollywood Reporter, Schumacher is developing a project called BANDITS with producers John Wells and Bill Gerber. The project, which is said to be a remake of an 1997 German film, tells the story of four female convicts who escape from prison and hide in the open by becomes a rock band. The director of the original film, Katja von Garnier will produce the film along with Wells and Gerber using a script by Susan Skoog. Schumacher is also in preproduction on the previously announced TIGERLAND.
-Kidswb.com has added their own message board to the site. This message board will have frequent stops by Kidswb and kidswb.com administration.
http://www.kidswb.com
-The Digital Bits is reporting that Warners has on the slate for either December or January, Mask of the Phantasm on DVD as well as the 1 hour “Rebirth” episode of Batman Beyond!
-Terry Beatty has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on ebay. His Seller ID is: wlee@muscanet.com Do yourself a favor and check out some great art!
-Confused why WB cut out the 4:30pm (ET) POKEMON and returned BATMAN/SUPERMAN back to it’s hour status on weekdays? Well, we have RiddlerWB to thank! He helped us have our voice heard on the POKEMON overkill on WB! Thank you! From everyone on the BTAN we’d like to say: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, RIDDLERWB! YOU ARE THE BEST!
-The Annie Awards (Animation Awards) has announced and both THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND are up for a few nominations! Here they are:
BATMAN BEYOND
Outstanding Acheivement in Animation Television Program
Outstanding Acheivement in Writing in Animation Television Program (for REBIRTH)
Outstanding Acheivement in Storyboarding in a Animated Television Program (for BLACK OUT)
BATMAN/SUPERMAN
Outstanding Acheivement in Animation Television Program
Outstanding Individual Acheivement for Production Design in an Animated Television Program
(for LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT)
*On a side note, THE IRON GIANT, an amazing film, is up for 15 nomimations, more then DISNEY’S TARZAN 9 nominations!

“CURRENT” ANIMATED SERIES’
-Want to know how SUPERMAN will end? Well then click on this link provided. But take warning: it contains VERY, VERY, VERY MAJOR SPOILERS. The review is very in detail. You’ve been warned.
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/tv/features/supesbats.html
-BTAS/STAS will return in the fall of 2001 with NEW EPISODES, when Batman Beyond goes on hiatus.

BATMAN BEYOND
-Wanna know some of the voice actors coming to lend a hand to BATMAN BEYOND? Try this list: John Ritter, Tim Curry, Andy Dick, Henry Rollins, Dan Castelleneta, Wendy Malik, Jill Eichenbury, Kate Jackson – and more!
-The Huntress will make an appearance on the series. It’s been confirmed that Ra’s Al Ghul, although seemingly killed in THE DEMON REBORN (yeah—right!), will rear his ugly head in BATMAN BEYOND? How, you ask? Well, that’s something Dini won’t say. All he’ll say is that it’s a ‘neat idea’.
-The COMICBOOK CONTINUUM has an article on the new BATMAN BEYOND character Max Gibson. To find out more on her, hit this link and scroll down: http://comicscontinuum.com/stories/9909/22/index.htm
-WB will be releasing three tapes of BATMAN BEYOND, each containg three episdoes. The tapes will be as followed:
BATMAN BEYOND: Disappearing Inque
This tape will feature Black Out, Disappearing Inque, and (not sure) A Touch Of Curare
BATMAN BEYOND: School Dayz
This tape will feature Gotham Golem, The Winning Edge, and Dead Man’s Hand
BATMAN BEYOND: Tech Wars
This tape will feature Shriek, Heroes, and Meltdown
These tapes will be available in all-stores on Dec. 21st. So if you got a huge Christmas list, then you know what to get ’em. The quality on these tapes will be top-notch and will be priced at about $9.99 – $11.99 per tape. This will be 11 episodes of BB that have been released to video so far.
-Apparently there is a strong push inside WB for Batman Beyond to run in a “prime time” slot. However producer Bruce Timm thinks that it will remain in its Saturday morning slot for at least a while longer. “Yes, there is interest in Batman Beyond in prime time, but they really need Batman Beyond on Saturday mornings. It’s kind of an umbrella show; it helps raise the ratings on all the shows. They need it to help prop up Saturday mornings.”

ANIMATED COMICS
-Poison Ivy will be appearing in GOTHAM ADVENTURES #20.
-It’s a nearly-safe bet that Two-Face will be in BGA#22 (just as he was in BATMAN ADVENTURES and BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES).
-Ty Templeton’s upcoming two-issue stint on Superman Adventures will be co-written with Dan
Slott.
-The Terrific Trio will appear in BATMAN BEYOND #3.
-The Royal Flush Gang will appear in BATMAN BEYOND #4.
-If you want pics for BATMAN BEYOND iossues #1-3 go to GOTHAM CITY LIMITS
http://www.batman.genxer.com
It has synopsis and pictures for the first three issues, and the covers look very sweet, plus it looks like DC will still be running the TERRIFIC TRIO story in BB #3. Preview section URL:
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/City_Limits/previews.html

OTHER COMICS
-Do you want to know what’s in store for BATMAN & SUPERMAN comics this December? Check out these tow links previewing the December comic releases of the BATMAN titles and the SUPERMAN titles:
BATMAN
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/december/batman.html
SUPERMAN
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/december/superman.html
-Both Greg Rucka AND Devin Grayson will be writing the finale to NO MAN’S LAND, with the three-part “End Game”.
-Issue #2 of BATMAN: DARK VICTORY (in November) will feature the Riddler.
-Issue #3 of BATMAN: DARK VICTORY (in December) will feature the Scarecrow.
-Robin will get his one “YEAR ONE”-type miniseries, (four parts total) come next year. This will also feature Two-Face, a whole gallery of Batman’s “classic” villains, and introduce a brand new villain specifically for Dick Grayson to square off with.
-For more, see the “Road Through No Man’s Land” section below.

MOVIES
-Kevin Sorbo has signed on to play Killer Croc in Batman 5. He states, “My slant on the character is that this under-appreciated pillar of society will actually be a demi-god, a la the Zeus/Hercules relationship, which works perfectly since a character named Maxie Zeus will be the main villain in this picture.” Maxie Zeus has yet to be cast, but rumors state that comedian Ray Romano is very interested in the role. “Everybody loves me”, he states. (Alright, another slow week for movie news…I need to put SOMETHING in here!)

TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-The Playstation version of the SUPERMAN video game has a tentative release date of September 16, 1999.
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THE ROAD THROUGH NO MAN’S LAND
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)

Yes, I know this isn’t really an animated topic, but I thought, hey, it’s Batman’s 60th anniversary, and this is the big event that celebrates it, so I should have a section dedicated to this year-long crossover. Besides, so far it’s been excellent in every issue. We have this section split up into two parts – the first saying what has already happened, the second previewing what’s to come. Enjoy!

UP UNTIL NOW…
JANUARY – APRIL: For synopses of what happened in the first four months of NO MAN’S LAND, go see Issues #26 and #27 of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

MAY, JUNE: For synopses of what how things really heated up in the fifth and sixth months of NO MAN’S LAND, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

JULY: For synopses of the many things that happened in the month that all of the other major players in Gotham broke back into the city, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. 
Follow this link: http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

AUGUST: For synopses of the many things that happened in the final full month of summer, see of Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

SEPTEMBER: Leslie Thompkins has taken in Mr. Zsasz, who later runs on a rampage in the M*A*S*H* sector of NML. To complicate things, Zsasz is the man that severely injured one of Killer Croc’s friends, so, of course, Croc wants revenge. Batman and Huntress collide with Leslie, telling her to take Zsasz out of her care immediately. Huntress and the mute Batgirl meet for the first time. Petit then enters the fray, hunting Killer Croc, inadvertantly endangering everyone with his brutal crime-fighting methods. All of this was in BATMAN CHRONICLES #18.
Nightwing has finally escaped from Blackgate, and put Lock-Up, KGBeast, and all the other villains held within back behind bars, where they belong. Blackgate Prison is now once again under Batman’s control.
Then, in “Underground Railroad”, Hardback (one of the former members of the GCPD) does his best to keep his 100 blocks of Gotham safe. He soon learns that the Penguin knows of a way to leave Gotham safely, despite the destroyed bridges and mines in the river; he goes to the Penguin and works out a deal with him, to get his children out of Gotham. The Joker also appears. By the end of this story, it would appear that the Penguin is actually a “good guy”…ain’t that sweet?
Robin has finally finished his sewer adventure, defeating both the Ratcatcher and Mr. Freeze at the same time. (Y’see, they teamed up…long story.) Batman and Hardback come in and save the day.
Then in “Goin’ Downtown”, Bane finally makes his move. Under the command of the mysterious “outside interest”, Bane is commiting crimes left, right, and centre throughout the war-torn city, riling up dozens of street gangs, and framing Two-Face for doing so. All of the gangs converge and attack Two-Face’s stronghold at city hall downtown. Batman and Robin show up, asking the Penguin, who knows it’s a frame-up, to save Two-Face from Bane’s wrath.

That’s 53 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.

WHAT’S TO COME…
-September: “Goin’ Downtown”: The collision with Two-Face, Penguin, and Bane finishes in DC #738.
-October: Superman returns to Gotham, saving the city from Petit and his renegade ex-cops. 
Then Two-Face breaks his deal with Gordon, kidnaps him, and puts him on trial in “Jurisprudence” – BATMAN #572 and DC #739. And don’t forget “Batman: No Man’s Land #0”, featuring what Batman did when he abandonned Gotham, who encouraged him to return, and how Huntress became Batgirl.
-November: Batman confronts Gordon. The “Outside Interest” is revealed. The Joker makes his move.
-December: NML concludes with the three-part “Endgame” story, and then a final reflection in
the final issue of SHADOW OF THE BAT (#94). The hope of a new Gotham comes into view – which is when the moment we’ve been waiting for finally hits. The Joker returns in a big way to “destroy hope”…by kidnapping and killing children. And this all happens during the Christmas season. Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Azrael, Oracle, Batgirl, and Huntress all have major roles. The outside interest is finally revealed.
-A MAJOR CHARACTER, HERO OR VILLAIN, WILL DIE BEFORE “NO MAN’S LAND” ENDS. (This is in Detective Comics #741).
-See below for more.

AS FOR THE OTHER HEROES:
-Batman MIGHT reveal his identity to Gordon in November.
-Robin goes up against Killer Croc in Robin #71 and 72.
-Azrael faces off against the Joker AGAIN in AZRAEL #60 and 61 – both guest-starring Batgirl.
-The Huntress hangs out with Petit for the remainder of NML.
-Superman will return to Gotham in SHADOW OF THE BAT #92, in October.
-Apparently Wonder Woman may appear in NML in a special one-shot by the end of the year.
-Commissioner Gordon is kidnapped by Two-Face in BATMAN #572 and DC #739, in October. Batman later confronts him in LOTDK #125.
-Tim Drake’s father breaks into NML to retrieve his son from the ghastly warzone – in December.

AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS…
-Bane returns in September to destroy Gotham – and finally fulfill his plans – in “Goin’ Downtown”.
-The Joker re-appears in November in the two-part “Shellgame”, just as Gotham is beginning to be re-built.
-Killer Croc appears in ROBIN #71 and 72, in October and November.
-Echo (introduced back in May in “Claim Jumping”) will be returning to Gotham before the year is through.
-Two-Face re-surfaces in September in “Goin’ Downtown”, another major turf-war story, also featuring Bane and the Penguin. In October he kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and puts him on trial in the two-part “Jurisprudence”. He later re-appears in another big way later on in No Man’s Land, apparently as the second-last villain to be defeated. (How fitting.)
-The Penguin also returns to a prominent role in “Goin’ Downtown”.
-The “outside interest” is revealed in SOTB #93, in November.
-Catwoman seeks refuge in the Penguin’s territory in CATWOMAN #76, in November, and then faces Deadman in December.
-The Joker and Harley Quinn re-appear in the Christmas season, just as NML draws to a close, to once and for all destroy Gotham and all of its citizens.
_________________________

FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE ***Update at BATMAN & SUPERMAN: THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER***

BATMAN & SUPERMAN: The World’s Finest Discussion Center
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest

Yup, once again, there have been some big changes to the site to suit the visitors of the site.
There has been a monthly poll added to the site. The DISCUSSION CENTER has added a new section, called the FANFIC section. This section offers links to some great FANFIC as well as a 2 pages to write your own! There’s a message board to write BATMAN/SUPERMAN & BATMAN BEYOND themed fanfic called the ANIMATED DCU, and then there’s another board where you can write about ANY Animated character, called the ANIMATION Board. Also, there have been some changes to the message boards. There’s now a new moderation team, called the GOTHAM KNIGHTS, looking after the
boards. For more info, either check out the boards, or the GOTHAM KNIGHT’s own section on the site.

This site also contaisn quite abit for people who are more then BATMAN/SUPERMAN fans. There’s the following:
-An ANIMATION Message Board
-An ANIMATION Chat Room
-An ANIMATION Fanfic Page
Plus links to various sites around the internet as well as the usual BATAMN/SUPERMAN related sites and sections.

There’s plenty for everyone on this site. To see all the site has to offer, then check it out for yourself! This site is almsot 3000 hits strong, I hope we cn amake it to 5000 before October begins! BATMAN & SUPERMAN: The World’s Finest Discussion Center
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
_________________________
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
YTV’s BATMAN BEYOND Page
http://www.ytv.com/shows/batman_beyond/
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
KID’S WB
http://www.kidswb.com
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
VOICE CHASERS
http://www.voicechasers.org

UNOFFICIAL SITES
—–
*TWO-FACE’S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BRIAN CRUZ’ WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html
BRIAN’S BATMAN PAGE
http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk
GOTHAM GAZETTE
http://members.aol.com/gothamajp
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm
RA’S AL GHUL’S THE LAZARUS PIT
http://www.aitnet.et/lazaruspit
THE DARK KNIGHT
http://www.darkknight.ca
BATMAN BEYOND: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
http://www.batmanbeyond.net
TIM WAN’S BATMAN BEYOND
http://come.to/batmanbeyond
DCU ANIMATED
http://welcome.to/the_dcu
ANIMANIA
http://hjem.get2net.dk/twt/home.htm
HARLEY’S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/harlequinhideaway
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
THE RIDDLER – EDWARD NYGMA’S PUZZLE WEBSITE
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/prospero.milan/nygma
THE BATMAN ACTION FIGURE PAGE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7659/
BATMAN/SUPERMAN SNAP JUDGMENTS
http://www.snapjudgments.com/batsup.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
JOKERZ TERRITORY
http://members.xoom.com/Jokerz84/index.htm
THE BATZONE
http://www.batzone.cjb.net/
JLA: THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://animation.acmecity.com/character/375
THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES: THE UNOFFICIAL SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158
ANIMATED TALES
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/2294/at
BATMAN & SUPERMAN:THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest

NEWSGROUPS
—–
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
_________________________
QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL

If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else then please e-mail this address with your problems and we’ll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you’d like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:

juno@direct.ca

As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on anything pertaining to BTAS.
Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does not change, as that is the most important part of any artcile, and everyone is entitled to it. And if you do submit something, please don’t just submit a basic review of an episode or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) – write about an issue you’d like to discuss.
_________________________
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES

The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The archives contain past newsletters and is semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:

TOONZONE’s BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
_________________________
LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE’S HOW!!!

For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section, and want to subscribe just follow these simple instructions:

To subscribe email juno@direct.ca and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

For more information the newsletter just email juno@direct.ca
Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading! Tell your friends!

-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors
_________________________
TO ALL GOOD THINGS…
…there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it! See ya next time!

CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER

EDITOR: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITOR ON VACATION: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz & RiddlerWB (our friend at the official BTAS/STAS site)
BTAS REVIEWS: Justin Chen/”Overseer”
EDITORIAL #1: The Ghost of Laura Hysert
EDITORIAL #2: Kelly Tindall
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
MONTHLY REPORT FROM THE UK: Brian Davis
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
ROAD THROUGH NO MAN’S LAND: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
TWO-FACE’S TRADING POST: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN’ THE WORD AROUND: Dick Grayson, Eileen Delgadillo, Brian Cruz, Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane & Bill Finger (who else?)

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

Batman The Animated Newsletter #38

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