Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of October 25 – October 30/31, 1999
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping” THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “WHY DOES THE WB KEEP MAKING TOYS OF THE SAME CHARACTERS ALL THE TIME? WHY DON’T OTHER CHARACTERS EVER, EVER GET A CHANCE???”
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HAPPY HALLOWE’EN, EVERYBODY!
Happy Hallowe’en, everyone!
This is a rather special issue of BTAN. #1, we have famed comic-writer GREG RUCKA joining us for a 22 question interview, featuring some spoilers of the end of NML. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Scroll down just past the episode reviews to read it.
So, who here is dressing up as a Bat-character, or any comics character for that matter, for Hallowe’en? If you have pics, SEND THEM TO US! If anyone is interested in doing so we’ll be uploading the pics onto the net for a short time, and then provide links to them in of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER. Sound good? GREAT! We’ll keep in touch.
And a special note: Zanna, I’m sorry that I didn’t credit you for your review in the credits of last week; to be fair, I credited you THIS week, even though Justin Chen submitted the review. That should fix things up, non?
And another note: The delivery of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER may be a day or two late next week, cuz the editor might be hung over (interpret as you will) from his Hallowe’en festivities. We apologize for the POSSIBLE forthcoming delay!
And on another (and final) note: WE PASSED OUR 1400 SUBSCRIBER MARK! WOOOO HOOOOOOO! Thanks to all of you for subscribing! 🙂
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UPCOMING NEW EPISODES
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 new episodes for BATMAN, SUPERMAN, and BATMAN BEYOND.
‘ONCE BURNED’
Batman Beyond #20
Air date: November 6, 1999
Batman/Terry’s emotional resolve is put to the test when an old girlfriend, who also happens to be the notorious Ten of the Royal Flush Gang, reverts back to a life of crime. The situation becomes even more complicated when he learns that she’s being forced to steal to save her family from kidnappers.
‘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.
For synopses of all other upcoming second season BATMAN BETOND episodes, check out of BTAN at this address:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
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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 three links for schedule information:
http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/episodes.html
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/
http://www.ktla.com/rebuild/programming/kids_framed.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 10-25-99: B-BEYOND #14 Joyride
Superman #54 A Fish Story
Tue 10-26-99: B-BEYOND #12 Disappearing Inque
Batman #88 Cold Comfort
Wed 10-27-99: B-BEYOND #08 Heroes
Superman #45 Knight Time
Thu 10-28-99: B-BEYOND #10 Dead Man’s Hand
Superman #50 In Brightest Day
Fri 10-29-99: B-BEYOND #07 Meltdown
Batman #100 Cult of the Cat
Sat 10-30-99: Batman #108 Beware the Creeper
B-BEYOND #16 Splicers
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 and BATMAN BEYOND on YTV then please
go to http://www.ytv.com and click on the YTV GUIDE icon at the bottom of the screen. To check
out the schedule then click on BATMAN or BATMAN BEYOND in the time grid and it will have the
schedule for the current week.
BTAS will air at 7:30am on weekday mornings (in all time zones), and BATMAN BEYOND will air at
2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. YTV has the rights to show all 109 BTAS episodes; it looks like they’ll be airing new BEYOND episodes (Note: Episode #14 on Oct 31), but we don’t know for sure. As for STAS, we’re VERY unsure at this point. We’ll keep you posted!
THIS WEEK:
Mon 10-25-99: BTAS #28 Dreams in Darkness
Tue 10-26-99: BTAS #18 Beware the Grey Ghost
Wed 10-27-99: BTAS #35 Cat Scratch Fever
Thu 10-28-99: BTAS #49 I Am the Night
Fri 10-29-99: BTAS #46 Almost Got ‘Im
Sat 10-30-99: BEYOND #13 Ascension
Sun 10-31-99: BEYOND #14 Joyride (?)
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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 either of these sites for the schedule:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html
http://homes.acmecity.com/animation/saturday/352/schedule.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 virtually unable to
review any new episodes. Until he can once again, we’ll be having someone substituting for him. Thank you to Justin Chen for this review!
LOST SOUL
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Butch Lukic
Animation by Dong Yang, Koko
Original Air Date: October 9, 1999
Rating: ****1/2 (out of five stars)
As soon as this episode begins, you’ll think the WB has renewed The New Batman Adventures. Decades before Batman Beyond takes place, we see reporter Summer Gleason (oddly absent from TNBA) reporting the passing of Robert Vance, a pioneer in the field of electronics. Realizing that his death was imminent, Vance “digitized” his mind into a computer program, from which he hoped to guide his corportation after his death. Unfortunately, we see his corporate heirs proceed to simply turn him off.
Fast forward over 35 years. Vance’s company, once a leader in the technology industry, has stagnated since their founder’s death. Within the Vance building, a boy activates the long lost Robert Vance program. Revealing himself to be Bobby, Robert Vance’s grandson, the boy also says that his father, the company head, has also died. The digital Robert knows that Bobby is alone now, and that his grandson must now run the company. The younger Vance shows little desire to continue on the family tradition, and realizing that, Robert Vance requests that his program be put online.
When power starts going wrong around the city, Terry and Dana’s date is cut short as their elevator plunges forty stories, and then flies back up just as fast. Pulling the electrical wires on the car to stop it, Terry heads off to Bruce. Bruce reveals that Vance’s program has been hoarding information from the online networks, probably for some hidden purpose.
At the Gotham Power Plant, the rogue program has taken over the building’s laser defenses, keeping the police pinned down outside. But turning on his invisibilty, Terry manages to slip inside. But thanks to a troublesome cat’s sense of smell, his cover is blown. Terry almost avoids the lasers, but finally a direct hit is scored, knocking Terry out cold. Of course Terry can’t die on the show, so after regaining consciousness, he is sent off by Bruce to keep the peace in some of the blacked out parts of Gotham. Soon enough, the Batsuit begins to have a mind of its own, and Terry is totally helpless inside as it moves out of Terry’s control.
Robert Vance has entered the suit through the laser, and is now integrated in the suit’s circuits. Terry manages to actually converse with the program, who reveals that his stay in the suit is merely temporary until he can find a new body. Back at the cave, Bruce hits the kill switch to paralyze the suit just as Vance is about to drown Terry. Later, Terry is safely out of the suit, and Bruce plans to repair the infected programs. After they leave, the suit eerily comes to life by itself.
From then on, a completely normal Terry must confront and defeat the very thing that has given him so much power. There’s hardly a dull moment; almost each and every scene contains something of importance. Terry questions whether Batman is just a suit, or really the man inside. In a powerful moment, Bruce hands him the original Batman utility belt (though not the suit). Terry, disguised only by Nightwing’s old mask, uses his own wits and skills to beat the possessed Batsuit. We know Terry has smarts as well, such as when he stops the elevator. McGuinness is truly becoming darker and more like Batman than Spider-Man, especially in a scene where he encounters some ATM thieves. No jokes or anything else funny here, just very blunt words backed up by the appropriate actions. And the method he uses to defeat his own suit is not be taken lightly either, it’s something one would expect Bruce to think up. The supporting cast is also well done, with Bruce (that’s right, Terry IS the focus now) expressing his reluctance to send Terry out there alone. Also Robert Vance is the CEO who can’t let go. He’s reminiscent of the theme park mogul from “Deep Freeze”, who has to stay around no matter what the cost.
“Lost Soul” is really a major mark in BB chronology. There’s something for everyone here, a fresh plot, great action, strong characterization, and then some. I only wish it could be a bit longer, or that Terry had worn the original Batman or Nightwing outfit rather than just taking the mask and belt. But these complaints are minor at most. This is an episode that solidifies Terry McGuiness as Batman both inside and out, and for that, 4 1/2 stars.
Justin Chen, aka The Overseer
t_overseer@yahoo.com
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
INTERVIEW WITH GREG RUCKA
(by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
Greg Rucka is probably best known to Bat-fans as the writer for various critically and fan-acclaimed story-arcs that make up “No Man’s Land”, including “MOSAIC”, “CLAIM JUMPING”, “FRUIT OF THE EARTH”, and “ASSEMBLY”. He well-known in other circles as the writer of the comic series “WHITEOUT”, as well as the novels “KEEPER”, “FINDER”, “SMOKER”, and “SHOOTING AT MIDNIGHT”. Mr. Rucka has been kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule for this interview – so sit back, enjoy, and if you pay close attention, ya just might learn somethin’!
AND if you wanna see a pic of Mr. Rucka, just go here:
http://www.citynet.net/personal/batman/rucka.gif
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BTAN #01: Hi Greg! Thank you very much for participating in this interview – I’ve been eagerly anticipating this for a long time. Could you tell us a little about yourself? Age, married or single, family members, whereabouts you live, your bank code, etc? (Note: I was kidding about the bank codes, of course.)
GREG #01: I’m 29, turning 30 at the end of November. I’ve been married for eight years to Jennifer Van Meter (herself a writer – most recently she did the Oni Press “Tales of the Blair Witch”). We live in Portland, Oregon, for just shy of a year now. Before that we were in Eugene, Oregon, where Jen was attending the University of Oregon, pursuing her Ph.D.. We’re expecting our first child in January – and I’m terrified.
BTAN #02: How did you get roped into the Bat-universe in the first place?
GREG #02: The shortest version is as follows, and it’s pretty long, actually. One of my closest friends works at DC, and put me in touch with Patty Jeres, who is the Marketing Guru there. Patty read my books on this friend’s recommendation, and knew that I wanted to get into comics. She introduced me to Bob Schreck, who was then at Oni, and that’s how WHITEOUT, my first comic series, came about. On the heels of that, I was in New York visiting folks, and Patty asked if I had any interest in the Bat books. I think I surprised her with my enthusiasm. So Patty went in to talk to Denny about me, bringing my books with her as a kind of visual aid – and it turned out Denny already knew who I was, he’d read the first novel and really liked it. Then he read the second one and really liked that, so we met for lunch – best business lunch of my life, because it wasn’t business, it was just pure fun, and I was tongue-tied, I mean, Denny O’Neil!!! He asked if I’d like to try my hand at a Bat story. I got home to Oregon and wrote “Two Down”, which ran in [Batman Chronicles #16], and that pretty much did it – they started throwing work at me as fast as they could, and I kept asking for more.
BTAN #03: If given the chance, are there any other superheroes you’d like to write for?
GREG #03: I’ve said it before, but I’d love to write for Wonder Woman – in fact, that’s one of my long-range goals right now, is to somehow insinuate myself on that book in the next couple years. But other than Diana, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got now – access to the DCU, pretty much as I want it. There aren’t many other characters out there, at any company, that interest me. I’m working on a Black Widow project with Devin Grayson, but other than that, most of the Marvel heroes bore me to tears.
BTAN #04: Did you get to choose which NML tales you wrote?
GREG #04: I got to lobby for certain ones – for example, the stories with Two-Face, especially at the end, I pursued pretty hard. But one of the things that happened was that the more I wrote, the more work the Bat Guys handed my way. I’m actually not entirely sure how I ended up with the majority of the finale – wrong place wrong time, I guess.
BTAN #05: Did you come up with any aspect of the NML premise to begin with?
GREG #05: I did not. Most all of it was Jordan Gorfinkel, as I understand it. I had my afore- mentioned meal with Denny as NML was just getting underway, and as soon as they roped me in I began to push those storylines that I, as a novelist, felt were the most critical. A lot of the Gordon stuff that’s going on in NML is courtesy of me, at least at the end. But otherwise, I pretty much implemented those ideas that had already been pounded out. The final issues, though, came about in committee, and then via Devin Grayson and myself really attacking the story with everything we had. Those are the issues that, I feel, are most mine, in the sense that most of the plot was created by Devin and me.
BTAN #06: I am well aware that my namesake is your favorite character of the Bat-universe. Why
is that? What are some of the other characters you are fond of?
GREG #06: Oh, you’re opening a can of worms, here. I could go on for hours about Two-Face. There’s just so much. He was Bruce’s friend, Bruce’s best friend, in many ways. And he is, I think, the perfect mirror of Bruce. A lot of people say that Joker is the ultimate nemesis, or the dark reflection, of Batman. I think that’s crap – Joker is a sociopath, he has really no agenda other than misery, chaos, and destruction. But Two-Face, he’s always got a solid, cohesive, internal logic that’s guiding him. And then he’s got a coin that makes the final determinations. It’s a beautiful dramatic devise, and it says so much about the character – and
there are so many ways to use him, to explore how that works. This is a guy who is living two lives at once, and the two sides are always at war. It’s the same situation for Bruce. They’re a lot more alike than most readers think, in my opinion. And we have to remember, also, that there was a genuine affection between the two before Two-Face went around the bend; Harvey got along with both Bruce and Batman. It effects every interaction that they have.
Finally, there’s just so much pathos in Two-Face’s character. Harvey Dent was a man who honestly wanted to do good, to do right, and to aid society. He dedicated himself to that, in much the same way that Bruce dedicated himself to becoming Batman. And I believe that, at times, that’s still what’s inside Two-Face, still trying to get out. That’s one of the purposes of the coin.
I could go on and on, but I’ve already spewed enough, I think.
BTAN #07: Which is your favorite story that you’ve written in NML? Which is your favorite that you DIDN’T write? (My personal favourites, respecively, are “Claim Jumping” and “No Law and a New Order” – with “Fear of Faith” VERY close behind.)
GREG #07: It’s a toss-up between the “Jurisprudence” arc, leading into “Falling Back”; I view the three issues as a complete, discreet story and the “Endgame” arc that I wrote with Devin.
Favorite I didn’t write – that’s tough, but I’d have to say “Spiritual Currency” by Devin. I thought it was a wonderfully subtle and elegant story, and one that truly needed to be written in the light of NML.
BTAN #08: Which artist was your favorite to work with? Which did you feel complimented your work the best?
GREG #08: The answer to both questions, I’d have to say, is Rick Burchett. He drew “Falling Back”, and he’s drawing the six-issue Huntress mini that I’m working on right now. Our communication is excellent; I can toss out a reference (and I know some very obscure references!) and he’s always right there, saying, “yeah, I’ve seen that” or “yeah, I’ve got a book on that.” It’s very rewarding, because with Rick it is honestly a collaboration. I know he’ll honor my script, and that he’ll do his best to improve it with the art. A lot of artists don’t feel that way – they want to draw certain things, and the script be damned.
BTAN #09: How was it working with Devin Grayson? I feel that she is one of the other writers fans will always remember as one of the best contributors to NML.
GREG #09: I’m in love with Devin’s work, and the collaboration was one of the best I’ve ever had. It was an honest give-and-take of ideas, and I think we brought out the best in one another’s writing. Each of us has weaknesses – I tend to assume a lot, and Devin, I think, can get a bit wordy – but together those disappeared. I’m very proud of “Endgame”. Both Devin and I are hoping readers will like it.
BTAN #10: What is your opinion on the various incarnations of “Batman: The Animated Series”? Do you have any favorite episodes?
BTAN #11: Big fan of the animated! There are a lot of stories that I think are marvelous, especially early on: the two part Clayface origin is just brilliant, as is the establishing and origin of Two-Face. I’m not as big a fan of “Batman Beyond”, but that’s because I’m a purist, and I don’t feel that Terry really has a right to the Mantle of the Bat – there’s no sense of destiny or responsibility surrounding his Batman, something that was captured so well in the original series.
BTAN #11: What did you think of the *SNICKER* live action movies?
GREG #11: I hate them. They all suck. The first two are sexist pieces of garbage where I feel Tim Burton is trying to make me pay good money to watch his therapy sessions. I loathe the third one particularly – the portrayal of Two-Face is unforgivable – and I didn’t see the fourth. My sincere hope is that they don’t make another one for at least five years, and then they hire someone from DC to write the script; I think Jeph Loeb, for example, would write a wonderful Batman movie. But that will never happen.
BTAN #12: How did you get “Bats on the Brain” in the first place?
GREG #12: I’m not really certain – he was always there in my youth. I remember buying [“The Dark Knight Returns”] when it first came out, and being really thunderstruck by what Miller was doing. I still have the original issues to “Year One”, too. Those knocked me over the edge, made me see Batman in particular in a way I’d never imagined. Further, Miller treats Gordon with a respect that lot of writers don’t, and that spoke to me, because I think the stories are as much his as Batman’s.
Later, when Patty steered me at Denny, the appeal was augmented by the rest of my artistic pursuits. I write PI novels, really, and what is Batman if not the ultimate private investigator? For a guy like me, doing what I’m doing to make a living, it’s an opportunity that can’t be ignored.
BTAN #13: How did you get interested in writing so much?
GREG #13: I’m assuming you mean how I got interested in writing for a living. I started pretty early, actually – I was writing regularly by the time I was 10, and by the time I hit college I was working on novels and short-stories and so on. Despite all that, though, I hadn’t considered it seriously as a career. And then, when I was about 20, I realized that writing was really the one thing that I kept returning to, whatever my other interests might be. And if I wasn’t writing, I was getting cranky, getting awful to be around; it’s like an addiction. Sometimes it’s awful and painful and lonely and generally unpleasant, and sometimes it’s the best thing in the world, but either way, you’ve got to do it. You can’t stop.
BTAN #14: When you write the draft of a comic, do you do a rough page layout as well? I believe that in a past interview, Ty Templeton (“Gotham Adventures”) mentioned that writers do that as well.
GREG #14: Not normally, though for the latest issue of Detective I did a thumbnail of one page for Shawn (Martinbrough), just so he could see exactly what I meant. I tend to leave the visual lay-out to those who know better than me, and that’s almost universally the artist on the book. Shawn’s somebody I trust a lot, and I think he and I are going to work very well together, so for the most part I know any roughs I do will be greeted as they’re intended: guides, nothing more. But normally I just write a full-script, specifying the number of panels, sometimes a general layout, and that’s it. If the artist has a better way to accomplish something, I always try to be open to that.
BTAN #15: I’m very pleased to hear that you’re taking the helm of “Detective Comics” come January 2000. What are your plans for that title? I hear you’re trying to bring back the gangster element to Gotham.
GREG #15: The initial storylines will deal with organized crime in Gotham, how all the various factions parcel up the city, and how Batman and Gordon really are powerless to stop it. Batman knows that crime will always exist – the question is how to contain it, how to keep it from creating tragedies like the one he himself endured.
Further down the line, I’d like to try to explore the lives of the GCPD players a little more, contrasting their lives to that of Bruce Wayne. And I’ve got some stories in mind that would put Bruce, rather than Batman, on the spot, including one with Poison Ivy.
BTAN #16: While on the topic of spoilers – are there any new tidbits of info you could give us, regarding the final stretch of NML (from “Jurisprudence” onwards)?
GREG #16: It’s not just one character who dies. There are three “named” characters who will be dead by the end of “Endgame”. And one of them, in my opinion, is pretty important.
BTAN #17: I know that you’re also well-known for a comic series entitled “Whiteout”; could you tell us what that’s about, and what it’s like to write for it? Do you intend to write BOTH this series and DETECTIVE COMICS simultaneously?
GREG #17: WHITEOUT (and its sequel, WHITEOUT: MELT) are mysteries/thrillers set in Antarctica. They’re fairly realistic “crime fiction” with a main character named Carrie Stetko who is a U.S. Deputy Marshal. I think the biggest difference between Batman and Carrie is that realism I can get away with plot turns and devices in the Bat books that would never work in the other series. Also, I have to watch my language a little more – sometimes I write a bit “blue” and the Bat books can’t handle that.
The WHITEOUT stories have all been mini-series, so it’s been relatively easy to schedule them alongside DETECTIVE. As it is, after WHITEOUT: MELT, I’m planning on leaving Carrie alone for a while. But there will be other projects with Oni Press, so the schedule will still have to be balanced.
BTAN #18: I’m just hypothetically speaking here, but…imagine if you were given the opportunity to write the next live-action Bat-film, or some episodes for the animated series. You mentioned that you’d love to see Jeph Loeb get the chance, as would I – but how about yourself? Would you take the opportunity? If you were given complete creative freedom, what would you write?
GREG #18: Oh, I’ve no idea. If I had a chance at the movies I’d just wipe the whole damn slate clean, and do my own take on Year One. But frankly, I think a mini-series would be better – something along the lines of 12 hours, that could cover Bruce up to and through Year One, and would show Gordon and Dent and Selina as they were, watching them as they changed into who they are.
I’d probably take the opportunity were it presented me – but the problem with Hollywood is that nothing is ever truly yours. And no matter what I wrote, some jack-ass would change it, and suddenly Batman’s costume would have nipples again, and Two-Face would be just silly, and Gordon would, once more, be a joke. So I’d take the money and run, but I’d want my name removed from the final project!
BTAN #19: Could you give us any info on the NO MAN’S LAND novelization due out January? Has an exact date been set? Which stories/characters will get a large amount of coverage?
GREG #19: The NML novel is different from the comic books, pretty much by necessity. It’s impossible to take fifty plus issues of a comic series and turn them into a 130,000 word novel; something’s got to give. I cut a lot of stuff that, to me, was extraneous. It’s important to remember that a novel is a very specific kind of creature, and that a good novel needs to have a throughline, something that ties it all together, and I don’t mean the plot. So in the novel I was able to go back and work on some of the imagery, some of the thematic concerns that I didn’t get to truly explore in the comics. As a result, there are new characters, new scenes, things that never happened in NML.
And just to further frustrate people, some things are radically different. My take on Harley Quinn, for example, is similar to Dini’s, but the origin is radically different. Poison Ivy is barely in the book – she’s only mentioned. The situation with Bane plays out to similar results as in the comics, but comes about in a very different fashion than what Dixon wrote. The “Fear of Faith” storyline is completely gone, as is “Fruit of the Earth”, and many other arcs. I really stripped it down to the bare minimum, then went back and tried to make those stories that I had left work in the confines of the novel.
And of course, I did a lot more with Two-Face, Gordon, and Montoya in the novel than in the comics.
As it happens, I’m pretty darn pleased with the result, and I know both DC and Pocket Books (who will be publishing the book) are overjoyed. One editor told me that the thought the NML novel would change the way comic book novelizations are done, which is pretty high praise.
I don’t know the exact release date, unfortunately, but I suspect it’ll be the first or second week of January 2000.
BTAN #20: I’m eagerly awaiting it already – as I am for your Huntress minseries. Could you give us any details on the Huntress miniseries that you’re writing? When will be see it hitting the shelves?
GREG #20: The mini will be out sometime in the spring of 2000. I’m writing it, Rick Burchett is drawing it, and it’s going to lead to some changes in the character. It starts with the murder of a member of the Gotham mafia, and it looks like Huntress did it. This may be the death that crosses the line, because as things progress, Batman, the GCPD, and almost all of the Bat Squad come after her, trying to bring her down.
But she didn’t do it. Someone is framing her. Question is, who and why.
In the broadest strokes, basically, Helena has to come to terms with not only who she is, but who she will become. And she’s given an opportunity to choose.
BTAN #21: I, as well as many others out there, aspire to become writers in some medium: for motion pictures, novels, comics, etc. How did you get into the industry, and is there any advice you could give to us?
GREG #21: The best advice I can give is two-fold (which you should appreciate). First, you cannot write well if you do not read. It’s just not possible. So the first obligation of a writer is to read, and to keep reading. Always have a book going, and find those authors you respect, and pursue their work. Find what it is that you like. Find what it is that you hate. But always read.
Second, and this is the harder one, if you really want this as a life (and frankly, I don’t recommend it, it’s got some perks, but it’s not nearly as glamorous as people think), you’ve got to commit to it. Set a word count or a page count and always stick to it. When I started writing, I wrote 3,000 words a day, rain or shine, and that discipline is vital, and it is the one thing you can absolutely control. Talent, skill, these things are given at birth or learned through practice, but discipline, that’s entirely your own, and you’re to one who can control that. If it takes writing 100,000 bad pages before you write one good one, you’re ahead of the ame. I’m serious. It takes work, hard work. Writing is not fun. Having written, that’s fun, in my opinion.
If you commit to the craft, eventually you’ll make it. I firmly believe that.
BTAN #22: Wow, question #22. I was compelled to ask this amount of questions – it’s probably rather obvious why. Do you have anything else you’d like to say?
GREG #22: Given the above answer, there’s one more thing, yes. And that’s despite how it sounds, it’s very cool to be writing Batman. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing, all hard-work and trauma aside.
BTAN: Again, thank you very much for participating in our interview, Greg! I hope we can do this again soon! We’re all looking forward to your further contributions to the Bat-mythos. Take care!
GREG: Thank you!
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EDITORAL #1
(by Laura Hysert, aka “Phoenix”)
Oh where, oh where has our Laurrrra gone? Oh where, or where can she beeeeee? Oh where, oh where has our Laurrrrra gone? I guess she’ll no longer work for freeeeeee….
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EDITORIAL #2
(by Kelly Tindall)
Kelly Tindall was unable to submit a review for this issue of BTAN. He will return shortly.
___________________________
AND THAT’S THE FACTS
(by “Reliable Source”)
Our Reliable Source was unable to submit any scoops for this newsletter. Hmmm…just how reliable IS he? Hmmmm… ;-Y
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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.
YAAAAWWWWWWN…I just don’t have the inspiration for this trivia section like I used to. So here are five questions for ya. Hope you enjoy ’em. Blahhhh…need coffeeeee….
196. Killer Croc has appeared in an issue of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. Which characters graced the
cover of this particular issue?
A: SUPERMAN
B: BATMAN
C: BATGIRL
D: LEX LUTHOR
E: SUPERGIRL
197. What is Baby-Doll’s catch phrase?
A: “Did I do that?”
B: “Aye Caramba.”
C: “Alright everyone…chill.”
D: “I didn’t mean to.”
E: “Don’t blame me – I’m just a baby.”
198. There was one episode of the original series in which Two-Face was mentioned (but didn’t appear) – and in that same episode, Barbara Gordon DID appear. What episode was this?
A: GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT
B: SHADOW OF THE BAT (Pt. 1)
C: BATGIRL RETURNS
D: SHADOW OF THE BAT (Pt. 2)
E: I AM THE NIGHT
199. “Lady Gotham” (Gotham’s version of the Statue of Liberty) appears in two episodes of the series. Name them.
A: TWO-FACE (Pt. 1)
B: OFF BALANCE
C: A BULLET FOR BULLOCK
D: SHADOW OF THE BAT (Pt. 2)
E: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT
200. Which of the following people provides the voice of Dr. Leslie Thompkins?
A: Mary Kay Bergman
B: Diane Perhsing
C: Diana Muldaur
D: Stockard Channing
E: Alan Alda
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA
Answer to #196: A, C
Answer to #197: D
Answer to #198: E
Answer to #199: B, D
Answer to #200: C
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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:
We’re blind!
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by “Peter Destructo”)
1) I spotted another color TV in the Tim Drake Robin origin story (“Sins of the Father”). Not only that, but there was only one channel. “You might find an interesting broadcast on TV, Maaster Bruce” or something like that – he turns it on, magically onto the right channel, and there Two-Face is, giving his “destroy Gotham” speech.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by Kevin Smith)
Oh_Ho77@hotmail.com
You’d think that with all this Bat-merchandies overcrowding our stores that we’d have SOMETHING to write about here, huh? Hmmm…we’ll get an article in here soon, we promise!
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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)
Mr. Maurer was unable to submit a review for the printing of this newsletter, so editor Tim “Two-Face” Leighton is here to fill the void.
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: “A Little Thing” (#19)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILED BY: Tim Levins
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: October 6, 1999 (Cover date is December)
RATING: **** (out of 5)
of GOTHAM ADVENTURES was an absolute joy. I usually find the animated stories that lack have a big-name villain (or any villain, for that matter), the stories usually turn out mediocre at best. This tale strays away from the usual hero/villain structure, and it is pulled off beautifully.
When was the last time we had an animated comic focusing on Robin? It was the one with Dagger Dixon, wasn’t it? 12 issues ago? It’s about time he got back into the spotlight! Robin’s upset – fighting crime isn’t fun any more. (Is it supposed to be?) Rather than fighting the usual big-name rogues, he just wants to spar with some corny, humourous villains; I thought this was a great throw-back to the 60’s series.
It was cute to see Batgirl dress up as “The Prairie Girl” – even moreso when Nightwing dresses up as a lion of sorts – and brilliant when Robin automatically realizes it was them just trying to cheer him up. (Newsflash, Boy Wonder: the animated Gotham of the 90’s doesn’t have room for cheesy villains – aside from Farmer Brown.)
When really DID surprise me (and Robin, for that matter) was when a new villain named Chlorophil enters the fray; a couple pages later we find out it was Alfred! Not only is it a delightful plot twist, it also shows that Alfred still is very talented as a “superhero”.
The art in this issue has also improved since Peterson’s run began; I’m also happy that Beatty and Levins work on this title.
Every other issue of Peterson’s run so far has been terrific. #15, #17, and #19. This has put all my fears aside that Peterson wouldn’t live up to Templeton’s multi-year run in the animated Bat-realm; the first Wednesday of every month has never looked so good.
;-Y
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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 #20
November 3rd
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
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: A young girl has been kidnapped and the only “eye witness” is a blind jazz musician. Can even Batman, the world’s greatest detective, use the information the old man provides to find the girl before the kidnapper takes his revenge?
Cover: Unavailable
BATMAN BEYOND #3 (ongoing)
November 24th
Synopsis: The Terrific Trio returns.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
comics/covers/download/dbmbd3.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #4.
Synopsis: The Royal Flush Gang returns.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
comics/covers/download/dbmbd3.jpg
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #39
November 10th?
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-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!
-An 8-page preview of the NO MAN’S LAND novel will be found in DC#741, which hits shelves on December 15. This will bump up the already large issue to 48 pages; it will cost $2.50 American, and presumably $3.75 Canadian.
-I can tell you that in Feb. 2000, these animated films will DEFINANTLY be released:
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman: Sub-Zero
World’s Finest
Batman Beyond: Rebirth
Check out the following address for more info: http://www.mania.com.au/~grahark/darkjustice/
“CURRENT” ANIMATED SERIES’
-BTAS/STAS will return in the fall of 2001 with NEW EPISODES, when Batman Beyond goes on hiatus.
-Then again, there is ALSO word that BTAS/STAS WON’T return. So which do we believe? Hopefully
the first…
BATMAN BEYOND
-**For all YTV (Canadian) watchers**
On Oct. 31st, YTV claims to be airing episode #14, which is the episode “JOYRIDE”. I’m a bit skeptical about this, for there is no description of the episode on their website; however, YTV has yet to be wrong with their schedule, so this looks good!
-You can now catch BEYOND on the Canadian TV channel GLOBAL, every Saturday morning at 8:30 or
so; check local listings for the exact times.
-An odd note: Global is really airing BATMAN BEYOND oddly. Myself, and two other Canadian
companions saw different episodes of BATMAN BEYOND. We live in differant areas, and we all saw
diferant episodes. Here’s the rundown:
OCTOBER 16, 1999
Vancouver, BC: ‘HEROES’
Ontario: ‘REBIRTH (Pt. 1)’
Fredericton, NB: ‘SPELLBOUND’
OCTOBER 23, 1999
Vancouver, BC: ‘SHRIEK’
Ontario: ???
Fredericton, NB: ???
For anyone who lives in Canada, did you see a different episode? If you did, then please tell us! Post what episode you saw at the unofficial BATMAN BEYOND Board:
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb163115
-Shriek will re-appear in BATMAN BEYOND #5, in January.
-Synopses of episodes #17 through 36 have now been posted, thanks to the COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM.
Check out of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER for a complete listing.
ANIMATED COMICS
-Poison Ivy will be appearing in GOTHAM ADVENTURES #20.
-Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon will be in the spotlight for of GOTHAM ADVENTURES.
-Lock-Up is planned to be used in the near future.
-Ty Templeton’s upcoming two-issue stint on Superman Adventures will be co-written with Dan Slott.
OTHER COMICS
-The solicitations for January BATMAN and SUPERMAN comics are here! Here are the URLs:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/january/batman.html
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/january/superman.html
-DETECTIVE COMICS will be 40 pages long from January thru May (meaning a 30 page story); in
June it will drop to 30 pages, 22 of which will include the main story. It will sell for $2.50 in the USA, and $3.50 (I’m guessing) in Canada.
-Two-Face and Solomon Grundy are the focus of DARK VICTORY #4, in January. Solomon Grundy is on the cover.
-Issue #5 of DARK VICTORY has Catwoman on the cover.
-Issue #6 of DARK VICTORY features the Penguin on the cover.
-Issue #7 of DARK VICTORY features Calendar Man on the cover.
-Issue #8 of DARK VICTORY features the Joker on the cover.
-Issue #9 of DARK VICTORY features Bruce and Dick on the cover.
– of DARK VICTORY will feature Mr. Freeze
– of DARK VICTORY will feature Poison Ivy on the cover.
– of DARK VICTORY features Two-Face on the cover.
-Batman, Robin, Gordon, Two-Face, Catwoman, and the Joker will have large recurring roles throughout DARK VICTORY.
-Wanna read what Rucka and Grayson have set for the final two months of NML? There are some slight spoilers and ALOT of teasers! This article will no doubt make any heavy NML enthusiast very excited for the NML finale. The URL is:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/interviews/rucka101599.html
MOVIES
-Apparently the straight-to-video BATMAN BEYOND movie being released in December 2000 will reveal what happened to both Tim Drake and the Joker. It will be out by November 7, 2000.
-There are two live-action movies in the works right now. One is the YEAR ONE movie we’ve been hearing so much about; the other is a live-action BATMAN BEYOND film, which Keanu Reeves was referring to a couple weeks ago. (We printed that story in this column.) After his work on THE MATRIX (parts 2 and 3) is over, expect to hear more about it.
TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-If you weren’t already aware, Warner Bros. Stores have begun to receive the WB Miniature Classic Collection! There are 10 from the original BTAS: Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Joker, Harley, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, and Poison Ivy!
-The new line of Batman bean bags have been out since September at least: Batman “Beyond”, Riddler, Penguin, Joker, Harley.
-Last item from Previews is the new porcelain statue of Harley based on Bruce Timm’s design. It’s pretty darn expensive though. There are pics in WIZARD #99.
-The new Batman Beyond Maquette and two limited edition Batman Beyond gallery pieces are both available from wbstore.com, as are the Ron Lee mini-Batgirl porcelain figure, The History of Batmobile Cars (gallery piece), Batman/Superman vinyl coin bank (not to mention the cookie jar), medium Batman bust (smaller $20 version of the $55 bust)
-A BATMAN BEYOND costume will be available in Kmart, Target, and Wal-Mart for this upcoming Halloween.
-The SUPERMAN video game for Playstation will be out in the first quarter of 2000.
-A Batman and Robin game (animated style, probably) will be released on the Sega Dreamcast in the second half of 2000. __________________________________
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: For synopses of the issues dealing with the set-up of the final crunch of No Man’s Land, see of Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
OCTOBER: Batman foils a scheme where some hoods promise citizens an escape from Gotham; meanwhile, Catwoman battles Maxie Zeus in New York City for the discs that are “vital to saving Gotham City”. Azrael aids Catwoman in breaking back into Gotham, Superman pays Batman another visit, and things heat up *WINK WINK* between Nightwing and Oracle.
Then, in NO MAN’S LAND #0, we learn that Batman abandonned Gotham for Monaco the day the bridges were blown, and Talia was the one that forced him to go back. We also learn the details as to why the Huntress became Batgirl.
Then in NO MAN’S LAND SECRET FILES we see various congress reports, newspaper clippings, character bios (including Penguin, Harley, Ivy, Dr. Thompkins, and newcomers “Mute” Batgirl, Cain, and Echo). We also see a tale of a dying man during the day the bridges were blown, where he encounters the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and the Huntress.
Two-Face then breaks into Commissioner Gordon’s home, beats Sarah Essen to a pulp, and kidnaps Gordon; he brings him into his sector to hold a trial, claiming that Gordon is responsible for war crimes. Montoya’s family is also reveals to still be alive, but imprisoned; apparently Two-Face has a crush on Rene. Meanwhile, the Penguin’s pipeline to the outside is intercepted by Batman and Robin.
That’s 62 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.
WHAT’S TO COME…
-October: Two-Face concludes his trial with Gordon and Montoya in “Jurisprudence” – DC #739.
-November: Batman confronts Gordon. The “Outside Interest” is revealed. Bane assembles all the remaining villains – Joker, Penguin, and Harley – for a final blow-out. The Joker, realizing that Batman has totally neglected him since NML began, tries to get his attention in the worst way possible.
-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 event 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 makes his/her move.
-ONE OF THE MAJOR HEROES WILL DIE BEFORE “NO MAN’S LAND” ENDS. (This is in Detective Comics #741). TWO OTHER “NAMED” CHARACTERS WILL ALSO BE KILLED.
-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.
-Commissioner Gordon’s trial, held by Two-Face, concludes in DC #739. Batman later confronts and reconciles with him in “Falling Back”, 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…
-Killer Croc appears in ROBIN #71 and 72, in October and November.
-Two-Face cuts his deal with Commissioner Gordon and promptly kidnaps him; he puts him on trial in the two-part “Jurisprudence”, this October. Apparently he is the second-last villain to be defeated. (How fitting.)
-Bane re-appears, and the “outside interest” is revealed in SOTB #93, in November.
-Catwoman breaks back into Gotham in CATWOMAN #75, and then seeks refuge in the Penguin’s territory in CATWOMAN #76, in November; she then faces Deadman in December.
-The Joker and Harley re-appear in November in the two-part “Shellgame”, just as Gotham is beginning to be re-built. This leads directly into the three-part “Endgame” in December, during Gotham’s Christmas season, just as NML draws to a close, to once and for all destroy Gotham and all of its citizens.
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FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE
It’s taken a while to get off the ground but at last The Unofficial Batman Animated Fan Club UK was started in September 1999 with the publication of the club’s first fanzine – a fan-made Batman magazine which is to be published and mailed out to members quarterly. The first issue featured some great articles including episode guide, artwork, news, warner bros. store info, reviews, quiz and facts. For more information on how to join this great club then please visit the new website at:
http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk/club
The club is based in the UK but fans from all around the globe are encouraged to join.
* * * * * * * * * *
BATMAN & SUPERMAN: THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER has added it’s most amazing section yet to the DC: a complete (and we mean COMPLETE) episode guide! The DC Episode Guide boasts the ONLY complete SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and BATMAN BEYOND Episode Guides on the Internet as we speak. It also contains a complete BATMAN Episode Guide, and it includes his movie and SUPERMAN episode appearances. It boasts original air dates and much more! Check it out! Go to the following and click on the EPISODE GUIDE link button.
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
Look for updates soon!
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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
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
PSYCOMICS
http://www.psycomics.com
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
VOICE CHASERS
http://www.voicechasers.org
UNOFFICIAL SITES
—–
*TWO-FACE’S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BATMAN & SUPERMAN:THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
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://zap.to/lazaruspit
THE DARK KNIGHT
http://www.darkknight.ca
BATMAN BEYOND: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
http://www.batmanbeyond.net
TIM WAN’S BATMAN BEYOND
http://come.to/batmanbeyond
DCU ANIMATED
http://welcome.to/the_dcu
HARLEY’S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/harlequinhideaway
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
GOTHAM CITY LIMITS
http://www.batman.gexner.net
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/
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
A TRIBUTE TO BATMAN
http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/russkafin/batman.html
NEWSGROUPS
—–
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
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QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL
If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else then please e-mail this address with your problems and we’ll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you’d like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:
juno@direct.ca
As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on anything pertaining to BTAS. Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does not change, as that is the most important part of any 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.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES
The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The 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
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LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE’S HOW!!!
For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section, and want to
subscribe just follow these simple instructions:
To subscribe email juno@direct.ca 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 AT COLLEGE: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz & RiddlerWB (our friend at the official BTAS/STAS site)
BTAS REVIEWS: Zanna
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.
____________________________________________________________
AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO GREG RUCKA FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR INTERVIEW!
AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!