Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of November 8 – November 13/14, 1999
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping” THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “WE WANT A BATMAN/SUPERMAN SCORE CD!”
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APOLOGY
Sorry about the delay in getting this issue out to all of you. Editor Tim “Two-Face” Leighton
was having computer problems AND an already-busy day on Sunday, November 7; we apologize for
any inconvenience this may have caused.
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SPECIAL PETITION
We all know that a BATMAN BEYOND score CD was released this past August. Fans were thrilled to be getting this, but were also peeved that the “regular” Batman/Superman shows have been overlooked. Who here would buy a BTAS/STAS CD set if one were ever made? Remember, the one BEYOND CD handled only 13 episodes in 40 minutes; BTAS has 109 episodes and STAS has 54 – that means it would be a multi-CD set, to be sure. Who would buy this? I DEFINATELY would!
Our friend RIDDLERWB has supplied us the following e-mail address. E-mail the people at RHINO RECORDS and demand a BATMAN and/or SUPERMAN score CD!
drrhino@rhino.com
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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.
‘HOOKED UP’
Batman Beyond #21
Air date: November 13, 1999
Batman has to come to Max’s rescue when she becomes addicted to a virtual reality world that is controlled by Spellbinder.
‘RATS’
Batman Beyond #22
Air date: November 20, 1999
Batman must protect Dana from a dangerous secret admirer…a lonely teenage outcast who lives underground with giant mutant rats as his only companions.
‘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 BEYOND 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/backstage/programming/kids_framed.frm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 11-08-99: Batman #103 The Demon Within
B-BEYOND #12 Disappearing Inque
Tue 11-09-99: Batman #94 Love is a Croc
NO SECOND EPISODE TODAY
Wed 11-10-99: Superman #19 Target
B-BEYOND #07 Meltdown
Thu 11-11-99: Batman #109 Judgement Day
NO SECOND EPISODE TODAY
Fri 11-12-99: Superman #44 Demon Reborn
B-BEYOND #19 Hidden Agenda
Sat 11-13-99: Batman #106 Mad Love
B-BEYOND #21 Hooked Up
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. They also have the rights to air the first 26 episodes of BATMAN BEYOND (all of season 1 and the first half of season 2).
THIS WEEK:
Mon 11-08-99: BTAS #40 Joker’s Wild
Tue 11-09-99: BTAS #60 His Silicon Soul
Wed 11-10-99: BTAS #50 Off Balance
Thu 11-11-99: BTAS #48 What is Reality?
Fri 11-12-99: BTAS #33 The Laughing Fish
Sat 11-13-99: BEYOND #17 Lost Soul (?)
Sun 11-14-99: BEYOND #18 Bloodsport (?)
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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!
BLOODSPORT
Written by Rich Fogel
Directed by Dan Riba
Animation by Dong Yang, Koko
Original air date: October 23, 1999
Rating: *** (out of 5)
For those of you out there who know a little something about literature, you’ve probably heard of “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. And if you don’t, then what it basically describes is a lone man’s battle on a remote jungle island against a deadly hunter who kills for the thrill of it. Replace the jungle with concrete and steel, and name the hero Terry, and you’ve got the premise for “Bloodsport”.
At Gotham’s fanciest hotel, a mysterious man is escorted by a bellhop into the penthouse suite. Expecting a tip, the bellhop is disappointed when the man doesn’t give any. Asking him if there’s anything else he needs, the answer is “Privacy”. On the balcony, a mosquito lands on the man’s hand, and begins to suck the blood out. The man notices, but doesn’t attempt to swat it. As the insect flies away, he lifts a tiny blowgun from his shirt and blows. As the blood splatters, the man smiles.
Meanwhile at the Evergreen Recycling Center, Terry is keeping a close watch on men taking apart cars. Bruce informs him through the comm. link that the cars are stolen. Using that as his cues Terry unleashes himself on the car thieves. As the fights, Bruce informs him that Terry’s mother asked him to pick up some milk on the way home. After a really intense battle, which is up to par with the last fight from “The Winning Edge”, Terry emerges victorious.
The next morning, Terry’s mother discovers that he never bought any milk. Terry apologizes, knowing that his mother is trying to obtain some type of certification to get a promotion at work. At the penthouse that night, the man has redecorated the room with hundreds of ceremonial artifacts as well as a fire in the center of the room. He is dressed in a loin cloth, with tattoos all over himself. A ragged scar runs down the length of his spine. On the floor is a drawing of various types of animals, and the bat is one of them. Grabbing a long staff, he vaults off the building into the cityscape below. He breaks a skylight on a building and enters.
Batman’s on the scene soon enough. The place is some kind of museum, with ancient monuments and relics. Suddenly a pair of darts emerges from the shadows, narrowly missing Terry. The man vaults into Terry, knocking him over. Terry gets back up soon enough and starts pummeling his attacker. But the man doesn’t go down, instead he catches Terry’s punches and begins to grapple with him. Terry flips over and throws the man across the room, but cannot get to him because a gas grenade is tossed in his face. Once the smoke clears, the man is gone.
Terry must apologize once more to him mom as he comes home. She has to leave for the night, so Terry takes his brother Matt to Cheezy Dan’s for dinner. A shadowy figure mysteriously watches Terry as he heads off. At the restaurant, Matt is busy playing video games when Terry looks through the skylight and sees the tattooed man. He asks Max (from “Hidden Agenda”), happens to be there to watch Matt. Terry then leads the man on a wild chase through the city. But no matter where he goes, his stalker is right on his tail. Hiding on a train, Bruce informs Terry that is man is really called “The Stalker”, and he’s wanted for poaching on three continents. Terry throws off his jacket to a homeless man on the train, and the Stalker pursues him for a while, allowing Terry to escape. Once back at Cheezy Dan’s, Terry is shocked to discover that Matt is missing, and his clothing is stuck to the wall with a dagger.
From that point on, we learn much about what’s been going on, including how the Stalker was able to get so close to Terry even if he was masked when they fought. We also learn about the Stalker’s past in some very powerful scenes involving his old hunting expeditions and his “rebirth” as the greatest hunter of all. What does the Stalker really think of Batman? It’s all answered right here. The final fight scene is amazing as well, with Batman trying to make his way through a trap rigged penthouse suite as he tries to rescue Matt. The episode ends with the Stalker badly injured, and he begins hallucinating, thinking Batman is some kind of devil. Vaulting off the balcony, he lands on a train track just as the nightly metro arrives. He’s too scared to even move.
“Hunting season’s over,” says Bats.
So what’s to like about this ep? Certainly the action is great and Terry’s family actually plays more of a role in this one. Also, it’s good how they at least attempted to explain the Stalker’s past instead of just popping him in out of nowhere.
So then why the three star rating? Well, lack of originality for the most part. I know many initially thought that Batman Beyond was Spider Man-ish, and while Terry has certainly began to shed his Peter Parker likenesses, Stalker is little more than Kraven the Hunter for Batman, and there really just isn’t anything to separate “Bloodsport” from anything else this season. Coming off of “Lost Soul” and “Hidden Agenda”, perhaps I’m being a bit hard on this ep, but that’s how I feel. This is by no means a bad episode, though. Remember that even a mediocre episode of Batman can give the best of any other show some real competition.
By Justin Chen, aka The Overseer
t_overseer@yahoo.com
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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)
THE ROAD FROM NO MAN’S LAND
The status quo has shifted…
What is to become of our Gotham City after it is rebuilt? What of its heroes? What of its villains?
I sincerely hope in my heart of hearts that the editors of the Bat-books are not so black-hearted as to return things to their previous status quo…villain is loose! Catch villain! Done…
It simply cannot be. Two-Face has now had a taste, indeed, a full BITE of the power the Penguin has commanded since his release from prison. He has been a leader, the terrible likes of which history has only rarely seen. Can we expect the bifurcated one to return to a mundane existence of Arkham ‘rehab’? I think not!
Nor can we expect the average commonalities of the story to overtake the Joker. Indeed, history’s finest cartoon villain has found a match and a possible mate in the desolation of No Man’s Land. He himself hath proclaimed, “I shall MARRY Harley Quinn!” like a randy thirteen-year old. Can we expect him to be parted from a criminal catalyst such as the divine Ms. Quinn? Harley herself is due a few years of escape/recapture in the style of classic villains, but the Joker, well…interestingly, HE may be the one to demand something more from the psychopathic relationship.
Killer Croc? Scarface? Scarecrow? Ivy? They’ve all survived experiences to better themselves as people in the harsh climes of ravaged Gotham…Poison Ivy, after being a shepherd and de-facto mother to the children of the Park, cannot be expected to return to the shadows of Arkham! It is not hardly FAIR…she as much as anyone is responsible for the SURVIVAL of Gotham’s spirit, hardly its degredation! Regardless of the coersion that forced her philanthropy, she has become more than what she was.
The answer, constant readers? My children, we need only to look to a rival…MARVEL. Their relaunch of Spider-Man, although a desperate and sad move, has nevertheless spawned that which the Bat-titles needed an EARTHQUAKE to create…citizenship of its villains. One needs only to look to the most recent Spider-Man issues…not one or two but SEVEN MAJOR VILLAINS walk away at the end, free as babies with their diapers hanging off. With Carnage on the horizon, no less! THIS is what I mean.
I’m all for dark evil and overblown super-plots…they make comics interesting. But after No Man’s Land, can’t the group editors ask themself if there is something more to the Batman Rogue’s Gallery? One need only to look to “Arkham Asylum” or much of “Shadow of the Bat” to see that there IS, constant, there IS…but how much more has the earthquake wrought? HOW MUCH?
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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.)
Hello once again, kids, and welcome to another edition. As promised, we’re going to kick things off with a letter from one of our faithful readers. This week’s letter comes to us from “Nerdgirl.” She writes:
“Maybe you can help me. I, like countless other TNBSA and BB fans, have a burning question on my mind. What became of Dick Grayson in Batman Beyond? The producers promised us that we would find out what happened to DG in the second season. So far, I have read the descriptions of most of season 2’s episodes, and none look like they will dive into what happened to DG. I have searched far and wide on the net for any info, to no avail. There doesn’t even seem to be any leaks anywhere. Reliable Source, you are my only hope. You, like no one else, have the knack for finding answers to questions that are either impossible or not meant to be answered. I know you can find the answer to this question and publish it in BTAN. I know this sounds like kissing up, but I know deep in my heart that you won’t let me and countless other DG fans down. I know you won’t disappoint us.”
Well, Miss Nerdgirl, it did sound a bit like you were kissing up. And I would just like to point out to all you other readers, that Nerdgirl got her letter printed. That is exactly how you do it, so please all take a lesson from her. Kissing up will get you very, very far. And, Nerdgirl, if you are single, and looking for a very Reliable guy, feel free to send me a picture of yourself along with your phone number.
But seriously, folks, she poses a question that many Bat-fans have asked since the beginning of Batman Beyond. What happened to Dick Grayson? For that matter, what happened to all the old characters we used to know and love on Batman: The Animated Series? Well folks, though the network is breathing down my neck over this one, and I have refrained from doing it thus far, here is the true word on what’s happened to DG, as well as some other old favorites.
DICK GRAYSON, after becoming NIGHTWING to escape Batman’s shadow, eventually grew tired of fighting crime and decided to become an actor on the popular soap opera “Gotham Nights.” He was a huge success, until his accidental death in a tragic love scene. He is survived by his wife, the animal training lady with the gorilla, and his son, Dick Grayson Jr. Or, as he is affectionately called, Little Richard.
TIM DRAKE went back to his fathers’s criminal roots and became a drug dealer, and eventually, a pimp. His claim to fame was having his ladies dress up as Batgirl, Supergirl, Catwoman, etc.
COMMISSIONER GORDON retired, and was replaced by new commissioner HARVEY BULLOCK. And you thought the city was bad before.
POISON IVY and HARLEY QUINN realized their true feelings for one another and got married. There will be a very… interesting flashback sequence explaining this, including a lengthy honeymoon scene.
THE RIDDLER was shot and killed by a vengeful JOSIAH WORMWOOD (“The Cape And Cowl Conspiracy”) because everyone knows Riddler was just a lame Wormwood wannabe.
CLAYFACE was mixed into the cement that is the foundation of Hamilton Hill High School, where he remains still, slowly suffocating to death over the next thousand years.
KILLER CROC was captured by Roland Dagget’s scientists and dissected. His head was sent to Rupert Throne as a Christmas present, who had it mounted on his wall. He often stares up at it pondering the meaning of life and muttering to himself incoherently.
TWO-FACE had plastic surgery to have both sides of his face match. Unfortunately, the plastic surgeon misunderstood and made both sides match the DEFORMED side. However the public loved this and Harv’s mug graced many a copy of “People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People” editions.
And lastly, MAN-BAT is living deep within the recesses of the Batcave. In the final episode of the series, Terry accidentally awakens him, and the enraged Bat rips out McGinnis’s liver and eats it in the most graphic scene ever to make it onto a Saturday morning cartoon show.
I hope that helps put to rest any lingering questions out there. Folks, you too can have your questions answered if you just send them my way at Reliable_S@hotmail.com. Thank you to “Nerdgirl” for writing in, and I’m serious about that picture thing, really. ‘Til next week, 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.
Gangs. Who here got beat up by a gang recently – or ever? Someone close to me was assaulted by a number of hooligans recently; since that’s on my mind, I decided to make the focus of this particular quiz on the various gangs in Gotham City.
206. What is the name of the first member of the Jokerz ever seen, in order of original air date?
A: JOKERZ LEADER
B: J-MAN
C: SCAB
D: GRIN
E: HARLEY-QUINN-TIN-TERANTINO
207. Two-Face’s gang originally consisted of two identical twins. What were their names?
A: MIN and MAX
B: PHIL and LIL
C: SUGAR and SPICE
D: JASON and TODD
E: None. He’s only used the “Two Tonne Gang”.
208. Catwoman has predominantly worked ALONE; however, she did once confide in someone, prior to Batman learning her secret identity. Who was this one person?
A: CANDICE
B: THOMAS BLAKE
C: MAVIN
D: OSWALD COBBLEPOT
E: RUPERT THORNE
209. Aside from Rhino and the Ventriloquist himself, name the only other member of Scarface’s gang that has appeared in more than one episode.
A: MUGSY
B: BUGSY
C: TINY
D: MR. BIG
E: TOMMY NO-NOSE
210. Which of members of the Valestra Mob were NOT killed by the Phantasm?
A: Carl Beaumont
B: Chuckie Sol
C: Buzz Bronski
D: Salvatore Valestra
E: Jack Napier (?)
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA
Answer to #206: B
Answer to #207: A
Answer to #208: C
Answer to #209: A
Answer to #210: A, D, E
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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:
I am a potato. Multi-eyed, yet see nothing.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
Uhhhh…nothing witty to say here…dang, I’m losing my edge.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by anyone that wants to contribute)
This article is brought to us from the desk of Christian Fitzgerald:
Hasbro has recently released new toys for the Christmas shopping season, including the new “Street to Sky Batmobile” from Batman Beyond. I decided to take advantage of a promotion at Toys ‘R Us, purchase the Batmobile and receive any regular Batman figure free. This promotion ended October 31st.
The idea behind the new Batmobile is that the regular car is changed into a jet by pushing a lever on the back to deploy the “Primary Flight Wings”, then pulling it again to extend the “Secondary Flight Wings.” The Batmobile also features a “Rapid Fire” disc launcher. In general the toy is very good looking, and it is fairly true to the series. Personally, I think it looks much better as the regular Batmobile in “Ground Cruiser” mode. The front wheels are set inside the “Intermediate Wings” which are folded down for flight, but give the Batmobile a roadster look when they are up. The primary wings are folded up for the cruiser mode and look like fins, a retro look that reminds me of the 60’s Batmobile on steroids.
I would have to say I am disappointed with the toy. The first one I bought I took back because the locking mechanism that keeps the wings up in cruiser mode would not lock one of the wings. This is a weakness in design because even if it did work I can see a kid playing with it could snap the little tab right off in the first few days. I took that one back and exchanged it for another that did work correctly. Another complaint is that to make the Batmobile look anything like the package, you have to apply 20 decals. The decals are very hard to get straight, especially in the cockpit, and they are prone to stretch easily which makes proper fit difficult.
The disc launcher is another part that will break easily, because to load it, the cockpit canopy must be open. The instructions do not make this clear so everyone that used mine tried to load it through the top of the cockpit, where the discs exit when launched, but they wind up getting jammed and they are extremely difficult to get out. The disc launcher only fires about a foot and a half anyway so it isn’t that much fun to begin with. My record distance was about three feet, but it is not easy to make the discs fly far.
Overall the Batmobile is a pretty cheap attempt. The cockpit canopy fits terribly, it is loose when it is open and always falls off when you try to open it. The plastic that holds it on wears away quickly. The canopy is almost impossible to open in the first place, and then when you do pop it off it comes all the way off because the snap lock is more secure than the hinge. This is not a problem with just the one I have, because I returned one that had the same problems. I also am disappointed with the wheels. They are small and do not turn well. The Batmobile slides across any floor. Rubber on the wheels would have been a definite improvement.
As a toy, stay away from the Batmobile, it seems like it will break under a normal kid’s use. Hasbro tried to design all of these features that require complex mechanisms inside the toy, all of which break. Collectors will like this though because it really does display well. If you have the patience to apply all of the decals, the Batmobile looks really good.
My verdict is, unless you are a die-hard Batman Beyond fan, or you don’t like to play with your toys, find other toys to spend your $24.99 on, or wait until it is on sale after Christmas.
Until next time…
Christian Fitzgerald
ChrisAFitz78@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/chrisafitz78
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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 BEYOND (ongoing)
ISSUE: “Ebony Tears” (#2)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILED BY: Craig Rousseau
INKED BY: Rob Leigh
ISSUED: October 27, 1999 (Cover date is December)
RATING: **** (out of 5)
I can’t believe how much better the ongoing BEYOND series is in comparison to the original miniseries. Very rarely has Hilary J. Bader impressed me in the past – on either BTAS or BEYOND, but in this new monthly, she has impressed me twice in a row!
This issue seemed like something in the vein of Ty Templeton – it was a character-driven issue that centres around the villain. Sounds good, huh? Having Inque as the focal point of the issue doesn’t hurt any, either – Inque’s always been my second-favourite villain from BEYOND, and I love seeing how her character develops. It’s also nice to finally get some background on her character: so, she wanted to become a gelatinous blob of goo, huh? Now we just gotta find out WHY…and that’s for a later tale.
Gladly, this character-driven story still has a good amount of action to keep me on the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved it – I have high expectations for the next installment of the series! Keep up the great work!
;-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 #21
December 1st?
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
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl are in the spotlight of the first animated comic to
hit the shelves in 2000!
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: Unavailable
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #39
November 10th
Synopsis: The animated-style Supergirl takes the spotlight in a special issue! Someone from Supergirl’s past life from Argo has returned…or have they? The happy reunion quickly becomes tragic when the mysterious returnee turns against both Kara and Superman! Is a foe of the Man of Steel’s behind this surprising turn of events?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
comics/covers/sma39.jpg
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-CINESCAPE ONLINE now has a poll about which storyline you’d like to see used for BATMAN 5. Go to the following to vote: http://www.cinescape.com
-The Aniie Awards were given out on November 7, and THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES won! For what category? TNBSA adevtnrues won for best Production Design for THE LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT. Also, THE IRON GIANT won all 15 categories is was nominate din. The first time an animated features sweeped the entire Awards basically. Congratulations to THE IRON GIANT, and THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES!
-YTV will air 26 episodes of BATMAN BEYOND, all in chronological order, and will air through the 26 without reruns interrupting the flow. Which means they will air episodes 1-26, then 1-26 again, etc. This means BATMAN BEYOND will be returning to the initial 13 episodes mid-December.
-YTV also made a hint that the current 7:30am (ET) timeslot may be changing. Maybe to a later time slot?
-As for SUPERMAN on YTV, no news on if it’s ever gonna get there.
-Ratings:
KIDS’WB! is sweeping up the ratings with their Saturday Morning line-up! Check it out for yourself:
(Age Group: 2-11)
TOP 10
1.Pokemon (10am)
2.Pokemon (8:30am)
3.Detention
4.Men In Black
9.Batman Beyond
UNDER THE TOP 10:
The New Batman/Superman Adventures
The Big Cartoonie Show
Sylvester & Tweety
(Age Group: 6-11)
TOP 10:
1.Pokemon (10am)
2.Pokemon (8:30am)
3.Detention
5.Men In Black
7.Batman Beyond
UNDER THE TOP 10:
The New Batman/Superman Adventures
The Big Cartoonie Show
Sylvester & Tweety
-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.
“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
-GLOBAL is now airing NEW episodes of BATMAN BEYOND. On Oct 30, they aired “Joyride” – there’s all the proof we need.
-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
-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
-Wanna see the Y2K Batman costume? Then check this link:
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/City_Limits/
Gallery/Batman%202000.jpg
-Last week, BTAN was able to give you pics of NEW GOTHAM, now take alook at NEW METROPOLIS! Just
click the links:
METROPOLIS:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/supcity.jpg
SUPERMAN & METROPOLIS:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/supfly.jpg
METROPOLIS’S ‘SUICIDE SLUM’:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/supslum.jpg
DAILY PLANET:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/supdailyplanet.jpg
SCU SUITS:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/supscu.jpg
DAILY PLANET 2:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/supstation.jpg
‘TELLEX BOOTH’:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/suptelex.jpg
‘RAIL WHALE’:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/02/suptrain.jpg
-Alex Ross discusses BATMAN: WAR ON CRIME and what it took to make it, how he did so, and what’s in store for the Paul Dini/Alex Ross one-two punch. Also, get a little info on last year’s blockbuster SUPERMAN: PEACE ON EARTH Dini/Ross collaboration:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/interviews/ross100599.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.
-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
-According to ANOTHER UNIVERSE’S DAILY BUZZ, the WB is seriously considering a live-action BATMAN BEYOND movie to replace all the proposed BATMAN 5 scripts.
-According to CINESCAPE ONLINE (on Nov 5), this rumor is true…but the WB is also still seriously considering an adaption of Frank Miller’s “YEAR ONE” comic series (from 1988), thereby restarting the franchise. Their logic? This way all the villains can re-appear in the future, especially the three that have been killed off in the past (Joker, Penguin, Two-Face).
TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-It seems that Hasbro is finally realizing that they can’t survive off millions and millions of Batman Beyond variants, so they are actually producing some new figures. The following pics are shots of the new Jokerz figures, actually done in the animated style! (Thanx FREEZE)
Front:
http://members.xoom.com/AnakinTsang/JGANG1.JPG
Back:
http://members.xoom.com/AnakinTsang/JGANG2.JPG
Note: It seems that Hasbro will finally be making a Black/Red Batman Beyond figure called POWER CAPE BATMAN. Take a close look at the back of the case and you’ll see him! Finally! These figures look good!
-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 SUPERMAN video game for Playstation will be out in the first quarter of 2000.
-The first issue of the Sega Dreamcast magazine says a Batman Beyond video game is due out in 2000.
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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: 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: For synopses of the issues dealing with the “beginning of the end” of No Man’s Land, see of “Batman: The Animated Newsletter”. Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
NOVEMBER: To become friends with Gordon once again, Batman made the ultimate sacrifice and revealed his identity to him; however, Gordon had his back turned, and does not WANT to know. They made up and banded together, joining forces to liberate Gotham in the final two months of NML.
That’s 66 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.
WHAT’S TO COME…
-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 assembles his forces to take on the final four remaining villains of NML.
-Robin goes up against Killer Croc in Robin #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.
-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 attacks the Penguin’s territory in Robin #72, in November.
-Bane re-appears in a number of issues in November; the “outside interest” is revealed in
SOTB #93, in November.
-Catwoman 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
The Discussion Center’s EPISODE GUIDE
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/episodes2.htm
This episode guide, created by RobinIII (the head guy of BATMAN & SUPERMAN: THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER), was created in the hopes of being the most complete episode guide on the internet today. He succeeds with flying colors. The guide includes the run-down of EVERY Superman, Batman, and Batman Beyond episode up to episode #36 as well as past, present, and futre air dates for the shows. This guide is very thorough and complete. As a bonus, it includes episode schedules for the shows! The guide has links for the Kids’WB! schedule, as well as the YTV schedule (YTV is a Canadian Channel), as well as airtimes on CARTOON NETWORK and (the Canadian Channel) Global. I implore everyone to go check it out! You won’t be dissapointed with it! A lot fo work went into this episode guide and it shows! You can go straight to the episode guide via the ‘geocities’ URL or through the mainpage:
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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
BATMAN: DEFENDER OF GOTHAM
http://www.citynet.net/personal/batman
THE RIDDLER – EDWARD NYGMA’S PUZZLE WEBSITE
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/prospero.milan/nygma
THE BATMAN ACTION FIGURE PAGE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7659/
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
BATMAN CEL SITE
http://animation.acmecity.com/carbon/111
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
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TO ALL GOOD THINGS…
…there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it! 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: Justin Chen
EDITORIAL #1: The Ghost of Laura Hysert
EDITORIAL #2: Kelly Tindall
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Christian Fitzgerald
“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.
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