Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of February 21 – February 26/27, 2000
Volume 3,
Rated: PG for some “low-key coarse language and occasional griping”
THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “Edward, Pamela, and Waylon: ‘IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN”
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
MAKE US LOOK LIKE FOOLS AND SEE YOUR NAME IN PRINT!
Yep, you heard right! Ever since the issue #1, my hasty editing procedures have always left not just a few, but sometimes a whole horde of simple errors, grammatical problems, untrue facts, and whatnot. Just no typos – you’ve gotta be more creative than that! Here’s where YOU come in.
If you can find any mistakes in this issue (we’re not purposely making mistakes – any mistakes you find will be ones we were too blind to see), we’ll print your name in the following issue in a special column. Sound fun?
Come on. Make us look like idiots. We dare ya. Grrrr.
-Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
the tremendously warped editor
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THOSE WHO POINTED OUT OUR FAULTS
MARIE/”ULTROS”
-who pointed out the mistake in Question #269 of the quiz last issue TERRY BEATTY
-who pointed out that he did not ink of Superman Adventures; Terry Austin did.
JEFF KIM
-who pointed out a grammatical error
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING…
New episodes are on the horizon! Here’s what we can expect in the near future…
AT THIS POINT IN TIME THERE IS NO NEWS OF ANY NEW FORTHCOMING EPISODES.
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 air Mondays thru Saturday; BATMAN BEYOND also airs on these days. Check local listings each day for what show is on at what time.
http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/episodes.html
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/
http://www.ktla.com/backstage/programming/kids_framed.frm
NOTE:
If our schedule is not updated, then go to the following URL. It will ALWAYS contain the most up-to-date schedule possible.
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/airdate.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 02-21-00: NO EPISODES
Tue 02-22-00: Superman #01 Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 1)
Superman #02 Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 2)
Superman #03 Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 3)
Wed 02-23-00: Batman #108 Beware the Creeper
Superman #20 Identity Crisis
Batman #102 Old Wounds
Thu 02-24-00: Superman #50 In Brightest Day
Batman #32 Robin’s Reckoning (Pt. 1)
Batman #37 Robin’s Reckoning (Pt. 2)
Fri 02-25-00: Superman #37 Little Girl Lost (Pt. 1)
Superman #38 Little Girl Lost (Pt. 2)
Sat 02-26-00: Batman #87 Sins of the Father
B-BEYOND #01 Rebirth (Pt. 1)
B-BEYOND #02 Rebirth (Pt. 2)
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 Noon on weekdays (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).
-YTV is moving BATMAN! BATMAN will no longer air at 7:30am (ET). BATMAN will now air at 12 noon (ET) Monday thru Friday. YTV is making their early morning shows all kid oriented, and felt that BATMAN did not suit that time slot.
THIS WEEK:
Mon 02-21-00: BTAS #09 Be A Clown
Tue 02-22-00: BTAS #26 Appointment in Crime Alley
Wed 02-23-00: BTAS #07 P.O.V.
Thu 02-24-00: BTAS #25 The Clock King
Fri 02-25-00: BTAS #04 The Last Laugh
Sat 02-26-00: BEYOND #07 Meltdown
Sun 02-27-00: BEYOND #08 Heroes
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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
DOUBLE TALK
Written by Robert Goodman
Directed by Dan Riba
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: November 22, 1997
My rating: **1/2
Hmmm…what can I say? This was a strange episode. It introduced us to the new character designs for the Ventriloquist, Scarface, and, to a lesser extent, Lucious Fox.
The episode begins at Arkham Asylum, where Arnold Wesker (the Ventriloquist’s identity was never given in a BTAS episode up until this point) is having nightmares of Scarface stalking him. The Ventriloquist is now temporarily reformed (reform is never a for-sure thing in Gotham!), but the Scarface side to his personality is trying to seduce him back into a life of crime through deadly threats.
What can I say about Ventriloquist’s new design? He looks a lot like a slimmer Drew Carey to me. The one thing that I hate about his design is his neck, or, rather, lack thereof. Other characters this season, like Alfred, have no recognizable neck when you look at them head on…it’s inhuman….
Due to his apparent reformation, Arnold is released from Arkham and starts living at a Wayne- owned halfway house run by midgets. Bruce Wayne also personally gave Arnold a job at Wayne Enterprises so he’d have some cash to live off of.
In this episode, more than ever, we see Batman’s sympathy for the Ventriloquist…when his old gangster cohorts confront him in the street (Rhino, etc…), Batman saves him and tells them very sternly to leave him alone…and then beats them senseless. Meanwhile, at Wayne Enterprises, Lucious Fox (who looks pretty much the same as before) recieves a shipment of bonds…worth a tonne of money. (Hint, hint, hint…)
Scarface starts stalking the Ventriloquist again – this time in real life over the phone…it’s sequences like this one that really make Scarface truly menacing…not to mention the brilliant vocalizations that are given to the character…you can easily see that the “dark, brooding Batman” shows are not completely gone…
The mystery is that Arnold has gotten rid of his Scarface puppet…leading the viewer to believe that his mind is playing tricks on him. But when we see Scarface in a phone booth outside his apartment and then see the puppet RUNNING, we know that something is up.
We soon learn that Rhino and Ventriloquist’s old gang members forced one of the midgets working at the halfway house to impersonate Scarface so that the Ventriloquist will be driven into a frenzy and then be tipped back into the life of crime…which works, sadly.
This is one of those episodes that grows on you with each viewing, (probably just because you get used to the new designs faster). It also is a milestone in the BTAS continuity – it is the first episode in which nudity is shown. No lie! In the scene where Batman is fighting Scarface in the warehouse, you clearly see a number of statues of nude females – nipples included. (Schumacher would be proud). This isn’t a reason to watch the show for, but it is an interesting thing that happens…kind of a perk. (Oooo…bad joke…sorry about that.) I’ll shut up now before you think I’m a male chauvanist pig, OK?
The only thing I don’t like is that the finale to the episode is just a rehash of “Read My Lips” and “Catwalk” – Scarface is mutilated via a machine gun, and then shredded to pieces.
Either way, it’s an interesting episode…a new take on the Ventriloquist’s character…a very welcome one, too. (And I’m a guy that isn’t even fond of that character.)
;-Y
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EDITORIAL
(by Kelly Tindall)
cointoss@hotmail.com
Mr. Tindall was unable to submit an editorial for this issue. Filling in for him is our good friend, scooper, and long-time subcriber “Ranger” (aka THX1138) with some more words o’ wisdom.
Enjoy!
BATMAN AND BEYOND
(by Ranger, the Batcave Custodial Engineer)
Greetings ever faithful readers. What an incredible week to be an Animated Series fan eh? We saw the end of Superman (well for now anyways) and the rumored end of Terry as the Bat to a totally new man in the cape for an automotive safety feature that none of us can afford. Wow… Like I said it’s a great time to be a fan.
Let’s look at the events of the last couple of weeks. First off…Superman and “Legacy”. Never have I seen on US television an animated tale so dark. Sure…Robotech imports and all, but c’mon, this was American TV with one of it’s greatest icons beaten down like never before.
Adding to that fact, the episode ends with no positive resolution which is almost mandatory these days in Kids programming. There was blood and violence and harsh language, no wait that was me and my astonished cries of joy, in this episode that I just had to rewind and see again just to make sure I saw it correctly the first time. How I long for a DVD of this story arc. Imagine being able to watch these episodes in their original continuity? Oh man…I need to rest. I am getting to excited over Kids programming.
Now you might say “Why does he keep saying Kids programming?”. Well that leads me to my second point. This isn’t just Kids programming anymore and this week proved it. With the false rumors of Batman Beyond’s cancellation flying around on the net faster than Two-Face buying up all he can at a McDonald’s 2-for-2 sale (sorry Tim, the humblest of editors) we saw the huge amount of support that truly lies out there for Terry and copany. People of all ages were going crazy with all sorts of comments and suggestions on how to save a show that really didn’t need saving. Dini must be enjoying the madness that ensued with this accidental “out of context” quote. And the WB…well except for the mild headaches of dealing with a minor rumor that could be easily proven wrong…this was a ton of free publicity for them. The WB now knows again that children of all ages watch the adventures of Batman and Superman even if it isn’t directly reflected in those dreaded Neilson numbers. So take heart that we do matter as fans even if we don’t go around saying “Pika Pika” all day long.
Further proof that the Bat has firmly taken hold of the public’s imagination is the new series of On Star commercials. I write this little column as the first of the new commercials plays in the background. How cool was that to see the cave again in live action? I don’t care if it’s crass and just a tool for some product – I loved hearing Danny Elfman music again while I gazed at some guy in the suit. It didn’t even matter to me who he was because I was just so happy to see ANYTHING that might draw us close to a fifth Bat film. I am easily amused. It’s okay. I have been told that many times but this time was different. With the new Bruce Wayne series in the works and “Return of the Joker” on the way I just feel that this is a good time to be a fan. We have Kids Meal toys, a new Ubi Soft video game coming, a whole slew of comics on the way (ignore the Harley series – I mean the GOOD comics coming) and tons other of stuff to collect in 2000. What more could anyone ask for? Within reason of course…
So all of us need to pat ourselves on the backs this week for our strong will and buying power.
Our franchise is moving forward and it’s picking up steam by the looks of it. Just remember that things could always be worse. You could be a Teenage Mutant Turtles fan. Now there is a franchise in stagnation. Turtle Power.
ranger@isnnews.net
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AND THAT’S THE FACTS
(by “Reliable Source”)
Our “reliable” writer for this column seems to have dropped off the face of the earth…at least for the time being. That said, editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton has decided to give writing this column a whirl…what craziness can he come up with today? Let’s see…
NOTE: This column is written completely off the top of our collective head, and is meant to be utterly FALSE. Any similarity to any real rumours or circulating information is purely coincidental!
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Things have been amazingly quiet on the animated-series front…no new news has surfaced regarding the seeming “cancellations” of our three beloved animated series. Eclipsing this lack of news is the news regarding the forthcoming live action BATMAN film. Yes, that’s right – things are finally moving.
Here is the rumour of the week:
Apparently, the folks at the WB have finally listened to fans, and are moving away from the campy tone that was all-too present in BATMAN & ROBIN (and to a much lesser extent in the previous film, BATMAN FOREVER). The fifth Bat-film, entitled “Batman – Episode V: The Phantasm Menace” will be an adaption of the much-beloved cult-favourite animated film, BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM. Word has it that the best of Hollywood’s A-list are vying for roles in this movie, told predominantly in flashback. Batman will be played by none other than Michael Keaton once again – but, to fill “sex appeal” quota, Ben Affleck is apparently ALREADY signed on to play the young Bruce Wayne. The runner-up for this part was apparently Freddy Prinze, Jr., but he said that “he’d rather do more cheesy teen movies than develop his career with surefire lackluster blockbusters.” OK.
The Joker will be played by none other than Jack Nicholson, proving the rumours that he will be returning (dating back to 1997 and earlier) are, in fact, true. Sadly, Big Jack is getting on in years, and even all the make-up in the world couldn’t make him look 20 again – so right now, there is a race between Ray Liotta and John Ritter to play the hit-man Jack Napier in the flashback sequences.
The other major character, Andrea Beaumont, will be played by none other than Gwenyth Paltrow. Those rumours of her being involved with a Bat-film WERE true after all.
Rounding out the original cast are Robert DeNiro as Salvatore Valestra, Michael Gough as Alfred (as always), Pat Hingle as (you guessed it) Commissioner Gordon, and, even though he hasn’t signed on yet, James Earl Jones will be providing the voice of the Phantasm – complete with the gasps and wheezes. As a red herring in the film, the Phantasm will, at one point, tell Batman that he is Andrea’s father, promptly before slicing off a segment of his arm.
That’s just a rumour though, folks – interpret it as you will.
Jet Li is being considered to play Carl Beaumont. Why? “He was cheap,” said one exec of a certain movie studio, “and besides, we want to make him a more potential candidate to BE the Phantasm in the film, so having some martial arts training wouldn’t hurt.” Jackie Chan was also considered, but was quickly passed upon because of his busy schedule working on “Supercop 4”,
“Rush Hour 2”, and “ESL: If I Can Learn It, So Can You”.
A 77 minute film is not long enough for a live-action theatrical release, however; it’s a given that all Bat-movies have to just barely break the two-hour mark. Therefore, more zany characters are being introduced in the film, the foremost being none other than the Joker’s hench-wench, “The Joker’s Wife”. Dressed in a frumpy, Charlie-Chaplin-esque green and purple suit (as seen in the BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN graphic novel), this character will accompany the Joker on his many, many rampages during the present-day sequences of the film. Jenny McCarthy is the front runner for this position. We asked her what she thought of the part, and her response was, “Like, cool,” and she giggled for quite some time afterwards. I’d state just how long, but I didn’t have a calendar on me at the time.
A young law student named Harvey Dent will appear in the flashback sequences alongside bosom-buddy Bruce Wayne. This role has yet to be cast, but an editor of a certain online newsletter is vying for the role. At least that’s what he stated in his “subliminal message” in a recent issue.
Rounding out the cast will be Catwoman, the Riddler, and Mr. Freeze, all showing up for the show-stopping finale – simply just to draw more people into the film. “If there’s one thing we learned about the last Bat-film,” said a nameless employee at the WB, “it’s that the more villains there are, the better! These three characters really impressed audiences everywhere, especially Mr. Freeze – but we want to cast an actor that can express his true coldness this time, not a joking action hero. I won’t say who, per se, but…” his eyes shifted back and forth rapidly, “…expect to see Pauly Shore make a smashing comeback.”
With a tentative release date of February 02, 2002, this film is causing a HUGE buzz in Hollywood right now. It’s only a matter of time before something more concrete can be reported.
Eeeenteresting, isn’t it? I must state, however, that this shouldn’t be taken as Bible truth, though – but it’s the closest thing we have to it right now. Again, as Mr. Reliable Source said, more as I hear it…
;-Y
PS – I think I failed to mimmick Ol’ Reliable’s style. So sue me. Actually, nix that. Don’t sue me.
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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.
OOPS! These errors are more and more frequent now…I’ve REALLY gotta wake up. In question #269 in , I asked which of the following characters has ever had a romantic interest on BTAS: Summer Gleeson, Edward Nygma, Hamilton Hill, Tim Drake, and Jonathan Crane. I said that Tim Drake DID (with Clayface), but forgot that Summer ALSO had a relationship with a man (who also turned out to be Clayface) in Issue #8 of BATMAN ADVENTURES. Sorry about the mistake, everyone!
More craziness from the woodwork, everyone…just go knock ya’self out, K?
271. As of the printing of this issue, what is the current release date for BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER?
A: December 21, 2000
B: November 7, 2000
C: May 16, 2000
D: October 31, 2000
E: None – the series was cancelled, wasn’t it?
272. Who performed the theme song to BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, as heard during the closing
credits?
A: Tia Carrere
B: Celine Dion
C: NIN
D: Jewel
E: Mariah Carey
273. What is the title of the only BATMAN BEYOND home video that features ANY episodes featuring Inque?
A: BLACK OUT
B: DISAPPEARING INQUE
C: INQUE-BLOT TEST
D: HEROIC EMANCIPATION
E: TECH WARS
274. Aside from MASK OF THE PHANTASM, which animated episode featured ANY reference to Salvatore Valestra?
A: IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
B: MAD LOVE
C: BEWARE THE CREEPER
D: TWO-FACE (Pt. 2)
E: None – he was only referenced to within MASK OF THE PHANTASM.
275. In the animated continuity, which of the following countries has Batman NOT been to?
A: Canada
B: United States
C: Monaco
D: France
E: Malaysia
F: Japan
G: Australia
H: United Kingdom
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AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)
Answer to #271: D
Answer to #272: A
Answer to #273: B
Answer to #274: C
Answer to #275: C, G
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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!
CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
Alas, we here at the newsletter were unable to spot any new little facts OR bloopers over the past week. For that, we apologize. Really.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by “Bill F. Mykel”)
1) One error that was in “Legacy” is they were going to execute both Superman & Supergirl with a Kryptonite injection. In the series Kryptonite has no effect on Supergirl. Granted that in the weakened state from the red solar lamps is vulnerable to pretty much everything so it wouldn’t have taken extraordinary measures to complete the execution.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by CatyStorm@aol.com)
CATYSTORM has been kind enough to submit a review of various BATMAN BEYOND toys in his/her collection. Thank you, CatyStorm!
-editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
I’d start with the “normal” Batman Beyond figure, a black-suited Terry! Yay! For one thing, this figure looked like it jumped right off the TV screen. All black, with the red bat, it just seemed better looking than that glowing “blue” variant.
Once out of the package, I noticed a couple more things. The first was this figure was slimmer than the “blue” version, making it much more believable, in my opinon. The shoulders were ball joints, and the red glide wings were attached to the back. All in all, I thought that this was a pretty good figure.
My second figure was the Bat-Link Robin. Instantly, I snatched this up, being a mondo Robin fan. My first thought was: Yay, a new Robin toy! My second thought was: Who the heck is this?
The figure itself is pretty nifty, red and green and futuristic in the terms of Batman Beyond. The mask on the figure’s face brought to mind Green Lantern. I am immensely curious as to this character, and I hope he’ll show up soon. 8)
CatyStorm@aol.com
NOTE: The Bat-Link figures are just cyber-incarnations of the Bat-characters, and are meant to have NO connection to BATMAN BEYOND in any way; that said, this Robin character will not pop up on the show. At least not to our knowledge.
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LAST-FICTITIOUS-MUSCLE-BOUND-INDIVIDUAL-STANDING
(by Danny Leary)
Yeah, so what if we got this idea from WIZARD? It’s not like we’re getting PAID to use it, are we? (We better not be! I’m not gettin’ sued over something like this!) Anyhow, long-time subscriber Danny Leary, a.k.a. “An Alien Fan” wanted to submit an article for this new column that we’re testing. Enjoy!
Oh, and if you people at WIZARD catch wind of this, go easy on us, please – we’re a non-profit organization, remember? ;-Y
Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
-editor
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BATMAN vs. NIGHTWING
Late night in downtown Gotham, Dick Grayson, better known as Nightwing, runs on a rampage, terrorizing helpless citizens, laughing like a madman. Suddenly Nightwing hears a familiar sound approaching him from behind: the Batmoblie.
Turning around he sees his mentor, Batman, jump out of the sliding door. “Dick,” Batman says calmly to his ex-ward, “I know you’re under the Mad Hatter’s mind control, and that there’s no chance of you taking control of yourself. I just want to say I’m sorry for what I have to do.”
Nightwing screams and lunges at Batman. Jutting to the side Nightwing misses and gets a knee to the chest. Cringing in pain for only a moment, Nightwing quickly counter attack with a uppercut to Batman’s chin. A lightning face kick toward the face is prevented when Batman grabs Nightwing’s leg and tosses him through the air. But his acrobatic skill shines as Dick flips in mid-flight and lands in an attack ready position on the sidewalk.
Cautiously approaching him Batman is taken by surprise when Nightwing grabs a lamp post, swings around it and kicks Batman through the glass pane window of a closed comic book store. Red light flashes in Bruce’s head as he tries to stand up from a pile of Pokemon cards and regain composure – but not soon enough as Nightwing decks him over the head with a metal cast Scully statue. Grabbing a Metapod card Batman flings it at Nightwing slicing through the costume and skin of his forearm. Dropping the statute and holding his wound Batman has all the time his needs to press a button on his belt. Light fills the dark store as the Batmoblie storms toward Nightwing and hits him, sending him into a rack of new issues. Batman stands and attends to his unconscious partner and removes the mind-control chip.
“I said I was sorry.”
WINNER: Batman
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COMIC REVIEWS
(BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
(BATMAN BEYOND by Tim Wan)
(SUPERMAN ADVENTURES by Dick Grayson)
BATMAN BEYOND (ongoing)
ISSUE: “Perfect Pitch” (#5)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILLED BY: Craig Rousseau
INKED BY: Rob Leigh
ISSUED: January 26, 1999 (cover date, Mar 2000)
RATING (out of 5): *****
I’ve decided to change the format of this review slightly. It’s hard to review a comic without spoiling it (for example, BB #4’s twin fiasco), but I know that it’s hard to decide whether or not to buy the comic without reading a review of it in the first place. One of the those Catch- 22’s I guess. From now on I’ll be reviewing whether or not the comic’s worth buying, and then a full review complete with spoilers.
Buy Batman Beyond #5. Period. If you like Batman Beyond, go buy it. I know you might have been disappointed with Shriek in the cartoons, but this story really rocks, and is by far the best BB comic I’ve ever read. This includes the awesome Batman vs. Batman #1. If you don’t already own it, go buy it then come back and read the review as I’d hate to spoil it for you.
THE REVIEW:
The first good point is that the issue is a continuation of the cartoon. The first page opens with a deaf Shriek. If you remember at the end of “Shriek”, Shreeve was deaf when Terry destroyed his sound nullifier and overwhelmed his ears. The only way Shriek can listen to others is by reading their lips. Compared to BB #3 where there was basically no connection to the Splicers episode, it’s nice to know that the writers are expanding on the cartoon. I’ll have to admit that the ending to the comic might mess with continuity a bit. Shriek’s ability to shatter anything is a bit too powerful and he’s going to need to be tuned down a bit. Either that or Batman’s got to get stronger.
Throughout the comic, Shriek uses his powers in interesting ways. He masks out Batman’s Sonar, flings around Batman’s own weapons, among the usual blowing things up. His powers are drawn beautifully with this sort of white mist that hangs over the drawings. It sort of looks like they just erased parts of the comic, but the effect is perfect.
Terry using Bruce’s weapons was a nice touch, but you could see the part with the grapple coming over a mile away. It was still a nice moment though. The best part had to be when Terry got his suit shattered, but then came back and gave Shriek a beat down…all without his suit!
The whole “reading lips” gimmick worked wonderfully during the final battle scene, and was especially humorous on the last page. I’m hoping Shreeve stays deaf, so the writers will be able to explore this weakness and how he compensates for it a bit more.
When you add in a classic Terry ditching Dana scene that was reminiscent of Spider-Man and Mary Jane, you’ve got a classic story that was just amazingly fun to read.
-Tim Wan (who posts his current favorite two comics on his dorm wall, and BB #5 has held that position for two weeks now )
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more in-depth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES, BATMAN BEYOND, and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE! The price for any of these issues, unless otherwise posted, is $1.99 in the US and…grrrrr…a whopping $3.25 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 #24
March 1st
Synopsis: Members of the Bat-team are being kidnapped one-by-one. But who is behind it all?
Cover: Unavailable
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: A team-up between Batman and the Flash.
Cover: http://comicscontinuum.com/stories/0001/25/bmgothadvent25.jpg
BATMAN BEYOND #6 (ongoing)
February 23rd
Synopsis: When Terry McGinnis and his friends try to go on a quiet camping trip to a river island near Gotham, they enter a lost world of genetically altered creatures kept prisoner there for the amusement of the world’s most dangerous gamehunter: Stalker! It’s up to Batman to keep himself and his friends alive, if he can outrun, outwit and outfight the half- dinosaur/half-jungle animals populating the island!
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/bmb6.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #7.
Synopsis: The return of another popular BEYOND villain (we’re not telling WHO) makes Terry’s life a living hell.
Cover: Unavailable
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #43
March 8th
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
FOLLOWING 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: beatty@machlink.com Do yourself a favor and check out some great art!
-Craig Rousseau has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on eBay. His Seller ID is: cerousseau@aol.com Feel free to check it out! You don’t wanna miss it!
-WIZARDWORLD has just conducted an interview with Paul Dini. To read it, go here:
http://www.wizardworld.com/news/dc/diniqna/dini.html
-Wanna see the new Batman/Superman “GOT MILK” ads? Go here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0002/16/milk.jpg
-Wanna sign a petition to get the WB to hire Jeph Loeb as the screenwriter for BATMAN 5? Go to this site to have your say:
http://homepages.go.com/~fabio2_batcave/campaign.html
-The ONSTAR commercials featuring Batman are now on the air, and the website has had an
overhaul as well. Check it out! The commercials will be available for download shortly.
http://www.onstar.com
ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND)
-Wanna see a clip from BATMAN BEYOND where Terry fights Two-Face, the Riddler, and Killer Croc?
Download from here:
http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/dld/train.mov
-BATMAN BEYOND PRODUCTION HALTS. Read the article:
http://comicscontinuum.com/stories/0002/08/index.htm
-For words on BEYOND’s production halt directly from Paul Dini, go here:
http://www.wizardworld.com/news/dc/
bat_beyond_final_ep/bat_beyond_final_ep.html
-A new series named “ZETA” may spin-off out of BATMAN BEYOND; the episode titled “Zeta” is coming up later on this season.
ANIMATED COMICS
-BATMAN BEYOND #7 and #8 will be written by both Hilary J. Bader AND Rich Fogel. The cover to #8 can be found here:
http://comicscontinuum.com/stories/0001/25/bmbeyond8.jpg
OTHER COMICS
-The first issue of Greg Rucka’s BATMAN/HUNTRESS: CRY FOR BLOOD will hit the shelves on April 12, 2000.
-An interview of Devin Kalile Grayson can be found at the CNN website. Here’s the URL:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/books/news/02/15/
comics.writer.batman/index.html
-DETECTIVE COMICS #748 and 749 will be told from Commissioner Gordon’s POV.
-Calendar Man will be the featured villain in DARK VICTORY #7, due out in April.
-The first ever 80 PAGE GIANTS for ROBIN and NIGHTWING will be released in the near future;
Chuck Dixon is attached as the writer for both of them.
-DARK VICTORY #5 was supposed to be shipped on February 16, but for reasons unknown, it was not; it WILL be in stores on February 23, however.
-The ongoing HARLEY QUINN series will commence in September.
MOVIES
-BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER will now be released on October 31, 2000, instead of November 7.
-In BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER, the Joker WILL in fact pop up in future Gotham, not just in the flashback episodes. His target will be Bruce Wayne – but why?
-It will be directed by Curt Geda.
-It’s been confirmed at BATMAN: DEFENDER OF GOTHAM and the WORLD’S FINEST NEWS PAGE that WB has brought the following URL:
http://www.batman-yearone.com
For the full story, please go to this URL:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html
-Oh, and look at all these OTHER domains they’ve acquired:
batman5.net
batmanbeyondmovie.com
batmanbeyondmovie.net
batmanbeyondthefilm.com
batmanbeyondthefilm.net
batmanbeyondthemovie.com
batmanbeyondthemovie.net
batmanfive.com
batmanfive.net
batmanv.com
batmanv.net
batman-yearone.com
batman-yearone.net
batmanyearone.net
batman-year1.com
batmanyear1.net
-Two more Batman Beyond videos are going to be released on May 16th, 2000: volumes #4 and 5.
One is entitled “Spellbound”, and the fifth is entitled “Crush”. The exact episodes shown on each tape haven’t been released as of yet. The cover of SPELLBOUND can be found here:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/bbvid.jpg
-Rumour has it that the second RETURN OF THE JOKER trailer – the one featuring actual footage of the film – will appear on the new BATMAN BEYOND videos being released on May 16.
-For a picture of what the Joker will look like in the future, go to this pic:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/bbjoker.jpg
LIVE ACTION TV
-REGARDING “BRUCE WAYNE”:
GENRE: Action / Comics Adaptation MEDIUM: Television Series
STUDIO: Warner Brothers NWTWORK: Either WB or FOX
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Warner Brothers & ?
PHASE: Pre Production START DATE: NA
CAST: N/A
PRODUCTION CREDITS: Batman: TAS and Batman Beyond mainstay Paul Dini is said to be involved;
current pilot script written by “Iron Giant” screen writer Tim McCanlies
PREMISE: Young Bruce Wayne, alone in the world after the tragic murder of his parents, goes out into the world to become the Dark Knight of Gotham City, The Batman. Based on the Batman
character created by Bob Kane.
RUMORS AND NEWS: With all of the movement going on in the world of the Bat-franchise, it was time to create a “Bruce Wayne” page. A source at the WB network emailed me this morning with a little news about the project and a possible FOX Network involvement: “Some of us here are circling the wagons around Bruce Wayne. FOX is pressing hard to pick up the series but we’d really like to have it. I mean, we built our whole network on brooding young adults and who broods better than Batman?” A move to FOX could hurt a new series like this one (the pilot script is said to be very dark and moody – I’d love to get a look at it if any of you guys have it!). FOX hasn’t been the best place to nurture new series, especially ones of the dark variety. If it hasn’t pulled stellar numbers out of the gate, it’s dead. Which makes on wonder, why does FOX keep buying odd shows like Tick and hopefully Buckaroo Banzai if they’re just going to can them in 13 weeks? More as it happens….Thanks to “Michigan J. Droogie”
for the info
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-Thanks to THX1138 for the following!
GameSpot News has learned that Ubi Soft has some major plans for future titles based on the Batman license. The company currently has two lines of games in the works – one based on the Batman animated series, and one likely based on the Batman: The Dark Knight returns line. Both titles are currently headed for the PlayStation2 and could likely end up on others platforms, such as the Dreamcast or the Dolphin as well.
While Ubi Soft has been extremely quiet on both projects, we expect to hear new details leading up to this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Stay tuned.
By Sam Kennedy, videogames.com
-Wanna see the new line of animated Batman figures? Most of them seem to just be repaints and variants, but at least the line isn’t dead, right? (It looks like there’s a SHRIEK figure there, but I could be wrong…) Thanks to HarleyQ for pointing this out to us!
http://www.primenet.com/~btn/2000tf/hasbrotf.html
SPECIAL NOTE
For more BATMAN, SUPERMAN, AND BEYOND news throughout the week, check out the WORLD’S FINEST
NEWS PAGE at:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html
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FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED LEGACY
A guide of all things related to the animated Batman: for episodes, films, videos, and more!
http://animation.acmecity.com/calligraphy/14/btasepisodes.html
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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
BATMAN BEYOND VIDEO SITE
http://www.batmanbeyondvideo.com
YTV’S BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES PAGE
http://www.ytv.com/shows/batman_animated/
YTV’s BATMAN BEYOND Page
http://www.ytv.com/shows/batman_beyond/
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIVE 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
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*TWO-FACE’S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BATMAN, SUPERMAN, & BEYOND: THE WORLD’S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
THE DISCUSSION CENTER (same as above)
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Taping/2928/boards.htm
BRIAN CRUZ’ WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html
BATMAN UK (BRIAN’S BATMAN PAGE)
http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk
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://www.DCUAnimated.zzn.com
HARLEY’S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.harley-quinn.com
GOTHAM CITY LIMITS
http://www.batman.gexner.net
BATMAN: DEFENDER OF GOTHAM
http://www.fandom.com/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/
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
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
DARK JUSTICE
http://www.mania.com.au/~grahark/darkjustice/
THE BATMAN BEYOND INFO PAGE
http://www.rogue-spear.com/BB
THE VAULT
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Voice_Actors
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 archive contains past newsletters and is semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:
TOONZONE’s BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/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, put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, and put the e-mail address you’d like the newsletter to be sent to in the body of the message.
For more information about the newsletter just email juno@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! Thank you for reading! See ya next time!
CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
EDITOR AT COLLEGE, NOT IN A DORM: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITOR AT COLLEGE, BUT IN A DORM: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz, RiddlerWB (at the official BTAS/STAS site), and YTV.com
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna/Justin Chen, and occasionally Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITORIAL: Kelly Tindall
COMIC REVIEWS: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton, Tim Wan
MERCHANDISE REVIEW: Various
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: 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:-Y 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 indicated are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 2000.
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