Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of August 6, 2001 – August 26, 2001
Volume 4,
Rated: PG (as with all other things Batman-related)
THIS ISSUE’S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: “We all hope you’re having a great Summer (Gleason) vacation, everyone!”
(Geez, these subliminal messages are just getting lamer and lamer…I think I need a vacation…oh, wait a second…dang.)
____________________________________________________________________
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-On account of possibly growing tedious, there have been some changes here at Batman: The Animated Newsletter. There have been some shuffling of the sections, trimming here, and deleting there, in hopes of making a sleeker, easier read for all of you. That, and we’re testing out a new delivery procedure with this issue – some of our long-time subscribers may recall this method. Apparently we’ve been having some problems with the size of this newsletter – so hopefully it’ll load quicker and easier this way. I hope this works out, everyone! If you have any suggestions to make this newsletter better, just let us know!
Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
-fearing change, but willing to give it a try
____________________________________________________________________
EAGERLY ANTICIPATING…
New episodes are on the horizon! Here’s what we can expect in the near future…
Unfortunately, there are no new Batman-related episodes debuting in the near future. We’ll just have to wait until the JLA debuts this fall.
___________________________________________________________________
NEWS AND RUMORS
(see back issues for older info)
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-A DVD of the original 1966 BATMAN movie with Adam West and Burt Ward is due out in August. West and Ward are both providing a retrospective commentary on the DVD, too.
-The following artists are selling artwork on eBay. The following are their names and Seller ID’s:
Terry Beatty: beatty@machlink.com
Craig Rousseau: cerousseau
Tim Levins: tlevins
Min S. Ku: min3000gt
ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND, JLA)
-In addition to providing the voice of the Joker on JLA (of course), Mark Hamill will be voicing Solomon Grundy as well. (You might recall him from old Superman comics or THE LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY.)
-BATMAN BEYOND has returned to the Canadian cable channel YTV! It will air at 3:30pm and 4pm on Mondays only for the time being; it looks like ALL episodes #1-52 will be shown, as well.
ANIMATED COMICS
-JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES, the new animated-style comic book based on the upcoming animated series, releases its first issue on November 14, 2001. It is written by Ty Templeton, has
interior art by Min S. Ku and Dan Davis, and sports a cover by both Bruce Timm and Alex Ross.
-Issues in this series will cost $1.99 US, or $3.25 Canadian, just as with GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES.
Issue #1 description: “The JLA faces a deadly alien threat! When a meteor lands in an American suburb, the League is called on to investigate. Soon they are drawn into an intergalactic conflict, but it seems as if the real threat may be one of their own – Green Lantern! Our heroes’ adventures may be over as soon as they’ve begun!”
Cover to unknown issue:
http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Batman_Animation_Images/BatmanArticle272734.jpg
-A solo Harley story, a Riddler story, and the first Two-Face story in two years (how fitting) are upon us in the next few issues of GOTHAM ADVENTURES.
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #43
Who’s out to get Harley Quinn? Batman has to take her on as a sidekick to find out. The answer awaits deep in Harley’s history…that is, if she and the Dark Knight survive the traps set for them all over Gotham.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/batadv43.jpg
-BATMAN BEYOND #24
This is the final issue of the series. Written by Hilary Barda; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke. In stores August 29. There’s something curious about Mom’s new boyfriend. Could it be the claws, the fangs or the glowing eyes? That’s right, it’s the issue you’ve been waiting for as “Terry’s Mom Dates a Splicer!” But what does Batman have to say about it?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/BB24.htm
-For more animated comic updates, go here:
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/bbeyond/previews.html
OTHER COMICS
-BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN is now officially being sold in three 80 page issues.
-The BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE storyline starting in a few months’ time will go through all of the Bat-titles and end in Ed Brubaker’s BATMAN #600 in January. It will prominently feature the Vesper Fairchild/Sasha Bordeaux/Bruce Wayne love triangle, with Alfred and Robin returning in a big way. Creators have said that both the Joker AND Catwoman will NOT be involved in any way in this arc. Greg Rucka has shed a bit more light on this story; follow this link to see it:
http://www.cinescape.com/7/editorial.asp?aff_id=7&this_cat=News&action=page&obj_id=28498&type_id=1130&cat_id=7565&sub_id=0
-Apparently the ROBIN series will never be the same after BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE.
-THE JOKER: THE LAST LAUGH crossover news: (by Chuck Dixon)
Premise: The Joker discovers he’s dying and wants to take out the world with him with a bang.
-Issue #1: The Joker infects many other DCU villains with the concoction that made him what he is today – and only Black Canary stands in his way.
-Issue #2: Batman and Nightwing enter the story to stop the Joker from taking over the Slab.
-Issue #3: The Joker’s Jokerized buddies spread their terror across the world, and the whole JLA gets involved. The Joker then realizes there’s more to life than just a high body count, so his greatest scheme enters the planning stage…
-Issue #4: President Luthor decides to save the world from the Joker and his Jokerized buddies – by bombing the bejesus out of ’em.
-Issue #5: Is it the end? Robin, Nightwing, and JLA, and…Harley?…vs. the Joker and his buddies?-Issue #6: It all ends here. The Joker’s staked out scenic Gotham Cathedral as the spot to make his final stand against Batman’s allies, and he’s made sure no other heroes will interfere with his final revenge. Nightwing’s decided that the Joker’s actions finally need to be stopped — but will he go too far? And what is the fate of Tim Drake? Will he become the second Robin to die at the hands of the Joker?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/jll6.htm
-BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #22
With the Joker’s crazed super-villains terrorizing the DCU, Batman and Spoiler are left to defend Gotham City from a truly twisted new threat, as the Joker’s brand of chemical warfare has transformed the creatures of Gotham.
-DETECTIVE COMICS #763
With Batman out mopping up “Jokerized” pests, Sasha decides to go on solo patrol. But the danger is double for her as she meets up with the knife-wielding new villain Cucilla and…the Huntress! Plus, an all-new 8-part backup serial begins this issue: Josie Mac, written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Cliff Chiang.
-BATMAN #596
As Last Laugh continues to roll out “Jokerized” mayhem across the country, Batman must contend with Zeiss, the Russian Mob and a new villain who knows if you’ve been bad or good — Santa Klaus.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/batman596.htm
-ROBIN #95
The horrific events of Last Laugh #5 tie-in as Robin defies orders and heads into Arkham Asylum to try and prevent the Joker from adding to his legion of villains. But the villains know he’s coming, and the odds are overwhelming. No problem, right?
-HARLEY QUINN #13
With the world becoming “Jokerized,” will this mean Harley is reunited with her one true love? Think again! Instead, the Joker sends two of the strangest villains we’ve ever seen — Moonrock and Luna — after Harley to bring his wayward honey home. After all, Harley knows the secret of the Joker venom which has been causing havoc all throughout the DCU — and that makes her a threat. With only Poison Ivy around to help, it’s time to run.
All other affected titles:
AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #83
BIRDS OF PREY #36
NIGHTWING #62
BATGIRL #21
(See BTAN #97 for all related non-Batman-issues)
-More news on Greg Rucka’s BATMAN: TEN CENT ADVENTURE has surfaced! Rick Burchett and Rodney Ramos are doing the artwork, and it will lead into a later crossover this year: BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE.
-DETECTIVE COMICS #762: Vesper Fairchild, Bruce’s old gal-pal from the pre-CATACLYSM days, comes back. (Actually, she already did in #760!). Also, TRAIL OF THE CATWOMAN concludes.
Cover: http://www.comicon.com/gallery/categories/DC_Comics/media/DetectiveComicsCvr762.jpg
-DETECTIVE COMICS #765 (in December) cover:
http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Comic_Book_Covers/BatmanArticle272867.jpg
-HARLEY & IVY: LOVE ON THE LAM – a one-shot story chronolizing the duo’s relationship post-NML but pre-HARLEY QUINN ongoing series. It’s due out in September. Written by Judd Winick.
Cover: http://www.assignmentx.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages271321.jpg
-A hardcover version of DARK VICTORY, collecting all 13 issues, will be released on October 24. Don’t expect a softcover version any earlier than March 2002.
-Two-Face appears in SUPERGIRL #62.
MOVIES
-Word has it that even though Warner Bros. is undecided on which Bat-movie to produce next, they will 100% favour YEAR ONE unless it enters production hell. They see this as a smart alternative to both please fans and reboost their franchise. Another back-up plan is to make a DARK KNIGHT RETURNS film (whoo!)
-Paul Dini is pondering ideas for a second BATMAN BEYOND direct-to-video movie, but nothing, repeat, NOTHING has been greenlit by the studio just yet.
-The original 1960’s Batmobile will be featured in a prominent role in the Mark Wahlberg/Jennifer Aniston movie, ROCKSTAR. It is due out on September 14th.
*BATMAN: YEAR ONE (BATMAN 5) NEWS:
-Apparently now Jude Law is in the running to play Bruce Wayne.
-Reports coming in are saying that Darren Aronofsky has quoted that he wanted George Clooney to return in the Bat-suit in the YEAR ONE adaption. Note, this is a strong MAYBE, don’t take this as Bible truth. And to be honest, maybe Clooney wouldn’t be so bad IF he had the proper direction. Hmmm. YEAR ONE is aiming for a summer 2003 release date.
-It would seem that even though the WB want to make both YEAR ONE and BATMAN BEYOND, they don’t really know which will be first. They’re waiting for both scripts to be completed and then they’ll go from there. As great as I think both would be, I know most fans really want to see YEAR ONE make it to screen.
-WARNER BROS. is currently aiming for a 2003 summer release date for YEAR ONE. Frank Miller has wrapped up all of his comics projects (such as THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN) so he’s focussing his attention on movie production, now.
-There is also rumours that YEAR ONE may not be made until 2005 or 2006, and BATMAN BEYOND may be the movie due out in 2003. For more, go here:
http://www.cinescape.com/7/editorial.asp?aff_id=7&this_cat=News&action=page&obj_id=27621&type_id=1130&cat_id=7576&sub_id=0
*BATMAN BEYOND: LIVE ACTION NEWS:
-The WB aims for the BATMAN BEYOND movie to be a continuation of the current Bat-movie franchise, following the previous four films, much like the BEYOND TV series followed BTAS.
-Paul Dini has already handed in the first script, and they’re waiting for the WB to contact them back. He said his script was a lot more “hard-edged” than the TV series.
-This is NOT official, but rumblings at the WB seem to indicate BATMAN BEYOND will make it to theatres before YEAR ONE does. See the previous story under the “YEAR ONE” heading for details.
*BATMAN BEYOND: THE FOURTH ANIMATED MOVIE
-Nothing new today…just expect it to revolve around Nightwing, folks.
*CATWOMAN
-No new news on this movie for a while…but yeah, it’s still in production.
*WORLD’S FINEST
-That’s right, this movie is in production, apparently. Wolfgang Petersen (THE PERFECT STORM) is pegged as director at the moment. Kevin Walker is writing the script; he’s also written SE7EN and SLEEPY HOLLOW in recent years.
LIVE ACTION TELEVISION
-For a promo poster for SMALLVILLE, go here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0107/09/smallville.jpg
-SMALLVILLE creator Alfred Gough has gone public saying he’d love to involve Bruce Wayne on the show as a boarding school buddy with Lex Luthor, and really wants Christopher Reeve to make a cameo.
-A fifth ONSTAR commercial, featuring Batman and the Riddler, will be airing on TV soon. -For a current airing schedule for the 1966 Adam West series, click here:
http://www.scifi.com/bin/schedulebot.cgi?wd=w&s=batman&ds=1&db=US%3AEastern&mon=4.01
EXCLUSIVE INTERNET ENDEAVOURS:
-The Batman section of FANDOM.COM has moved to the following URL:
http://www.cinescape.com/batman/
-BATMAN and future CATWOMAN writer Ed Brubaker now has his own web domain:
http://www.edbrubaker.com
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-BTAS is coming to DVD in early 2002! Stay tuned for further developments!
-All the 85 WB stores across the United States will be closed by October, 2001. However, there is word that the other 30 locations, such as in Canada and across the pond in European countries, will remain open because they operate under separate franchise agreements.
-More news on the special edition DVD’s. Apparently now, the WB IS interested in getting Tim Burton back to do a commentary track on both of his Bat-movies; whether they also intend to release cut material for these movies, or intend to do the same for BATMAN FOREVER and BATMAN & ROBIN, is yet to be seen. Don’t expect this to happen soon, though; Burton is busy doing a lot of promotional work for PLANET OF THE APES at the moment.
-Fast food chain JACK IN THE BOX is now selling JLA toys to go with their kids meal. These toys include figures of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Superman, Supergirl, Steel, Hawkman, and Shazam. Check ’em out on eBay, too! (Thanks to Andie Nappi for providing this info!)
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
___________________________________________________________________
KIDS WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Toonzone & Kids’WB!)
Kids’WB! currently airs BATMAN BEYOND on weekdays and weekends. Remember, Kids’WB! is notorious for switching schedules around at the very last minutes. Batman Beyond currently airs at 11:30am (ET) on Saturdays and during a 3-4pm block on Monday-Thursday. Check out these links if we are unable to update our schedule:
http://www.kidswb.com/cgi-local/sched.cgi?976584931
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
http://www.toonzone.net/shows/schedules
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.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 08-13-01: B-BEYOND #06 Shriek
B-BEYOND #24 Revenant
Tue 08-14-01: B-BEYOND #25 Babel
B-BEYOND #29 The Last Resort
Wed 08-15-01: B-BEYOND #09 Spellbound
B-BEYOND #43 Betrayal
Thu 08-16-01: B-BEYOND #48 Curse of the Kobra (Pt. 1)
B-BEYOND #49 Curse of the Kobra (Pt. 2)
NEXT WEEK:
Mon 08-20-01: B-BEYOND #11 A Touch of Curare
B-BEYOND #13 Ascension
Tue 08-21-01: B-BEYOND #32 Sneak Peek
B-BEYOND #22 Rats
Wed 08-22-01: B-BEYOND #14 Joyride
B-BEYOND #33 Plague
Thu 08-23-01: B-BEYOND #50 The Call (Pt. 1)
B-BEYOND #51 The Call (Pt. 2)
THE WEEK AFTER THAT:
Mon 08-27-01: B-BEYOND #26 Terry’s Friend Dates a Robot
B-BEYOND #45 Speak No Evil
Tue 08-28-01: B-BEYOND #52 Countdown
B-BEYOND #44 Out of the Past
Wed 08-29-01: B-BEYOND #31 Armory
B-BEYOND #30 Final Cut
Thu 08-30-01: B-BEYOND #28 Zeta
B-BEYOND #41 Ace in the Hole
_____________________________________________________________________
CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BATMAN on YTV – courtesy of our friends at YTV)
BATMAN BEYOND has returned to YTV and all 52 episodes are available for air! Check it out on Mondays at both 3:30pm and 4pm! THE ZETA PROJECT follows BATMAN BEYOND.
YTV currently has the rights to air all 109 episodes of BTAS. YTV usually airs these episodes in either chronological order, or in the original order they aired on Kids’WB! and FOX. Batman now airs at 3:40am Monday – Friday (well, technically, Tuesday – Saturday). If our schedules are not updated or are inaccurate, please use these links:
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
http://www.ytv.com/ytvguide
THIS WEEK: (this week may be slightly inaccurate)
Mon 08-13-01: BTAS #65 The Worry Men
BEYOND #?? ???
BEYOND #?? ???
Tue 08-14-01: BTAS #53 Paging the Crime Doctor
Wed 08-15-01: BTAS #70 House and Garden
Fri 08-17-01: BTAS #66 Sideshow
NEXT WEEK (this schedule may also be slightly inaccurate)
Mon 08-20-01: BTAS #69 Avatar
BEYOND #?? ???
BEYOND #?? ???
Tue 08-21-01: BTAS #68 Trial
Wed 08-22-01: BTAS #72 Harlequinade
Fri 08-24-01: BTAS #75 Bane
_____________________________________________________________________
EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Justin Chen and/or Zanna)
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/btas.html
The creative team for this column alternates between Zanna and Justin Chen, two loyal subscribers and great friends of ours here. Any other reviews printed here are written by editor Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton. Enjoy!
With no new episodes debuting, we have nothing to review…anyone wanna submit reviews of older BTAS episodes? We’re always taking submissions!
____________________________________________________________________
EDITORIAL
Still nothin’. It’s the summer lull, folks.
____________________________________________________________________
COMIC REVIEWS
(BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
(BATMAN BEYOND by Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton)
(SUPERMAN ADVENTURES by Dick Grayson)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: “A Tale of Joe” (#41)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILS: Tim Levins
INKS: Terry Beatty
COLOURIST: Lee Loughridge
LETTERER: Albert T. De Guzman
COVER ART: Bob Smith, Terry Beatty, Nathan Eyring
ISSUED: August 1, 2001 (Cover date Oct 2001)
RATING: ****
, “A Tale of Joe”, is a perfect example of how a Bat-book does not need a “supervillain of the month” to have an engaging story. Joe is an exceptionally well-written character, given he has only 22 pages in which to sum up his life. His laid-back, passive-agressive behaviour was a breath of fresh air – you don’t see stories focusing on “villains” with such attributes often.
What I really enjoyed about the issue wasn’t Joe per se, but rather, Batman’s interaction with him. His internal monologue/narration was terrific. You could feel both his empathy towards Joe (Batman usually isn’t this forgiving of thugs), but, at the same time, his recurring disappointment – as usual.
I still can’t understand why this title doesn’t get more recognition or have a larger audience. Judging by the consistant quality of the work (and how fans are always pining for more animated episodes), it certainly deserves it.
;-Y
______________________________________________________________
COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more in-depth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND. 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 (or higher) in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the well-deserved “grrr”.)
If we are unsure of the exact date of when an issue is being released, just check out “DIRECT CURRENTS” for details:
http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #42
September 5th
Batman and Robin must combat a string of fires that are being set around Gotham. Could this be Firefly’s first animated comic-book appearance?
Cover: http://www.assignmentx.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages271350.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Who’s out to get Harley Quinn? Batman has to take her on as a sidekick to find out. The answer awaits deep in Harley’s history…that is, if she and the Dark Knight survive the traps set for them all over Gotham.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/batadv43.jpg
BATMAN BEYOND #23
July 25th???
Synopsis: There`s a new “King” in town, and he`s putting together a new Royal Flush Gang. Is Batman playing with a full deck when he asks “Ten” to help him take down this dangerous and motley crew?
Cover: http://www.assignmentx.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages269033.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH: – FINAL ISSUE
Written by Hilary Barda; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke. In stores August 29. There’s something curious about Mom’s new boyfriend. Could it be the claws, the fangs or the glowing eyes? That’s right, it’s the issue you’ve been waiting for as “Terry’s Mom Dates a Splicer!” But what does Batman have to say about it?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/BB24.htm
___________________________________________________________________
EDITORIAL
(by anyone willing to contribute)
This space is for sale. Please make all inquiries out to juno@dccnet.com
___________________________________________________________________
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Due to demand by some of our subscribers, we’ve decided to give a “Letters to the Editor” section a shot. Feel free to submit something you’d like to say to us, and each issue we’ll choose one to post and then reply to. (NOTE: It can be completely uncensored, positive OR negative, though any coarse language will be bleeped out. We want this to be a no-holds-barred column!)
* * * * * *
Wll, thought I might as well write my thoughts – especially because no one has voiced their concern over the cancellation of BATMAN BEYOND.
BATMAN BEYOND was a totally brilliant new take on Batman franchise. I dont read comics (no time in my busy life), but the cartoon was amazing and action packed. I used to enjoy BTAS, but majority of them were too dull, dark and slow. This was temporarily brought alive by introduction of Robin. BATMAN BEYOND had its manga-esque look, a brilliant soundtrack and hardly had a boring episode – minus Golem.
I say BB should live on. It should not be cancelled – why do they want to cancel it???
Also, I hope that the BATMAN BEYOND film has a different story than the cartoon, otherwise it will spoil it. It needs to have new angle and fresh take within reason.
Can’t wait for BB film…..
-Asif Aya
* * * * * *
TWO-FACE’S SIDE OF THE COIN
For quite some time fans (myself included) have been curious as to the sudden hiatus BATMAN BEYOND has gone on. This type of thing is nothing new. Only 52 episodes? Yeah, it does seem kind of short, especially considering that its predecessor, BTAS, had 109 episodes. Here are what I believe to be its reasons for going on hiatus.
(I always say “on hiatus” because the WB hasn’t officially “cancelled” the show yet, just as they haven’t cancelled BTAS, really. There still IS an outside chance more episodes could be made. Just don’t expect it anytime soon.)
There is no doubt that after the initial controversy, BATMAN BEYOND was a breath of fresh air. I would never go so far as to say it was BETTER than BTAS or could ever replace it, but it definately made a place for itself which won’t be forgotten; it’s a part of Bat-history now. The problem is that the first season was very well thought out with an ongoing subplot: the Terry McGinnis/Bruce Wayne/Derek Powers story. As soon as the second season began, this subplot was not only dropped, but there wasn’t one brought in to replace it. The series had no true direction any more, and there were only a handful of real stand-out episodes. The quality was still good, the show was still good, but not AS good as before, and as a result, fan support waned.
This being the case, the WB must have felt it was losing popularity, and sold out to the Pokemon-fever that was in its prime a couple years ago. Remember, they aired like 10 episodes of Pokemon on the WB a day. (Well, maybe not 10, but it felt like it.)
So that means money wasn’t pouring in quite as quickly. The almighty dollar speaks once again. And does anyone remember the BATMAN BEYOND toy lines? I’m not surprised they were a huge bomb. Was there ONE figure there that looked anything like any of their counterparts on the show? Only one comes to mind (the 200th edition Batman figure).
More importantly, though, the stories were growing stale. In the year before the show debuted, the creative team said that they wanted to stray away from bringing characters from the original BTAS onto the series; if the show was to succeed, it would have to be on its own terms. That was a really honourable notion. However, as time moved on, the writers couldn’t resist going back to the older series and bringing in characters from the past. Initially it was just the Mr. Freeze episode in MELTDOWN. Then there was the Bane thing in THE WINNING EDGE. And of course as everyone anticipated, Talia and Ra’s Al Ghul in OUT OF THE PAST. And don’t forget RETURN OF THE JOKER. All of these stories were great, some of the best the BATMAN BEYOND universe had to offer, but if this is all that fans were REALLY looking forward to, and what the writers were heading towards anyways, why not just go back to the original series that, on the whole, most people seemed to enjoy more?
So, bottom line here is, their creativity became exhausted, it would seem.
As for the BATMAN BEYOND films in production…Paul Dini hasn’t really said anything about the script aside from being “more hard-edged” (or something) than the series, though still using the same basic premise. Rumours have already been bantered about that Blight will be the villain, so it looks like to be an amalgamation of REBIRTH and a bunch of other themes from the episodes in the first season. If it ever DOES get made (and that’s a big IF, since the WB is still favouring YEAR ONE as the next Bat-movie to be made), expect it to be different. We should have enough faith in Paul Dini for that.
And speaking of Paul Dini, he’s also been OFFERED a chance to write another animated BATMAN BEYOND film. Nothing on this front is anywhere near official beyond this, but I would expect it to involve Nightwing a great deal (almost definite), as well as perhaps some other of Batman’s allies from back in the day (Gordon? Alfred? Mayhaps) and if my guesses are correct, a villain from the past, too.
So that’s about it. I wouldn’t expect anything more out of the BATMAN BEYOND universe any time soon, but don’t fret. Over the past decade fans have been clamouring for an animated JLA series and the creators for BTAS have always said it would never happen. Well, look at how that changed. The same could go for BATMAN, SUPERMAN, and BATMAN BEYOND too. You just never know.
;-Y
___________________________________________________________________
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! (Mwuhahaha!) 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.
TRAVELLING THE WORLD
586. What is the only country in THE DEMON’S QUEST where Ubu does NOT call Batman an infidel?
A: Egypt
B: The United States
C: Malaysia
D: Canada
E: Morocco
587. In what region of the world does Ra’s Al Ghul successfully raise an avatar in an episode of the same name?
A: The valley of the Nile
B: The concrete canyons of New York
C: The sewers in Paris
D: The mountains of the Himalayas
E: The crumbling Olympic Stadium in Montreal
588. Professor Hugo Strange invited Bruce Wayne, Alfred, and a handful of supervillains to his spa in what region of the world?
A: An oasis-like area in Sudan
B: Deathvalley
C: Somewhere in Florida
D: Siberia
E: Yucca Springs, California
589. Bruce Wayne travelled to Paris in which episode?
A: THE CAT AND THE CLAW (either part)
B: BATGIRL RETURNS
C: SHOWDOWN
D: VENDETTA
E: WORLD’S FINEST
590. Travelling the world in Batman’s shoes would never be complete without dropping in to check on the big blue boy scout in Metropolis. In what year of “our” time, according to original air date, did Batman first arrive on Superman’s turf?
A: 1996
B: 1997
C: 1998
D: 2000
E: He hasn’t popped by quite yet
_____________________________________________________________________
AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)
Answer to #586: C
Answer to #587: A
Answer to #588: E
Answer to #589: B
Answer to #590: B
_____________________________________________________________________
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, STAS and BEYOND countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!
CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) Remember the episode THE TERRIBLE TRIO? Apparently these three vilains (ugh) appeared in the
comics before – their debut was in DETECTIVE COMICS #253, to be exact. I don’t know what year
this came out in…but it must be sometime in the 60’s.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
Li’l help?
____________________________________________________________________
FIGURE THIS OUT!
(by Marc Rosenzweig)
Welcome back all Gothamites!
This week I am in the middle of researching the new release of 9 Jack in the Box action figures based on an limited time offer of the animated DC Super Heroes. I am awaiting information from my sources at the Warner Bro’s Studio offices in Burbank. Once I have received my information, I will be passing the juicy tid-bits on for your reading pleasures.
Until next issue, remember the 1966 Batman series will be airing on the Sci Fi network this coming Monday 7/23/01, from 11:00 until 4:00pm(ish). Dont forget to set those VCRs!
Same Bat-Time
Same Bat-Channel!
____________________________________________________________________
FEATURED BATMAN INTERNET ENDEAVOURS FOR THIS ISSUE
(feel free to submit something for our consideration)
THE ANIMATED BATMAN: AN UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
The Animated Batman: An Unofficial Guide (now an affiliate of World’s Finest) has been redesigned and relaunched and with new features. It contains a complete episode guide/companion to BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and BATMAN BEYOND, with complete cast credits, plot summaries and reviews, and filmographies for quick reference. Screengrabs (provided with the courtesy of World’s Finest and Batman: Tomorrow and Beyond) now complement each episode entry, and an Actor’s Index provides information on regular cast members and guest stars alike. Meahwhile, quick links take you to other great Batman sites, and to on-line interviews and profiles of the producers.
http://www.scrye.com/jallman
____________________________________________________________________
ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:
Wow, our links section has grown so big that we’ve had to eliminate it from the newsletter! Fear not, you can still find all these links at the WORLD’S FINEST NEWSPAGE, if you follow this link…that’s hypocracy for ya!
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/linkpage.htm
NEWSGROUPS
—–
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
____________________________________________________________________
QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL
If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else, then please e-mail this address with your problems and we’ll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you’d like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:
juno@dccnet.com
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 article, and everyone is entitled to it. And if you do submit something, please don’t just submit a basic review of an episode or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) – write about an issue you’d like to discuss.
____________________________________________________________________
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES
The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The 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/news/btan
____________________________________________________________________
LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE’S HOW!!!
For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section and want to subscribe, just follow these simple instructions:
To subscribe email juno@dccnet.com, 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@dccnet.com
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, 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, & WORKING, TOO!: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
CO-EDITOR AT COLLEGE, ALSO WORKIN’: “Dick Grayson”
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Toonzone, Kids’WB!, and YTV
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna/Justin Chen, and occasionally Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
EDITORIAL: Help Wanted!!!
COMIC REVIEWS: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton, Dick Grayson
‘RETURN OF THE JOKER’ GIVEAWAY: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
FIGURE THIS OUT: Marc Rosenzweig
“BTAN ARCHIVES” MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim “TWO-FACE” Leighton
PROMOTIONS, JUST GETTIN’ THE WORD OUT: 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
THE CREATION OF THIS NEWSLETTER INSPIRED BY: Alan J. Porter
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane & Bill Finger (who else?)
Batman and all related indicia are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 2001.
___________________________________________________________________