EDITORAL
(by Laura Hysert, aka "Phoenix")
"The End of the World As We Know It"
I feel compelled to write very seriously about a subject that is critical
to the continued existence of the animated series, something that could
give this series wings to soar supremely over the pinnacles and valleys of
animated television, or cause it to crash by the fiery tragedy of our own
contempt:
Bruce Wayne's wardrobe.
Yes! Bruce Wayne's physical appearance is the keystone to the New Batman
Adventures. And the question for which I will undauntingly seek answers is,
Can Bruce's fashion sense carry the day?
I hear your incredulity. Now Batman, you say, HIS personal grooming habits
could drastically alter the course of the program. Imagine him sporting
green tights and a purple mumu, for example, or taking the flying squirrel
as his animal motif; these changes would strike more hilarity than fear
into the hearts of men, and would no doubt prompt us to start watching
Fox's Spiderman as a darker toon alternative (ahem). But Bruce Wayne, you
mockingly say? Come on.
Yes, I do say. Mock no more! Consider the animated Bruce of yore: the boxy
double-breasted suit that made him resemble a benign circus bear; the
horrendous yellow shirt; the boyish mop of hair and sheepish grin. Now,
what did this image communicate? I am Bruce Schmuck, billionaire, Gotham's
resident goofy playboy/portable party scenery. Deducing from the comics and
the Batman myth, this is, I believe, generally the effect he is going for
(though I wonder what hallucinogen inspired the yellow shirt).
Now consider the Bruce Wayne of the new animated series. Gone is the meek
brown apparel, replaced by a sleek black power suit and blood-red tie. His
healthy sun-lamp tan has disappeared in favour of a vogue vamp pallor that
is oh-so-striking against his black, rigidly tamed hair. Blue eyes that
would give Mr. Freeze frostbite pierce from a fringe of sharp, angular
eyebrows. The possible messages sent by this look are few but significant:
a) Bruce Wayne is Satan;
b) Bruce Wayne is too sexy for his cowl;
c) Bruce Wayne is Batman.
Does Bruce really believe he's hiding his secret from anybody with this
new couture? Imagine the hushed whispers at the next Gotham charity ball:
"Look! There's Bruce Wayne! He's so scary...think he's Batman?" "Good
Lord! You're right! Call my lawyer!"
And then it's only a matter of time until the rumour spreads through all
layers of Gotham society...and "Over the Edge" turns from dream into
series-ending reality. Hello Goth GQ cover boy, goodbye secret identity,
goodbye Batman. Heed my words, Bat-fans! The end is nigh!
And all because of a new suit and haircut.
But let me tell you something. I visited Brian Cruz's homepage (see the
link in the WB schedule section) and completed the survey on the new Batman
series. For the question that asked which character's new look is best, I
chose Bruce Wayne. Why? Because I love it, dammit. His is a
divinely-wrought metamorphosis that suits him perfectly. And if you at all
took the above column seriously, I have a piece of real estate in Chernobyl
you may be interested in.
Well, I have to keep myself amused somehow.
Join me next issue, when I'll discuss how Nightwing's mullet will spell
the utter annihilation of Gotham City...
Laura H.
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BATMAN:THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
This section tests your knowledge of (Before and during WB) Batman
episodes. (Remember: The new episodes that air on WB are in the same
continuity as the older ones). The questions can be anything from the
littlest thing mentioned by someone or what happened to who in which
episode and how. The majority of these questions will be multiple choice.
So start rackin' yer brain! Here goes!
3. In the multiple-award-winning comic "Mad Love", which villain
appears
the most (aside from the Joker and Harley Quinn)?
A: Poison Ivy
B: Two-Face
C: The Penguin
D: Rupert Thorne
E: The Riddler
4. Which of the following people have never kissed Batman on the animated
TV show (just the show, not the comics)?
A: Selina Kyle
B: Harleen Quinzelle
C: Talia
D: Andrea Beaumont
E: Pamela Isley
5. Which of the following fictious people influenced Batman to become who
he is today?
A: James Bond (007)
B: Fox Mulder
C: Zorro
D: Thomas Wayne
E: Darkwing Duck
6. Which of the following supporting characters appeared first on BTAS, in
order of air date?
A: Ferris Boyle
B: Charlie Collins
C: Arnold Stromwell
D: Roland Daggett
E: Nora Fries
CLIPS
This tests your visual knowledge of the show. The scenes can be taken
from any episode or movie based on the animated series (or a
Batman/Superman team-up). Click on the URL to go to the picture. These
picutres are courtesy of Robin III's site,
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE.
CLIP A
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/HOI_01.jpg
CLIP B
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/WFp2_03.jpg
CLIP C
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/pov_04.jpg
Answers located under the 'SITE WORTH CHECKING OUT' section.
_________________________________
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN 'COMIC' ADVENTURES
This section will give you a brief synopsis of the upcoming comics
based on both THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN:THE ANIMATED
SERIES. Cover price for both series is $1.99 (US) (that's $2.85 in Canada)
and are both Standard format and 32 pages in length.The covers for these
comics cna be seen in the COVERING THE BASICS section.
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #5
Release date: August 5, 1998
Written by: Ty Templeton
Pencilled by: Rick Burchett
Inked by: Terry Beatty
Bruce Wayne suffers a concussion while trying to foil the kidnapping of
several cryogenic scientists from Wayne Tech! Now it's up to Nightwing,
Robin and Batgirl to save them with help from an unexpected source: Mr.
Freeze! *GASP!* This issue also includes the return of a villian thought
long gone.
Next Month: Deadman is dead! Its up to Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne to
solve his murder with help from an unexpected source...Deadman
himself! (Confused? I am!) All that and more in GOTHAM ADVENTURES #6
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #24
Release date: August 12, 1998
Written by: Mark Millar
Pencilled by: Aluir Almancio
Inked by: Terry Austin
The Parasite - AKA Rudy Jones - is back in Metropolis and has Superman's
powers...AGAIN! With time he's destroying the city while robbing it blind!
The name of the game is POWER! He's plans on using his newfound powers for
power and to impress...a girl???
Next Month: Superman shows up in Gotham to help rescue Bruce Wayne from
the Mad Hatter, so he calls upond Batgirl for assistance. Nightwing and
Robin and some of the Gotham supporting cast show up as well! All in
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #25
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COVERING THE BASICS...
This section will help you figure out (like you need anymore help)
what comics to pick off the news-stands. This month there's a slight
difference, though. The SUPERMAN ADVENTURES covershots will be presneted
courtesy of THE BRUCE TIMM ARTWORK ARCHIVE; DC has yet to fix the links for
the covers on their DIRECT CURRENTS section. We'll also be including a very
special covershot of the forthcoming, hard-cover, behind-the-scenes
BATMAN:ANIMATED. This picutre is courtesty of
Brian's great WB CARTOON PAGE! Here we go! To see the covers just click on
the URL under the comic title!
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #24
http://home.nycap.rr.com/cataldo/sadv24.jpg
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #25(Superman & Batgirl Team up!)
http://home.nycap.rr.com/cataldo/sadv25.jpg
BATMAN:ANIMATED
http://members.aol.com/honeyno2/batanim.jpg
BATMAN:GOTHAM ADVENTURES #5
http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmga5.jpg
BATMAN:GOTHAM ADVENTURES #6
http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmga6.jpg
_________________________________
COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "Claws" (#4)
WRITTEN BY: Ty Templeton
PENCILED BY: Rick Burchett
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: July 1, 1998
DATED: September, 1998
RATING: **** (out of 5)
"And then suddenly, there he was between us, this
giant wall of
man...coiled with rage...With an unfamiliar look in his eye. Because I'd
crossed the line. He'd finally seen the real me...The kind of cruelty I'm
capable of. He was never supposed to have seen that. I always knew it was
the one thing about me he could never forgive..."
--Selina Kyle explaining Batman's reaction to her
attack on Amy Mercedes
SUMMARY:
Catwoman relates the story of "the night my heart broke...
twice" to one of her pet cats: she helps Batman apprehend a gang, and
as she is chasing a member down, he tells her that if she lets him go,
he will take her to an illegal testing lab where cats and dogs are
having strange chemicals tested on them. She lies to Batman, and then
the man takes her to the Mercedes Cosmetics lab. When she looks into
the building, at all the sick animals, her heart breaks. The animals
need around the clock care, so Catwoman finds "someone special" to do
the job - Amy Mercedes, the company's owner. Batman visits the crime
scene and sees evidence of Catwoman's involvment. Selina reveals why
she is so mad about the testing to Amy; she dyes her hair with Mercedes
products. Batman finds the building in which Amy is being held, and
stops Catwoman from harming her, telling her that "Your heart's in the
right place, but this has to end." Batman releases Mercedes, and, as she is
leaving, she hits a cat. While Batman is catching the animal, Catwoman
leaps into a rage, scratching Amy across the face, leaving her a set of
whiskers all her own. Selina says that Batman could never forgive her, and,
as she left, he never turned to look at her even once. Her heart broke for
the second time. Selina then explains that she's been one step ahead of the
lawyers ever since then, and that she hasn't run into Batman since, either.
She doesn't want to, though; she can never look into his eyes again: it
would only break her heart once more.
COMMENTS:
I've never really cared for any of the Catwoman episodes of
the animated series (exceptions being "Batgirl Returns" and "You Scratch My
Back"), but I loved this issue. The psychoses of the villains have always
appealed to me, as have the possibilites of some of them regaining normal
lives (I liked "Double Talk" and "Second Chance" a lot). I am always
disheartened when they don't, and at the end of this issue where it appears
Catwoman will never be able to truly contain
her anger enough to be a hero, I was deeply affected.
The summary above
and these comments cannot do this issue justice; Rick Burchett and Terry
Beatty's artwork brings this standout to life, and it should be a crime
to miss it. Also adding to to this issue is an elaborate sightgag (the
gang at the beginning of the issue is the cast of Seinfeld) as well as
the audience getting to see Catwoman's old costume in the new style.
CRITICISMS:
All previews of this comic mentioned that it would reveal the secrets
behind Catwoman's new look. This issue doesn't do that. It reveals why
Selina has dark hair on the show, but the costume is never even mentioned.
I assume that the new costume is a reflection of her somewhat darker
personality (now that Batman has seen her dark side, she has no reason to
hide it any longer), but I, or anyone else can't be sure. Also, I loved the
art in this book, but some panels seem wrong or out of place (i.e. bottom
right, page 6; or upper middle, page 21). These are minor concerns, though.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you're looking for answers behind Catwoman's costume
change, you won't find any. If you're looking for a powerful story with
great artwork, then you will.
_________________________________
ANIMATED NEWS AND RUMORS
NEW NEWS
MOVIES
- Now the rumors are that the Bat-franchise is dead and will be restarted
later in the future.
COMICS/BOOKS
- Azrael will become the 'fourth' Batman book starting with
when it gains a new comic name, "AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT". He will
basically be an older Robin who runs errands for Batman. He will gain the
distinctive cover design like the three main Bat-books.
- BATMAN: ANIMATED hits comic store and book store shelves on Sept.
23rd. This date is, of course, subject to change. Written by Paul Dini and
Chip Kidd.
ANIMATED SERIES'
- If the L.E.G.I.O.N. appearance goes well in the upcoming SUPERMAN season
there have been rumors flying of the JLA appearing in season four part of a
Superman/Batman crossover, already planned. Sounds interesting.
- Oh and here is just some...refreshing news. There will be more BATMAN and
SUPERMAN episodes after next season - but this amount is unspecified.
- Returning next season in SUPERMAN will be DARKSEID (in a big way),
SUPERGIRL, STEEL, TOYMAN, PARASITE, METALLO, BRAINIAC, and, of course
LEX LUTHOR. A new villianess named VOLCANA will be introduced.
- Returning next season in BATMAN will be TWO-FACE (in multiple episodes),
JOKER (in at least 3 episodes), HARLEY (in at least 3),
SCARECROW, POISON IVY, CATWOMAN, RIDDLER (in at least two episodes), RA'S
AL GHUL, and the PENGIUN. Some of the new characters that will be
introduced will be CREEPER, ROXY ROCKET, and FARMER BROWN.
- BANE and THE MAD HATTER will also make appearances in "Knight Time"
(World's Finest 2), as well as many previously mentioned Bats and Supes
villains.
-AQUAMAN and GREEN LANTERN will be apparing next season. AQUAMAN
will be hookless and GREEN LANTERN will be Kyle Rayner, not Hal.
-AQUAMAN will play a pivotal part in the seaosn finale next year. Plus the
appearances of those two superheroes will be a prelude of sorts to the
upcoming JLA series that B/S creators say is coming really close to a
reality, and will possibly replace BATMAN BEYOND in
the 1999-2000 season. The JLA series is still very "iffy" right now, due to
continuity errors that would then plague both the Batman and Superman
series.
-Also look for camoes by other DCU heroes this season on Superman, such as
WONDER WOMAN.
-In BATMAN BEYOND, many of the current BTAS villains WILL re-appear, but in
a mutated form. Dini has confirmed that Joker, Riddler, and Two-Face will
CERTAINLY NOT re-appear though.
-BATMAN BEYOND will premiere on the weekend of November 14/15, 1998.
THE BATMAN/SUPERMAN "MOVIE" ON VIDEO!
-On August 18th WB Entertainment will release the three-part "World's
Finest" adventure on video. The movie is 80 minutes long...which is kind of
odd, seeing how the three episodes combined add up to barely 60
minutes. Included with the movie will be a mini-comic (probably the
adpatation) and an offer for the BATMAN & ROBIN CARTOON MAKER.
The story features the first-ever animated team-up of Batman and Superman,
to take on the Joker and Lex Luthor. Also appearing are Harley Quinn, Mercy
Graves, Lois Lane, Dan Turpin, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and Harvey
Bullock.
Retail price is $16.99 - probably about$14-18.99 in Canada.
ANIMATED BAT-MOVIE #3!!!!
-Well it seems that SUB-ZERO has long surpassed MASK OF THE PHANTASM for
video sales. The recent ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY video sales has SUB-ZERO at
#5! That I will admit is pretty impressive! The movie hasn't left the
top-ten direct-to-video sales chart since its release date, March 17!
-Rumor has it that Boyd Kirkland and Randy Rogel have submitted various
scripts to WB, with hopes of one of them to become the third animated
movie. While rumors of movies featuring either Two-Face or Scarecrow have
been circulating for quite some time, the latest rumor is that Ra's Al Ghul
and Bane will team up. This is all in the planning stages right now. There
is no news on whether the old or new style will be used in the animation,
but I expect a better-quality newer-style look will be incorporated, such
as more shading, a more 3D feel, and of course, more CGI. The movie may
still be released to coincide with "Batman 5".
-Personally, I want either a Two-Face or Scarecrow movie - what do the
fans
want?? (And yes, so far, there are no rumors of a Joker or Harley Quinn
movie, like many are wishing for. But remember, these are RUMORS!)
Check this site out to see my scoop actually published!
(Tues, July 21, 1998)
DARK HORIZONS:
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news.htm
OLD NEWS/REMINDERS
-New KidsWB! weekend! SUPERMAN and ANINMANIACS is gone! WE now have a
double dose of SYLVESTER & TWEETY and a triple dose of THE NEW
BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. The weekday programming remains the same.
The new schedule is (in eastern time):
8:00am-PINKY AND THE BRAIN
8:30am-THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
9:00am-THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
9:30am-THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
10:00am-MEN IN BLACK
10:30am-PINKY AND THE BRAIN
11:00am-SYLVESTER AND TWEETY MYSTERIES
11:30am-SYLVESTER AND TWEETY MYSTERIES
-Ty Templeton will (temporarily) no longer be doing covers for
BATMAN:GOTHAM ADVENTURES. He will now only concentrate on writings.
-13 episodes have been greenlighted for MEN IN BLACK.
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