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://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dsma24.jpg
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #25
http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dsma25.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
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COVER OF THE MONTH
Every month we will take 5 covers to 4 Bat-books and 1 Superman book and see whats the best cover! There is no prize or whatever that comes with winning cover of the month. To see the cover
just click on the URL provided. Just wholesome useless fun! The five covers we review are:
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #24
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #5
DETECTIVE COMICS #726
BATMAN #559
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #79
So with out further adieu, here is the winner for August:
BATMAN:SHADOW OF THE BAT #79
http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmsob79.jpg
To see the other covers just check out the DIRECT CURRENTS section in the DC Comics website.
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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.
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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 ATMAN/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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OTHER BATMAN RELATED NEWS (unchanged)
Movie News
-WB is due to make an announcement about production on Batman 5 this month
- originally thought to be a casting press release, it is now thought to be about whether the movie is getting the go ahead now, or if they're waiting a couple more years to produce it.
-Look for BATMAN & ROBIN to air later this month or next on HBO (what a waste of commercial time!)
-It looks like Batman 5 will hit theatres no earlier than Summer of 2000. The budget and crew is undetermined at this time but WB is expected to make an announcement in August about the film.
-Sadly, Joel Schmacher is still tied to the project as director, but promises a darker, less flamboyant movie with a smaller, more centralized cast. (Of course, compared to "Batman & Robin", "Batman
Forever" fits all those characteristics).
-Plus: WB is planning on shooting scenes in Vancouver and London to get the spooky 'X-files' type shots in the next movie. Upon visualizing Batman and Robin chasing the Scarecrow through the dark woods (a la X-Files), it
looks pretty awesome to me.
-But now George Clooney is saying that WB is pulling out of BATMAN 5 so what the hell is going on?
-Still no news on whether the Kurt Russel rumors are plausible.
-"Ain't It Cool News" has reported that Joel Schumacher (who is still tied to the movie), is in talks with WB about the fifth film, and is hoping to show the world what a genius Frank Miller is by making a movie
based on the critcally-acclaimed "Year One" story (Batman #404-407).
-One thing is for sure - when this movie is released, it will not be as disappointing as "Batman & Robin" turned out to be.
Comic News
-The Batman creative teams for late 1998-99 have yet to be officially released but so far there's quite a list:
Neal Adams
J. Scott Campbell
Kurt Busiek
Mike Deodato Jr.
Karl Kesel
Tom Grummet
More to be names at a later date. There is rumored to be 26 creators signed on so far.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)
"THE BATS, THE CAT, THE CLOWN, AND THE CROW"
*Note: For a complete look at every figure made from the cartoon, pick up Lee's Action Figure News & Toy Review #69 I believe it's the July edition.
The second wave of figures of TAS line brought some nice surprises. We got a Bruce Wayne figure with Snap-On Batman Armor. Ok, so Bruce Wayne's "racing outfit" looks
nothing like normal clothes. (No, I'm not a superhero in disguise!), but I thought it was kewl that the Batman "cowl" looked just like the motorcycle helmet he wears in episodes like
"Two-Face" Part II. The card art was nothing to scream about, yet not overtly horrible at the same time.
The big surprise for me was the Man-Bat figure with Flapping Wings and Tow Cable. Never did I expect this one! The sculpt is really close to the show, but very hard to balance. I happen to have a shelf
with a lip, so his wings fold over the lip, and his feet push against the lip. That way he stands up "on his own." Or, one can try applying putty to his feet to help him stand on his own. The
tow cable – yeah, whatever. The wing flapping action is kewl, and it's nice that he has bending elbow joints, but they get loose easily, and he doesn't flap his wings so well. The card art is great, true to
the show's design.
Then there was the Joker. Like Two-Face, Kenner dropped something into the white paint, and so we get, not the white color his face was in the show, but the bluish color his face is in the new style.
Yuck. Also, he was missing the black shadowing around his eyes, so he doesn't look as sinister. He came with a smile gas mask (like in "The Last Laugh") and "Laughing Gas" Spray Gun, which
was just a stupid water shooting orange thing – good for spraying younger siblings with! I liked the sculpt, because it allowed me to pose him with his finger pointed (at my Batman) as if to say "I got
you!" The card art was mediocre, because the body was drawn well, but the face and head totally sucked. It looked as if the style was changed.
Kenner released a Scarecrow figure as a late edition to the second wave. The version released had red glowing eyes, two unpainted teeth, and yellow straw hair. Personally, I always preferred the Scarecrow's look from
the first episode, since it looked the closest to the comic version, but at that point, I was happy to get any incarnation of the Scarecrow! He came with a crow that could "sit" on his arm and
"Thrashing Sickle," which, with the help of a wheel on his back, could spin around as he held it. Still, I thought it was a good figure, and he isn't terribly hard to balance. The card art was ok,
except the crow looked like it was done in a different style, and the Scarecrow had odd wrinkles under his eyes.
Catwoman was also released with the late second wave. As usual, Kenner delayed putting the female figure on the back of the card(ala Catwoman from Batman Returns line). I don't know what Kenner was thinking when they
sculpted her. Balance was definitely not one of the top criteria on this one. She came with a whip,(from the Returns line, used in the Legends line too) Whipping Arm Action, and Claw Hooks(Which are stupid,
because they were ridiculously huge, and useless to a cat burglar ). Also included, was a little rubber Isis, (her cat) that sits around her neck and helps to cover up the fact that Catwoman's neck is too
short, and her shoulders are so square and tense, she looks like she's having a panic attack. Also, like the Returns Catwoman, she's got a funky attack position, that's hard to balance. Her feet are big flat paddle
looking things. Plus, her eyes are painted so that each eye looks to a different side. The card art is acceptable, except that the cat around her neck looks nothing like Isis.
Also during this wave, vehicles like the Batmobile, and Batman on the Batcycle were released. Included, were the Jokermobile, and stupid ones like the Hoverbat, and the B.A.T.V. Later came the insipid
Bat-signal jet, and the impossible to find Robin Dragster. The stupid variation Batmans in this wave consisted of Skydive Batman, who was black and orange (Criminals won't be able to spot you!), and Infrared Batman,
who was black and red.
Next time: Wave Three!
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COMIC SCHEDULES
DC Comic's ships new Batman (as well as Superman and other DCU characters) comics every month, this includes spin-offs and the animated based books and tie-ins. In September shipping books DC will be raising the costs of
comics once more...but not the US price. The Canadain price will jump from 2.85 to 2.95, probably due to the dwinding Canadian dollar (ugh). Like another knife in the back DC will also be raising Candian prices of their
other comics as well. To get the full scoop check out the DC website (URL below) for more info.
Release dates of BATMAN comics in August:
ANIMATED COMICS
August 5th
Batman:Gotham Adventures #5 (1.99)
August 12th
Superman Adventures #24 (1.99)
MAINSTREAM COMICS
These comics are based on the current continuity Batman. The current storyline is now that Gotham is down for the count Gotham might get kicked even harder.Can the heroes save it?
August 5th
BATMAN:I, JOKER (4.95)
BATMAN:THE KILLING JOKE-relist (4.95)
BATMAN:SHADOW OF THE BAT #79 (1.99)
JOKER MINI STATUE-relist (no price available)
MARTAIN MANHUNTER (Batman cameo) (1.99)
YOUNG JUSTICE (2.50)
August 12th
AZRAEL #46 (2.25)
BATMAN #559 (1.99)
JLA:YEAR ONE #10(of 12) (1.99)
NIGHTWING #25 (1.99)
August 19th
BATMAN:TWO FACE - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT-relist (4.95)
BATMAN VILLIANS Secret Files (4.95)
CATWOMAN/WILDCAT #3 (OF 4) (2.50)
DETECTIVE COMICS #726 (1.99)
JLA #23 (1.99)
NIGHTWING:A KNIGHT IN BLUDHAVEN (14.95)
NIGHTWING:TIES THAT BIND (12.95)
August 26th
BATMAN:LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #111 (1.99)
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #14 (2.95)
CATWOMAN #62 (1.99)
JLA ANNUAL #2 (2.95)
ROBIN #58 (1.99)
Early solicitation
September 16th
BATMAN:GOTHAM ADVENTURES T-SHIRT (no price currently available)
September 23rd
BATMAN: ANIMATED (by Paul Dini, and Chip Kidd. The perfect gift for any Bat-fan.)
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SITE WORTH CHECKING OUT
This is one of the best Batman/Superman sites on its net...what makes it different is that it's the OFFICIAL site, which is odd seeing how offical sites for shows usually suck. This sites offers background info on
characters (greatly needed to understand a lot of the newer episodes, esp "The Demon Within"), plus schedules, games and much more. The layout is superb and real easy to manuver but you'll need an updated browser
to get a lot of the special extras on the site
BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES:THE OFFICAL SITE
http://www.batman-superman.com
BRAIN'S BATMAN PAGE
This site has undergone a huge and recent revamp for the better. The new layouts are amazing and the links are much clearer than before (and they were excellent before!). The animation section is better then ever and if
you're a person who only likes to look at the new stuff then check out the UPDATES section. It gives the info on all the recent updates on the site. The revamp keeps it orignal feel but adds stuff aplenty!
The URL is in the BATMAN/SUPERMAN website section.
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ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.batman-superman.com
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://www.batmantas.com
KIDSWB!
http://www.kidswb.com
http://www.wbanimation.com
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm
SUB-ZERO
http://www.warnerbros.com/subzero
SUB-ZERO:THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
TWO-FACE'S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BRIAN'S BATMAN PAGE
http://members.aol.com/bdavis2613/main.html
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
CHARACTERS ON THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN
http://www.xse.com/leres/batman.html
THE BRUCE TIMM ARTWORK ARCHIVE
http://home.rr.nycap.com/cataldo/timm.htm
HARLEY'S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/harlequinhideaway
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (unofficial site)
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158
These are some of the best BTAS sites on the web at this time. Most sites are updated or have been recently and all are up and running.
If you've watched Batman on WB there's a fair chance you've watched Superman as well. This show has picked up 40% more viewers this past season thanx to Batman. This series is one of the most underrated shows on TV becuase
it's stuck under Batman's (pun intended) shadow. There's one website that treats it as its own show and its a damn good website! I recemmend all who have seen this show to check out this site:
SUPERMAN:TAS
http://www.rain.org/~stas
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA
Answer to #7: 'C'
Answer to #8: 'B&E'
Answer to #9: 'D'
Answer to #10: 'C'
ANSWERS TO THE CLIPS TRIVIA
A - Heart Of Ice
B - World's Finest (Pt. 2)
C - P.O.V.
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CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:
BATMAN and all related property is a registered trademark of DC Comics. Visit DC Comics website at:
http://www.dccomics.com
DC Comics is owned and operated by Warner Brothers. Visit their website at:
http://www.warnerbros.com
Kids'WB! is a part of Warner Brothers. Visit the Kids' WB! site at:
http://www.kidswb.com
If I've left any out I'll probably be suee and homeless within a year so please tell me.
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TO ALL GOOD THINGS...
...there must be an end. Well our newest installment of the newsletter has now been completed. Tim and I would like to thank the endless contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, and reviews and other
articles. We also hope you enjoyed all of the regualer columns as well!
See ya next time!
CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
CONCEPTIONISTS: James Grayson-Harvey and Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
EDITORS: James Grayson-Harvey and Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz
BTAS REVIEWS: Bob Evatt
EDITORIAL: Laura Hysert
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
THIS MONTH'S VOTING POLL: Brian Davis
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN' THE WORD AROUND: Brian Cruz, Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P James Grayson-Harvey and
Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane (who else?)
SPECIAL THANKS to JEPH LOEB for participating in our interview for this issue!
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A LITTLE MORE THANX
I'd like to take this time to thank Andy Mangel for mentioning this newsletter in his most current article of his HOLLYWOOD HEROES column at ANOTHER UNIVERSE.COM (he even called it a 'fun'
newsletter). To check it out jus follow this URL:
http://www.mania.com/columns/amhh/amhh080798.html
Thanx!
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