COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "Never an Option" (#12)
WRITTEN BY: Ty Templeton
PENCILED BY: Rick Burchett
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: March 3, 1999 (Cover date is May)
RATING: **.5 (out of 5)
"Of course you get to live. You're one of the good guys." -Two-Face to Batman
SUMMARY: After being caught in customs, some smugglers take a hostage, but Two-Face
surprisingly drops in and stops them. Later, at police headquarters, Harvey Dent's
psychiatrist discusses several cases of Two-Face acting as good guy with Batman and
Commisioner Gordon. She reveals that Harvey is using a weighted coin that always lands
good side up; this coupled with his identity of the Judge has caused him to make decent
decisions. She is worried, though, that Harvey has some sort of death wish since the Judge
sentenced him to death for all his crimes. Batman finds out from an accomplice of Two-Face
what he is planning
next, but he is inabled by a statue, so Harvey gets away. However, through deductive
reasoning, Batman figures out what Harvey is up to. Meanwhile, Two-Face is planning to get
out of Gotham with help from members of the Janus Corporation (see "The Lost
Years" for background). However, he double-crosses them, and sends them out with
parachutes. Batman has been clinging to the outside of the plane this whole time and he
swoops in for a skirmish with Dent. Only one parachute is left and the controls to the
plane are ruined, so Two-Face says that if the good side comes up, Batman gets the
parachute and Harvey dies. Batman tells him that the coin is rigged, but he says it
doesn't matter, and when good side comes up, he leaps out of the plane. Batman takes the
parachute and jumps after him, grabbing him and opening the chute just as the plane
crashes.
COMMENTS: This issue had some good things going for it. First, it incorporated characters
from the show (Harvey's shrink, the twin henchguys (Min and Max)) nicely. It's always
interesting to see supporting characters again, and this book does a great job. Next, the
reference to Two-Face's drug smuggling a few years ago was made. This was a nice, relevant
reference to the Lost Years. Also, the art in this issue was, as always, superb. (Check
out the final page, for example.) I also like the little gags and nuances a lot. Don't the
two drug smugglers from the very beginning of the issue bear a suspicious resemblance to
Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob?...
CRITICISMS: All in all, I didn't feel that this story had too much depth. It was just
another "switch the coin on Two-Face" escapade with a few rather pointless
fights. However, I did like the ending; the last few pages were very dramatic and hopeful.
Still, it was too little, too
late.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're a fan of Two-Face, you might enjoy this; otherwise, you may be disapointed.
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more indepth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN:
GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. We have meshed this section with our
"COVERING THE BASICS" section, to make the newsletter much more succint. Below
each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!
The price is $1.99 in the US and..grrrrr....now a whopping $3.25 in Canada. (Both our
editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the "grrr".)
"ANIMATED" COMICS
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #13
April 7th
It's the return of Mastermind, the Perfessor and Mister Nice (from the pages of the
original BATMAN ADVENTURES series)! This criminal trio has faced its share of challenges
in the past, but now a visit from a strange child could lead to the dissolution of their
partnership, if not their very lives! Can Batman save some of his greatest enemies?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmga13.jpg
NEXT MONTH: - The final issue of "Gotham Adventures" written by Ty
Templeton (we'll miss you)! This issue follows-up on the storyline in , where
Harley resists being seduced by the dark side and returning to the Joker. Her romance
novel is panned by critics so she goes on a rampage involving...mind control? *SINGS*
"I'm a Harley girl, in a Harley wurrr-urr-urld...I'm never static...it's
fantastic..."
Cover: not available
BATMAN BEYOND #3
March 17th
One of the all-new villains from the Batman Beyond animated series menaces the Batman of
the future. As the radioactive foe known as Blight tries to procure a substance that will
help him render inert all the sources of power in Gotham City, Batman might have to choose
between stopping the villain and saving a group of homeless kids who get in the
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bb/bb3.jpg
NEXT MONTH: Issue #4 - Etrigan, the Demon, makes an appearance.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmb4.jpg
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #32
March 3rd
Meet Daily Planet janitor Ben Sullivan's girlfriend...Lois Lane? Ben, a mild-mannered
staffer with a huge crush on Lois, accidentally becomes the object of the reporter's
affections when she's hit by a supervillain's hypnotic device. Now Ben's in seventh heaven
while Superman not only must foil a foe who can plant hypnotic suggestions in anyone's
mind, but also find a way to break Lois's trance before it becomes irreversible!
NEXT MONTH:
Superman's greatest enemies have never figured out that Clark Kent and the Man of Steel
are one and the same person -- until now. Who's learned the world's greatest secret, and
how can Clark prove him wrong before he reveals it to the entire world?
________________________
ANIMATED NEWS AND RUMORS
OTHER
-Color me corrected. My doubting the truth to the rumors of the Supergirl/Lobo animated
series is no more. Bruce Timm confirms that both projects were indeed in the early stages.
Although no final decision by the WB has been finalized, the Supergirl series looked less
likely to happen but Lobo (oddly enough) "looks real good for a 13-episode commitment
this fall," Timm was quoted as saying. (Thanks for the info, Gookie!)
MOVIES
-Rumor has it that the third animated Bat-movie will dive deeper into the romantic
relationship between Dick and Barbara. But the burning question for most people is...WHO'S
THE VILLAIN?
-Batman 5 rumors have resurfaced, but nothing new. Schumacher states he wants to do a
"Year One" film with an unknown actor under the cowl. One mentioned Leonardo DiCaprio, but Schumacher said NO. Good choice.
-The problems surrounding the eternally-postponed SPIDERMAN movie have now been solved!
Yes, I know that Spiderman has nothing to do with DC - or DOES he? Y'see, this is the
first major threat to the Bat-franchise so this will make WB's work on the next Bat-film
much more interesting to watch!
-As for "Superman Lives" - it isn't shelved, but is in what is pleasantly
referred to as "development hell" right now. As far as the WB is concerned, even
"Batman 5" is closer to being made this Supie.
-NBC will be showing the 1995 WB film "BATMAN FOREVER" from 8:30pm to 11pm on
April 4th
"CURRENT" ANIMATED SERIES'
-Kevin Conroy appears in an exclusive interview and talks about Batman: TNBA, Batman
Beyond and why making WORLD'S FINEST was so fun in the latest issue of SCI-FI TV. SCI-FI
TV #4 (April 1999) has a cover price of $4.99US/$6.50CAN.
-An interview with Michael Reaves, one of co-creators on BTAS, Gargoyles, and Invasion
America can be found just by following the link:
http://www.animationartist.com/interviews/Michael_Reaves/michael_reaves.html
BATMAN BEYOND
-Check out of WIZARD magazine for an in-depth look at the creation of
"Batman Beyond"! This issue's cover date is Feb. 1999.
-Ra's Al Ghul is currently NOT planned to be on BEYOND. However, Talia IS. (Where's Ubu?)
ANIMATED COMICS
-BATMAN BEYOND has now shifted from a 6 issue mini-series to an ongoing series!
Hmmm...this seems familiar! The exact same thing happened to BATMAN ADVENTURES way back in
1992!
-GOTHAM ADVENTURES, SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, BATMAN BEYOND, and the other WB and Cartoon
Network books are getting a new editor. To see who, then follow this link and scroll down
a bit:
http://www.mania.com/BUZZ/index.asp?x_date=3/2/99
OTHER COMICS
-DEVIN GRAYSON is leaving CATWOMAN as of . She will be replaced by JOHN
OSTRANDER, who will be doing a 6 issue stint on the title.
TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-The "Mission Masters" series continues in Wave 4 of the new-style animated
figures. Riddler is the featured villain and there will undoubtedly be a multitude of hero
variants - including a new Batman, and, finally, another Robin (Tim Drake)!
________________________
THE ROAD THROUGH NO MAN'S LAND
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
Yes, I know this isn't really an animated topic, but I thought, hey, it's Batman's 60th
anniversary, and this is the big event they're pulling off, so I should have a section
dedicated to this year-long crossover. Besides, so far it's been excellent in every issue.
We have this section split up into two parts - the first saying what has already happened,
the second previewing what's to come. Enjoy!
UP UNTIL NOW...
After 100 days of absence, Batman has returned, and took down the Ventriloquist and Scarface; Rhino no runs that sector of town under Batman's control. The GCPD have
eliminated the "lesser" gangs in Gotham by starting up a bloody turf war.
Batgirl has appeared here and there, and has also encountered Batman himself. Pretty much
all the villains have made an appearance as a cameo by now.
The Scarecrow took up refuge in the "Faith Sector" of town, and tries to get
them to get into a major gang-war with the Penguin and Black Mask. The Huntress is the
only hope once Father Chris agrees to store Penguin's weapons at the church in exchange
for food. Batman and Huntress eventually take the Scarecrow down - but he's still on the
loose.
In the most recent story, we see a flashback of Rene Montoya in Downtown Gotham, where she
runs into good-Samaritan Two-Face, who is helping the people there, due to the luck of the
coin. Batgirl saves a couple from the Joker's old hideout, and Harold (Batman's mechanic)
runs into Gotham to "help fix things".
That's 9 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.
AS FOR THE OTHER HEROES:
Superman just paid a visit to Bludhaven, to help Nightwing with dealing with the influx of
homeless Gothamites. Robin and the Flash are still in hot pursuit of the Riddler and Cpt.
Boomerang. They will return to Gotham, but when?
Superman himself arrives in Gotham this April in Batman #566.
Catwoman's not really a hero, but I'll include her here anyhow. She's still searching the
world for more pretty things. Paris didn't satisfy her - but will New York?
WHAT'S TO COME...
-In the first half of March, Batman will be dealing with the remnants of Black Mask's
gang, and then in the second half of March, takes on the Penguin himself.
-May, we see the GCPD confront the Penguin, and Batman confronts Two-Face.
-See more below.
AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS...
-Mr. Freeze seizes control of the power plant to stay alive - and to have something
valuable to trade with the rest of society. His story involves - a plumber?
-Bane tries to gain control of the city - again - but has to break in from the outside -
across the river filled with land mines.
-Poison Ivy seeks refuge in the Robinson Park.
-Penguin seems to have the only access to points of the world OUTSIDE of Gotham, and
basically rules the city, living in luxury. The GCPD will move in on him during the first
major turf war in NO MAN'S LAND.
-Two-Face has seized control of the political and financial districts in Downtown Gotham,
and has a unique tie to Rene Montoya of the GCPD. While the GCPD confronts the Penguin,
Batman tries to take Two-Face down but fails in his first attempt. Two-Face then releases
the Russian assassin "Echo" from Blackgate Prison, who goes on a killing spree,
with a bounty on Batgirl's head.
-The Joker doesn't appear as a major player until close to the end, along with the new,
improved Harley Quinn - whom will appear in civilian form mid-way through the crossover.
-The Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Mr. Zsasz, and various other "lesser" villains
have their own chunks of Gotham to rule as well.
-Other villain heavyweights like Clayface, Firefly, and Ra's Al Ghul will most likely have
roles as well, but no details have been given for them yet.
-Lots of new NO MAN'S LAND info can be found at this site now: http://www.mania.com
________________________
TWO-FACE'S TRADING POST
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
I know that there are many people out there that collect Batman OR Superman items - like
myself. I only started a year ago and, believe me, finding some of these items (like
action figures) that were released a couple years ago is pretty tough! So, I decided to
start up a
little section in the newsletter to help out our fellow Bat-fans. I can only personally
guarantee that my entries are 100% true, for I saw these items with my own eyes. So we're
working on the honour system here. Sound fair?
ALSO if you are LOOKING for something, e-mail me and I can put your request in the
"WANT TO BUY" section. There is the possibility that a fellow subscriber is
willing to sell what you're looking for!
Well, if this section proves to not be a help for anyone, I'll just abandon it. But I
thought I should give it a try. If anyone has any items they'd like to post in this
section, feel free to do so - just give a brief description, name, e-mail address. Thank
you!
IMPORTANT QUERY: Many fans have been unable to see any of the new-style BTAS episodes, and
any of the STAS or BATMAN BEYOND episodes. Can someone who is in the know point out a
website that tells the copyright laws regarding taping episodes off the TV and selling
them to people who want 'em? I'm not saying we're doing this - but I know it would help
many out. So if anyone has any official info on this (or, better yet, if someone from the
WB network contact us), that'd be great. In the meantime, we won't be selling or trading
any home-recorded BTAS episodes here.
Well, here we go! I hope this helps out someone out there!
1. THE MAD HATTER. Yup! Editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton has one spare BTAS
"Mad Hatter" figure in his possession that he is willing to get rid of. This is
the only Mad Hatter figure in existance (to our collective knowledge), and is a wonderful
figure besides! Sure, that was a shameless plug, but it IS a cool figure. If interested,
e-mail him at: juno@direct.ca
2. THE CREEPER. Anyone want this figure? Mail editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton and
he'll be able to find one for you. E-mail: juno@direct.ca
----------
WANTS TO BUY
1. CLAYFACE. Anyone know where to get a "Legends of the Dark Knight" Clayface
figure? I know it's not animated, but it still counts for this column...can anyone help?
E-mail: juno@direct.ca
_______________________
FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE
Brian Davis is one of the people that helped make our newsletter known to the public way
back when we started in July of 1998. And now he's started his OWN newsletter, featuring
the Bat-mythos seen in the eyes of those in the UK. Subscribe today!
------
Starting soon, a brand new Batman newsletter from the United Kingdom. Brian Davis, well
know UK Batfan will be bringing you all the gossip regarding Batman from the UK. There
will be exclusive news, reviews and interviews. You will get the news as it happens !!!
Hear what the UK think of the latest Batman projects. This monthly newsletter will be very
entertaining for fans in all parts of the world. To subscribe simply go to :
http://members.aol.com/BDavis2613/mailer.html
If you would like to write a letter or ask some questions for the letter
section then please e-mail me at: BDavis2613@aol.com
______________________
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
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
VOICE CHASERS
http://www.voicecharsers.org
UNOFFICIAL SITES
-----
*TWO-FACE'S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BRIAN CRUZ' WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html
BRIAN'S BATMAN PAGE
http://members.aol.com/bdavis2613/main.html
GOTHAM GAZETTE
http://members.aol.com/gothamajp
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm
RA'S AL GHUL'S THE LAZARUS PIT
http://www.aitnet.et/lazaruspit
ANIMANIA
http://hjem.get2net.dk/twt/home.htm
HARLEY'S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/harlequinhideaway
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
BATMAN/SUPERMAN SNAP JUDGMENTS
http://www.snapjudgments.com/batsup.html
BATMAN BEYOND MULTIMEDIA
http://www.prophecysite.com/batman.htm
THE BATCOMPUTER
http://members.spree.com/batcomputer
BATMAN: FOREVER KNIGHT
http://batman.techv.net
WORLD'S FINEST
http://members.spree.com/sip/worldsfinest
CHARACTERS ON THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN
http://www.xse.com/leres/batman.html
ARKHAM ASYLUM
http://animation.acmecity.com/saturday/352
JLA: THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://animation.acmecity.com/character/375
THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES: THE UNOFFICIAL SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158
MESSAGE BOARDS
-----
HEAVY DUTY DUBBAS DISCUSSION CENTER
http://members.spree.com/sip/hddboards
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED MESSAGE BOARD
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb158314
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:
btaninfo@yahoo.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 artcile, and everyone is entitled to it.
_______________________
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES
The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of
their huge and diverse website. The archives contain past newsletters and is
semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:
TOONZONE's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/btan
If you're interested in information about the newsletter or are just plain curious
about some of our news, schedules, websites, etc... then please e-mail here:
btaninfo@yahoo.com
_______________________
LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE'S HOW!!!
For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section, and want
to subscribe just follow these simple instructions:
To subscribe email juno@direct.ca and put SUBSCRIBE in
the subject line.
For more information the newsletter just email btaninfo@yahoo.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, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope
you've all enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed making it! See ya next time!
CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
EDITORS: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton and "Dick Grayson"
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz
BTAS REVIEWS: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
EDITORIAL: Laura Hysert
BATMAN BEYOND COLUMN: Ed Wiser
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
ORIGINAL BTAS REVIEWS: "E. Nygma"
"BTAN ARCHIVES" MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
ROAD THROUGH NO MAN'S LAND: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
TWO-FACE'S TRADING POST: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN' THE WORD AROUND: Dick Grayson, Eileen Delgadillo, Brian Cruz,
Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane (who else?)
All elements in this newsletter have been copyrighted (copywritten?) by DC Comics, 1999.
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