Batman: The Animated Newsletter

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

This is one of my favourite sections, where I get to boggle the minds of all our readers! *EVIL LAUGH* This trivia is all animated-related in some form, and can deal with ANY aspect of the show or comics based on the show. Remember, answer the questions WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANIMATED CONTINUITY. Now have fun - let's see how well you do! Answers are provided below.

OK, we haven't had a quote quiz for a while now, have we? Let's see how good you are. Answer each question with WHO says the quote, WHO it's said to, and what episode it's in. (The shows include Batman, Beyond, and Superman, as well as "Phantasm" and "Sub-Zero"). MWUHAHAHAHAHAHA!

151. "I have to know!"

152. "What? Your charming good looks?"

153. "...it's attempted arson."

154. "Wake up, Jervis."

155. "No. Not until I get the old one, too."
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA

Answer to #151: WHO: The Riddler. TO: No-one in particular. EPISODE: Riddler's Reform
Answer to #152: WHO: Robin/Tim Drake. TO: Two-Face. EPISODE: Sins of the Father
Answer to #153: WHO: Harvey Bullock. TO: Commissioner Gordon. EPISODE: Nothing to Fear
Answer to #154: WHO: Batman. TO: The Mad Hatter. EPISODE: Make 'Em Laugh
Answer to #155: WHO: Inque. TO: Aaron. EPISODE: Disappearing Inque
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LITTLE FACTS
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

Here is a section that just points out various little facts that we have noticed while watching BTAS and STAS countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

CONBTRIBUTED BY STAFF:

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by "Kelly Tindall")
1. "Chemistry". We all know Jason Blood is present at Bruce's wedding to Susan. But who
are the others? From right, they are; Reporter Summer Gleeson, Francine and Kirk Langstrom(Kirk doesn't look well), Jack "The Creeper" Ryder, Zatanna, and Jason Blood. (Leslie Thompkins is also in there, somewhere.

That's quite a pantheon. Ryder and the Langstroms took me a minute to figure out, but those glasses and hair belong to Francine, no doubt. And what is Francine without Kirk? Ryder...I thought he was Dick, but nobody has that cocky smirk quite like Ol' Jack.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)
Oh_Ho77@hotmail.com

Mr. Smith was unable to submit an article for this issue of BTAN. But fear not, he will return shortly!
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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "Captive Audience" (#16)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILED BY: Criag Rousseau
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: July 7, 1999 (Cover date is September)
RATING: ***.5 (out of 5)

"And thank you for being so cooperative. Most people take at least
30 seconds to hypnotize."
--Alfred to his would-be kidnappers

SUMMARY: Batgirl, Nightwing, and Robin are busy beating a bunch of thugs (no explanation is ever given, but endless amounts of bad guys keep coming at them) while Batman tells them that Alfred has been kidnapped. While they continually fight more thugs, Alfred outwits his
kidnappers so that when the Bat-team does arrive he's already escaped.

COMMENTS: The art in this issue was great. Since there was no story, every panel is huge. The penciller, inker, and colorist all get to shine.

CRITICISMS: What was the point of this issue? A much simpler rehash of "The Lion and the Unicorn," that has no importance whatsoever. Anyone who has seen that episode already knows that "Alfred was pretty formidable in his day," so I didn't find anything in this issue new or
noteworthy. However, I did like the final page which was a good end(?) to the story(?).

BOTTOM LINE: A good exercise in fast-paced, art-based storytelling that leaves anyone looking for a plot left in the dark.
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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. 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...a whopping $3.25 in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the "grrr".)

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #17
August 4th
Batman finds himself in the middle of a family matter when a mob leader tries to kidnap the young son of immigrants - a boy the leader claims is his son. What if the evidence proves this to be true? Can even a super-hero change a person's nature?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmga17.jpg

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Man-Bat returns. Need I say more?
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga18.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #1 (ongoing)
Uhhh...don't know much about this...it'll be out in September, though.

NEXT MONTH: Issue #2. Starring Inque! Comes out in October.

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #36
August 11th
This whole issue looks like a job for Superman - bank robberies, plane hijackings, people trapped in mine shafts, and oh yeah, a kid's missing dog. Can even the Man of Steel cover all these bases, or will he have to choose one emergency over the other?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dsma36.jpg

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS

ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-Terry Beatty has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on ebay. His Seller ID is: wlee@muscanet.com Do yourself a favor and check out some great art!
-Also the COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM has an exclusive interview with none other then Paul Dini. Find out more on the upcoming season as well as his upcoming comic with Alex Ross called BATMAN:WAR ON CRIME as well as his other upcoming prjects! The URL is: http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/opinions/dini/index.htm
-There will be an ALL-NEW CONTEST beginning July 26th on BATMAN: THE ANIMATED MESSAGE BOARD. With a couple questions left, the current contest is winding down, with the winner soon to be announced. The prize(s) will of course, be Batman related. To find out more about the new contest check out the message board at:
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb163084

"CURRENT" ANIMATED SERIES'
-Well it had to happen. During an interview with Paul Dini, he mentioned that the final three Superman episodes will be the last for the time being, but maybe not forever. LEGACY Parts 1 & 2 will be the FINAL Superman/Darkseid episode so you can bet some crazy stuff is gonna go down. If you want to read more into this, then just follow the URL: http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9907/07/index.htm
-However, BTAS/STAS will return in the fall of 2001 with NEW EPISODES, when Batman Beyond goes on hiatus.
-The STAS episodes LEGACY and DEMON REBORN have been left for next season. Great. Three more episodes to be scattered throughout the season. Perfect. Blech.

BATMAN BEYOND
-According to a post by 'Clayface' on the BATMAN BEYOND: THE ANIMATED MESSAGE BOARD, Henry Rollins will be voicing a character next season called MAD STAN in BB. Mad Stan...? Sounds like another Marvel Comics 'homage'.The URL for the message board is: http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb163115
-We all know that there will be 52 more BEYOND episodes coming out...21 of which will be hand-painted (like all previous BTAS/BEYOND episodes), the other 31 being COMPUTER RENDERED! Cool eh? Are they gonna look like "Over the Edge" now?
-To find out more about the upcoming BATMAN BEYOND episode 'Splicing' then go to the COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM here: http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9907/13/index.htm
-Inque will return this fall, in the ongoing BATMAN BEYOND comic series. She will be the main villian in issue #2 of BATMAN BEYOND, on sale in October
-Batman Beyond continues to be the #2 show on Saturday morning, following Kids'WB!'s other show Pokemon!, which is #1.
-Next season on BATMAN BEYOND we'll get another NEW villian called STALKER, who's a mix between a game hunter and a celebrity stalker. If its a she or a he is yet to be determined.
-BEYOND will be on hiatus in the fall of 2001, when BTAS/STAS will return with more new episodes.
-The playlist for BATMAN BEYOND: THE SOUNDTRACK (to be released Aug 17) has been released, and I think we'll be pleasently suprised! It's a score CD. Here's the list:
1.BATMAN BEYOND MAIN TITLE THEME
2.COLD VS. HOT
3.TERRIFIC TRIO VS. ROCKETEERS
4.BAT-SLAPPED IN STORE
5.FAREWELLS
6.BATMAN DEFEATS CHAPPELL
7.BATMAN CHASES INQUE
8.YATCHING WITH THE CARD GANG
9.BATMAN'S FIRST FIGHT
10.THE LEGACY CONTINUES
11.HOTEL SUITE
12.TROUBLE IN THE MUSE
13.INQUE ESCAPES
14.NUCLEAR LAB DESTRUCTION
15.GOLEM CHASES SHOPPERS
16.WILLY DEFEATED
17.GENETIC THEFT
18.JOKER CHASE
19.MOVE TO THE GROOVE
20.BATMAN BEYOND END CREDITS THEME

ANIMATED COMICS
-Still waiting to see when Ty Templeton's leftover Joker story for "Gotham Adventures" is set to come out...

OTHER COMICS
-A prelude to "Batman: Dark Victory" (the follow-up to "The Long Halloween") will be available in of WIZARD magazine...watch for it!
-As apart of the Y2K Bat-books relaunch, Jim Balent will now be leaving Catwoman. The final issue of his run remains unknown, as does the new creative team. Jim Balent has had an amazing 70+ issue run, which is almost unheard of these days.
-The "Anarky" comic series will be cancelled as of Issue #8.
-The following was taken from Alan J. Porter's GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS newsletter: DC Comics has publicly announced its plans for the Batman line of titles for next year, following the conclusion of No Man's Land.
*Detective Comics: will focus on the crime in Gotham City and Batman's interaction with the
GCPD. Writer: Greg Rucka, Artist: Shawn Martinbrough
*Batman: Batman as a superhero. Writer: Larry Hama, Artist: Scott McDaniel, Inks: Karl Story
*Batman: Shadow of the Bat: canceled and replaced with "Batman: Gotham Knights". Writer: Devin Grayson, Artist: Dale Eaglesham, Inks: John Floyd
*Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight: Return to its original format of rotating creative teams telling multi-part stories. Bob Schreck will edit.
Changes to the Batman "family" books are as follws:
*Nightwing: Chuck Dixon (w), Greg Land (p), Drew Geraci (I)
*Birds of Prey: Chuck Dixon (w), Jackson Guice (a)
*Robin: Chuck Dixon (w), Pete Woods (p), Jesse Delperdang (I)
*Catwoman: Bronwyn Carlton (w), Staz Johnson (p), Wayne Faucher (I).
All new teams will begin with January 2000 issues of their respective
titles. (Note: Why isn't Azrael mentioned?)
-For more, see the "Road Through No Man's Land" section below.

MOVIES
-In a recent interview Paul Dini said not to expect Batman 5 to come out anytime before 2003.

TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-The new BTAS video game which is currently in production (for PSX and N64) will be done in the TNBA (new style) style of the series.
-The Playstation version of the SUPERMAN video game has a tentative release date of September 16, 1999.
-Check out "Two-Face's Trading Post" if you're interested in purchasing figures...lists provided below.
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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 that celebrates it, 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...
JANUARY - APRIL: For synopses of what happened in the first four months of NO MAN'S LAND, go see Issues #26 and #27 of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Follow this link: http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/btan

MAY, JUNE: For synopses of what how things really heated up in the fifth and sixth months of NO MAN'S LAND, see of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Follow this link: http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/btan

JULY: Batman and Mr. Freeze have a fight. Yep, that sums it up, pretty much. The only other thing that's of any interest is that, apparently, something major has happened to Robin. We just don't know what yet.
Later in July, however, both Batman and Killer Croc search for "The King of Gotham City". Azrael and Batgirl go on a man-hunt for Nicholas Scratch; Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face hear of Scratch's movement and prepare for a shift in Gotham's political landscape...from anarky to further anarky. AND Nightwing has raided Blackgate prison to sieze it from Lock-Up's grip - but got caught.

That's 34 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.

WHAT'S TO COME...
-July: Like April, it's another month filled with one-part stories, one for each week. Bane resurfaces, and Robin fights off the Ratcatcher and Spoiler's identity is revealed to her mother. Batgirl protects a gas station from various street gangs who are desperate for fuel. Azrael and Batgirl hunt for Nicholas Scratch, bumping into Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face along the way. Catwoman also makes her return to Gotham.
-August: The month begins with Batman trying to save the children of NML from a gang known as "Lynx". Then, things start to really shake up when Harley Quinn finally makes her debut in the mainstream, with the Joker and Poison Ivy coming along for the ride. Meanwhile, Azrael and Batgirl continue to try to make a dent in Nicholas Scratch's operations. Nightwing is trapped in Blackgate, and Robin is still out searching for food.
-September: "The Underground Railroad", in LOTDK #123 and SOTB #91. Batman hardly appears at all in this story; Robin, Penguin, and Joker have larger roles. Then in "Goin' Downtown", Two-Face, Penguin, and Bane collide in another major turf war - in BATMAN #571 and DC #738. And don't forget "Batman: No Man's Land #0", featuring what Batman did in the first 100 days of NML before re-appearing to confront Scarface.
-See below for more.

AS FOR THE OTHER HEROES:
-Nightwing is ordered by Batman to take control of Blackgate Prison after returning to Gotham in July; Lock-Up is unhappy with this, obviously. All this in Nightwing #35, 36, and 37.
-Batman sends Robin out to get emergency food rations BUT is confronted by Mr. Freeze and the Ratcatcher in the process in Robin #68. Also, Spoiler's mother finds out her true identity. Robin then goes up against Killer Croc in Robin #72.
-Azrael and Batgirl team up to take down Nicholas Scratch, in a giant comic also featuring Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face. This is all in Azrael #56 and #57.
-The Huntress takes on the Joker and Harley Quinn in August.
-Leslie Thompkins and the Huntress are the focus of BATMAN CHRONICLES #18, in August.
-Superman will return to Gotham in SHADOW OF THE BAT #92, in October.

AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS...
-The Ratcatcher confronts Robin and Nightwing as they try to break back into Gotham.
-Catwoman returns to Gotham in Catwoman #72, this July.
-Bane tries to gain control of the city - again - but has to break in from the outside - across the river filled with land mines. Batgirl also has a significant role. This is in Detective Comics #736, in July. Bane later returns in September to destroy Gotham - and finally fulfill his plans - in "Goin' Downtown".
-Lock-Up is in trouble when Nightwing tries to take over control of Blackgate Prison in July!
-Mr. Freeze will appear in Robin #68 in July, and #70 in September.
-BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN, the one-shot comic featuring Harley Quinn's intro to the mainstream Bat-universe will come out in August.
-The Joker doesn't appear as a major player until close to the end, along with the new, improved Harley Quinn - whom will appear with the Joker AND Poison Ivy in August. (BATMAN: Harley Quinn, Batman #570, DC #737). Also, it looks like Ms. Quinn will going up against the Huntress.
-Killer Croc and a wounded Mr. Zsasz re-appear in BATMAN CHRONICLES #18 in August.
-Two-Face re-surfaces in September in "Goin' Downtown", another major turf-war story, also featuring Bane and Penguin. He later re-appears in another big way later on in No Man's Land, apparently as the second-last villain to be defeated. (How fitting.)
-The Penguin also returns in "Goin' Downtown".
-Ra's Al Ghul, meanwhile, is in Washington D.C. battling Anarky in his new ongoing series.
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TWO-FACE'S TRADING POST
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

Yep, this section is DEAD. It didn't seem to be working any more, and we're pressed for space. Soooooo...IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, FANS! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT! (And I still have a bunch of Bat-stuff up the wah-zoo that I wanna get rid of...*SNIFFLE*)

Is the guilt trip working? :-)

IF you were using this section and want it back, say so before the next newsletter...if we get enough people wanting it back, it shall return. If not, kiss it good-bye... :-)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled newsletter...
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FEATURED BAT-SITES FOR THIS ISSUE

Alright, something a little different this week. Recently a friend of mine that co-owns the TOON ZONE website notified me that they're doing some MAJOR updates there. Why do I bring this up here? She wanted to know if anyone would like to contribute their mini-reviews or plot-synopses for the comic-book section of the site. (The aforementioned comics include BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES, SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, and BATMAN BEYOND - as well as pretty much any comic based on a show seen on KidsWB (Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Looney Tunes, Pokemon)...

Wanna help out? E-mail Harley at:

harley@toonzone.net

And of course, the TOONZONE website is located at:

http://www.toonzone.net

Thanks again! :-)
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ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:

* - indicates a shameless plug for a site a certain double-faced editor created with his bare hands - in other words, a cheap advertising technique.

OFFICIAL SITES
-----
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.batman-superman.com
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://www.batmantas.com
BATMAN BEYOND
http://www.batmanbeyond.com
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
KID'S WB
http://www.kidswb.com
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
VOICE CHASERS
http://www.voicechasers.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://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk
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
THE DARK KNIGHT
http://www.darkknight.ca
BATMAN BEYOND: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
http://www.batmanbeyond.net
DCU ANIMATED
http://welcome.to/the_dcu
ANIMANIA
http://hjem.get2net.dk/twt/home.htm
HARLEY'S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/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
ANIMATED TALES
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/2294/at
BATMAN & SUPERMAN:THE WORLD'S FINEST DISCUSSION CENTER
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest

NEWSGROUPS
-----
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
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QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL

If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else then please e-mail this address with your problems and we'll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you'd like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:

juno@direct.ca

As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on anything pertaining to BTAS. Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does not change, as that is the most important part of any artcile, and everyone is entitled to it. And if you do submit something, please don't just submit a basic review of an episode or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) - write about an issue you'd like to discuss.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES

The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The 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
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LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE'S HOW!!!

For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section, and want to subscribe just follow these simple instructions:

To subscribe email juno@direct.ca and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

For more information the newsletter just email juno@direct.ca
Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading! Tell your friends!

-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors
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TO ALL GOOD THINGS...
...there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you've all enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed making it! 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 #1: Laura Hysert, Kelly Tindall
EDITORIAL #2: Michael Mandeville
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
"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?)

Batman and all related indica are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 1999.
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AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE DIE-HARD FANS THAT SUBMITTED THEIR REASONS AS TO WHY THEY LOVE WB's SUPERHERO SERIES' SO MUCH!