Weeks of August 2 - August 14/15, 1999
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some "low-key coarse language and occasional griping"
THIS ISSUE'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: "GO SEE 'THE IRON GIANT'! IF THIS MOVIE DOES WELL (as it should), IT MAY CONVINCE THE WB TO MAKE MORE ANIMATED SUPERHERO MOVIES! GO SEE IT NOW!"
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another issue of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Enjoy!
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
We have shortened down the length of our "Why we love BTAS so much" column from four installments to two - so that means the final installment is in this issue. Scroll down to see if you can find your quote! (It's like a text version of "Where's Waldo", I guess...)
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NEW EPISODE(S)
This section will just basically give an insight into what the new episodes are about and hopefully a synopsis of the episode. This section will feature both new Superman and new Batman episodes.
THE LOSS OF THE WB ON WGN: Beginning this fall, the WB will no longer be carried on WGN-TV’s national feed to avoid conflicts with other WB affiliates. WGN-TV will continue carrying the prime time WB in the Chicago area. If you’re outside the Chicago area and know of no other way to pick up the WB, you may call them at (818)977-5000 for more information. This is taken from the info section of the WGN website,
http://www.wgn.com . Thank you for Peter Destructo for pointing this out.
KidsWB will soon be shown on a new channel called "WeB" - I know little about this - but if you can get that channel, I'm pretty sure the WB shows would be on.
'ONCE BURNED'
Batman Beyond #14?
Air Date: 1999-2000 season
Ten returns to rekindle her love for Terry, and the Royal Flush Gang returns to once again kill Batman - but then again, is there more than meets the eye this time?
'SPLICING'
Batman Beyond #15?
Airdate:1999-2000 season
Teenagers at Hamilton Hill High School's new fad is 'splicing' where teens take characteristics of animals and geneticaly splice them into their own bodies. You can guess this goes downhill fast!
'THE DEMON REBORN'
Superman #44?
Air date: Fall of 1999
BATMAN'S FINAL CURRENT-DAY ANIMATED APPEARANCE! This episode features Batman and Superman teaming up to take down Ra's Al Ghul, who has plans to send the world back to its natural, pre-human state. WOOHOO! THE BAT IS BACK! Airs in September.
'LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)'
Superman #48, 49?
Air date: Fall of 1999
This two-parter features the final showdown between Superman and Darksied in which he strips Superman of his memory and adopts him as a son in an effort to take over Earth. Now it seems this won't air until September! Argh!
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)
This section of the newsletter highlights the schedule and times that WB airs The New Batman/Superman Adventures. For most affiliates it airs Monday - Friday at 4pm (ET) and Saturdays beginning at 8am (ET). WGN airs Batman/Superman Monday - Friday at 10am (ET) and Sundays beginning at 8am (ET). There's a chance that your local WB channel airs it at a differant time. To find out when, we recommend you follow this URL (provided by
Toonzone): http://www.toonzone.net/brian/stations/index.html
PS - Remember that "Batman Beyond" airs 30 minutes AFTER "Batman/Superman" is over, because "Men In Black" has been squeezed in between.
THIS WEEK:
Mon 8-02-99: Superman #19 Target
Batman #77 The Lion and the Unicorn
Tue 8-03-99: Batman #76 Baby-Doll
Superman #25 Brave New Metropolis
Wed 8-04-99: Superman #08 The Main Man (Pt. 1)
Superman #11 The Main Man (Pt. 2)
Thu 8-05-99: Batman #70 House and Garden
Superman #16 Action Figures
Fri 8-06-99: Superman #45 Knight Time
Batman #104 Legends of the Dark Knight
Sat 8-07-99: Superman #43 New Kids in Town
Batman #107 Chemistry
B-BEYOND #10 Dead Man's Hand
NEXT WEEK:
Episode schedules for the week of August 9 to August 15 were unavailable at the delivery date of this newsletter. For current schedules, go to Brian Cruz' site, via the link provided above.
All episodes #86 and onward of BATMAN are considered THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES while the original 85 are considered BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS) episodes.
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CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE:
"Yabba Dabba Doom"
(courtesy of Brian Cruz)
THE CARTOON NETWORK was able to get the exclusive rights to 52 episodes of the classic BTAS, as well as both animated movies. BTAS airs Monday-Friday at 6pm (ET) and then repeated again at midnight. If our schedule listings is not complete or up to date then please go to TOONZONE for the complete episode schedule at:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html
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EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
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/bats.html
<BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES>
SINS OF THE FATHER
Written by Rich Fogel
Directed by Curt Geda
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: September 20, 1997
My rating: ***
"Sins of the Father" is the origin story of the third Robin, Tim Drake. After "Sub-Zero", Dick Grayson (the original Robin) became Nightwing, and needs to be replaced. Note: Tim Drake is the third Robin in the comics, but the second Robin on
BTAS. (BTAS overlooked the brutal but important death of Jason Todd.)
In the BTAS incarnation of this character, Tim Drake is a down-on-his luck kid, who has pretty much been orphaned by his father, Stephen Drake. Tim is very street-smart...and idolizes Batman, for he possesses a collection of newspaper clippings about the Dark Knight and even a real batarang at his below-average residence.
Enter the villain. Stephen Drake used to work for Two-Face, and has something that Two-Face desires...and he and his mean are searching for him. They eventually stumble upon Tim at his home, and take him hostage.
Enter the hero. Batman saves the day, and in a hurried escape, takes Tim back to the Batcave in the new Batboat. One event leads to another...Tim's father is found dead in Metropolis, Tim discovers Batman's secret identity, and Batgirl makes her uneeded appearance...and after Batman's continual dissuasion, Tim becomes the new Robin.
I liked this episode. Two-Face is genuinely evil, and Batman is the stone-cold man he should be. Alfred makes his first "improved" appearance, and it now appears that Batgirl has full access to the Batcave. Tim Drake is a good Robin replacement, for he really is a "boy wonder". At the end of the episode, Dick Grayson enters to see Bruce training Tim...a very touching, and cool ending.
This one should have been a two-parter, though. That's the only downside.
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE #1
(by YOU, the fans)
FANS, FANS EVERYWHERE!
PART TWO
Welcome to our new summer column! This is the second and final installment of our column showcasing why fans Batman/Superman/Beyond so much! This column is compirsed of quotes from fans, telling us why its a step above all the rest! But remember, these are YOUR quotes! Can you find yours? Can you find ours? Can you find Waldo? OK, enough of this...let's begin!
"History: I'm been a comics collector for over 25 years, I grew up watching the Adam West Batman, and the CBS morning DC lineup, Superfriends, et al. Never really was thrilled with the theatrical versions of Supes or Batman; the promos for the new Fox show had my
interest. When my family and I sat down to watch the premiere episode we were thrilled: the music, the voices, the animation - all perfectly cast (even surprises here and there like Mark Hamill of "Star Wars" portraying the Joker) - the opening alone sent chills down my spine - this was a WINNER!!
And in the years to follow I enjoyed taping and watching my episodes, laughing, gasping and even crying at the drama that was presented - I dare anyone to say they were not affected by Michael Ansara's portrayal of the tragic Mr. Freeze (I so hated Arnold in the role!). I've always been a credits reader and I knew that a Dini episode would have me glued to the screen - and his creation of Harley
("Ya wanna ride your Harley, Mistah J?") Quinn was a masterstroke - the perfect moll.
In a word, "Batman: the Animated Series" was tradition - in it's own right. Not hokey, campy, special effects laden garbage that Warner Brothers has tortured us with, but a true to itself internal history that never backed away from the hard issues of violence and its affect on people.
"Superman" - he's always been ok. I was never a huge fan of his comic, but it's been a hoot to see their rebooted presentation of Supergirl - I like her a lot and I loved the crossover with Batgirl ("Girls Night Out") for obvious reasons, Harley knocking herself out during the fight alone was worth it!!! I also have liked Superman better when he wasn't playing the stereotypical good guy ("Knight Time") and the "World's Finest" team-up was fantastic!
"Batman Beyond" - Terry McGinnis is growing on me.... and the way the creative team is tossing out little tantalizing bits of info - the biggest bombshell being that Barbara and Bruce were an item???? Whoa Mama!! Now as we move into the second season I wanna know what happened to Dick, Tim, and Alfred.
All in all the creative teams of these three shows are exceptionally talented and they should be credited for re-creating the most famous DC heroes out there - and they've done it by sticking to the traditions of what makes these characters work, its not the skintight, latex suits with toys and explosions everywhere, it's the people behind the costumes and the decisions that they make that keep them fresh and special."
-WB Animation Fan, Beverly Martin & Family
"These shows are great simply becuase they don't pull their punches. Sure, the FOX censors thought they were being smart, but some alterations made things better. The chilling scene where Dick's parents die (in "Robin's Reckoning (Pt. 1)")? Done great. To think, if the crew got their way, we would have watched Dick's parent's fall to their untimely deaths. I think it's better we don't see some of the action, it lets our imagaination enter this world and make our own spin of the consequences, even if they prove to be different later on in the show. Although one thing I wish I never saw was 'CRITTERS'."
-Anthony Steeves
"Superman. The ultimate boy scout, and also a huge pain in the ass for Batman. Seeing those two heroes meet up wasn't your normal SUPERFRIENDS fare. It was done with style, grace, and a killer script. I have every episode on tape, and I'm glad. In twenty years, if VCRs are still
around, then maybe I'll sit down and watch all 160+ episodes of Batman & Superman. Maybe.
-Brad McCully
"I like the new Batman/Superman Animated Adventures becuase it lets me relive my childhood. I read the comics when I was young. I'm 40 years old."
-Leo Henton
"A normal man (well...basically at the best physical shape ANYONE can be) versus freaks, weirdos, and impossible odds. What's not to love?"
-anonymous
"In the 1940s a man named Max Fleischer (sp?) gave us some animated shorta based a fairly new comic called SUPERMAN. Who knew that that series would be a complete hit? Today's Superman is just as great (give or a take a few poor-very poor episodes) and exciting!"
-A Max Fan
"well, heheh, this will be fun...I love Batman becuase of the adventure basically; that's why I like all three of them in fact [Batman, Superman, B. Beyond]. I'm a very day-dreamy kinda gal, and this is the perfect show to loose your imagaination in. Plus to top it off I just love to write, and to watch stories like this just knock me off my feet with the creativeness the
writers are able to produce. BB especially is doing great with their new characters and interestinbg stories. So that's it! *FALLS BACK INTO SHADOWS*"
-Barb aka Oracle ^-^
"The show is great basically becuase it's so true to the myth of the character. A rubber suit? Please! An earthquake? In Gotham? Come on! The Joker, loose? Go get him!"
-anonymous
"I think "Superman" has brought us the best spin on the Superman rogue's gallery. They've made seemlessly harmless mainstream characters into true 3 dimensional bad asses. Look at Toyman. In the comic he's just some bald guy who likes ot kill kids. In the cartoon, he's a revenge
driven man whose father (who was a toy maker) was swindled by the mob. That sound better then just some child killer, doesn't it?"
-Cecil Mallery
"I have Batman to thank for me finding Superman. If Batman didn't move to Kids'WB! and team with Batman weekdays and weekends, then I would've never found the TRUE Man Of Steel!"
-Matthew Clarke
"Well, I like BTAS, because for the first time I saw a Batman true to the spirit of the legendary character. It's true that this show doesn't depict so many graphic violence that we saw lately on the comics from Batman, but this isn't a deter to show fully three-dimensional
characters.
"At first I rejected to see the show episodes. I supposed that it will be a Batman 60's series, or that mediocre SuperFriends cartoons look-a-like. But one day I give it a chance and wow! It was an episode without Batman at all, but instead a disguised Bruce Wayne, and since
then I was hooked. I really liked the way that this show mixed the 40's-50's feeling with all the technologic improvements of our time.
"This is the kind of Batman movies that the silly execs at Warner should make. My best Batman picture of all time is "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm"; why they don't think to bring this in an live-action movie?
"Of Superman I only saw the 'movie' with Batman, Luthor and The Joker, and it rocks [WB released WORLD'S FINEST to video in the Summer of 1998]! If only Warner Bros could produce more direct to video movies like this it would be heaven. Like the scenes between Lois and Bruce,
and all the action scenes by the "World's Finest" team were astounding!
"That's all my comments about this. Sorry I haven't seen Batman Beyond
yet."
-GEVALHER
"Comics have gotten a bad reputation for being adapted poorly to the small screen (MARVEL ACTION HOUR anyone?) and to the big screen (BATMAN & ROBIN, and about every other comicbook film). It was nice to see two shows that actually succeeded in breaking that chain. To top it off we got a completely new spin-off show, Batman Beyond, that's just as great!"
-Josh Harvey
"I see these characters as the modern mythology. Who does not know who Superman is? Ask any one. Heroes give us hope where there is none, or at least where there should not be. I won't name examples here, becuase you can find your own. Just open a comic book, read a novel, or watch TV. A lot of people don't have heroes to look up to. To me those were my heroes. Sometimes they change, but they always change back. Sometimes they die or get injured. They overcome obstacles (hey, even death). I look at this as rooting for the home team at sporting events. People wear Superman and Batman shirts Most people think comics books and cartoons are for kids. They're wrong. Everyone I know watched Batman/Superman. They like it as much as
I do. They ask me questions about the why's and how's; then I collect comic books.
Green Lantern mostly. This is all I have to say on the subject. I hope this helps"
-anonymous
"This show gives us a chance to see some of our favorite DC characters in action, and done right. Compare the SUPER-FRIENDS GL to the new one who guest starred on Superman. The SF's GL was just a clone of all the other heroes. STAS's GL was his own hero. Sure he wasn't good at being a hero, but he was only just beginning ya know!"
-James Green
"The future. Sure. It's mysterious. Unknown. Frightening. But BEYOND is able to take all of that and use it on the legend of Batman. A mysterious future. A legendary character. Mix 'em togethor and you get one helluva show!"
-McKenzie Karter
"Batman just has influence. In IT'S NEVER TOO LATE he is able to single handily turn a mob boss around. He showed him all the evil he was doing, and it worked. The boss' son was in drug rehab. His empire and marriage in shambles.
Hmph. And all it took was a man in a bat costume to fix things. He'd be one helluva divorce lawyer."
-Dan McFarlane
"OBSESSION. An insane man stalks a woman. Sure the insane man has a thing for toys and the woman is really a robot, but damn, this episode actually hits home. There are reported stalkings every year. Somehow, this episode was able to deal with that issue,
sorta, and turn things all around, and make it enjoyable. I call that class. And art."
-anonymous
"We have the Joker. We have Lex Luthor. We have Two-Face. We have Darksied. Four of the biggest bad asses every created in one show (well two technically) and they are all on the mark. Every character they way they should be . I see no flaws whatsoever in their presentation. Just damn good stories."
-anonymous
"'I don't really know, how to put on a cool show'. Those are lyrics from the silverchair song 'FREAK'. They should take some pointers from THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES!"
-Sean Harper
"Great scripts? Got that! Great animation? Got that! Interesting Characters? Got that, too! These three shows have everything a person could ever want in a show!
-just an enthused bat fan
T-T-Th-Th-Th-That's All Folks! Let's mambo! (Well, this IS a WB-influenced newsletter, isn't it? And as a bonus trivia question, does anyone know where that quote came from? :-)
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