Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of October 4 - October 9/10, 1999
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some "low-key coarse language and occasional griping"
THIS ISSUE'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: "LOTSA NEW MOVIE
NEWS! CHECK IT OUT! NOWWWWW!"
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
I was just going through my inbox back on Monday and discovered
that Terry Beatty of "GOTHAM ADVENTURES" fame had sent me an article
for our newsletter, out of the blue, without us asking.
Ain't he the greatest? Scroll down to read it!
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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: The WB is 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.
'LOST SOUL'
Batman Beyond #17
Air date: October 9, 1999
The "virtual" soul of a deceased communications mogul
takes control of Terry's Batsuit. When the villain plans to download his virtual
brain into the brain of his own grandchild, a powerless Terry has to fight his
own suit to save the boy.
'HIDDEN AGENDA'
Batman Beyond #19
Air date: October 16, 1999
Fellow high school student "Max" (Maxine) learns that
Terry is Batman, when he saves her from the threat of a vengeful Joker.
'BLOOD SPORT'
Batman Beyond #18
Air date: 1999-2000
The Stalker - a cybernetically enhanced wild animal hunter - grows
bored with Big Game and goes after the only challenge left in the world: Batman.
'ONCE BURNED'
Batman Beyond #20
Air date: 1999-2000
Batman/Terry's emotional resolve is put to the test when an old
girlfriend, who also happens to be the notorious Ten of the Royal Flush Gang,
reverts back to a life of crime. The situation becomes further complicated when
he learns that she's being forced to steal to save her family from kidnappers.
'HOOKED UP'
Batman Beyond #21
Air date: 1999-2000
Batman has to come to Max's rescue when she becomes addicted to a
virtual reality world that is controlled by Spellbinder.
'RATS!'
Batman Beyond #22
Air date: 1999-2000
Batman must protect Dana from a dangerous secret admirer... a
lonely teenage outcast who lives underground with giant mutant rats as his only
companions.
'MINDGAMES'
Batman Beyond #23
Air date: 1999-2000
A young girl with eerie psychic powers mentally contacts Batman and
begs him to save her from the nefarious clutches of a secret organization known
as "The Brain Trust."
'REVENANT'
Batman Beyond #24
Air date: 1999-2000
After a series of unexplainable events, all the kids in Terry's
class think that the ghost
of a dead student is haunting their high school. But Terry is skeptical, and he
eventually
proves that Willie Watt, a former classmate who has developed psychokinetic
powers, is causing the eerie occurrences.
'BABEL'
Batman Beyond #25
Air date: 1999-2000
Shriek returns, throwing Gotham into chaos with a device that
distorts all sound waves,
making communication impossible. In exchange for normalcy, Shriek demands a
ransom of Batman's life.
'TERRY'S FRIEND DATES A ROBOT'
Batman Beyond #26
Air date: 1999-2000
One of Terry's friends - Howard Groote - tries to impress the in
crowd by dating a beautiful girl who is actually an extremely advanced robot.
Things get out of hand when her programming goes haywire and she trashes his
house before Batman can finally shut her down.
'EYEWITNESS'
Batman Beyond #27
Air date: 1999-2000 season
Because Commissioner Gordon thinks he sees Batman involved with the
untimely death of Mad Stan, Batman must run from the law. Fortunately, Bruce
uncovers the truth and proves Batman to be innocent: the murder was a
hallucination, engineered by Spellbinder.
'ZETA'
Batman Beyond #28
Air date: 1999-2000 season
Batman joins forces with the military to recover a robotic
assassin, until he discovers that the robot has escaped the government's
clutches because it no longer wants to be a killing machine. Batman jumps sides
and helps the robot escape.
'THE LAST RESORT'
Batman Beyond #29
Air date: 1999-2000 season
A number of Terry's classmates are being sent off to a new
innovative "tough love" boarding school. When Chelsea becomes one of
them, Terry discovers the place is being run more like a medieval prison than a
school.
'FINAL CUT'
Batman Beyond #30
Air date: 1999-2000 season
Bruce is out of town and incommunicado when Curaré - the assassin
- returns to Gotham. With Max's help, Batman is able to capture Curaré and
disarm the assassin's bomb just in time.
'ARMORY'
Batman Beyond #31
Air date: 1999-2000 season
When the father of one of Terry's friends is laid off from his
lucrative research and development job, he develops a super-powered suit in his
backyard workshop and turns to a life of crime.
'SNEAK PEAK'
Batman Beyond #32
Air date: 1999-2000 season
A gossip reporter acquires the technology to become
"incorporeal" and walk through walls. Becoming the ultimate peeping
Tom, he discovers Batman's identity and threatens to reveal it on national
television.
'PLAGUE'
Batman Beyond #33
Air date: 1999-2000 season
Stalker returns, this time in the employ of the U.S. government.
Batman reluctantly joins forces with his former enemy, Stalker, to hunt down a
wily criminal named False Face, who has stolen a dangerous virus for a criminal
organization called KOBRA.
'EGGBABY'
Batman Beyond #34
Air date: 1999-2000 season
Because of an assignment in Family Studies class, Batman must chase down a gang
of thieves - Ma Mayhem and her sons - while caring for a computerized egg baby.
'APRIL MOON'
Batman Beyond #35
Air date: 1999-2000 season
Batman must battle a gang of criminals who have been given bionic
enhancements by a noted medical scientist.
'PAYBACK'
Batman Beyond #36
Air date: 1999-2000 season
A new vigilante, who calls himself Payback, begins taking revenge
on the tormentors of
troubled teenagers.
'LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)'
Superman #44, 48
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. This is being touted as the FINAL Superman episode
EVER. However, I must say that I've read a synopsis of the episode, and it's a
doozie.
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES airs Mondays thru
Fridays beginning at 4pm (ET). It also airs every weekend at 8am (ET). BATMAN
BEYOND airs on the occasional weekday at 4pm (ET), sharing the time slot with
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. BATMAN BEYOND also airs every weekend at 9am
(ET). Check your local listings for time and station in your area. If this
newsletter section is not updated in time, please refer to either of these three
links for schedule information:
http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/episodes.html
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/
http://www.ktla.com/rebuild/programming/kids_framed.htm
THIS WEEK:
Mon 10-4-99: Batman #104 Legends of the Dark Knight
B-BEYOND #11 Touch of Curare
Tue 10-5-99: Superman #45 Knight Time
Batman #101 Animal Act
Wed 10-6-99: Batman #109 Judgement Day
Superman #18 Livewire
Thu 10-7-99: Superman #15 Ghost in the Machine
Batman #97 Over the Edge
Fri 10-8-99: B-BEYOND #13 Ascension
Sat 10-9-99: Superman #51 Superman's Pal
B-BEYOND #17 Lost Soul -----------NEW!!!
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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CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BTAS/BEYOND on YTV)
(courtesy of our friends at YTV)
-To find the episode guide and airing schedule of BATMAN
on YTV then please go to http://www.ytv.com and
click on the YTV GUIDE icon at the bottom of the screen. To check out the
schedule then click on BATMAN in the time grid and it will have the schedule for
the current week.
-To find the episode guide and airing schedule of BATMAN BEYOND on YTV then
please go to this http://www.ytv.com and click
on the YTV GUIDE icon at the bottom of the screen. To check out the schedule
then click on BATMAN BEYOND in the time grid and it will have the schedule for
the current week.
BTAS will air at 7:30am on weekday mornings (in all time
zones), and BEYOND will air at 2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. YTV has the rights
to show all 109 BTAS episodes; it is still unclear as to whether they'll be
showing any of the new STAS or BEYOND episodes as of yet, but we'll keep you
posted!
THIS WEEK:
Mon 10-4-99: BTAS #29 Eternal Youth
Tue 10-5-99: BTAS #10 Two-Face (Pt. 1)
Wed 10-6-99: BTAS #17 Two-Face (Pt. 2)
Thu 10-7-99: BTAS #24 Fear of Victory
Fri 10-8-99: BTAS #12 I've Got Batman in My
Basement
Sat 10-9-99: BEYOND #06 Shriek
Sun 10-10-99: BEYOND #?? ?????
NOTE: It would appear that the YTV schedules are
following the order in which new episodes aired on the FOX network back in 1992.
Sometimes it will be impossible to get the YTV schedules in time for the
delivery of this newsletter. We will notify you if this is the case; just follow
example set by FOX. I shall put up a page at my website to show the order in
which these episodes aired, as a rough guide to follow.
It would appear that BATMAN BEYOND is following the same order, too.
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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
To see the 52 episodes that the CARTOON NETWORK does
show, go to this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/eplists/batman-cn.html
NOTE: The schedules at Brian Cruz' site are currently
unavailable; if anyone knows of any other place where people can get listings
for BTAS on the Cartoon Network, please e-mail us!
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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
NOTE: Due to the loss of the WGN, editor Tim
"TWO-FACE" Leighton has been unable to review any new episodes. Until
he can once again, we'll be having someone substituting for him. Thank you
to Zanna for this review!
<SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES>
THE DEMON REBORN
Written by Rich Fogel
Directed by Dan Riba
Animation by Dong Yang, Koko
Original air date: September 18, 1999
My rating: *** (out of five stars)
The World's Finest team up again in this brief tale
which deserved to be told in two episodes.
The story begins with a train heading toward Metropolis.
A plane flies close above the train and releases one-man fliers, which attack
the train. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Clark and Lois are with Professor
Blackwing awaiting the arrival of the train carrying Indian tribal
artifacts. A train guard transmits a message to the professor alerting him
to the attack.
Seconds later, Superman reaches the train and fights the dark costumed thieves.
The female leader of the thieves is Talia. She searches for and finds a
shaman's crystal staff. In order to get away with the staff, Talia blows
up a section of the track. While Superman tries to stop the train from
derailing, the Batmobile pulls up on a parallel track. Both Superman and
Batman stop the train. After Superman asks Batman why he is in Metropolis,
Batman tells him that he has been tracking the Society of Shadows for weeks.
Superman offers to help.
GOOD POINTS:
The writers of this episode gave fans many nods in this
too short Batman/Superman team up. The dialogue between Superman and
Batman as well as Batman and Lois gave a brief look at their relationships.
Superman comments to Batman about Batman's showing up unannounced in Metropolis.
Batman describes Superman's fighting style as "charging in with both arms
swinging". (Fans have often said Superman is often portrayed using more
brawn than brain. He's supposed to be highly intelligent, too!) Lois and Batman
meet for the first time since their break-up. Bruce says, "I'm
sorry"(!), and then pulls his disappearing act on her. When discussing
Talia with Superman, Batman expresses regret about his failed relationships.
Superman reacts with a sad facial expression. Batman admits that Superman was
clever in his more cerebral method of dealing with Ra's al Ghul in the final
fight. Superman graciously acknowledges Batman's "advice" and
obviously enjoyed the partnership. Batman responds in his typically terse
fashion, but smiles as he leaves. The episode ends as Superman smiles in a
knowing way.
It's a nice sequel to "World's Finest" and
"Knight Time".
BAD POINTS:
The drawing style continued in the less detailed method
of the more recent TNBSA episodes, but the fight scenes were still well
choreographed. (I prefer the thinner bodies of TNBSA but I miss the
details, the facial expressions and the more realistic style of BTAS. ) No
where was the lack of details more obvious than when Talia pulled the shaman's
staff out of her blazer.
It's a long staff! There's no way it could have fit inside her blazer and
the animator just drew it on top of her blazer.
Helen Slater was replaced as the voice of Talia. Olivia
Hussey did Talia's voice this time.
Helen Slater's Talia sounded more exotic. George Dicenzo did not reprise his
portrayal of the voice of Ubu. In "The Demon Reborn", Ubu was voiced
by Michael Horse. He had very few lines, so besides acknowledging the
change of actors, there isn't much else to say.
"The Demon Reborn" episode was a tantalizing
taste of what the 1999 TNBSA season could - and SHOULD - have been. I
watched this episode with a sense of sadness for the loss of the 1999 season and
the need to wait at least a year for a new Batman episode.
Zanna_Z@Yahoo.com
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