Batman: The Animated Newsletter

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LITTLE FACTS AND BLOOPERS
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

Here is a section that just points out various little facts and bloopers 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:
1) Go watch "His Silicon Soul" again. How many times in that episode does Batman (the real one or the robot one) speak, but his lips aren't moving? I noticed this at least three times during the episode.

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by "LadyWayne")
1) "The Mechanic". Watch closely in the flashback sequence when Batman meets Earl and says "I need a new car." Just before that, we see Earl walking down the street while a bunch of flyers and such are blowing along with him; one of these flyers, a WANTED poster, is snagged on a lamp-post. This poster features a mug-shot of BATMAN! Considering this is during Batman's earliest days as a crime-fighter, it CAN make sense, but still, I thought it was something noteworthy.
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MERCHANDISING: WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by anyone that wants to contribute)

Geez, Christmas is coming and there's nothing good to review? Or possibly everyone is just tired of saying how much they hate the BATMAN BEYOND figures - could that be true? Agh...anyone, ANYONE out there who can contribute something for this column will be heavily rewarded! Really!
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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)

Mr. Maurer was unable to submit a review for the printing of this newsletter, so editor Tim "Two-Face" Leighton is here to fill the void.

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "...And Oh, So Delicious!" (#20)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILED BY: Tim Levins
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: November 3, 1999 (Cover date is January (I think))
RATING: ***1/2 (out of 5)

    . Peterson's sixth stint as "the man" behind GOTHAM ADVENTURES. I pattern is definately forming: all of Peterson's odd-numbered issues are gems, while his even-numbered issues are mediocre. broke this mold.
    The basic plot was original: a new cereal taking Gotham City by storm is actually a device created by Poison Ivy to control the populous. The story flowed well, from Batman and Robin first discovering the cereal, to Batman and Batgirl discussing just how popular and addictive the cereal is, to Batman and Nightwing finally shutting Ivy down.
    The pacing was great. I liked how Batman and his partner-of-the-moment were discussing the "cereal killer" while solving other problems, rescuing people from blazing buildings and such. This also clearly showed that they didn't solve this crime over night - it seems to have taken them a few weeks. Even when they DID figure out Ivy was behind it all, they still didn't see what she was doing wrong until the very last moment - that was a nice little twist.
    I loved the art in this issue - especially that hilarious cover. I want a bowl of EDEN'S OWN myself!

;-Y
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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".)
   If we are unsure of the exact date of when an issue is being released, just check out "DIRECT CURRENTS" at http://www.dccomics.com for details.

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #21
December 1st?
Synopsis: A young girl has been kidnapped and the only "eye witness" is a blind jazz musician. Can even Batman, the world's greatest detective, use the information the old man provides to find the girl before the kidnapper takes his revenge?
Cover: Unavailable

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl are in the spotlight of the first animated comic to hit the shelves in 2000!

BATMAN BEYOND #3 (ongoing)
November 24th
Synopsis: The Terrific Trio returns.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
comics/covers/download/dbmbd3.jpg

FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #4.
Synopsis: The Royal Flush Gang returns.
Cover: Unavailable

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #39
November 10th
Synopsis: The animated-style Supergirl takes the spotlight in a special issue! Someone from Supergirl's past life from Argo has returned...or have they? The happy reunion quickly becomes tragic when the mysterious returnee turns against both Kara and Superman! Is a foe of the Man of Steel's behind this surprising turn of events?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/
comics/covers/sma39.jpg

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

ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-Oddly, "THE DEMON REBORN", technically a Superman episode, aired in the BATMAN BEYOND timeslot on GLOBAL on November 13, 1999. Even MORE oddly, elsewhere in Canada the episode "LOST SOUL" was aired in other parts of the country, and "HIDDEN AGENDA" in other parts. Strange, eh? (Oh, and depending on what province you live in, BEYOND may be pre-empted by a CLUELESS marathon on November 20).
-CINESCAPE ONLINE now has a poll about which storyline you'd like to see used for BATMAN 5. Go to the following to vote: http://www.cinescape.com
-DC was named "Favorite publisher of the Century" by the readers of COMIC'S BUYER GUIDE. DC garnered 46.4% of CBG readers, 31.3% of professionals, and 49% by comic readers. Congratulations, DC!
-Don't forget that MASK OF THE PHANTASM and SUB-ZERO will be released on DVD on December 21! Just in time for Christmas!
-The 'BATMAN, SUPERMAN, & BEYOND: THE WORLD'S FINEST' website is still undergoing some new additions. A new WEBRINGS page is up, as well as a MISC. LINKS page, and a FANFIC Archive (courtesy of SilverKnight). Look for more additions to the site in the near future.
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest
-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!

"CURRENT" ANIMATED SERIES'
-BTAS/STAS will return in the fall of 2001 with NEW EPISODES, when Batman Beyond goes on hiatus.
-Then again, there is ALSO word that BTAS/STAS WON'T return. So which do we believe? Hopefully the first...

BATMAN BEYOND
-Last week we failed to mention that BATMAN BEYOND won an Annie Award on Saturday's Ceremony. The Annie Awards (27 years and running) are considered the Oscars for Animation. BATMAN BEYOND won best Storyboarding in an Animated Series. Sorry for the oversight.
-Gary Cole, best known for his work as Sheriff Buck on "American Gothic", as Mike Brady from the "Brady Bunch" movies and as Capt. Matthew Gideon from the "Babylon 5" spin-off "Crusade" will provide the voice of a villain in an upcoming episode. (Thanks THX1138!)
-GLOBAL is now airing NEW episodes of BATMAN BEYOND - even before they come on YTV in some cases. All Canadian watchers, keep an eye out for this!
-Shriek will re-appear in BATMAN BEYOND #5, in January.
-Synopses of episodes #17 through 36 have now been posted, thanks to the COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM. Check out of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER for a complete listing.

ANIMATED COMICS
-1999's 6-issue BATMAN BEYOND mini-series will be collected in tradepaperback early next year. The expected price tag will range from $7.95-$9.95 US.
-Mister Miracle, last seen for about two seconds in the acclaimed APOKOLIPS...NOW! two-part SUPERMAN Episode will appear in SUPERMAN #42.
-Batman & The Joker will appear along with AQUAMAN in LEGENDS OF THE DCUNIVERSE #26 & 27.
-Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon will be in the spotlight for of GOTHAM ADVENTURES.
-Lock-Up is planned to be used in the near future.
-Ty Templeton's upcoming two-issue stint on Superman Adventures will be co-written with Dan Slott.

OTHER COMICS
-An ongoing Harley Quinn miniseries is planned for a mid-2000 release. Oh, please, shoot me now; here I thought that DC would be improving with the new creative teams next year. She can't hold her own series - the Joker couldn't, so why would a second-rate female-quota-fulfilling copycat villain be able to? Let's all hope it gets canned, shall we?
-Jim Aparo (BATMAN) will draw 4-6 stories for BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS. It is unclear whether it will be the 'main' story, or the 'Black & White' back-up stories.
-DETECTIVE COMICS will be 40 pages long from January thru May (meaning a 30 page story); in
June it will drop to 30 pages, 22 of which will include the main story. It will sell for $2.50 in the USA, and $3.50 (I'm guessing) in Canada.
-Issue #5 of DARK VICTORY has Catwoman on the cover.
-Issue #6 of DARK VICTORY features the Penguin on the cover.
-The Two-Face/Montoya relationship will be picked up midway through next year in DETECTIVE COMICS #747.

MOVIES
-According to ANOTHER UNIVERSE'S DAILY BUZZ, WB is seriously considering a live-action BATMAN BEYOND movie to replace all the proposed BATMAN 5 scripts.
-According to CINESCAPE ONLINE (on Nov 5), this rumor is true...but the WB is also still seriously considering an adaption of Frank Miller's "YEAR ONE" comic series (from 1988), thereby restarting the franchise. Their logic? This way all the villains can re-appear in the future, especially the three that have been killed off in the past (Joker, Penguin, Two-Face).

TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-The SUPERMAN video game for Playstation will be out in the first quarter of 2000.
-The first issue of the Sega Dreamcast magazine says a Batman Beyond video game is due out in 2000.

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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/newsletters/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/newsletters/btan

JULY: For synopses of the many things that happened in the month that all of the other major players in Gotham broke back into the city, see of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter".
Follow this link: http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

AUGUST: For synopses of the many things that happened in the final full month of summer, see of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

SEPTEMBER: For synopses of the issues dealing with the set-up of the final crunch of No Man's Land, see of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

OCTOBER: For synopses of the issues dealing with the "beginning of the end" of No Man's Land, see of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan

NOVEMBER: To become friends with Gordon once again, Batman made the ultimate sacrifice and revealed his identity to him; however, Gordon had his back turned, and does not WANT to know. They made up and banded together, joining forces to liberate Gotham in the final two months of NML.
Then in ASSEMBLY REDUX, the mysterious benefactor that sent Bane into Gotham is revealed to be Lex Luthor; he enters Gotham, along with the media, promising to clean up the city. The Penguin tries to muscle in on Luthor's territory. It is revealed that Two-Face was not sent to Blackgate along with the other villains after his capture, but remains in Blue Boy territory; Petit tries to break into Gordon's territory to kill him, and Huntress is with him; Montoya turns them away. Catwoman and Batman have a truce. It is revealed that the woman that was bargaining with the Penguin in JURISPRUDENCE was Mercy Graves. The Joker prepares his final assault on Gotham, with Harley along for the ride; Batman, knowing that the Joker will do anything to lure him out of hiding, informs Oracle to evacuate the city and bring everyone in Batman's territory into Gordon's.

That's 67 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.

WHAT'S TO COME...
-November: The Joker, realizing that Batman has totally neglected him since NML began, tries to get his attention in the worst way possible.
-December: NML concludes with the three-part "Endgame" story, and then a final reflection in the final issue of SHADOW OF THE BAT (#94). The hope of a new Gotham comes into view - which is when the event we've been waiting for finally hits. The Joker returns in a big way to "destroy hope"...by kidnapping and killing children. And this all happens during the Christmas season. Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Azrael, Oracle, Batgirl, and Huntress all have major roles. Lex Luthor completes his takeover of Gotham.
-ONE OF THE MAJOR HEROES WILL DIE BEFORE "NO MAN'S LAND" ENDS. (This is in Detective Comics #741). TWO OTHER "NAMED" CHARACTERS WILL ALSO BE KILLED.
-See below for more.

AS FOR THE OTHER HEROES:
-Robin goes up against Killer Croc in Robin #72.
-Azrael faces off against the Joker AGAIN in AZRAEL #60 and 61 - both guest-starring Batgirl.
-The Huntress hangs out with Petit for the remainder of NML.
-Tim Drake's father breaks into NML to retrieve his son from the ghastly warzone - in December.

AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS...
-Killer Croc attacks the Penguin's territory in Robin #72, in November.
-Lex Luthor, the mysterious benefactor, continues his scheme to rebuild Gotham in his image.
-Catwoman seeks refuge in the Penguin's territory in CATWOMAN #76, in November; she then faces Deadman in December.
-The Joker and Harley re-appear in November in the two-part "Shellgame", just as Gotham is beginning to be re-built. This leads directly into the three-part "Endgame" in December, during Gotham's Christmas season, just as NML draws to a close, to once and for all destroy Gotham and all of its citizens.

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FEATURED BAT-SITE FOR THIS ISSUE

The popular DISCUSSION CENTER site has a few changes to announce. First, it has a brand new name. The new name is BATMAN, SUPERMAN, & BEYOND: THE WORLD'S FINEST. The name change is due to the vast expansion of the site over the past few weeks. With the additions of EPISODE GUIDES, AIRDATE SCHEDULES, POLLS, and more, it was only appropriate to change the name. The URL is still the same (http://welcome.to/worldsfinest), but the name has changed, and it suits the site!
Also, there has been yet another addition added onto ther site, THE DARK KNIGHT'S LIBRARY. This new addition is apart of the FANFIC CENTER section of the site. The LIBRARY will take the best Fanfic from the two Fanfic boards located at WORLD'S FINEST and will archive them at the LIBRARY. Expect the LIBRARY to grow as more fanfics are posted on the FANFIC BOARDS, and added to the DARK KNIGHT'S LIBRARY. To check out THE DARK KNIGHT'S LIBRARY you can go through the FANFIC CENTER located at WORLD'S FINEST:
http://welcome.to/worldsfinest

Or you can use the DIRECT URL to the site as follows:
http://www.angelfire.com/md2/darkknightslibrary/index.html