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.
POTPURRI, BABY!!!
421. For those of you that HAVE somehow managed to watch
RETURN OF THE JOKER or read the screenplay, there is a soundbyte featured in
that episode that is a clip from a BTAS episode. What episode was
it?
Answer: _____________
422. What is the name of the high school Terry attends in
BATMAN BEYOND?
Answer: _____________
423. After all 52 episodes of BATMAN BEYOND have aired, how
many two-parters will there have been?
Answer: _____________
424. What type of martial arts does Bruce Wayne practice in
MASK OF THE PHANTASM?
Answer: _____________
425. Aside from the Joker and Harley Quinn, name the only
villains to appear three or more times in the "new style" BTAS
episodes.
Answer: _____________
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AND
THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)
Answer to #421: HOLIDAY KNIGHTS
Answer to #422: Hamilton
Hill High School
Answer to #423: Three
Answer to #424: Jujitsu
Answer
to #425: The Penguin, Poison Ivy, the Mad
Hatter
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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!
CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) The Penguin was originally going
to make a cameo in RETURN OF THE JOKER; he does appear in the screenplay,
but not the final copy of the film.
2) Other villains...Two-Face, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Killer
Croc, and Poison Ivy also have "cameos of sorts". (Whether these
remain or not as well is anyone's guess.)
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
What are you,
blind???
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MERCHANDISING:
WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by James Harvey)
BATMAN BEYOND - THE SOUNDTRACK
Most Television shows today are getting the soundtrack
treatment, and most of them are completely unwarranted. The soundtracks
mostly consist of one-hit-wonder songs which get annoying after the first or
second listen. But there was one soundtrack which stood out from them all,
simply becuase it didn't consist of the hottest song of the moment. It consisted
of various scores from various episodes of that season. I'm referring to, of
course, the Batman Beyond soundtrack, which was released in August of 1999.
The soundtrack was released by Rhino Records in conjunction with DC Comics
and Kids'WB!, and this soundtrack was simply amazing.
What made this soundtrack so great was the fact that the music
pulled you in. The music was taken from various episodes, and made the
listener feel like they were in that particular scene. In one track, "BATMAN
VERSUS CHAPPELL", it seems like you're right there as Batman dukes it out
with Bane's crooked doctor. You can visuallize the scene in your head. This is
what gave this soundtrack the leg up against most other soundtracks. Other
soundtracks just had a track by some faceless band, and they didn't really
excite the listener. These tracks did.
Another great track was "JOKERZ CHASE", taken from the first
part of Rebirth. This track will stick with you all day - guaranteed.
I would listen to this track in the morning, and I'd still be humming it at
about midnight the same day. These tracks have the ability to stick with the
listener, which makes the CD more and more memorable.
Of course, the big draw of the CD is it's popular intro theme,
which is probably one of the best themes out there. It's not some boppy
ditty, but a great theme with some thrashing guitars and a beat which will
stick with you. Kristopher Carter came up with a great theme for
this show, and it a worthy heir to the throne that Shirley Walker built when
she did those incredibly scores for BATMAN and SUPERMAN. Carter is a great
choice for this series, as well. He's basically the next generation of
musical scorers for WB, and it's evident he should jump on this soundtrack,
about the next generation version of our favorite Dark Knight.
Admitedly, the soundtrack isn't perfect. There are two songs
which seem to be not as listenable as the rest. The first one is the
dissapointing THE LEGACY CONTINUES. What I expected to be track with quick
beats and loud guitars, is a quiet, acoustic song. Another thing is that
it's suprisingly upbeat, especially considering the dark overtones of taking
up the mantle. The other disspaointing track would have to be MOVE TO THE
GROOVE. This song sounds like complete garbage on the first listen. Heck,
it's almost sounds painful. It does catch on after a few listens, but it's
too little, too late.
Overall, two dissapointing tracks out of twenty is pretty damn
good. The soundtrack is great to listen to just about anywhere. Whether your
driving to work or stuck in a computer lab doing school assignments, it fits
anywhere. These tracks were meant to be played loud, especially "BATAMN
VERSUS CHAPPELL", so do yourself a favor and just crank to volume to maximum
whenever you pop this CD into your player. Of course, that's just my
opinion, I could be wrong. (Thanx, Dennis!)
-DG
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COMIC
REVIEWS
(BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
(BATMAN
BEYOND by Bill Curtis)
(SUPERMAN ADVENTURES by Dick Grayson)
BATMAN BEYOND
ISSUE: "Commissioner of Fear"
(#13)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILS: Min S. Ku
INKS: Ande
Parks
ISSUED: September 27, 2000 (Cover date Nov 2000)
RATING:
9/10
Synopsis: Commissioner Barbara Gordon holds the key to finding
a young kidnap victim, but will she be able to overcome the recurring
effects of the fear toxin the Scarecrow exposed her to years ago?
Great story, and a great premise! Barbara Gordon still suffers
fear trauma every 4-5 years as a result of the Scarecrow's fear toxin she
was exposed to in the now classic BTAS episode "Over the Edge". All this
ties in very nicely and very neatly into a story about a young kidnapping victim the Commissioner and Batman are tracking down.
After nearly dropping an informant (and herself) off a
rooftop, Barbara admits to her husband that she is having a problem, but
says she must push through it to save the young hostage. Using her police
clout, she picks up Terry, and tells him the tale of that fateful night on the rooftop, when she was exposed to Scarecrow's fear serum, and the "Over the
Edge" dream that followed. She then admits to Terry that the terrors happen
every 4-5 years, despite Bruce Wayne's help. Bruce could only offer a
treatment, not a cure. After the predictable chase and battle with goons,
Barbara is talked through the worst of the terrors by Terry (as Batman). Barbara had it out with the brains behind the kidnapping, and just as he's
about to drop her to her death (he thinks), he taunts her with the location
of the missing little girl. Barbara does fall, but is caught by Batman. She
tells him where to find the girl before passing out. When she awakens, she
is in the Batcave, and is informed that she has been out for about a day and a half. Barbara is impressed that Terry stayed with her the whole time, and
makes a startling proclamation. Although Terry will never be the Batman
Bruce Wayne was; now he IS Batman.
I loved the fact that they tied this Batman Beyond story in
Bruce/Barbara's past. I think this is an area that is just begging to be
covered, both in these stories, and in the animated "Batman Beyond" episodes
as well. I'm glad the new "Return of the Joker" movie will show parts of
Bruce's past, in an effort to bridge the gap between Batman, and Batman
Beyond.
The artwork was passable; not what we're used to, but good,
nonetheless. At least it seems we've done away with those God-awful bugeyes
Terry suffers when he's in the mask! The best artwork, in fact, was the
cover: neatly tying "Over the Edge" into this issue's story.
A solid 9 out of 10, and I can't wait for more
tie-ins!
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COMIC
SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more in-depth
look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND.
Below each comic listing is a link to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT
SERVICE!
The price for any of these issues, unless otherwise
posted, 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 #33
Synopsis: Batman begins to
doubt whether his actions really make a difference in the world, and the
guest-starring Phantom Stranger appears to show him what a world without a Dark
Knight would look like - and believe us, it isn`t pretty! Batman sees
first-hand that his quest has made the lives of his comrades much greater,
as one by one they seem to follow the wrong path in the Stranger`s
vision!
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0009/19/BGothAd33.jpg
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: Maxie Zeus returns!
Let's just hope Scott Peterson has a damn good reason to resurrect
him...
Cover: Unavailable
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: Homeless men have been mysteriously disappearing from Gotham's streets, thanks to the international terrorist group known as Kobra. But as Batman investigates, he
quickly goes from hunter to hunted - and Bruce must somehow infiltrate Kobra to free the captured hero.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0009/19/BB16.jpg
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