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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!
CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) In RETURN OF THE JOKER, look at
the scene where the Joker has spraypainted the words "HA!!!" all over the
Batcave and Batcomputer. At the end of the movie, these are all magically gone. Considering this is about two days later AT MOST, it's amazing that
Bruce was able to clean up the Batcave so quickly. (His speed would put
Alfred to shame.)
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by "Lucy")
1) I'm not sure if
this counts as a blooper or not, but in the BATMAN BEYOND episode "The Call (Pt. 2), how come it only took one alien to totally take control of any
member of the JLU, but when Terry is underwater, there are aliens all over
his body, and he still has the control to fight them
off?
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MERCHANDISING:
WHERE THE REAL BAT-CASH IS MADE
(by "Nass")
REVIEW OF BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER
(for
Playstation and Nintendo 64)
BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER on the Playstation console
has a lot of promise, but doesn't quite take the gold. The graphics
are impressive, gameplay is easy to understand and operate, and the story is
pure genius. The thing that drags down ROTJ is its format - it's too out
of date. The actual music during gameplay is similar to the movie, but
the start up screen and the movies will make you think your playing
the game on Super Nintendo in 1993.
Another thing that hurts the game is that there is no way to
save! The back of the CD even says one memory card block needed, yet I've
searched the in-game menues inside out and found nothing. This isn't
an easy game, even on EASY, so unless you have about an hour and a half
to play the game, you won't be able to beat it. You have two lives each
continue, and unlimited continues, but that certainly doesn't make things
easier. Various Jokerz from the movie and show (members of J-man's
gang show up, as well as a few of Terminal's pals I think), and they come in
larger quantities as the game moves on. The boss of each level is one of
the members of Joker's gang in ROTJ (Ghoul, Bonk, Chucko, Dee Dee, Woof)
leading up to the final fight with Joker. All levels are as Batman,
trying to find keys to move on, while defeating Jokerz and picking up tidbits
about Joker's plan. The story is followed rather well, even though its shown in comic format pretty much.
Drawings (definetly not by Bruce Timm if you know what I mean)
are shown to represent the scenes while text types up on the screen.
The flashback scene is (for the most part) followed the same as the movie.
Little Jay is only referred as "Joker Junior" and Joker's own death isn't
covered with a picture, just that everyone keeps saying Arkham is his final
resting place.
Instead of playing the flashback, you (as Batman) go to the
recked Arkham thats for some reason is the same way it was forty years ago,
and fight Jokerz to the roof (literally!). You then
meet with Joker, and
have a little chat. Thats the only alteration from the actual
movie's plot. Of course, there's a chance that this is the cut scene
included on the DVD, so its not a complete alteration yet. An added extra to
the game is the training sequence in the Batcave. Its always in this
blue room, but the loading screens represent the suits case, batcomputer,
and all the other stuff in the cave.
Actually, one the best parts of the game are the loading
screens, the Arkham level even features loading screens of production art!
So overall, RETURN OF THE JOKER is only for the extreme Bat-fan. It is
a lot of fun if you've wanted to use all those gadgets (which you do, explosives, the wings, listening device on the fingers, etc), then this is
the game for you.
The video game reviewers (who always give bad scores it seems
like) gave BB: ROTJ four zero's, but I give it a 6 out of 10. So I
wouldn't buy it unless you have the extra $30, but I already did. The
Nintendo 64 version looks like its graphics are a little clearer, and I've seen things in the previews that wasn't in the Playstaton
version.
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COMIC
REVIEWS
(BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
(BATMAN
BEYOND by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
(SUPERMAN ADVENTURES by Dick
Grayson)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "The Remote Controller"
(#32)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILS: Tim Levins
INKS: Terry
Beatty
ISSUED: November 1, 2000 (Cover date Jan 2001)
RATING: ****1/2 (out
of 5 stars)
Long live the Scarecrow!
Ever since the series design reboot, the Scarecrow has gotten
the shaft. On the show, his episodes were among the best, but they
were few and far between; it's even more true in GOTHAM ADVENTURES. In
fact, his last appearance, way back in Issue #3, he played only a supporting role. Now he's back and crazier than ever.
Grandscale chaos is always a nice element to add into a story;
this issue (#32) has it in spades. I was floored to find out how
Professor Crane managed to instill fear into every citizen of Gotham: by
playing on their own paranoia and just simply stating that they SHOULD be scared.
Brilliant!
It's nice to see that even without his fear toxins, the
Scarecrow can really play on people's paranoia like a fiddle for the
purposes of his experiments. What level-headed citizen in Gotham
wouldn't be paranoid of something awful happening? (Then again, regular
people shouldn't live in Gotham City. They'd be happier some place
else.)
The scenes with Batman and Robin discussing possible leads in
the Batcave had some nice interactions and some good sluething. I also liked
the inclusion of the blowing leaves in nearly all of the outdoor scenes - it
really set the mood of the piece and added a certain amount of beauty to the
panels.
The cover was amazing! It's the best GOTHAM ADVENTURES cover
to date! It looks like Beatty put a lot of extra work into making this
cover look so much more lifelike than the others. It's been my Windows
Wallpaper for some time now, actually.
A terrific issue all around! Congrats to Peterson for
coming up with a unique and original tale!
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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
December 13th
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
BATMAN BEYOND #16
December 27th
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
FOLLOWING MONTH:
Synopsis: A former classmate
comes back looking for revenge after being brushed off by Dana. But Batman
Terry McGinnis won't let one hair of Dana's head be harmed, even if it means
being swamped by rats.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0010/17/BB17.jpg
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NEWS
AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-An interview with Jeph Loeb
regarding DARK VICTORY can be found here:
http://www.fandom.com/master_site/Editorial.asp?obj_id=247008&aff_id=0
-Keep
watching MuchMusic and MTV, Bat-fans! Mephisto Odyssey's music video for "Crash"
is now airing, and it features a number of shots from RETURN OF THE JOKER
within the video.
-The following artists are selling artwork on eBay. The
following are their names and Seller ID's:
Terry Beatty: beatty@machlink.com
Craig Rousseau:
cerousseau
Tim Levins: tlevins
Min S. Ku: min3000gt
ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND)
-A JLA series is
confirmed to be in development at WB, apparently for the Cartoon Network (though no one is confirming anything). Paul Dini is NOT connected to the
project, though Bruce Timm is. It is set to be premiering in Fall
2001.
ANIMATED COMICS
-Distribution of the comic adapation of
BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER has been pushed back to December 13, to
coincide with the video release the day before.
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
#34
Written by Scott Peterson, art by Tim Levins and Terry Beatty, cover by
Bob Smith and Beatty. After several citizens of Gotham City mysteriously
disappear, Batman's search leads to the maniacal Maxie Zeus! But what would
Maxie want with carpenters and stonecutters? Why, to rebuild Rome, of
course. Ships on January 3, 2001.
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #35
Bruce
Wayne finds himself on the jury of a man he helped capture, and worse yet, the perpetrator is about to go free! What can Bruce possibly do that Batman
can't?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/BGothAd35.jpg
-BATMAN
BEYOND #17
Written by Hilary Bader, art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh,
cover by Brian Stelfreeze.
A former classmate comes back looking for revenge
after being brushed off by Dana. But Batman Terry McGinnis won't let one hair of
Dana's head be harmed, even if it means being swamped by rats. Ships January 31,
2001.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0010/17/BB17.jpg
-BATMAN
BEYOND #18
Written by Hilary Bader, art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh,
cover by Brian Stelfreeze.
With the Stalker's help, Blight returns to
terrorize Future Gotham.
Ships February 28, 2001.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/BB18.jpg
OTHER COMICS
-Canadian comic prices are going up, which is
odd considering the exchange rate and the American prices haven't changed.
Apparently, this could happen as soon as this coming Wednesday.
Anyhow, here's a list of what the prices WERE and what they WILL be:
$3.50
now $3.75
$3.95 now $4.25
$4.50 now $4.85
*-The following 7 issues are
all a part of DC's " This Issue: BATMAN DIES!" promotion for December.
(That's right! Batman dies in every one of the following issues in some
way.)
-Bane appears in BIRDS OF PREY #26
-Two-Face and Montoya are again
the focus of DETECTIVE COMICS #753.
-The Joker appears in ROBIN #85.
-Mr.
Zsasz appears in GOTHAM KNIGHTS #12.
-Catwoman appears in NIGHTWING
#52.
-The Penguin in BATMAN #586.
-Cain re-appears in BATGIRL
#11.
-Greg Rucka and Jeph Loeb are writing a DETECTIVE COMICS/SUPERMAN
crossover due out in March 2001.
-The Ventriloquist/Scarface and Matches
Malone return in BATMAN #588.
-LOTDK #140: Part four of five of "Terror",
featuring Batman, Hugo Strange, and the Scarecrow.
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/BLDK140.htm
-DETECTIVE
COMICS #755: All the GCPD says farewell to one of Gotham's Finest - including
Two-Face - but it can't be long before he causes problems again. Oh, Bruce
and his bodyguard are there, too!
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/Det755.jpg
-Double
Dare, the Penguin, and Nightwing all appear in GOTHAM KNIGHTS #14. Oh, and look
- Paul Dini is writing the back-up story!
-Be on the lookout for ROBIN
#87 - Batman and Robin have a tiff!
-ROBIN: YEAR ONE #3
Robin's first
battle with Mr. Freeze.
-ROBIN: YEAR ONE #4
The final chapter in the saga
of young Dick Grayson. Robin's healed, but Two-Face remains at large, and a
city-wide manhunt is falling woefully short. While Harvey Dent is on the loose, Robin must prepare himself to face the man who nearly killed him during
their first encounter.
But when Robin takes things too far, a life hangs in
the balance and Robin must question the sanctity of his actions.
Cover:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0010/17/RobinYO4.jpg
-Ra's
Al Ghul appears in ACTION COMICS #772 and 773.
MOVIES
-THE UNCUT VERSION OF RETURN OF THE JOKER MAY BE
APPEARING ON VIDEO SHELVES AFTER ALL! (taken from DARK HORIZONS):
Well the
official word has come down from the head of WB Animation to Aint it Cool about
the chance of the uncut version popping up sometime on DVD next year:
"Definitely STILL a chance, we won't have an answer till after the first of
the year. We already have meetings scheduled to discuss this issue with
Warner Home Video and that hope is still very much alive. I really hopewe
can do something with the original version and we should know right after the
first of the year one way or another".
-The Batman Beyond website, now
up and running, (www.batmanbeyond.com)
will be adding interactive features that include a 10-minute "Return of the
Joker" preview Webcast, a soundtrack sampler, a clip from the music video,
interactive arcade games, character biographies, weekly contests and
sweepstakes for chances to win great prizes, questions for the creators,
chat events and much more. (All the previous movie info was taken from Alan J. Porter's "Gotham Weekly News" newsletter)
-RETURN OF THE JOKER has
already come out in Canada, and it is the CUT version that the USA will get
on December 12th. For a list of all these cuts (thanks to our co-editor, Dick
Grayson), go here:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/rotjcuts.html
-And
for pics of three very important cut out scenes (I won't spoil what they are),
go here:
http://www.geocities.com/wfnewspage/bbrotjc1.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/wfnewspage/bbrotjc2.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/wfnewspage/bbrotjc3.jpg
-For
an article on the history of this travesty, go here (there are lots more pics
there, too!)
http://filmforce.ign.com/news/1716.html
*BATMAN BEYOND: LIVE ACTION NEWS:
-The Batman Beyond movie
is in the earliest stages of development, writer Paul Dini told The Continuum.
"Boaz, Alan and I are still working on story
concepts," Dini said, referring to writer/director Boaz Yakin and writer
Alan Burnett. Dini and Burnett are producers of the Batman Beyond animated
series.
*BATMAN: YEAR ONE (BATMAN 5) NEWS:
-The Comics2Film
newsletter reports that the "Pure Batman5 Rumors website, (http://homes.acmecity.com/batman/arkham/23/)
says director Darren Aronofsky may have long-term
plans for Batman. While it
was recently announced that Aronofsky would direct and co-write Batman: Year
One, an unnamed source tells Frosteey that the director is hoping to do a
trilogy of movies. The source claims that the cycle will start with Year One
and end with The Dark Knight Returns. The source did not know what the
second part of the series would be" This is the first we've heard of this
rumor, however stories have circulated in the past the Aronofsky is keen on
doing The Dark Knight Returns.
-Recent reports have stated that Aronofsky
might not be as close to doing BATMAN 5 as we originally thought - for he
and Miller are working on an adaption of RONIN as well. However now, either
don't know which will go into production first - whichever gets a script
completed first is the winner, apparently.
LIVE ACTION TELEVISION
-To view anything regarding the
Batman ONSTAR commercials, go here:
http://www.onstar.com
-Four online,
interactive comic books (featuring Batman, the Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face,
Alfred, and Commissioner Gordon) can also be found at the OnStar
site.
-It looks like a fifth webisode featuring the Riddler will be coming
soon.
-Check out http://www.fandom.com/batman for
downloadable versions of the ONSTAR commercials if the official ONSTAR site
is not being cooperative with your PC. Two of the commercials can also be
found at http://www.adcritic.com - just
search for "Batman".
EXCLUSIVE INTERNET ENDEAVOURS:
-The seventh GOTHAM GIRLS
webisode (featuring Poison Ivy) can be found at
http://www.gothamgirls.com
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-Two prints by ALEX ROSS
will be out for sale by DC Direct on March 7, 2001. One will be the picture seen on the cover of BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN (from Aug 99), and the
other will be the one used by WIZARD magazine, featuring Batman being
surrounded by 10 of Arkham's worst inmates. Both are 10" x 13".
-A
statue of The Demon is due out on June 20, 2001. Here's a picture:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0011/14/DemonFig.htm
-"Guy
Hebert" gave us this scoop: "I noticed in a recent Toys 'R Us flyer that there
is a new reprint of the original Batmobile from the animated series. It also
comes with Batman in his original costume. The car looks a little weird,
though. Those chrome pipes on the hood are red and so are the rims, as far
as I can remember."
-Ubi Soft Entertainment and Kemco are teaming to publish
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker on the PlayStation game console, Game Boy
Color and Nintendo 64 in North America. The games will also be published in
Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia under the name Batman of the
Future: Return of The Joker. (They are all due out on November 16.)
-BATMAN:
TOTAL CHAOS will be available for Game Boy by Christmas 2000. It is based on the
NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES style (BTAS), and allows you to play as either Batman
or Batgirl vs. Two-Face, Bane, Poison Ivy, and the Joker (among others) over
18 levels. (Judging by the pics provided, you'll also encounter Mr. Freeze,
the Penguin, and maybe even Killer Croc.)
http://pocket.ign.com/previews/14474.html
-BATMAN:
OVERDRIVE, the new BTAS-based game for PSX and N64, puts you in the driver's
seat of the Batmobile, Batcycle, and many other Bat-vehicles. You even get
to play as any of the villains, should you desire to do so! It features (in
no particular order), the Joker, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face,
Clayface, Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, Killer Croc, the Penguin, the Mad
Hatter, the Ventriloquist/Scarface, Calendar Girl, Roxie Rockett, Firefly,
Catwoman, and Bane. Go to the following link to see some shots of the
villain lineup, some shots of Batman persuing the Joker, and the exit to the
Batcave.
http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/batov_uk/preview.html
SPECIAL NOTE
For more BATMAN, SUPERMAN, AND BEYOND news throughout the week, check out the WORLD'S FINEST NEWS PAGE at:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html
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