Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of April 23 - May 5, 2001
Volume 4,
Rated: PG for some "low-key coarse language and occasional griping"
THIS ISSUE'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: So, the Stanley Cup Playoffs
are well under way. What does hockey-enthusiast Victor Fries have to say about this?
"The Colorado Avalanche...they are the hockey team from hell." Cough, cough.
(Wait, wouldn't the New Jersey Devils be an even better pun? Oh well...)
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
-The BATMAN BEYOND and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES comic series' are
being cancelled with issues #24 and #66 (probably) respectively. Noooo! (No
word on BGA, thank goodness, though.)
-CHECK OUT THE NEWS SECTION FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF JLA ANIMATED
SERIES INFORMATION!!!!
-WB STUDIO STORES ARE CLOSING AT THE END OF THIS MONTH! Check
out the NEWS section for more.
-BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE RULES OF OUR 'RETURN OF THE JOKER'
GIVEAWAY! SCROLL DOWN TO JUST
BELOW OUR EPISODE REVIEW FOR DETAILS!
Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
-who's pumped, baby...pumped!
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING...
New episodes are on the horizon! Here's what we can expect in the near future...
UNMASKED
Batman Beyond #47
Air date: May 2001
Synopsis: A little kid gets a glimpse of the face under the Batman mask. Written by Hilary
J. Bader.
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KIDS WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Toonzone & Kids'WB!)
Kids'WB! currently airs BATMAN BEYOND on weekdays and weekends. Remember, Kids'WB! is
notorious for switching schedules around at the very last minutes. Batman Beyond currently
airs at 11:30am (ET) on Saturdays and during a 3-4pm block on Monday-Thursday. Check out
these links if we are unable to update our schedule:
http://www.kidswb.com/cgi-local/sched.cgi?976584931
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
http://www.toonzone.net/shows/schedules
NOTE:
If our schedule is not updated, then go to the following URL. It will ALWAYS contain the
most up-to-date schedule possible:
THIS WEEK:
Mon 04-23-01: B-BEYOND #11 A Touch of Curare
Mon 04-23-01: B-BEYOND #13 Ascension
Tue 04-24-01: B-BEYOND #05 The Winning Edge
Tue 04-24-01: B-BEYOND #14 Joyride
Wed 04-25-01: B-BEYOND #?? Plague
Wed 04-25-01: B-BEYOND #?? Betrayal
Thu 04-26-01: B-BEYOND #?? Big Time
Thu 04-26-01: B-BEYOND #46 Out of the Past
NEXT WEEK (NOT YET AVAILABLE):
Mon 04-30-01: B-BEYOND #29 The Last Resort
Mon 04-30-01: B-BEYOND #31 Armory
Tue 05-01-01: B-BEYOND #22 Rats
Tue 05-01-01: B-BEYOND #15 Earth Mover
Wed 05-02-01: B-BEYOND #26 Terry's Friend Dates a Robot
Wed 05-02-01: B-BEYOND #40 Ace in the Hole
Thu 05-03-01: B-BEYOND #?? The Call (Pt. 1)
Thu 05-03-01: B-BEYOND #?? The Call (Pt. 2)
THE WEEK AFTER THAT:
Mon 04-30-01: B-BEYOND #20 Once Burned
Mon 04-30-01: B-BEYOND #36 The Eggbaby
Tue 05-01-01: B-BEYOND #08 Heroes
Tue 05-01-01: B-BEYOND #17 Lost Soul
Wed 05-02-01: B-BEYOND #?? Untouchable
Wed 05-02-01: B-BEYOND #?? Sneak Peek
Thu 05-03-01: B-BEYOND #01 Rebirth (Pt. 1)
Thu 05-03-01: B-BEYOND #02 Rebirth (Pt. 2)
Sat 05-05-01: NONE
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CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BATMAN on YTV - courtesy of our friends at YTV)
BATMAN BEYOND will be returning to show the remainder of its
52 episode run to YTV shortly! Keep reading here in future issues for details!
YTV currently has the rights to air all 109 episodes of BTAS. YTV usually airs these
episodes in either chronological order, or in the original order they aired on Kids'WB!
and FOX. Batman now airs at 3:40am Monday - Friday (well, technically, Tuesday -
Saturday). If our schedules are not updated or are inaccurate, please use these
links:
http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/epsched.htm
http://www.ytv.com/ytvguide
THIS WEEK:
Mon 04-23-01: BTAS #101 Animal Act
Tue 04-24-01: BTAS #102 Old Wounds
Wed 04-25-01: BTAS #103 The Demon Within
Thu 04-26-01: BTAS #104 Legends of the Dark
Knight
Fri 04-27-01: BTAS #105 Girls Night Out
NEXT WEEK:
Mon 04-30-01: BTAS #106 Mad Love
Tue 05-01-01: BTAS #107 Chemistry
Wed 05-02-01: BTAS #108 Beware the Creeper
Thu 05-03-01: BTAS #109 Judgement Day
Fri 05-04-01: BTAS #13 The Cat and the Claw
(Pt. 1)
THE WEEK AFTER THAT: (this schedule may be slightly
inaccurate)
Mon 05-07-01: BTAS #16 The Cat and the Claw (Pt. 2)
Tue 05-08-01: BTAS #01 On Leather Wings
Wed 05-09-01: BTAS #14 Heart of Ice
Thu 05-10-01: BTAS #20 Feat of Clay (Pt. 1)
Fri 05-11-01: BTAS #21 Feat of Clay (Pt. 2)
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THE CARTOON NETWORK
Cartoon Network has the right to air all 109 BTAS episodes,
as well as all 54 SUPERMAN episiodes. Cartoon Network currently airs both shows in
rotation and together during the weekday Toonami block. Since Cartoon Network is
unpredictable with their schedules, we may be unable to keep up with them. Please, use
these links to find out the schedule information you need:
Here is where you can find an air date schedules:
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":
The creative team for this column alternates between Zanna
and Justin Chen, two loyal subscribers and great friends of ours here. Any other
reviews printed here are written by editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton. Enjoy!
With no new episodes debuting, we have nothing to
review...anyone wanna submit reviews of older BTAS episodes? We're always taking
submissions!
<BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES>
OVER THE EDGE
Written by Paul Dini
Directed by Yuichiro Yano
Animation by TMS
Original air date: April 28, 1998 - UK exclusive
Original air date: May 23, 1998 - North American date
My rating: ****1/2
What can I say about this episode? It was certainly the best
of the new batch, and one of the finest ever.
The episode opens with Gordon, Bullock, Montoya, and the GCPD
SWAT Team chasing Batman and Robin through the Batcave, guns blazing. To prevent an
escape, the Batmobile is nuked. We hear Gordon address Batman as Bruce Wayne before he
fires again - of course, we know that something is terribly wrong. Batman and Robin hide
behind Two-Face's giant penny (from Almost Got 'Im), and to make their getaway, they roll
it at the cops - they scatter and this buys the dynamic duo just enough time to drop down
to the lower cave where the Batboat is.
Just before Batman and Robin make it to the Batboat, Gordon
has a clear shot at Bats' head - just before he's about to fire, Alfred runs out of
nowhere and tackles him, and is immediately arrested. Batman and Robin get away in the
Batboat; as soon as they sail into the ocean a police boat careens into them and after one
warning, starts shooting missiles at the Batboat; Nightwing comes onto the scene out of
nowhere on a skidoo, blows up the police boat and escorts Batman and Robin to his hideout
in downtown Gotham.
Just minutes into the episode, there has been a tremendous
amount of action, and even some extensive CGI work - not as well done as in Sub-Zero, but
very good - this CGI work makes the battle on the high seas very real. And this work now
raises many questions - such as, "What the hell is going on?"
Back at Nightwing's lair, Bruce, Dick, and Tim, still in
costume, discuss what has happened, to bring their crusade to an end. Batman begins to
tell the story...
A night or two earlier, the Scarecrow had taken Mayor Hill
hostage at City Hall. While Batman and Robin take care of his henchmen, Scarecrow escapes
to the roof, and Batgirl follows. Once there, she tackles a Scarecrow dummy, and, in
shock, dumbfounded that she could be tricked that easily, the real Scarecrow, in complete
silence, creeps up out of the shadows, whacks her with the stick hard, and she slowly
teeters and falls over the edge of the building...
Gordon and Bullock are in a squad car on the street below,
and after a couple seconds of silence, Batgirl smashes through the windshield and flops
onto the pavement. Above, Scarecrow lets out a blood-curdling laugh, and Batman, seeing
what he has done, beats the living crap out of him.
This has got to be one of the most chilling scenes in any
Batman story ever. The level of graphic violence shown here is unprecedented in any BTAS
show. The fact that it happens to a woman makes it all the more chilling - I must say that
I'm suprised the censors didn't change this - but I'm glad they didn't. Scarecrow is as
chilling as always, and the fact that he says nothing in the entire show besides his laugh
makes him all the more menacing.
Gordon quickly rushes over to Batgirl, and after she mumbles
out "Dad, help me...", he whisks off her mask and discovers the secret his
daughter had been hiding from him all these years. He holds her, cries, and she goes limp
in his hands.
Batman quickly rushes down (did Scarecrow get away???) and
sees Gordon clutching his dead daughter. Gordon immediately blames him for the death, and
is infuriated that after all these years of working together, he never told him that his
own daughter was part of his vigilante team. Bullock steps in, and is about to arrest
Batman, before Robin shoots the gun out of his hand and they get away. Gordon knows they
can't catch him by chasing him (such as in Mask of the Phantasm), so he lets him get away
for now - he covers up the dead Barbara Gordon with his overcoat and the scene changes.
Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce, Tim, and Alfred mourn over the
loss of Barbara in the study. The phone rings. Bruce answers and Gordon tells him that he
knows who he is now - he searched on Barbara's computer and it revealed all of the secrets
of the Batcave and its members. Bruce tries to level with him, saying that his parents
were taken the same way - by fate - and Gordon, showing no mercy, virtually declares war
on Wayne Manor. The SWAT team busts in with a battering ram, and the three in the den hide
in the Batcave. This brings us back to the present.
Another great point about this episode is that Commissioner
Gordon's character is finally being developed some more. His relationship and interaction
with Batman in this episode is superb and the emotions he feels are very real. Who
wouldn't go to the ends of the earth to seek revenge on someone who had a hand in killing
their child? While most wouldn't, the wanting to would still exist.
Now that all of their secret identities have been blown,
Batman and Robin hide in Nightwing's lair while Nightwing goes back to his apartment to
get food and supplies so they can survive. As soon as Nightwing enters his apartment, the
cops pop out of nowhere - they were waiting for him. Nightwing escapes to the roof, where
he meets a police helicopter, and it starts shooting wildly - everything fades out.
Well, sadly, Nightwing didn't die. If he did, the episode
would be all the more brooding. Another brief note is that since Nightwing and Batgirl
were like boy-girlfriend with each other, why didn't he mourn her death more? Oh well.
Just a minor point. Nightwing is arrested and thrown in jail with Alfred. Two heroes down,
two to go.
Batman, knowing that he's got nothing to lose now, tells Tim
to run away - no one would blame a kid for what happened. Tim turns and runs away without
looking back.
Due to his involvment with a team of vigilantes, one of which
being his own daughter, Commissioner Gordon is fired from the GCPD. But he is still
thirsty for revenge, so he takes a trip to Blackgate prison and hires its most infamous
inmate to kill Batman.
Batman watches over Barbara's funeral - yet another very
moody scene. Seeing stuff like this in a kids cartoon just doesn't seem right - it's very
uneasy to watch, and that's what makes it so good. Gordon knows that Batman would be
watching too, so he set up a load of snipers in the area to shoot Batman if he is seen.
One sees him, gunfire follows, and Batman escapes to the roof, where he runs into the new,
improved, "I'm still a really tough guy after you pull out my venom tube" Bane,
the one whom Gordon hired. A huge fight ensues, and even more CGI work is used. Batman
throws Bane onto an adjoining roof - the roof of Police Headquarters. Gordon arrives to
watch the show, and tells Bane to keep him alive so Batman can be locked up in Arkham;
Bane refuses, throws Gordon over the edge of the building, and steps on his hands to send
him to a grave alongside his daughter. Batman throws Bane into the Batsignal and shatters
it; Batman cuts his venom tube, ties it to one of the livewires from the shattered signal,
and electrocutes Bane. Batman rushes over to grab Gordon and just before he does, Bane
uses his last ounce of strength to hurl the entire Batsignal at the two, and collapses,
dead, after Batman and Gordon fall to their deaths...
Soft moaning and a loud scream break through the night and
next we see Barbara waking up in the Batcave - it was just a nightmare, brought on by
Scarecrow's fear gas. I was happy to see that this wasn't just a lame "Oh, it was
just a dream" type ending - we see that Barbara's worst fear is keeping her vigilante
life secret from her father. Also, the dream provided us with a great Dark Knight Returns
type story - the final Batman story. A great "what if" story - and it showed
everything, in a brutally realistic fashion. The final scene with Barbara and her father,
about to tell him her secret, is a nice touch too.
The only part that I thought was completely out of place was
the scene where Harley Quinn, Mad Hatter, Riddler, and Ventriloquist appear on a talkshow,
saying that Batman drove them to insanity. Having this segment thrown in totally spoiled
the mood and broke up the story - and none of the villains even had a good appearance in
it. This is the only reason why I didn't give the episode a five-star rating. Harley was
acting stupid and Riddler and Ventriloquist didn't say a word. Mad Hatter's appearance was
OK - we get to see his new elf-like design, but I'd still have prefered this segment to be
thrown out, because it has nothing to do with the core story. Now, if villains with more
intense relationships with Batman - Joker, Catwoman, and Two-Face, namely - were shown, it
may have been better. But as it stands, this talk-show segment was poor, especially since
it ruined the mood. Harley's part was the worst - she wasn't even funny here. (I'm sorry
to be picky but must Harley be in every Dini episode?) I think having only the fearful
villains here - Scarecrow and Bane - would have been fine. Oh well - so this was just one
little segment that sucked, in an otherwise great episode - I can't complain.
Overall, this episode is fantastic. An instant classic. (Of
course, we all know that it wasn't real - we know that Batgirl will live on for another 50
years to become Police Commissioner in Batman Tomorrow (maybe crippled, who knows?), and
mentioning Scarecrow at the beginning hints at the fact that it's all a hallucination,
much like in Perchance to Dream. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Just don't expect to see much
of the villains in this one - the story revolves around the heroes for once - but
Scarecrow and Bane still do a lot of cool stuff. Mr. Dini, my hat goes off to you -
awesome work, except for the little part I just mentioned above...but I loved the episode.
I knew I would. Awesome story, characterization, animation, music, sounds, everything. As
Mr. Burns would say, "Excellent."
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EDITORIAL
(by anyone that is willing to contribute)
???
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Due to demand by some of our subscribers, we've decided to
give a "Letters to the Editor" section a shot. Feel free to submit something
you'd like to say to us, and each issue we'll choose one to post and then reply to. (NOTE:
It can be completely uncensored, positive OR negative, though any coarse language will be
bleeped out. We want this to be a no-holds-barred column!)
This is in response to that rude letter to the editor that
appeared in this newsletter last issue (#90).
First off, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and we
all have our favourite incarnations of the Dark Knight, but I feel that a true Batman fan
should appreciate any effort to bring him to the small screen, big screen, or in
print. I myself favour the Golden Age Batman and my favourite Batman character of
all time is Batgirl - but that doesn't mean that the rest of them "suck". A
Batman is a Batman is a Batman - he's like a pizza. Even if it's bad, it's still
pretty good. A true, honest to goodness, from-the-heart Batman fan appreciates all
forms of Batman. Stop being so critical and just enjoy the ride and appreciate the
creativity of true geniuses. End of story.
As for Timm and Dini going to Hell, if that were to happen,
then I would have something really spectacular to look forward to when I get there.
Andie Nappi
(die hard Bat-fan)
TWO-FACE'S SIDE OF THE COIN
You raise some good points, Andie. You needn't go any further
than the current state of the mainstream Bat-comics to see this. DETECTIVE COMICS looks at
Batman predominantly as just that - a detective. BATMAN takes a well-written
action-adventure approach. GOTHAM KNIGHTS looks at characters more than anything else.
LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT goes back to Batman's earlier years and shows his inexperience.
All the "satellite books" (mostly written by Chuck Dixon) often take a more
light-hearted approach to the topic of crime-fighting. Over comics history, it's been even
more drastic - there was the campiness of Bob Kane and Dick Sprang in the 50's, then the
even cheesier Adam West and company in the 60's. Dennis O'Neil went back the dark
action-adventure route through the 70's, and Frank Miller hit rock bottom and showed the
absolutely brutal and disgusting side of Gotham and its people in the 80's. And of course,
then you have the three major visions in the 90's: Tim Burton, Dini/Timm/Burnett and the
animated crew, and, of course, Joel Schumacher.
Even within the animated world there are different
interpretations. Just compare the original animated series (1992-95) to the revamped
animated series (1997-99) to BATMAN BEYOND - the differences are often obvious, sometimes
subtle, but they're still there.
Everyone is entitled to their own interpretation, just as
each are entitled to their own opinion. True, some interpretations of Batman don't sit
well with the fans (uh, I won't say the name again, but you can pretty much guess which
name stands out here), but they're just as valid. Creativity is subjective and you can't
outright say that something is absolutely right or wrong - it all depends certain parts
work in the context of a story.
This is what makes Batman so dynamic, and, in my opinion, the
best superhero (comic book or otherwise) out there. He can be interpretted and dissected
in countless ways, and yet be true to character.
In short, Mr. Nappi, I agree with you wholeheartedly.
;-Y
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