EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Justin Chen and/or Zanna)

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/btas.html

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!
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
(by Dick Grayson)

INTERVIEW WITH PAUL STORRIE

So, who's this Paul Storrie guy? Name doesn't ring a bell? Well, he's writing BATMAN BEYOND #23, on sale July 25th. I figure you should get to know the guy a bit better before you read some of his work. He agreed to participate in a small Q & A session for the newsletter. Enjoy!

BTAN #1: Paul, I guess first off, could you give us some background info, like where you're from, when you were born, etc...

PAUL #1: Well, let's see...I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Not a suburb, but within the actual city limits. (For some reason, people always assume when I say "Detroit" I mean a suburb.) Just to be a bit cagey (but not too much) about when I was born, I always like to say I debuted the same year as Daredevil and the Ford Mustang.

BTAN #2: How did you break into comics?

PAUL #2: The usual way - with a crowbar!
Here's the long and factual answer: I've been flirting with the industry for quite some time. Was involved with an undercapitalized company in the mid-80s that never got off the ground. In those days, I was splitting my time between writing and drawing, and did quite a few illustrations for volume three of a gaming magazine called STARDATE. I focused on college for a while, graduating with a degree in English Language and Literature.

Then I did some artwork for a local digest/ashcan comic titled TALES OF (and later, PETRUS PRESENTS) published by a gent named Pete Welmerink and my pal Russ Colter. I wrote and drew a very short story for them as well. After that it was pretty much doing the con circuit, getting to know editors, and pitching unsuccessfully to Marvel and DC.

Then, in 1997, I got to know Joe Pruett who was working as an editor for Caliber Comics. I stopped by the offices (which were in the Detroit area) and chatted with Joe, his brother Jim who was the managing editor at the time, and publisher Gary Reed. My good friend Sean McKeever (writer of the critically acclaimed THE WAITING PLACE and co-writer of recent issues of THE INCREDIBLE HULK) had mentioned that the guys at Caliber were looking for writers. I talked to Gary about what kind of titles he was looking for. One of the things he wanted to do was a book based on the Robin Hood legends. I asked him if I could pitch. He said yes. I gave him two proposals, both of which he liked, but neither of which he wanted to do just then.

Instead, we discussed doing something with a son or daughter of Robin Hood. Thus, ROBYN OF SHERWOOD was born. The first issue came out in early 1998 and it featured the adventures of Robin and Marian's daughter 15 years after their deaths. It received some good reviews, and I won an Internet award (the Don Thompson award, voted on by the CompuServe Comics/Animation forum) for Favorite New Talent of 1998.

Unfortunately, scheduling problems and low sales left me looking for other opportunities by the next year. I'd gotten to know the guys at Moonstone Books by then, and they asked me to contribute to their anthology MOONSTONE MONSTERS: WEREWOLVES! Being a werewolf fiend...er, fan ...I couldn't turn them down. About that same time, I began talking with Bill Williams, the publisher at Lone Star Press. Eventually, we decided that I'd be well suited to one of the titles he wanted to do. Additionally, Bill introduced me to one Michael Wright, a freelance writer at the time, who had worked on a couple issues of GENERATION X for Marvel and was writing Bill's FORCE 7 title. Michael and I hit it off right away, and that turned out to be a fateful meeting.

BTAN #3: What kept you in the comics field? Why?

PAUL #3: Stupidity? Masochism? A real love for the medium and it's potential? I think I'll go with that last one. Comics are just a tremendous artform. The blending of words and pictures is a unique and powerful way to convey a narrative. I've loved comics all my life. Creating them is a dream come true. Now that I've had a taste of what it's like, I don't think I could ever walk away.

BTAN #4: How did you get an assignment on BATMAN BEYOND?

PAUL #4: It all ties in to that aforementioned fateful meeting. While I was plugging away at writing some small press books that have yet to see print (although the first of them ROBIN HOOD from Moonstone books will be coming out in October), that freelance writer guy Michael Wright was moving up in the world. Eventually, he landed the Associate Editor job in the Bat-Office. Suddenly, a guy that knew and enjoyed my work was helping steer one of the coolest bunch of characters in the DCU! So, when he was looking for someone to write a BATGIRL story for inventory, I got the call. I still remember it - the phone rang, it was Michael, and I thought to myself, "It's weird that he's calling to shoot the breeze in the middle of his work day!"

We chatted a bit, he asked if I had been following the adventures of the new BATGIRL, and the rest is history. That script has yet to see print (I hope it does one day, because I was pretty happy with it), but Michael liked what I did with that issue. When he inherited BATMAN BEYOND and needed a fill-in, he gave me a call.

BTAN #5: One of your two stories won't be printed, can you tell us abit about the one that won't see print?

PAUL #5: Despite the odds against it, I'm hoping that someday that story will see print in a special or something. It features a new character of my own creation called the Sphinx. A mysterious woman who shows up in Gotham after establishing a reputation for crime-busting in other cities. Thing is, when Terry (as Batman, of course) runs into her, the meeting is definitely NOT a team up situation. That leads to Terry and Bruce having to unravel the mystery of exactly who she is and what she's up to. Like the Sphinx of legend, riddles are a big part of her shtick. Other than that, let me just say that there are some really nice twists to the story and leave it at that, just in case.

BTAN #6: Have you alwasy been a comic or animation fan?

PAUL #6: For longer than I can remember, I think. I still own the first comic book I ever bought, of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. It was the first issue that ran without the Comics Code seal. Wish I'd known at the time it was historic. I wouldn't have cut out pictures to paste on cardboard.

There were lots of superhero cartoons on the air when I was young. The original Fantastic Four cartoon. The Marvel Super Heroes cartoons (Cap on Monday, Hulk on Tuesday, Iron Man on Wednesday, Submariner on Thursday, Thor on Friday), The Superman / Aquaman Hour, the Batman cartoon, and Ralph Bakshi's Spider-Man ("Does whatever a spider can!") I've been a reader of comics and a watcher of cartoons since pretty much day one.

BTAN #7: What are your future plans? Will you remain in comics or maybe branch out?

PAUL #7: Both, I hope. I recently moved to Los Angeles, hoping to avail myself of the greater variety of writing opportunities out here. Still, I think I could be quite happy doing a couple regular comic book gigs and occasional special projects. Ultimately, I think I'll end up writing novels as well. I'm a big fan of private detective stories and am itching to try my hand.

BTAN: Thanx alot for participating, Paul! I hope you stick around the DCU for awhile!
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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: "Colder than Arctic" (#40)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILS: Tim Levins
INKS: Terry Beatty
COLOURIST: Lee Loughridge
LETTERER: Albert T. De Guzman
COVER ART: Bob Smith, Terry Beatty, Nathan Eyring
ISSUED: July 4, 2001 (Cover date Sept 2001)
RATING: ***1/2

Once upon a time, Mr. Freeze only made appearances in the animated universe when a very touching story had been carefully crafted and even more carefully executed. The episodes HEART OF ICE and DEEP FREEZE follow this mold, and of course, so did SUB-ZERO (which I, coincidentally, watched again this morning). After the whole ordeal with Nora's disease was solved, though, Freeze needed some new direction. After the mediocre COLD COMFORT, Ty Templeton got away with it in BGA #5, and his appearance on BATMAN BEYOND worked too. All great stories.

This one, Peterson's first Freeze tale, is delightful as well, but I still feel something is lacking. I get the impression that this issue was intended to have an epic feel to it - how often do we see Batman THIS beat up? The added amount of violence in this issue certainly tried to drive the story in this direction. For such an issue, though, it read way too quickly. I know the splash panels to open the story are a trademark of this series now - and I quite enjoy them - but they just continued on and on and on. There was not enough dialogue - except when Batman rehashed Freeze's entire back story. (Did this have to be done? I think most people know his origin by now.) I know Batman doesn't speak much and Freeze even less so, but some internal narration would've been nice.

The "Vincenzium" thing was cute, too. And kudos to Tim Levins a great new Freeze suit.

The master stroke of this issue, though, was not in revealing Freeze's employer to be Talia. who else but Ra's Al Ghul or one of his affiliates would be able to woo Freeze for his services? Not many have that grand scope. What I liked was how Batman talked Freeze out of helping Ra's, because Ra's would double-cross him. Why? Because he couldn't give him an heir. I'd never thought of that during all the months between reading the solicitations and the publication date, so I was pleased.

This title continues to impress! As the only continuing fraction of the animated Bat-universe, I hope it continues for many years to come.

;-Y
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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 (or higher) in Canada. (Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the well-deserved "grrr".)

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

-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #41
August 1st
Synopsis: Batman's giving his all to help one of Gotham City's denizens get on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, the subject of all of his efforts couldn't care less whether or not he was on the right side of the law - or the right side of the Bat. Batman may have to deal with someone who's too lethargic to care about redemption, when dealing with "The Man Called Joe."

FOLLOWING MONTH:
Written by Scott Peterson; art by Craig Rousseau and Dan Davis; cover by Bob Smith and Terry Beatty. In stores September 5. Batman and Robin must combat a string of fires that are being set around Gotham. Could this be Firefly's first animated comic-book appearance?
Cover: http://www.assignmentx.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages271350.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #23
July 25th
Synopsis: There`s a new "King" in town, and he`s putting together a new Royal Flush Gang. Is Batman playing with a full deck when he asks "Ten" to help him take down this dangerous and motley crew?
Cover: http://www.assignmentx.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages269033.jpg

FOLLOWING MONTH: - FINAL ISSUE
Written by Hilary Barda; art by Craig Rousseau and Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke. In stores August 29. There's something curious about Mom's new boyfriend. Could it be the claws, the fangs or the glowing eyes? That's right, it's the issue you've been waiting for as "Terry's Mom Dates a Splicer!" But what does Batman have to say about it?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/BB24.htm
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EDITORIAL
(by anyone willing to contribute)

This space is for sale. Please make all inquiries out to juno@dccnet.com
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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!)

* * * * * *

Hello?

* * * * * *

TWO-FACE'S SIDE OF THE COIN

Ahh, can you believe it? No one wrote in this issue! Ah well...maybe next time.

;-Y
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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! (Mwuhahaha!) 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.

VOICES

581. In what episode does Batman curiously have the voice of George Dzundza (and not Kevin Conroy) for a few moments?

A: BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO
B: THE LAUGHING FISH
C: READ MY LIPS
D: THE STRANGE SECRET OF BRUCE WAYNE
E: CATWALK

582. The voice actor of what recurring character is the only actor in BTAS history to have won an Oscar?

A: Roxy Rockett
B: The Penguin
C: Comissioner Gordon
D: The Joker
E: Mr. Freeze

583. Which of the following characters HASN'T been voiced by more than one voice actor?

A: The Scarecrow
B: The Joker
C: Batgirl
D: Nightwing
E: Baby-Doll

584. Aside from Kevin Conroy, what other BTAS actors have lent their voices to BATMAN BEYOND?

A: Mari Devon
B: Bruce Timm
C: Adrienne Barbeau
D: David Warner
E: Michael Ansara

585. Mark Hamill was cast to provide the voice for a BTAS character BEFORE he was fortunate enough to land the role of the Joker. What character was he originally signed on to portray?

Answer: _______________
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AND THESE ARE OUR FINAL ANSWERS (to the trivia)

Answer to #581: C
Answer to #582: B
Answer to #583: D
Answer to #584: A, B, C, D, E (all of 'em!)
Answer to #585: Ferris Boyle (HEART OF ICE)
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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, STAS and BEYOND countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

CONTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) In the edited scenes of "Return of the Joker", there is a sequence at the beginning of the movie where Bruce beheads a Two-Face dummy. In the background there is a manican of Mr. Freeze as well, sporting his "new" suit seen in the episode COLD COMFORT and GOTHAM ADVENTURES #5. However, since Issue #5, Freeze got another new suit (in ). Wouldn't Bruce have the most up-to-date version of the suit in the Batcave for safe-keeping? You'd think...unless Freeze switches back down the line.

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
Li'l help?
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FIGURE THIS OUT!
(by Marc Rosenzweig)

Welcome back all Gothamites!

This week I am in the middle of researching the new release of 9 Jack in the Box action figures based on an limited time offer of the animated DC Super Heroes. I am awaiting information from my sources at the Warner Bro's Studio offices in Burbank. Once I have received my information, I will be passing the juicy tid-bits on for your reading pleasures.

Until next issue, remember the 1966 Batman series will be airing on the Sci Fi network this coming Monday 7/23/01, from 11:00 until 4:00pm(ish). Dont forget to set those VCRs!

Same Bat-Time
Same Bat-Channel!
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FEATURED BATMAN INTERNET ENDEAVOURS FOR THIS ISSUE
(feel free to submit something for our consideration)

THE ANIMATED BATMAN: AN UNOFFICIAL GUIDE

The Animated Batman: An Unofficial Guide (now an affiliate of World's Finest) has been redesigned and relaunched and with new features. It contains a complete episode guide/companion to BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and BATMAN BEYOND, with complete cast credits, plot summaries and reviews, and filmographies for quick reference. Screengrabs (provided with the courtesy of World's Finest and Batman: Tomorrow and Beyond) now complement each episode entry, and an Actor's Index provides information on regular cast members and guest stars alike. Meahwhile, quick links take you to other great Batman sites, and to on-line interviews and profiles of the producers.
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ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:

Wow, our links section has grown so big that we've had to eliminate it from the newsletter! Fear not, you can still find all these links at the WORLD'S FINEST NEWSPAGE, if you follow this link...that's hypocracy for ya!

http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/worldsfinestpage/linkpage.htm

NEWSGROUPS
-----
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
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QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL

If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else, then please e-mail this address with your problems and we'll try to fix them as soon as possible. Also if you'd like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:

juno@dccnet.com

As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on anything pertaining to BTAS. Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does not change, as that is the most important part of any article, and everyone is entitled to it. And if you do submit something, please don't just submit a basic review of an episode or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) - write about an issue you'd like to discuss.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES

The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own little section of their huge and diverse website. The archive contains past newsletters and is semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:

TOONZONE's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/news/btan
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LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE'S HOW!!!

For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES section and want to subscribe, just follow these simple instructions:

To subscribe email juno@dccnet.com, put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line, and put the e-mail address you'd like the newsletter to be sent to in the body of the message.

For more information about the newsletter just email juno@dccnet.com
Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading! Tell your friends!

-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors
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TO ALL GOOD THINGS...
...there must be an end. We would like to thank the endless amount of contributors for contributing their editorials, columns, news, reviews and other articles. We hope you've all enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed making it! Thank you for reading! See ya next time!

CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER

EDITOR AT COLLEGE, & WORKING, TOO!: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
CO-EDITOR AT COLLEGE, ALSO WORKIN': "Dick Grayson"
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Toonzone, Kids'WB!, and YTV
EPISODE REVIEWS: Zanna/Justin Chen, and occasionally Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
EDITORIAL: Help Wanted!!!
COMIC REVIEWS: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton, Dick Grayson
'RETURN OF THE JOKER' GIVEAWAY: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
FIGURE THIS OUT: Marc Rosenzweig
"BTAN ARCHIVES" MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
PROMOTIONS, JUST GETTIN' THE WORD OUT: Dick Grayson, Eileen Delgadillo, Brian Cruz, Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-Y Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
THE CREATION OF THIS NEWSLETTER INSPIRED BY: Alan J. Porter
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane & Bill Finger (who else?)

Batman and all related indicia are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c 2001.
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