Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of January 14 - January 20, 2001
Volume 4, 9
Rated: PG (as with all other things Batman-related)
THIS ISSUE'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE:
"Welcome to another issue of Catwoman: The Animated Mews-letter." -Selina Kyle
(with a really bad pun).
BY THE WAY, this year's fourth annual
GOLDEN OVAL AWARDS ballot is at the bottom of this issue. Voter turn-out has
been...alright...downright lousy this year, so please respond. We've extended the voting
period in hopes of getting a higher turn-out. This is where you fans can make your voices
heard! Imagine the power! The power!!!
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING...
New episodes are on the horizon! Here's what we can expect in the near future...
<JUSTICE LEAGUE>
-PARADISE LOST (2 parts)
These two episodes prominently feature Wonder Woman and her home island of Themiscrya. The
featured villain will be Felix Faust, and Wonder Woman's mother also appears in a large
role. The episode is directed by Dan Riba.
Part one: Airs Jan. 21, 2002
Part two: Airs Jan. 28, 2002
<JUSTICE LEAGUE>
-INJUSTICE FOR ALL (2 parts)
The JLA faces off against a handful of their most formidable foes, "The Injustice
League", including the Joker, Lex Luthor, Solomon Grundy, Cheetah, Sinestro, and
more!
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NEWS AND RUMORS
(see back issues for older info)
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-Alex Ross has created the official poster to promote and advertise the 74th Annual Oscars
this year. Take a look at the pic; does Oscar remind you of anyone?
http://www.oscars.net/publications/poster74/poster_sm.jpg
-GOTHAM KNIGHTS and soon-to-be NIGHTWING writer Devin Grayson has launched her own
website! Check it out at:
http://www.devingrayson.com
-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,
JLA)
-To read an interview with BTAS/STAS/BEYOND/JLA guru Rich Fogel, go here:
http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15087
-SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES is moving to the CARTOON NETWORK on January 7th!
-From January 21st to the 25th, Cartoon Network will be holding a week-long event pitting
the Dark Knight against the Man of Steel. Each day that week, one hour of Toonami
(6:00-7:00pm) will feature episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman. During
this hour, viewers will be able to call or go online to vote for their favorite hero:
Batman or Superman. Then, on January 26th from 1:00-7:00pm, Cartoon Network will air a
six-hour marathon of Batman and Superman episodes, with the final two hours devoted to the
winner of the viewer vote. Episodes aired will be (BTAS listed first, STAS second):
MONDAY: DEEP FREEZE vs BIZARRO'S WORLD
TUESDAY: BLIND AS A BAT vs SOLAR POWER
WEDNESDAY: MAKE 'EM LAUGH vs MXYZPIXILATED
THURSDAY: GIRLS' NIGHT OUT vs DOUBLE DOSE
FRIDAY: AVATAR vs FATHER'S DAY
SATURDAY marathon:
Batman: RIDDLER'S REFORM
Superman: ABSOLUTE POWER
Batman: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT
Superman: THE WAY OF ALL FLESH
Batman: BANE
Superman: LIVEWIRE
Batman: NIGHT OF THE NINJA
Superman: PROTOYPE
Then four episodes of the show with the most votes.
-The following is an entire episode-title listing for the first season of JLA:
#1, 2, 3 Secret Orgins
#4, 5 In Blackest Night
#6, 7 Enemy Below
#8, 9 Injustice For All
#10, 11 Paradise Lost
#12, 13 War World
#14, 15 The Brave & The Bold
#16, 17 Fury
#18, 19 Legends
#20, 21 A Knight Of Shadows
#22, 23 Metamorphis
#24, 25, 26 The Savage Time
OTHER COMICS
-The BRUCE WAYNE: MURDERER and BRUCE WAYNE: FUGUTIVE crossover is continuing until late
July, with plans of a big finale. This makes it the second-longest Bat-crossover ever,
second only to the immense year-long NO MAN'S LAND. In issues March through July, the
cover of each chapter will feature a jigsaw puzzle piece that, when assembled, will show a
face of the killer of Vesper Fairchild.
-It finally looks like AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT is going to be cancelled! After eight
years (and a number of recent years with poor sales), rumours are running rampant that the
title may go under very soon. Even Dennis O'Neil, writer of the entire series, isn't
negating these rumours at this time.
-Originally slated for a January 16th release, THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN #2 has been
pushed back until January 30th. Release dates for the third and final issue will
also be revised in the near future.
-BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #27
Superman returns for another cameo in Gotham!
http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Comic_Book_Covers/BatmanComic_Book_Covers278587.jpg
-Within three days of its debut on December 5, the first issue of THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES
AGAIN is already the best-selling comic of 2001 and for the past 5 years, for that matter!
It's already out of stock in the UK, believe it or not! Congrats to Frank Miller and Lynn
Varley for achieving this feat!
MOVIES
-A new BATMAN movie trailer is on the net...sort of. Look under SCOOBY DOO in the trailer
section of DARK HORIZONS:
http://www.darkhorizons.com
-ONSTAR is holding a contest where a winner gets to have a walk-on role in whatever the
next Batman movie will be.
*BATMAN: YEAR ONE (BATMAN 5) NEWS:
-More confirmation on the 2004 release date of BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Darren Aronofsky's
next film, LAST MAN, is being filmed this summer, and YEAR ONE is likely his next project.
This should start filming by mid-2003, aiming for a summer 2004 release date. Thanks to
BATMAN-ON-FILM.com and the GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS for this tidbit!
-There are also rumors that, on account of the popularity of the ONSTAR Batman
commercials, the WB is looking for a suitable "unknown" actor to play Batman in
YEAR ONE. (This same tactic was used when Christopher Reeve was chosen to play Superman
and, to a lesser extent, the whole Michael Keaton fiasco.)
*BATMAN BEYOND: LIVE ACTION NEWS:
-No new news here.
*THE FOURTH ANIMATED BATMAN MOVIE
-No new news here
*CATWOMAN
-Don't count on this one any time soon.
*WORLD'S FINEST
-No new news here. Don't expect this movie to happen for quite a while. Development Hell,
folks.
LIVE ACTION TELEVISION
-No new news here.
EXCLUSIVE INTERNET ENDEAVOURS:
-Alan J. Porter, editor of the GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS (another newsletter) has once again
published the "entry form" for the 2001 Alfred Awards (his awards for the best
of Bat-stuff over the past year). Go to this link to vote:
http://www.geocities.com/gothamajp/alfreds.htm
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-A new Batman four-pack is in the works, RAVING TOY MANIAC reports! Another TOYS R US
exclusive, it is due out in February and will feature repaints of Batman, Robin, Ra's Al
Ghul, and...you guessed it...Talia! (About time!)
-RELEASE DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR ANIMATED BATMAN DVD's! The big day is April 23,
2002. On that day, you will get:
*1 - BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER, the uncut version! Aside from a new intro by
Bruce Timm and the fact it is uncut, this DVD will have the exact same features as the
original ROTJ release (with storyboard scenes that were never animated but voice-recorded,
and such.)
*2 - BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO. This will include the trailer, an original music
montage, a "Hunt for Mr. Freeze" game, and a featurette on how to draw Batman.
*3 - WORLD'S FINEST (aka, "The Batman/Superman Movie"). Includes an intro by
Bruce Timm, original music montage, a featurette on how to draw Batman, and an interactive
game with a Joker theme.
*4 - SECRET ORIGINS (aka, "Justice League: The Movie"). Some extras are
expected. If this rehash of the three-part episode is successful, expect more JLA
story-arcs to jump onto DVD.
*5 - BATMAN: THE LEGEND BEGINS. This will feature the first five episodes of the series,
in episode-number order: ON LEATHER WINGS, CHRISTMAS WITH THE JOKER, NOTHING TO FEAR, THE
LAST LAUGH, and PRETTY POISON. Intros and featurettes will be included prior to each
episode. Also, trailers, animation tests, an intro by Bruce Timm, and interactive games,
such as "Batman: Life on the Edge". If this DVD is successful, expect more DVD
collections of BTAS episodes!
-For screen shots of the menu systems for all but the ROTJ DVD, go here:
http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15322
-Hasbro has not yet made any official
announcements on a JLA toy line, but
expect to hear something by the time Toy Fair rolls around in February.
-BATMAN: MISSION MASTERS 4!
This action figure line is on sale now! Each of the following figures have
special glow-in-the-dark capabilities:
*Lunar Attack Batman
*Midnight Hunter Batman
*Night Fury Robin
*Nightshadow Batman
-A new animated statue is coming June 12! Check out this cool piece of Catwoman
memorabilia:
http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Comic_Book_Covers/BatmanComic_Book_Covers277257.jpg
SPECIAL NOTE:
For more BATMAN, SUPERMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, BATMAN BEYOND, and related stories and news,
check out the WORLD'S FINEST NEWSPAGE at:
In coming months, the CARTOON NETWORK
will have the ability to show all of the WB's superhero series. Until these dates, only
BATMAN BEYOND and JLA will be on the air. Here are the times all will be shown:
Beginning Feb. 10:
7pm (ET) - Justice League (new episodes premiere on Sundays)
7:30pm (ET) - Batman: The Animated Series
Beginning Feb. 23:
12:30pm (ET) - Justice League
10:00pm (ET) - Justice League (widescreen)
10:30pm (ET) - Batman Beyond
2:00am (ET) - Batman: The Animated Series
2:30am (ET) - Superman: The Animated Series
Mon 01-07-02 BEYOND #08
Heroes
Tue 01-08-02 BEYOND #09
Spellbound
Wed 01-09-02 BEYOND #10
Shriek
Thu 01-10-02 BEYOND #11 A
Touch of Curare
Fri 01-11-02 BEYOND #12
Disappearing Inque
Mon 01-14-01 BEYOND #13
Ascension
Tue 01-15-02 BEYOND #14
Joyride
Wed 01-16-02 BEYOND #15
Earth Mover
Thu 01-17-02 BEYOND #16
Splicers
Fri 01-18-02 BEYOND #17
Lost Soul
JUSTICE LEAGUE SCHEDULE:
Jan. 20 In Blackest Night (Pt. 2) (widescreen)
Jan. 21 Paradise Lost (Pt. 1) <------------NEW!!
Jan. 26 In Blackest Night (Pt. 1)
Jan. 27 Paradise Lost (Pt. 1) (widescreen)
Jan. 28 Paradise Lost (Pt. 2) <------------NEW!!
Feb. 2 In Blackest Night (Pt. 2)
Feb. 3 Paradise Lost (Pt. 2) (widescreen)
Feb. 10 JLA #8 Injustice For All (Pt. 1) <---------NEW!!
Feb. 11 JLA #7 The Enemy Below (Pt. 2)
Feb. 16 JLA #7 The Enemy Below (Pt. 2)
Feb. 17 JLA #9 Injustice For All (Pt. 2) <---------NEW!!
Feb. 23 JLA #9 Injustice For All (Pt. 2)
Feb. 23 JLA #9 Injustice For All (Pt. 2) (widescreen)
Feb. 24 JLA #12 Warworld (Pt. 1)
<---------------NEW!!
Mar. 2 JLA #12 Warworld (Pt. 1)
Mar. 2 JLA #12 Warworld (Pt. 1) (widescreen)
Mar. 3 JLA #13 Warworld (Pt. 2)
<---------------NEW!!
Mar. 9 JLA #13 Warworld (Pt. 2)
Mar. 9 JLA #13 Warworld (Pt. 2) (widescreen)
BATMAN & SUPERMAN: THEIR ANIMATED
SERIES
Scroll up to the "Animated Series News" to see all the episodes airing during
the marathon on the CARTOON NETWORK from January 21-26.
FOR UP-TO-DATE SCHEDULES:
http://www.toonzone.net/shows/cnschedules/
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CANADIAN EPISODE SCHEDULE
(BATMAN on YTV - courtesy of our friends at YTV)
YTV has renewed the rights to air more
episodes of BATMAN BEYOND every Saturday morning at 10:00am. YTV will air 'new' episodes
every weekend, most of them airing for the first time. For an accurate YTV schedule go to:
Though YTV currently has the rights to
air all 109 episodes of BTAS, it has been removed from the schedule for the time being. Be
sure to check back here for updates!
THIS WEEK:
Sat 01-26-02: BEYOND #50 The Call (Pt. 1)
NEXT WEEK:
Sat 02-02-02: BEYOND #51 The Call (Pt. 2)
YET ANOTHER WEEK LATER
Sat 02-09-02: BEYOND #52 Countdown
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EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILER ALERT!)
(by "Belle Book")
(As there are no new episodes to review
at the time of this newsletter, our diligent Belle Book has gone into the BTAS archives
and reviewed an oldie but a goodie. Enjoy!)
-Tim
<BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES>
ALMOST GOT 'IM
Written by: Paul Dini
Directed by: Eric Radomski
Aired: November 11, 2001
Ranking: ***** (out of 5 stars)
The episode opens with the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, and Killer Croc all playing
cards. The Penguin's statement about how the Mad Hatter was captured by Batman prompts
speculation about the Caped Crusader who's such a thorn in their sides. At this point,
Poison Ivy arrives and wants to take part in the card game. Like all the others, she's
hiding both from the law and from Batman. When Killer Croc states that they should've
gotten Batman by this point, the villains begin swapping stories about the times they
"almost got" Batman. But is the story-telling session just a contest to see who
had the best "almost got Batman" story? Or is there a deeper purpose to the
story-telling session? The Joker's story about how he almost killed Batman may provide the
answer to that question.
I loved this episode when I first saw
it, and I still love it today! The storyline as written by Paul Dini is brilliant -
villains telling stories about the times they came closest to killing Batman, seemingly
competing against each other, but unknowingly (in all but one case) being part of a deeper
purpose - enabling Batman to find the location of Catwoman, who had been captured by the
Joker after she thwarted the Joker's effort to kill Batman. And the stories are also
intriguing, inasmuch as they reveal the preferred styles or techniques of the villains.
The characters are also well-done. I
loved seeing the meeting between Poison Ivy and Two-Face. Two-Face had no reason to love
Poison Ivy because she tried to kill him earlier in the episode "Pretty Poison",
and Ivy's calmness contrasts with Two-Face's anger in the scene. She also got a great line
explaining Two-Face's anger - "We used to date". As for their stories, Ivy's
attempt to kill Batman with poisoned pumpkins wasn't too bad, but I saw better attempts in
the episode. I'd put it fourth of the five known attempts to "get" Batman in the
episode. Two-Face's plan to kill Batman by either squashing him underneath the big coin or
by having the coin break every bone in Batman's body was much better, but Batman was able
to use Two-Face's weakness against him, which caused the plan to fail. For that reason, I
think Two-Face's story was indeed, "second best".
The most notable thing about the
Penguin in this episode is that he tried to sound sophisticated by using dramatic-sounding
words, such as "aviary of doom", but realizing their corniness and Croc's
stupidity, he referred to it as a "big birdhouse" instead. That was funny! As
for the Penguin's attempt to kill Batman, it depended a bit too much on chance, perhaps,
and therefore was third-best of the five stories told in the episode.
The Joker, as usual, was brilliantly
insane, from his use of the electric chair triggered by laughter in his "almost got
Batman" story, to his boasting that he'd send a lovely can of catfood (Catwoman) to
Batman. That triggered the best line of the whole episode - Killer Croc's saying "I
don't think so" in Batman's voice! The look on the Joker's face was priceless, and so
was his remark after being sent flying into a table by "Killer Croc" - "Was
it something I said?" It sure was, Joker! As for his story, it was clearly the best
one of those told - he didn't fail because of his own clumsiness, he failed because
Catwoman interfered.
Speaking of Killer Croc, his story was
clearly the lamest one out there, a point emphasized by the fact that Poison Ivy asked
Two-Face about the big coin and didn't wait to listen to the rest of Croc's story.
However, I loved the fact that it was Batman behind Killer Croc's mask. Once I heard Kevin
Conroy's all-too-familiar voice saying "I don't think so," I knew that wasn't
Killer Croc after all, that was Batman! He was brilliant throughout the episode, from
suggesting the story-telling so he can find out where Catwoman was being held, to his
final scene with Catwoman.
Harley wasn't used much, so I won't
take up space discussing her. Instead, I'll get to Catwoman. This might well have been her
best appearance in the series. I loved seeing her take on Harley and the Joker's goons and
beat them handily. I loved seeing her trip up the Joker with her whip. I was a little
worried when I saw Harley turn on the grinder, but figured that Batman would be able to
save Catwoman, and hopefully take care of Harley at the same time. And I loved seeing her
flirt with Batman, only to see her effort to "get" him with a kiss fail when
Batman was able to take advantage of a police siren and get away from her. That prompted
her line, "Almost got 'im".
So that leaves just one question. Who
had the best "almost got 'im" story? The Joker? Or Catwoman? While the Joker had
the best story of those who told the stories in flashbacks, when one considers that the
whole episode might well be Catwoman's "almost got 'im" story, I'd say Catwoman
had the best story of them all.
And that this was one of the best
Batman episodes out there, as well. So, I suggest that fans of Batman see this episode
again if they can. And that newcomers to Batman also watch the episode. It's fun, it's
exciting, and it's brilliant!
Belle Book
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COMIC REVIEWS
(BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES by Tim "TWO-FACE"
Leighton)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "Running the Asylum" (#45)
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILS: Tim Levins
INKS: Terry Beatty
COLOURIST: Albert T. DeGuzman
LETTERER: Harvey Richards
COVER ART: Darwyn Cooke
ISSUED: December 26, 2001 (Cover date Feb 2002)
RATING: ***
The famous "Arkham Soap
Operas" continue! There's so much character - and ego - within the walls of
Arkham Asylum that I think that an entire series could be dedicated to the goings-on of
what happens there. Really. I mean, there was that graphic novel from the 80's
that was great, so why not do something similar in an animated style? How about just
a special? Pleeeease?
Anyway, the story itself started
nicely, with lots of cameos of the more nefarious inmates: Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Harley,
Ivy, Joker, Croc, the whole motley crew. Like Batman, I, too, was caught up in the
whole whodunnit-mystery, and thought the whole premise was a great idea for a stand-alone
issue. I wished it didn't end.
Unfortunately, it DID end, and that's
where I find problems. I mean, the idea of the inside-job was fine, but a
COOK? Nah. I can't buy it. Not with the story as is, anyway. For
me to believe that little rotund man pulled off this crime - even with the help of a
handful of supervillains - I'd need more background than what Peterson provides. A
story written well-enough can make anyone believe anything that happens, but I don't buy
this story as is. That whole "they liked my cooking so they helped me"
excuse was quite a stretch.
Then again, that whole frozen Clayface
incident was kinda cute. This book always has nice little touches thrown in like
that.
Anyway, I still enjoyed the issue, but
it could have been much, much better with such a cool premise. And hey - please
consider my idea of an animated Arkham one-shot; I think it'd be a very promising idea!
Oh yeah, the "Arkham Asylum, Class
of 2001" cover was nice, too. Didn't realize the Creeper was locked up in
there, though.
;-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/
FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #5
March 13th
It's "Starro Wars" when a giant starfish-shaped conqueror from space uses
mind-control to defeat the newly formed League. The World's Greatest Super-Heroes are left
helpless and must turn to a mysterious old member of the Green Lantern Corps for help. But
what help is there against a single enemy that can break off into thousands?
Cover: http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Comic_Book_Covers/BatmanComic_Book_Covers278599.jpg
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