Subject: Batman: The Animated Newsletter #11
Date: Sunday, November 29, 1998 4:56 PM

Weeks of Nov 30 - Dec 4/5, Dec 6 - 11/12
Volume 1,
______
APOLOGY (Tim TWO-FACE L.)
I apologize to not getting the previous issue of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter" on time for November 15. We were having computer problems and could not do a single thing to get one out on time. Thank you for all the loyal subscribers that e-mailed us, concerned about what was going on.
Thank you for your support! So here is the newest issue of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Enjoy!
______
IMPORTANT NOTICE
(by Tim TWO-FACE L.)

D.A. HARVEY DENT AND THE DARK KNIGHT BATTLE NET-CRIME

Important notice! A while ago, our newsletter was experiencing problems, because someone had taken parts of our mailing lists and was sending unsavory messages to many of our long-time readers. Then, they began impersonating at least 150 of you - many of you have been mailed about this, if you were impersonated. I've been busy piecing the facts together to figure out who was capable of such inhumane atrocities.
I have recently discovered that all these impersonated messages have originated from the following e-mail address:

mike.savva@mail.virgin.net

All of these messages have been passed through the mail server at Virgin, newmail.virgin.net, and all of them have the following IP address:

194.168.54.44

Some of our fellow subscribers who have been impersonated have e-mailed the people at http://www.virgin.net to complain about this pathetic little nuisance.

Mr. Mike Savva is also known to use these addresses, some of which are on the newsletter mailing list:

blue10@thepentagon.com
mike11@mindless.com
ms9@usa.net
inv912@yahoo.com

With the last address, he pretends to be a female net-police-officer, and has been since May of 1998. They were trying to blackmail me to get rid of both my homepage AND this newsletter, both of which I did not and will never do.

If you have received any e-mails from this person I advise you to just ignore them. They are most likely filled with pointless crud and should not be dignified by intelligent people like yourself reading them.

If you have any complaints, feel free to e-mail us at "Batman: The Animated Newsletter", e-mail the people at http://www.virgin.net, or e-mail Mr. Savva directly.

There are a number of other people who are a part of this net-threat, such as the people who use the following e-mail address: rebel@comports.com and chaffey@hotmail.com - but at least they have the courage to use their real name.

A certain "Mysterio" has also been connected to this mess by hacking into the e-mail addresses of one of our fellow subscribers and impersonating MYSELF to hurt that subscriber. "Mysterio" can be reached at the following e-mail address: mysterio@technologist.com

Now, I don't want to start a lynch mob here - well, I DO, but that wouldn't be very professional of myself, but I do suggest that if you feel strongly enough about this situation, e-mail the people at their respective addresses and complain.
I'm sorry that this is a bad start to our newsletter, but this is important and I thought this stuff should be said, so it won't be happening again.
 
Thank you for your time.

Tim "TWO-FACE" L.
______
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to yet another bi-weekly installment of "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER"! *APPLAUSE* This newsletter contains all sorts of information pertaining to "Batman: The Animated Series", such as rumors, news, reviews, jokes, trivia, and more! And, just to balance it out, "Superman" has been included! Sit back and enjoy!

HISTORY OF THE ANIMATED BAT
The five-time Emmy-winning Batman: The Animated Series (BTAS) debuted in September of 1992, running weekdays on the FOX network. 65 episodes later, season two began in 1994, airing only on Saturday, adding only 15 new episodes to the roster.
A year later, BTAS was re-introduced to the FOX weekday line-up. All the original episodes were brought back this time, as well as 5 new episodes, leaving the episode count at 85 in September of 1995. The series was top-notch, and fans were sad that it wouldn't go on - but it was an excellent run. In 1997, BTAS was pulled from the FOX network. Was BTAS dead? 
We were all proven wrong.
NEW episodes began airing bright and early on the morning of September 13th, 1997, on the WB network. Two years (less two days) after BTAS ceased production, it was reborn.
______
HISTORY OF THE ANIMATED MAN OF STEEL
In the fall of 1996, the creators of BTAS moved on and produced an animated version of the Man of Steel. The first season was made up of a mere 13 episodes, and while the show did not blow away audiences like BTAS did, "Superman" (STAS) still managed a fair amount of success. In it's second season, it was teamed up with BTAS on the WB, making the full hour block of "Heavy Duty Dubbas" episodes a sure-fire winner. In fact, the series involved a three-part crossover with Batman, and has three more crossovers planned in the future. In 1997, the series won an "Outstanding Special Class Program" Emmy, which it shared with BTAS. The series is moving strong and gaining even more steam as it blasts into Season Three...
______
IN MEMORY
About a month ago, on Nov. 3, 1998, Bob Kane, creator of Batman, died at the age of 83. Details about his death are still unknown. When Bob created Batman in 1939 for DC Comics, I bet he had no idea how popular his creation would become.
______
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES

So, you're a new subscriber and wish to see back issues of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter"? Well, fear not, for a great friend of mine has offered to hold back issues of our newsletter at her site, for all to enjoy! Christmas has come early (and in bi-weekly installments) this year! The site is called "The Warner Bros. Club" and features an amazing amount of WB related games and information! For all you wanting to catch up, or look back, here is the URL:

http://www.toonzone.net/wbc

The Warner Bros. Club site is also part of a much bigger site. The site is called TOON ZONE and contains three more WB related sites: Brian Cruz's WB Cartoon Page, Colin's WB schedule page, and the WB Comic Zone. The sites have been updated and somewhat revamped! Do you wanna see the people behind it? There's also a site for that as well. This isn't an official WB page but it's so good, might as well be! There's even a chat room and a great message board! If you're looking for anything WB related check out this site! Definitely worth bookmarking!

TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
______
NEW EPISODE(S)
This section will just basically give an insight into what the new episodes are about and hopefully a synopsis of the episode. This section will feature both new Superman and new Batman episodes.

'BATMAN BEYOND PREMIERE'
Batman Beyond #1, 2
Air date: Jan. 16, 1999
The premiere of the new series! See what made Bruce Wayne give up the cowl, and how a teenager in futuristic Gotham City became Batman for the 21st century. This is a two-parter, for sure.

'MAD LOVE'
Batman #106???
Air date: Jan. 16, 1999
An adaptation of the award-winning Dini/Timm comic, featuring Harley Quinn's origin. Joker appears as well, of course, with Two-Face, Riddler, and Killer Croc (instead of Penguin) making cameos. There is still no definite word on whether this is a one-parter or two-parter. We'll have to wait and see.

'RISE OF THE DEMON'
Superman #??
Air date: Jan. 16, 1999
Batman and Superman team-up for the third and final time, this time to take on the likes of Ra's Al Ghul, who holds another twisted plot to return its globe to its natural state. Will it be a 3-parter as originally planned?
Hopefully!
_____
WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)

The New Batman/Superman Adventures last this past year with high ratings and critical success! KidsWB airs the show Monday through Friday from 4-5 pm (eastern time) and now in a 90 minute block on weekends starting at 8:30am (eastern time). The time may vary for the various WB affiliates across Canada and the U.S. The schedule is set to change again in September or October, so watch the SCHEDULE and NEWS section for upcoming information!

THIS WEEK:
Mon 11-30-98: Superman #05 A Little Piece of Home
              Batman #081  Harley's Holiday

Tue 12-01-98: Batman #082  Lock-Up
              Superman #31 Prototype

Wed 12-02-98: Superman #21 Mxyzpixilated
              Batman #077  The Lion & The Unicorn

Thu 12-03-98: Batman #087  Sins of the Father
              Superman #13 Two's a Crowd

Fri 12-04-98: Batman #105  Girls' Night Out
              Superman #25 Brave New Metropolis

Sat 12-05-98: Superman #33 Apokolips... Now! - Part 1
              Superman #35 Apokolips... Now! - Part 2
              Batman #104  Legends of the Dark Knight

NEXT WEEK:
Mon 12-07-98: Batman #070  House and Garden
              Superman #16 Action Figures

Tue 12-08-98: Superman #28 Father's Day
              Batman #079  Riddler's Reform

Wed 12-09-98: Batman #094  Love is a Croc
              Superman #12 Tools of the Trade

Thu 12-10-98: Superman #42 Where There's Smoke
              Batman #046  Almost Got 'Im

Fri 12-11-98: Batman #102  Old Wounds
              Superman #06 The Way of All Flesh

Sat 12-12-98: Superman #04 Fun and Games
              Batman #086  Holiday Knights
              Superman #45 Knight Time

Note: All episodes #86 and onward of BATMAN are considered THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES while the original 85 are considered BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS) episodes. 
_______
EPISODE OF THE WEEK:
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
This section lets me tell you about my favorite rerun airing this week! You are not to miss this episode at all cost! Tape it if possible! All Batman and Superman episodes which have at least been shown once are eligible - but try to catch the new episodes if you can!

THIS WEEK:
This week is filled with goodies. The best of the batch is the Superman two-parter, "Apokalips...Now!", but his "Little Piece of Home" and "Brave New Metropolis", as well as Batman's "Harley's Holiday" and "Legends of the Dark Knight". You'll love this week!

NEXT WEEK:
Just like the week previous to this, the entire week is filled with great episodes! If you catch any of them, you'll be thoroughly satisfied.

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE TO MISS:
Batman
THE LION AND THE UNICORN (#77)
This episode starts out OK, but as soon as Red Claw enters the story, it all goes downhill. The only redeeming value is that Alfred's character is finally given some depth and history.
Airs Dec. 2, 1998

NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE TO MISS:
Two episodes this week are bombs. Superman's "Father's Day" is OK, but is all action-based, so the father-motif of the episode is never given the chance to shine. Batman's "Holiday Knights" isn't awful either, but the story is very rushed, and the sound is terrible; the choppy, vignette type of storytelling does not do the comic from which it is adapted justice.
______
CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE:
"Yabba Dabba Doom"
(courtesy of Brian Cruz)

It seems that about every month or so the schedule for Batman changes again! So please be patient. We may not be able to get the new episode schedule up in time but here's the most current schedule for Batman: TAS on CARTOON NETWORK: It airs Monday thru Friday at 6 & 6:30pm and a midnight repeat (of the 6pm episode) Monday thru Thursday. We'll note of any change.

Mon 11-30-98: #04 The Last Laugh
              #05 Pretty Poison

Tue 12-01-98: #06 The Underdwellers
              #07 P.O.V.

Wed 12-02-98: #08 The Forgotten
              #09 Be A Clown

Thu 12-03-98: #11 It's Never Too Late
              #12 I've Got Batman in My Basement

Fri 12-04-98: #15 See No Evil
              #19 Prophecy of Doom

Mon 12-07-98: #10 Two-Face (Pt. 1)

Episode schedules for the Cartoon Network for any later dates were unavailable at the time of mailing this newsletter. Expect the episodes to air in episode-number order, more or less, though.

NOTE: Most of the episodes airing now on the CARTOON NETWORK won't be airing on KidsWB for quite some time! If you want to complete your collection then get as many as these episodes on tape as possible! Just some friendly advice.

NOTE #2: Starting Monday December 7th, the Cartoon Network will only show one Batman episode on weekdays, at 6:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.
_______
EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Bob Evatt)
Mr. Evatt is an experienced reviewer of the new BTAS episodes and has much of his work shown at the Lazarus Pit website, and is now contributing to this newsletter! His other reviews can be reached via this link:
http://effect.net.au/allan/lazarus-pit

NOTE: Mr. Evatt was unable to supply a review for this newsletter so Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton is filling in for him.

CHEMISTRY (***1/2)
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Butch Lukic
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: Oct. 24, 1998

JUDGMENT DAY
Written by Rich Fogel & Alan Burnett
Directed by Curt Geda
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: October 31, 1998
My rating: ****1/2

A new vigilante is in Gotham, and has sent the Riddler back to Arkham, the Penguin to the hospital in critical condition, and, if it weren't for Batman interfering, would have killed Killer Croc by tossing him off the Gotham Gate Bridge. Now, he's after Two-Face.

Cool story huh? Much like in "Lock-Up", this episode introduces a new character who takes the law into his own hands, but goes too far. The new vigilante is known only as the Judge, a very Phantasm-esque character with a low booming voice, and dark, shadowy clothing; the only difference is that this person wears a judge's white curled wig and carries a large wooden hammer or sword instead of a scythe.

We learn that a shifty politician at City Hall is using the Judge, much like how Commissioner Gordon uses Batman to rid the city of crime. Two-Face learns of this person's involvement with the judge, who had already booby-trapped his hideout and turned it into a lethal gas chamber, and demands information, before setting off to kill him.

Only in the final scenes do we see who the Judge really is.

This episode was nothing short of incredible. No one knew this was coming, and it is easily head and shoulders above the other best episodes of the season, "Old Wounds" and "Legends of the Dark Knight". In fact, the only new-style episode which tops it is last year's controversial "Over the Edge". 

There are many good things in this episode. We get to see Batman work solo again, seeing someone finally come down hard on the Penguin was nice, and seeing how Penguin treats his "customers" was rather interesting - he respects Two-Face's intelligence and considers Killer Croc to be rather...well...a dim bulb.
The sleazy politician which uses the judge to give himself a better public image was nice, and the Judge's brutality was welcomed with open arms. Dong Yang's animation was surprisingly excellent here, and they even added some CGI work in the final battle. Seeing Alan Burnett return to writing was a wonderful surprise, too. The best thing, in my opinion, was that we finally get to see Two-Face as the center of attention. Not since "Second Chance" has there been an episode that delves into his psyche like this. The scenes of where Batman and Two-Face actually work together to save themselves in the gas chamber were great - even though, once safe, Two-Face beat the crap outta Batman and took off. Even just visually speaking, Two-Face looks a lot better here than he did in "Sins of the Father".

In the final scene, we learn that Two-Face is the Judge. In fact, his good side has split into two personalities, and the extreme-good side, completely separate from the other two, has taken a vow to clean up crime in Gotham by whatever means necessary. (Remember, prior to his transformation, Harvey Dent was part of the judicial system, as District Attorney - so it was his crime-fightin' blood in the works here.) It's shocking to see what this suggests...if Two-Face can kill Killer Croc with his bare hands, does he qualify as the third-toughest man in Gotham (behind only Batman and Bane, of course)?

The only bad point was the Riddler's tiny one-line cameo. Sure, he was only a back-up character, but all these cameos are taunting me - because I really wanted to see a Riddler episode this season.

I'm surprised this episode wrapped up so well in just 19.5 minutes! But it did!

This is all just a tip of the ice burg. The episode is great, and you'll love it, guaranteed. It's a mix of action, drama, and mystery, and wraps up perfectly with a really cool shot of Two-Face going crazy in his cell at Arkham.
______