SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE #2
(by Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson)

   YOU GET TO MAKE THE DECISIONS!  YEP!  We now give you a chance to vote on what you think is the best and worst of 1998. Here are the categories, and respond by sending the response form back to THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS (juno@direct.ca) Have fun! We'll post the answers in .

1. BEST EPISODE OF BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES aired in 1998.
2. WORST EPISODE OF BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES aired in 1998.
3. BEST NEW CHARACTER DESIGN OF "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" in an episode seen in '98.
4. WORST NEW CHARACTER DESIGN OF "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" in an episode seen in '98.
5. BEST VOCALIZATIONS OF A MAJOR CHARACTER ON BTAS in 1998
6. WORST VOCALIZATIONS OF A MAJOR CHARACTER ON BTAS in 1998
7. BEST MUSIC SEQUENCE on a BTAS episode in 1998 (excluding main title)
8. BEST VISUAL FX on a BTAS episode in 1998.
9. BEST NEW CHARACTER on BTAS in 1998
10. WORST NEW CHARACTER on BTAS in 1998
11. BEST OVERALL CHARACTER on BTAS in 1998
12. BEST WRITER FOR AN EPISODE in 1998
13. BEST DIRECTOR FOR AN EPISODE in 1998
14. BEST "animated" BATMAN COMIC (i.e., GOTHAM ADVENTURES) of 1998.
15. WORST "animated" BATMAN COMIC of 1998.
16. BEST COVER of an ANIMATED BATMAN comic of 1998
17. BEST ANIMATED BATMAN ACTION FIGURE of 1998 (any in the "new" style).

Now, for Supes:

17. BEST EPISODE OF SUPERMAN in 1998
18. WORST EPISODE OF SUPERMAN in 1998
19. BEST ANIMATED SUPERMAN COMIC in 1998
20. WORST ANIMATED SUPERMAN COMIC in 1998
21. BEST NEW CHARACTER
22. WORST NEW CHARACTER
23. BEST OVERALL CHARCTER

And now, US!!!
(This is just for fun, but hey!)

24. OVERALL, JUST THE BEST DANG ISSUE

----------
You need not respond to all the questions, or even any, but feel free to do so! Thank you for your time.
____
EDITORAL
(by Laura Hysert, aka "Phoenix")

Ms. Hysert has taken the Christmas vacation off, which she deserves after all her hard work - but she will return in January with another editorial about nothing (very Seinfeld-ish, huh?).
____
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!  *EVIL LAUGH* This trivia is all animated-related in some form, and can deal with ANY aspect of the show or comics. Some are easy, some are not. Now have fun - let's see how well you do! Answers are provided beneath the "Animated Batman/Superman Sites" section.

46. In "Christmas With the Joker", which of the following people was NOT in Joker's "family"?

A: COMMISSIONER GORDON
B: MAYOR HILL
C: HARVEY BULLOCK
D: SUMMER GLEESON
E: HARLEY QUINN

47. Which of the following characters was NOT in "Holiday Knights", but WAS in the comic that episode adapted?

A: TWO-FACE
B: THE SCARECROW
C: MR. FREEZE
D: NORA FRIES
E: CLAYFACE

48. Which is the only episode in which a wreath can be seen on someone's door?

A: CHRISTMAS WITH THE JOKER
B: A BULLET FOR BULLOCK
C: HOLIDAY KNIGHTS
D: DEEP FREEZE
E: IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

49. Which of the following villains has not been fought in a wintery/snowy setting on BTAS?

A: MR. FREEZE
B: CATWOMAN
C: MAN-BAT
D: THE WEREWOLF
E: ROLAND DAGGETT

50. Robin, referring to Batman, once said that we "don't call him 'Batman' for nothing." Why is that?

A: Cuz he looks like a Bat! Duh!
B: He meant to say "Catman" but the writers botched up the script. Oops!
C: Cuz he used a bat to defeat some enemies, or sumthin'.
D: It was in response to some Arkham doctors who said "he's gone batty".
E: He meant to say "Buttman" but BS&P thought the homosexual overtones might be too much for the kiddies.
____
LITTLE FACTS
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

Here is a section that just points out various little facts that we have noticed while watching BTAS and STAS countless times. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so! Enjoy!

CONBTRIBUTED BY STAFF:
1) Does Harley's literal "giving of the cherry" in "Beware the Creeper" indicate that she and the Joker have never had an intimate relationship (ya'll know what I mean)?  Of course, Harley has desperately tried, at least once, in "Mad Love".

2) In the Batman & Robin game for the Sony Playstation, one of the newspaper headlines on one of the clues you must pick up is "A. WEST TO MARRY B. WARD". Heh heh.
____
ANIMATED NEWS AND RUMORS

MOVIES
-Also it looks like BATMAN:THE ANIMATED MOVIE #3 is a definite YES!(woohoo!) - Boyd Kirkland says that there are no potential plot outlines available just yet.
-"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" will likely air on Kids WB sometime this season - no exact date has been given, yet.

ANIMATED SERIES'
- Butch Lukic was revealed to be the director of "Mad Love" in the recently-released "Batman: Animated".  Preview commercials of this episode have aired, and the animation looks like some of Dong Yang's best work. There is still no definite word on whether this is a one or two parter.

- Plus some BATMAN BEYOND news...
- For those awaiting "Batman Beyond", you are in luck! Preview commercials have begun to air on the WB network; these were initially seen during "Men In Black" on Dec. 12/13, 1998.
-A sneak peek of this series will be on the WB and affiliates on Jan. 10th, at 7 PM (EST). Check your local listings for details.  The series officially kicks off on Jan. 16.

COMICS/BOOKS
- BATMAN: ANIMATED, by Paul Dini and Chip Kidd, has finally been released - was it worth the wait? Yep!  It seems that the printing of HARDCOVER editions of the book were halted, so the majority of copies available to buy are softcover.
- Batman is missing for the first three months. Nightwing stays in Bludhaven. Robin leaves town with his father.  The new Batgirl appears immediately. Gordon, Bullock, and Oracle appear to be staying.  Azrael also becomes a more intricate part of the team. Huntress is also stickin' around. Alfred most likely stays, too. The JLA won't appear, and we're going to see why.  As for Spoiler...hmmm?
- Villains aplenty.  Catwoman and Riddler abandon Gotham.  Mr. Freeze seizes control of the power plant. The Scarecrow has a field day tormenting Huntress.  Bane tries to gain control of the city - again.  Penguin and Two-Face have major roles, but no details are given. The Joker doesn't appear until close to the end, along with the new, improved Harley Quinn - whom will appear in civilian form mid-way through the crossover. Other villain heavyweights like Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Firefly, and Ra's Al Ghul will have roles as well, most likely, but no details are given for them, either.
____
OTHER BATMAN RELATED NEWS

Movie News
-Brendan Frasier (who played George in "George of the Jungle") is the latest name being tossed around for playing Batman in the next live-action movie. George Clooney is still tied to the project, so unless we hear he's been let go (which would be BIG news), he's still the front-runner for the role, again.
-I also recently heard that Patrick Swayze is being considered to play a gruffer Batman in a future film...but is it true? I just watched "Black Dog" (pitiful movie, IMHO), but I think he COULD pull it off, if need be.  We'll see. This could just be more fan-dreams...we'll see...we'll see...
____
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)

"JOKIN' AROUND WHILE GLIDIN' AROUND ARKHAM, TWICE"

  The second wave of The New Batman Adventures Figures features Wildcard Joker with Calling Card Cannon and Funny Guns.  Get past the fact that the accessories are again asinine, and you still have a great figure. I love this figure.  The colors are more vivid than ever, and the Joker is the personification of deadly acid.  The sculpt rocks.  His head is leaning forward ever so slightly, perfectly mimicking the posture of the character design.  The card art, however, on the front is somewhat lacking. I think his eyes maybe slightly too big.  You should be able to find him in stores fairly easily now.
  Ignoring Force Shield Nightwing, (a repaint dubbed "Gold Rush Nightwing" by one witty person on the net) we have Knight Glider Batman.  Normally, I'd ignore the repaints, but he comes with a really kewl hang glider as seen in "The World's Finest" three parter, and later in episodes "The Ultimate Thrill" and "Critters."   I haven't bought this one, but he's pretty ever present on the shelves with 'ole Gold Rush, and Street Strike Batman.
  Also, we have a deluxe Silver Defender Batman repaint, (I won't bother) and the two-pack Arkham Escape featuring a kewl retro looking Batman and the new Two-Face, plus the Arkham Asylum gate and a straight jacket for Two-Face.   An excellent figure!  Two-Face's sculpt is done really well, and this time, the light cyan color is actually the color that the character is rendered in the designs.  This new design is sleeker and a lot more evil looking than his original figure.  Plus, he comes with a machine gun and a handgun, which are some of the most detailed accessories I've ever seen, in the fact that they're not monochromatic.  The Batman figure is ok too, though he is posed in an odd running position.  Included is a stringed weapon for Batman.  Another great thing is that this comes with an Arkham Asylum Gate, and a straight jacket for Two-Face.  Kenner needs to make more like this pack, it was well worth my money!  The card art was well done also.  Where Batman is somewhat simplistic, Two-Face is pretty detailed and is drawn excellently!
  Last in this wave, came a Knight Force four pack consisting of Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing , and Robin.  All were from their first wave editions, with a more metallic paint job, and Batgirl was a repainted Wind Blitz Batgirl with TNBA colors.  Batgirl has a dark blue metallic cape and cowl, and redder hair, plus yellow boots and gloves, a yellow in-lined cape, and a black suit instead of gray.  The Nightwing figure is nice, because he features a darker blue metallic bird symbol. Robin is nearly identical to his original.  Batman is the same, except the gray on his costume is silver.  They came with nearly identical squeeze weapons.  The packaging is also very nice.  The back features drawings of all four characters as they appear in the cartoon, with a small blurb on each.

Next issue: Who knows? We're up to date here!  Stay tuned!
____
COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #8
TITLE: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
WRITTEN BY: Ty Templeton
PENCILED BY: Rick Burchett
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: November 4, 1998 (Cover date is January)
RATING: ** (out of 5)

    "No gun...?."
    "I know... but it's a personality quirk.  He's got a thing about them."
               --A detective and Batgirl discussing Batman's orders

SUMMARY:  Batman and Batgirl are in Paris, France, to meet a detective there who has a lead on the League of Assassins.  A member of it is hiding out in Paris, so they go and capture him.  They arrive at an old monestary where they won't be disturbed to try and get the location of the league's headquarters from him, but he escapes.  Batgirl hears a scream during her pursuit and sees the man cowering before a large shape in a cloak.  He turns out to be an ex-policeman who was dying of cancer, so he attempted to recreate Clayface's experiment on himself.  A fire began as a result of the experiment, and the man was cooked into his form, so he can't change it like Clayface.  Idolizing Batman, he has become the defender of Paris.  After the league member escapes again, he takes matters into his own hands a strangles the location out of him. Finally the man spills the truth, and the monster-guy reveals that he wouldn't have killed the man; he was just making him think that he would.
COMMENTS:  The art was well done in this issue (much more detailed than the actual series would be...).  I also thought that it was nice that the Deadman issue (#6) was tied into this one.
CRITICISMS:  This issue was pretty much pointless and a waste of time. Guy is captured; guy escapes; fight; guy is captured; guy escapes; fight, etc.  I also didn't care very much for the new character's design, origin, or lack of a name.
BOTTOM LINE:  There a better comics out there, unfortunetly, than this one.
____
COMIC SCHEDULES
This section gives a little bit more indepth look into each monthly issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. The price is $1.99 in the US and..grrrrr....$2.95 in Canada

"ANIMATED" COMICS

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #9
Dec. 2nd
Batman and Batgirl continue to trail the League of Assassins into Nepal, where they finally meet their diabolical leader...who is....?

NEXT MONTH: - Harley finally writes her tell-all book about the Joker and other Arkhamites! Nightwing and Robin appear.

NEXT MONTH: BATMAN: THE LOST YEARS TRADE PAPERBACK: A collection of all five Lost Years stories, featuring the origin of Nightwing and Tim Drake, with appearances of Batman, Batgirl, Joker, Two-Face, and Ra's Al Ghul.

NEXT MONTH: BATMAN BEYOND #1 - An adaption of the animated debut of the NEW Batman.

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #28
Dec. 9th
What would you do if you were faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Ask Jimmy Olsen, whose mind has been mysteriously transferred into Superman's body! Meanwhile, Superman, trapped in Jimmy's body, is about to take an unscheduled trip... to Apokolips!

NEXT MONTH: - Bizzaro goes after Lois Lane again, and Lobo returns to take on the Man of Steel.

NOTE: Due to time-restraints and a lack of space in this newsletter, the MAINSTREAM COMIC section has been temporarily eliminated. If you would like to see it return, e-mail us at BTAN and if the demand is high enough, we'll grant your wish.
____
COVERING THE BASICS...

This sections helps you, the reader, find the best on the newsstand or comic shop. The covers below are covershots for BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES, SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, and/or related comic book/book merchandise. I hope this section makes it easier for you to find true qaulity. The covers are provided by DC CURRENTS, and TOONZONE. Any other source will be given their dues.

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #10
http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga10.jpg

BATMAN ADVENTURES: THE LOST YEARS (Trade Paperback)
http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/br/balytpb.jpg

BATMAN BEYOND #1 (of 6)
http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bb/bbad.jpg

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #28
http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/sa/sa28.jpg

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #29
Cover picture is currently unavailable.

BATMAN: ANIMATED (new and improved pic!)
http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/batanim.jpg
____
SITE WORTH CHECKING OUT

BATMAN:THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER MESSAGE BOARD Yup, as you can tell by the title of this short little article, there has been a board put up for all the subscribers. With this board we can see what you subscribers think of the newsletter and what we can do to make it better for all subscribers. Here you can post about your favorite or least favorite columns or articles past & present. Please feel free to stop by. The URL is:
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb205617

Check it out! You won't regret it! It might be awhile before this section is updated but stay tuned!
___
ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:

THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.batman-superman.com
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://www.batmantas.com
KIDSWB!
http://www.kidswb.com
http://www.wbanimation.com
TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
TWO-FACE'S TOWER OF TRANQUILITY AND TERROR
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BRIAN CRUZ' WB CARTOON PAGE
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/index.html
BRIAN'S BATMAN PAGE
http://members.aol.com/bdavis2613/main.html
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm
THE BATCOMPUTER
http://members.spree.com/batcomputer
BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO
http://www.warnerbros.com/subzero
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
CHARACTERS ON THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN
http://www.xse.com/leres/batman.html
THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN F.A.Q. SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/1216
THE BRUCE TIMM ARTWORK ARCHIVE
http://www.aiusa.com/chip/timm/archive.htm
HARLEY'S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/harlequinhideaway
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (unofficial site)
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158

These are some of the best BTAS sites on the web at this time. Most sites are updated or have been recently and all are up and running.
If you've watched Batman on WB there's a fair chance you've watched Superman as well. This show has picked up 40% more viewers this past season thanx to Batman. This series is one of the most underrated shows on TV becuase it's stuck under Batman's (pun intended) shadow. There's one website that treats it as its own show and its a damn good website! I recemmend all who have seen this show to check out this site:

SUPERMAN:TAS
http://www.rain.org/~stas
_____
ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA

Answer to #46: 'B, E'
Answer to #47: 'C'
Answer to #48: 'B'
Answer to #49: 'D'
Answer to #50: 'C'
_____
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:

BATMAN and all related property is a registered trademark of DC Comics. Visit DC Comics website at:
http://www.dccomics.com

DC Comics is owned and operated by Warner Brothers. Visit their website at:
http://www.warnerbros.com

Kids'WB! is a part of Warner Brothers. Visit the Kids' WB! site at: 
http://www.kidswb.com

If I've left any out I'll probably be suee and homeless within a year so please tell me.
____
LIKE WHAT YA SEE?  WANNA SUBSCRIBE?  HERE'S HOW!!!

  Now that this newsletter is archived at THE WBC HOMEPAGE, those who haven't subscribed have been asking how to do so. Well here it is for those who would like to subscribe:

To subscription requests email juno@direct.ca and that's all ya do. Just put 'subscribe' and your email address in the
email message.

A little cash donation would be appreciated, but it's not obligatory. (Dang!)

Also if you want to ask question about BATAMN/SUPERMAN or this newsletter then please send those as well! We will respond ASAP.

Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading!
-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton., editor
____
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, jokes, reviews and other articles. We hope you've all enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed making it!
See ya next time!

CREDITS FOR BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER

EDITOR: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton and "Dick Grayson"
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz
BTAS REVIEWS: Bob Evatt and Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
EDITORIAL: Laura Hysert
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
"BTAN ARCHIVES" MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN' THE WORD AROUND: Brian Cruz, Brian Davis, Eileen Delgadillo
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: "anonymous"
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane (who else?)

All elements in this newsletter have been copyrighted (copywritten?) by DC Comics, 1998.
_____

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM EVERYONE AT "Batman: The Animated Newsletter"!