Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Week of March 1 - 6/7, 1999
Volume 2,
THIS WEEK'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: "MISTAH J. IS PRETTY FLY FOR A WHITE GUY."
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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another action-packed issue of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter"!
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SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
In this issue, we bring you an interview with STAS and comic writer Mark Evanier! Scroll
down and enjoy!
NOTE: Following this newsletter, issues of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter"
will be delivered at weekly intervals, and not bi-weekly - this is to compensate for the
"Batman Beyond" episodes which are being aired every weekend now. This is also
to shorten the newsletter, so all of our subscribers with free/limited e-mail providers
can read the newsletter. This means that all of our features from our writers, such as
comic reviews, toy reviews, and editorials, may not appear in every issue. We may go back
to the bi-weekly format in May, but for the time being, this is it. Stay tuned!
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DC'S ANIMATED LEGACY
In early 1990, in the aftermath of the blockbuster "Batman" film, ideas began to
form about an animated Batman series. This task had been attempted in the past, from the
60's to the 80's, but the series were, moreover, a disappointment. However, in September
of 1992, when "Batman: The Animated Series" debuted, it became a financial and
critical success - seen as the best non-comics interpretation of Batman in history.
After 65 episodes, season two began in 1994 with a new name for the series - "The
Adventures of Batman & Robin". Like all other aspects of the Bat-mythos in that
year, things lightened up a bit - mostly due to Robin playing a heavier role in the
series. In 1995, the series passed away silently with 85 episodes, a feature-film, and 4
emmy awards under its Bat-belt.
In 1996, the BTAS team moved on to work on a series for DC's other major hero, Superman.
After 13 episodes, the season got off to a shaky start, but when it was paired up with
Batman in the fall of 1997, it got the exposure it needed and began to thrive. In this
year, Batman was renewed and 24 more episodes (including a number of crossovers with
Superman) were given the go-ahead.
Just as the 1998/99 season of Batman/Superman was drawing to a close, the WB team
surprised us once again with a new animated series - a futuristic version of Batman
entitled "BATMAN BEYOND". The season has just begun and it's already a hit! This
is the episode the WB team will be working on until the end of the 1999/2000 season. What
will follow? Rumor right now is...MORE BATMAN (the regular one)! Woohoo!
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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.
THE LOSS OF THE WB ON WGN: Beginning this fall, the WB will no longer be carried on WGN-TV’s national feed to avoid conflicts with other WB affiliates. WGN-TV will
continue carrying the prime time WB in the Chicago area. If you’re outside the
Chicago area and know of no other way to pick up the WB, you may call them at
(818)977-5000 for more information. This is taken from the info section of the WGN
website,
http://www.wgn.com . Thank you for Peter
Destructo for pointing this out.
'DEAD MAN'S HAND'
Batman Beyond #5?
Air date: ???
The Future Knight takes on the Royal Flush Gang - and one of them develops a crush on
Terry. Rumor of a Catwoman appearance of sorts.
'SHRIEK'
Batman Beyond #6?
Air date: ???
Powers hires another villain named Shriek (who uses sound-waves as a weapon) to nix the
Bat.
'DEMON REBORN'
Superman #??
Air date: ??
BATMAN'S FINAL CURRENT-DAY ANIMATED APPEARANCE! This episode, originally entitled
"Rise of the Demon", features Batman and Superman teaming up to take down Ra's
Al Ghul. One parter, probably - WOOHOO! THE BAT IS BACK! This'll probably air in May.
'LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)'
Superman #??
Air date: ??
This two-parter, featuring the final showdown between Superman and Darksied, will be the
season finale, airing this May.
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WB ANIMATION SCHEDULES:
(courtesy of Brian Cruz and/or the official BTAS/STAS site)
This section of the newsletter highlights the schedule and times that WB airs The New
Batman/Superman Adventures. For most affiliates it airs Monday - Friday at 4pm (ET) and
Saturdays beginning at 8am (ET). WGN airs Batman/Superman Monday - Friday at 10am (ET) and
Sundays beginning at 8am (ET). There's a chance that your local WB channel airs it at a
differant time. To find out when, we recommend you follow this URL (provided by Toonzone):
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/stations/index.htmlPS
- Remember that "Batman Beyond" airs 30 minutes AFTER
"Batman/Superman" is over, because "Men In Black" has been squeezed in
between.
Mon 3-01-99: Superman #22 Speed Demons
Batman #83 Make 'Em Laugh
Tue 3-02-99: Superman #12 Tools of the Trade
Batman #64 Read My Lips
Wed 3-03-99: Superman #10 My Girl
Batman #67 A Bullet for Bullock
Thu 3-04-99: Batman #30 Perchance to Dream
Superman #29 The Hand of Fate
Fri 3-05-99: Batman #66 Sideshow
Superman #36 Warrior Queen
Sat 3-06-99: Batman #106 Mad Love
Superman #46 Absolute Power
B-BEYOND #02 Rebirth (Pt. 2)
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.
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CARTOON NETWORK WB ANIMATION SCHEDULE:
"Yabba Dabba Doom"
(courtesy of Brian Cruz)
THE CARTOON NETWORK was able to get the exclusive rights to 52 episodes of the classic
Batman: The Animated Series, as well as MASK OF THE PHANTASM and SUB-ZERO. If our schedule
listings is not complete or up to date then please go to TOONZONE for the complete episode
schedule:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html
3-01-99: #23 Vendetta
3-02-99: #24 Fear Of Victory
3-03-99: #25 The Clock King
3-04-99: #26 Appointment in Crime Alley
3-05-99: #27 Mad As A Hatter
NOTE #1: MASK OF THE PHANTASM will be airing on CARTOON NETWORK again at 8pm (ET) on March
13th. It also looks like Kids'WB! won't be airing MASK OF THE PHANTASM at all.
NOTE #2: BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO will be airing again on CARTOON NETWORK on May
22nd at 8pm (ET) as apart of their CARTOON THEATRE
NOTE #3: CARTOON NETWORK will be having a BATMAN 'SUPER-CHUNK' on May 29th. The 3 hour
BATMAN Super-Chunk will be from 4pm-7pm (ET). The 'SUPER-CHUCK' means that we'll have
three hours worth of BATMAN episodes.
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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. You can find more of his reviews at
these links:
MAIN PAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BTAS PAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFaceText/bats.html
<BATMAN BEYOND>
BLACK OUT
Written by Robert Goodman
Directed by Dan Riba
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: January 30, 1999
My rating: ****
This episode, while not carrying the emotional baggage introduced in "Rebirth"
is still an awesome episode is terrific foreshadowing of forthcoming episodes.
In Future Gotham, various Foxtecha facilities are being sabotaged, causing a great amount
of suspicion. (Foxtecha is a company founded by Lucious Fox (remember Bruce's ol' buddy?),
one of the few companies in Gotham that Derek Powers doesn't own.) We soon learn that a
"liquid spy", known as Inque, is the saboteur. She works for Powers, who is in
competition with Foxtecha to have the government grant them allowance to build some sort
of space station; Powers must win, so he cripples his competition, to make them uneligible.
Terry (the "new" Batman) is then sent out by Bruce Wayne to combat Inque. Bruce
(who is connected to Powers' dealings, for his company is named "Wayne Powers")
does not want to be connected to these acts, and still holds ties to the Fox family;
besides Inque endangering innocent lives, this is why Bruce feels this villain should be
blotted out ASAP.
The finale of the episode takes place in...the Batcave, of all places. Inque sneaks in,
and there is a huge fight in which nearly every character ever introduced to the
Bat-mythos is referred to in some way.
Awesome episode. First off, Inque is just really cool to watch. Dong Yang's animation is
superb; Inque's shapeshifting is very reminiscent of Clayface's, but while he was a big
hulking mass of mud, Inque is sleek and glimmering. (Comparing abilities, though, Clayface
still has the edge, cuz Inque can only change shape, while Clayface can change his voice, colouring, etc...) Inque really likes to hide out in the shadows, and is lightning quick.
Her dialogue is minimal, but that is OK, because she makes up for that with all of her
cool shape-shifting. That alone makes the episode fun to watch.
The Batmobile is introduced. It's more like the Batwing, though, but hey, it's there - the
interior is very Frank-Miller-ish, like the Batmobile seen in BTAS' "Legends of the
Dark Knight" episode.
We also get to see Barbara Gordon at the GCPD, and learn she hasn't spoken to Bruce for
ages. This is foreshadowing for things to come.
Derek Powers' character is also expanded, as we learn that after the nerve-gas situation
in "Rebirth", he has to wear a protective skin to hide his radioactive body. The
catch is that this skin only lasts 24 hours, and then flakes off; we get to see it flaking
in this episode, and scares the bejesus out of Inque. Ugh.
In the finale of the episode, we finally get to see a large portion of the Batcave's
trophy room. In BTAS, we saw only Two-Face's giant penny in "Over the Edge", and
then in "Rebirth (Pt. 1)" we saw that, in addition to the Joker card, Calendar
Girl's dinosaur, Harley's costume the Scarface puppet, and the costumes of all the
"heroes". Here we see all this and more, including the full costumes of the Gray
Ghost, Catwoman, the Riddler, the Penguin, Firefly, the Mad Hatter, and Mr. Freeze. Bruce
should be counting his blessings for running into Freeze, for it was through the use of
his freeze gun that allowed Terry to defeat Inque before she escaped into Wayne Manor.
The most astounding part of the episode, however, was when Inque first attacked Terry in
the Batcave - she went down his throat! EWWW! But it looked awesome, just about as awesome
as when he threw her right back up. That was pretty disturbing, actually...but cool.
It's also nice to note that Terry is never referred to as "Batman" here - and
that's a good thing. Bruce is the only Batman! ONLY ONE! So there.
Anyhow, great episode. The relationship between Terry and Bruce is strengthening, the
animation was terrific, and it looks like the new rogue's gallery is off to a great start.
Must see it! 4 stars outa 5.
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THE ORIGINAL 85
(by E. Nygma)
E. Nygma was unable to submit his reviews for the printing of this letter, but fear not,
he will return shortly!
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EDITORAL
(by Laura Hysert, aka "Phoenix")
A number of weeks ago, I asked a question about whether Batman's calling made him happy. I
got a grand total of one response. Does that mean only one person on this subscription
list has an opinion about this subject? Hmmm...I wonder...
Now, I warned you that if I liked your responses, I'd submit them for publication in the
newsletter. Well, I the one response I got is a good one. So congratulations Nick the Boy
Wonder, you get the coveted editorial slot this week! (Heaven knows, I don't fill that
slot enough...)
Surprise Guest Editorial (it's a surprise to the author, too)
(by Nick, the Boy Wonder)
I think that Batman is beyond happy.
It will never happen. Bruce's vow was too global for only one man to bear. Stop crime?
Heck, even swat teams, federal agencies, police forces, capital punishment, and moral
values cannot stop crime. Bruce is angry at this. Angry that his last promise to his
fallen parents will go unkept. Smile? Batman? NEVER.
Batman is TOO human. But he wants to be everywhere at once. Even Superman can't do that
(which he is currently finding out, in the comics). Batman suffers from a personal rage
against himself for not doing the impossible. Look at him: the perfect mind (so to speak),
body, reflexes, the perfect stragetist, and yet the tide slams him nightly against the
wall.
Bruce Wayne died in Crime Alley. Bruce would only be happy if his parents were alive - and
that will never happen. Bruce has never gotten over their deaths, and probably never will.
Money, women, cars and friends would make anybody else the happiest person in the world.
But these mean nothing to Bruce. They're all pawns, a means to an end, for Batman.
It's sad, though. Of all the men in the world that REALLY deserves someone in his life
(and Alfred doesn't count, I mean of the female gender) it would be Batman. But...that's
not in "the plan" and probably never will be. He is but one man. The true
essence of human spirit. The tengu.
The Boy Wonder
Nick
"For every day, there's a Dark Knight"
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The only addition I wish to make to this response is that Bruce has chosen other goals
over happiness. Yes, he is a victim of fate. Like Sisyphus, he is committed to a goal that
he will never fully attain. I think he knows that, even if it pains him to admit it. Yet
every night he is driven to strive for that goal - the elimination of crime - despite its
impossibility. He has to commit himself every night to that battle, even though he knows
that in the end, no matter how many triumphs he wins, he will lose that battle. But it is
in the fighting, the unwillingness to accept his fate and the fate of the world, where he
finds meaning.
Does this meaning give him happiness? Perhaps not. Perhaps it breeds a sense of purpose, a
strong will, a path of contentment. He has chosen this. That is the key: he has chosen
this life for himself, he has forged it from his pain, and created goodness and beauty.
That's more than so many of us could hope to achieve in our lives. So perhaps it is enough
for him.
From the ashes of the child Bruce Wayne he created himself anew, using his will, his pain,
and his brilliance to make a new man, and a new life. His strength is blazing, a brilliant
brand seared into his world. Perhaps happiness is too feeble for such a man.
Laura
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TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
- a column dedicated to "Batman Beyond"
(by Ed Wiser)
ewiser@iglou.com
Mr. Wiser was unable to submit an article for this column at the printing of this
newsletter. But fear not, he WILL return shortly!
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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!
*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 in the following section.
76. The Phantasm has appeared in only one other story besides the movie "Mask of the
Phantasm". What was the name of that story?
A: "SHADOW OF THE PHANTASM"
B: "SHADOWS OF DESPAIR"
C: "BATMAN: THE PHANTASM MENACE"
D: "REVENGE OF THE PHANTASM"
E: "SHE'S BACK. AND THIS TIME, SHE'S MAD."
77. On BTAS, there has been one person besides Kirk Langstrom that took up the Mantle of
the Man-Bat. Who was it?
A: Batman
B: Leslie Willis
C: Francine Langstrom
D: Jack Napier (in a nightmare sequence)
E: Dennis Rodman
78. In which of the following Ra's Al Ghul episodes has Talia NOT appeared?
A: THE DEMON'S QUEST (Pt. 1)
B: THE DEMON'S QUEST (Pt. 2)
C: AVATAR
D: SHOWDOWN
E: OFF BALANCE
79. Which of these BTAS characters have, at the printing of this newsletter, made the
cross-over to the mainstream Batman continuity?
A: HARLEY QUINN
B: LOCK-UP
C: SUMMER GLEESON
D: BABY-DOLL
E: NORA FRIES
75. In the episode "Baby-Doll", what role in Mary Dahl play after quitting her
"Baby-Doll" sitcom?
A: None. She never played anything besides Baby-Doll.
B: Juliet (from "Romeo and Juliet")
C: Lady Macbeth (from "Macbeth")
D: Bat-Mite, in a made-for-TV movie in Gotham entitled "Super-friends".
E: Ophelia (from "Hamlet")
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA
Answer to #76: 'A'
Answer to #77: 'C'
Answer to #78: 'D'
Answer to #79: 'B, E'
Answer to #80: 'C'
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