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. Harley Quinn's design HAS changed! Yes indeedy-do! In her first appearances (i.e.
"Joker's Favor") the pom-poms on her "ears" were red - but were later
changed to white. Didja notice 'dat?
2. In the final scene of "Beware the Gray Ghost", the date on the People
Magazine behind Simon Trent's head reads "October 19, 1992". But on this
day, the episode that aired on FOX was "Perchance to Dream"! The Gray
Ghost episode didn't debut until November 4, 1992.
CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)
ktsmit2@ilstu.edu
Oh_Ho77@hotmail.com
Kevin Smith was unable to supply an article for this issue. He shall return shortly.
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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
ISSUE: "The End" (#13)
WRITTEN BY: Kelley Puckett
PENCILED BY: Rick Burchett
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: April 7, 1999 (Cover date is June)
RATING: **** (out of 5)
"Everything ends..."
--Perfesser
SUMMARY: The perfesser reads the story of the end of his criminal career to his
grandaughter: One day a small child shows up a the door of Perfesser, Mastermind,
and Mr. Nice. He is there to recruit Mr. Nice to lead his people in their hour of
need. Mastermind won't have it; at least until they pull one more job. The
three break into a safe holding facility holding two plague vials previously recovered by
Batman and Nightwing. Then they head to the hospital to find the third vial.
However, Batman had figured out who is behind the heist and arrives to stop them. A
fight ensues, but not before Mastermind has found the last vial and combined the
three. The combination is so deadly that if it were dropped, all of Gotham would
die. Mastermind's simple demand is that Mr. Nice not leave the group or Gotham will
die. Mr. Nice is touched and hugs Mastermind. He tells him that it's time, and
he leaves with the small boy. Mastermind gives himself up, and as he and the
Perfesser are taken away, the latter remarks that everything ends.
COMMENTS: I enjoyed this issue. I liked the ending to the tale of this
group, and I thought the whole buildup was great. It really showed the sense of
friendship and comradery that these three shared and was a fitting end. The art was
great throughout the issue and the subplot
involving Batman appeared at just the right moments. Hey, there's another thing I
enjoyed: this is a Batman comic, and he was hardly in it at all. That's the sign of
a great story-it can be carried on just by the belief that there's a Batman. Not
only that, but the cover also shares that feeling; Batman appears in the background in
shadow.
CRITICISMS: The only problem I can think of is that the little boy showing up was
a bit too convenient and a little out there. Sure, I'm willing to suspend disbelief,
but only to a certain extent.
BOTTOM LINE: A great end to the "saga" of Perfesser, Mr. Nice, and
Mastermind.
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COMIC SCHEDULES & COVERING THE BASICS
This section gives a little bit more indepth look into each monthly issue
of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. Below each comic listing is a link
to the cover of that comic. TALK ABOUT SERVICE!
The price is $1.99 in the US and..grrrrr...a whopping $3.25 in Canada.
(Both our editors and many subscribers are Canadian, hence the "grrr".)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #14
May 5th
The final issue of "Gotham Adventures" written by Ty Templeton (we'll miss you)!
This issue follows-up on the storyline in , where Harley resists being seduced by
the dark side and returning to the Joker. Her romance novel is panned by critics so she
goes on a rampage involving...mind control?
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga14.jpg
NEXT MONTH: - Bane returns! Pulling daring bank robberies throughout Gotham,
there are no leads. And no criminal in town seems to know Bane's whereabouts. Why are his
hideout's neighbors in a rundown part of town Is it simply the threat of his vengeance...
or is there some other force at work?
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga15.jpg
BATMAN BEYOND #5
May 19th
On a field trip to the Gotham Museum of Natural History, Terry and his class are menaced
by what appears to be a re-animated Egyptian mummy! Other strange events follow as several
students contract a mysterious emaciating disease. Is there a connection between these
strange occurrences and the new foreign student in school who seems obsessed with Terry's
girlfriend Dana?
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bb/bb5.jpg
NEXT MONTH: Issue #5 - The return of Inque. She's on a mission to steal top-secret
data, but there's more to her plan than meets the eye. Pieces of her body left behind at
the scene exhibit strange behavior and could lead Batman to Inque or to his own death, or
both.
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bb/bb6.jpg
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #33
May 5th
Superman's greatest enemies have never figured out that Clark Kent and the Man of Steel
are one and the same person -- until now. Who's learned the world's greatest secret, and
how can Clark prove him wrong before he reveals it to the entire world?
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/sa/sa33.jpg
NEXT MONTH:
Superman's greatest enemies have never figured out that Clark Kent and the Man of Steel
are one and the same person -- until now. Who's learned the world's greatest secret, and
how can Clark prove him wrong before he reveals it to the entire world?
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-Kids'WB! will be having a special SUPER-MAN team up week from May 3rd-7th to build up to
May 8th's "A FISH STORY". THE COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM link (see "CURRENT
ANIMATED SERIES" section) has more information on this.
"CURRENT" ANIMATED SERIES'
-The WB has not officially ruled out the possibility of making more BTAS/STAS episodes,
even though they have committed to 52 more episodes of "Batman Beyond".
-THE COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM has news on the all-new Superman episode "A FISH
STORY", as well as the other new SUPERMAN and BATMAN BEYOND episodes heading our way.
They also have the July solicitations for DCU, BATMAN, and SUPERMAN titles.
http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9904/19/index.htm
BATMAN BEYOND
-Apparently the WB is saying that there has been no official announcement of production of
a BATMAN BEYOND direct-to-video movie.
-BATMAN BEYOND: THE MOVIE, the complilation of REBIRTH (parts 1 & 2), will be released
May 18th, with a rating of PG. Why PG? Violence, and an 'intense situation'. (Most likely
how the death of Terry's father is revealed, and how Terry reacts) The movie is also 48
minutes long.
ANIMATED COMICS
-On May 12th DC Comics will be releasing a free BATMAN BEYOND comic. This comic will be
shipped out to comic stores all over North America. The 32 page comic will collect the
first 2 issues of BATMAN BEYOND, but re-edited. This means some panels will be cut out and
made smaller. So basically, if you go to a comic store to pick up comics, just ask on May
12th and you should get one. The BATMAN BEYOND comic is released on May 12th to coincide
with the release of BATMAN BEYOND:THE MOVIE on May 18th.
-Lock-Up will be appearing in "Gotham Adventures" sometime after .
- of GOTHAM ADVENTURES features Alfred getting kidnapped, and Batman seemingly
not caring at all. Also featuring Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing.
-The ongoing BATMAN BEYOND comic series will begin in the fall. The date is
currently unspecified.
OTHER COMICS
-For more, see the "Road Through No Man's Land" section below.
MOVIES
-AIN'T IT COOL NEWS reports Michael Uslan, the man who owns the film rights to BATMAN and
SWAMP THING, was a guest speaker at NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY last week, where he said a
new BATMAN film is in the works for release around 2000-2001. He also mentioned WARNER
BROS. was setting aside $28 million for a new SWAMP THING feature.
-The much-oppposed "Batman Beyond" movie will be written by Paul Dini and
produced by Bruce Timm.
-WB will be re-releasing the following movies to coincide with BATMAN BEYOND: THE MOVIE
this May:
BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM
BATMAN & MR. FREEZE: SUB-ZERO
SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF KRYPTON
THE BATMAN/SUPERMAN MOVIE: WORLD'S FINEST
TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-The video game based on the animated incarnation of Superman will be released this
spring. The N64 version will be on May 11, and the Playstation version will be
sometime in June.
-Check out "Two-Face's Trading Post" if you're interested in purchasing
figures...lists provided below.
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THE ROAD THROUGH NO MAN'S LAND
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
Yes, I know this isn't really an animated topic, but I thought, hey, it's Batman's 60th
anniversary, and this is the big event that celebrates it, so I should have a section
dedicated to this year-long crossover. Besides, so far it's been excellent in every issue.
We have this section split up into two parts - the first saying what has already happened,
the second previewing what's to come. Enjoy!
UP UNTIL NOW...
JANUARY: After 100 days of absence, Batman has returned, and took down the
Ventriloquist and Scarface; Rhino now runs that sector of town under Batman's
control. First appearance of the new Batgirl.
FEBRUARY: The Scarecrow then took up refuge in the "Faith Sector" of
town, where he had a field day tormenting the Huntress, as well as getting a war started
between the Penguin and Black Mask. We then learn Batman is not working out of the
Batcave anymore, but Arkham Asylum.
Then we see a flashback of Rene Montoya in Downtown Gotham, where she runs into
good-Samaritan Two-Face, who is helping the people there, due to the luck of the coin.
MARCH: Batman then confronts the Penguin in the Iceberg Lounge, winning a small
victory; Penguin loses credibility as a result. Gordon "makes a deal with the
devil". Then Black Mask attacks Oracle in the GCPD sector of town; he is
apprehended by Batgirl and sent to a prison run by Lock-Up and KGBeast. Black Mask
is presumably killed by Tally Man in prison.
APRIL: We see Alfred telling a story to a bunch of homeless people, which
parrallels what has happened to him since NO MAN'S LAND began. Alfred lived solo for 100
days, and, after attempting to protect a bunch of "slaves" from some thugs,
Batman returns to save his life.
Then we see a story of a man who tries to protect his house from the likes of Mr.
Zsasz, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, and the Joker; speaking of the Joker, Batman sends Azrael
to find him - this is the first major Joker appearance in No Man's Land. Superman
then arrived in Gotham, and within 24 hours, took out the Mad Hatter and granted
electrical power to Gotham; Mr. Freeze runs the power-plant sector of town and confronted
Superman, but was left alone after Superman left town. Superheroes can fix the city
physically, but mentally, there is still a lot of work to do.
That's 17 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.
WHAT'S TO COME...
-Rest of April: Alfred is the focus again.
-May: "Claim-Jumping" (2 parts). The GCPD confront the Penguin, and Batman
confronts Two-Face, in the first major turf war in Gotham since "Black Monday";
in the end, Two-Face remains triumphant, but no word on how the Penguin battle will
finish. The Penguin and Two-Face stories are said to be two of the most important segments
in the battle in No Man's Land.
-May: Francine Langstrom comes to the Penguin for help, which results in Man-Bat returning
to Gotham.
-June: Batgirl's identity is revealed in LOTDK #120. Then, Batman and Robin battle
Clayface for the life of Poison Ivy in "Fruit of the Earth" (3 parts).
-July: Batman and Mr. Freeze battle in the heat of the summer at the power plant,
determining who controls Chinatown.
-See more below.
AS FOR THE OTHER HEROES:
-Robin and Nightwing return to Gotham in June!
-Robin's first duty is to aid Batman in saving Poison Ivy from Clayface.
-Nightwing is ordered by Batman to take control of Blackgate Prison after returning to
Gotham in July; Lock-Up is unhappy with this.
-The Spoiler gives birth in Robin #65.
-Robin, Superboy, Impulse, and a bunch of the "Young Justice" heroes come to
Gotham to try and fix things up.
-Azrael and Batgirl team up to take down Nicholas Scratch, in a giant comic also featuring
Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face.
-Catwoman breaks back into Gotham in Catwoman #72, this July.
-A one-shot focussing on how Harvey Bullock is handling No Man's Land is also due out;
Black Mask appears. Told in flashback.
-Superman will return to Gotham in October.
AND AS FOR THE REMAINING VILLAINS...
-Two-Face has seized control of the political and financial districts in Downtown Gotham. In the first major turf war of NO MAN'S LAND, the GCPD confronts the Penguin, Batman tries to take Two-Face down but fails in his
first attempt. Two-Face then releases the Russian assassin "Echo" from Blackgate Prison, who goes on a killing spree, with a bounty on Batgirl's head.
-Two-Face re-appears in another big way later on in No Man's Land, apparently as the second-last villain to be defeated. (How fitting.)
-Man-Bat appears, thanks to the Penguin and Francine Langstrom.
-Poison Ivy has sought refuge in the Robinson Park and turned it into a Garden-of-Eden paradise. But then Clayface appears and turns this Eden into a Hell for Ivy.
-Black Mask and "The Widow Wacker" confront Bullock in a special one-shot due out in June.
-Mr. Freeze seizes control of the power plant to stay alive - and to have something valuable to trade with the rest of society. His story involves - a plumber? Freeze also controls Chinatown. (LOTDK #121)
-Bane tries to gain control of the city - again - but has to break in from the outside - across the river filled with land mines. Batgirl also has a significant role. This is in Detective Comics #736, in July.
-Lock-Up is in trouble when Nightwing tries to take over control of Blackgate Prison in July!
-The Joker doesn't appear as a major player until close to the end, along with the new, improved Harley Quinn - whom will appear with the Joker AND Poison Ivy in August.
-The Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Mr. Zsasz, and various other "lesser" villains have their own chunks of Gotham to rule as well.
-Ra's Al Ghul, meanwhile, is in Washington D.C. battling Anarky in his new ongoing series.
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