BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)
Oh_Ho77@hotmail.com
Mission Masters Wave: Insect-Body Mr. Freeze with Robot-Body and Ice
Blaster.
Once again, Kenner has redeemed itself and proven that its strong
quality is in the cold hearted - Mr. Freeze that is. I finally acquired the
much-sung and sought after Mission Masters Mr. Freeze, (which is a saga in and of itself,
but hey, you have a life to live and this is a Toy Review, not a forum to air my
rant about the latest psycho in my life.) and I
definitely have to add a verse or two to that song.
Like the Old Series figures, Mr. Freeze takes his place among the best
of the line. The sculpt on this figure is perfect, and coupled with the nicely
detailed paint job, he looks just like his design specs - if not better! For the blue
parts of his costume, like his boots, (I love those boots!) a metallic blue paint is
used. I always thought the show did a good job of
making these parts look metallic, and the figure succeeded in its translation as
well. It kind of reminds me of snow before it's stepped on.
As with the Old Series version, Mr. Freeze's head is encased in a clear
dome, but this time, his head unit is removable, and can be snapped onto his
Insect-Body! The Insect-Body is great as well because each of the four legs is
movable for better posing and play value! Another great thing about his Robot-Body,
is that a panel on his chest snaps out, and his torso is hollow and detailed inside.
Add that to the detail of his red eyes outlined in a deathly black, and like I said, an
awesome figure!
Another plus is the card art. While the artist rendition of good
ole' Vic is very action oriented to emphasize the figures play value, I'm not quite sure I
care for the expression on his face. He looks like he's in the middle of a war cry,
and I don't see Mr. Freeze participating in such an activity. The nicest part of the
card art is the background, which is very reminiscent of paintings of Victor's laboratory
in the episode "Heart of Ice." Check out the paintings in Paul Dini and
Chip Kidd's book "Batman Animated." The background is a dark sewer with
ice hanging from a vent and the sewer pipes. The whole picture has a blue tone to it
and makes a very frigid image! This figure is a Must-Have for all collectors, so if
you
can't find it yet, wait a couple of months, and if tradition holds true, there will be
plenty warming the shelves.
An honorable mention in the Mission Masters Wave goes to Glider Strike
Batman. Granted, he has a bronze and black costume, which is silly, however he is
accompanied with a hang glider that looks a lot (minus the tail section) like the glider
used by Batman in Old Series episodes such as "The Cat and the Claw (Pt. 2)" and
"Heart of Steel (Pt. 1)." Now we just have to wait for the new Riddler
figure to come out. (And keep our fingers crossed for a good Catwoman figure!)
_____________________________
COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)
BATMAN BEYOND
ISSUE: "Magic is Everywhere!" (#4)
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
PENCILED BY: Joe Stanton
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: April 21, 1999 (Cover date is June)
RATING: *** (out of 5)
"So how'd you know I was out there?
Magic?"
"Video. I have security cameras everywhere."
--Terry McGinnis talking with Jason Blood
SUMMARY: A kid is screwing around on his computer when he conjurs
up an evil demon that proceeds to attack the zoo where Terry McGinnis' class is for the
day. He changes to Batman and finds out that he's no match for the monster.
Suddenly it leaves because the kid that brought it wants him to go away. Back at the
Batcave Bruce tells Terry to go see Jason Blood who finds out what's happened. He
then takes him to meet a guy who has created a demon-trap-thing based on studies of the
physics of magic. They set up the trap in the high school and Jason transforms into
Etrigan to lure the bad demon to it. Eventually, after a fight, they trap the bad
guy and send him packing into a computer. Meanwhile, Terry severs the being's
connection with the kid who summoned it by knocking him out.
COMMENTS: This issue had a fairly good story, but seemed rather
routine of these types of plots. However, it was nice to see Jason Blood and Etrigan
again, and the comic was well executed.
CRITICISMS: I thought the art in this issue was a little lacking
(granted, this is the first issue of the Beyond series pencilled by Stanton). I
didn't think the character designs looked "on" all the time, and I thought the
kid in the story looked pretty young for a high-schooler. Another thing I found
rather odd was that a high school class would take a field trip to the zoo. That's
something my school would've done in elementary school; definitely not in senior high.
BOTTOM LINE: An average story coupled with average artwork makes
for an average read.
_____________________________
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 #15
June 2nd
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
NEXT MONTH: - Alfred is kidnapped. But by who?
Cover: Unavailable
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 #6 - 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 #34
June 2nd
The Man of Steel's been possessed, and only one man can save him... or at least stop him!
An ancient evil is on the loose in Metropolis, and it's taken control of Superman! It's a
job only the sorcerous Dr. Fate can handle. At least we hope so, or he may have to banish
the Man of Steel to a place with extremely warm temperatures!
Cover: Unavailable
NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis unknown.
Cover: Unavailable
______________________________
NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-???
"CURRENT" ANIMATED SERIES'
-Rumor has it that the two-part STAS episode "LEGACY" won't air until September
now.
BATMAN BEYOND
-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
-Ty Templeton returns in the future with a Joker story for GOTHAM ADVENTURES! Wooohaaa!
Also pencilled by Terry Beatty.
-As for Terry, he won't be inking the ongoing BATMAN BEYOND series this fall. (Argh!)
-An upcoming story for SUPERMAN ADVENTURES involves the Parasite absorbing some of Mr.
Mxystplk's (can ANYONE spell it right?) powers and does damage through space and time.
Look for this story in (hopefully)
OTHER COMICS
-For more, see the "Road Through No Man's Land" section below.
MOVIES
-???
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.
______________________________
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": Two-Face. 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 learn of Alfred's early days in No Man's Land, and how he re-met
Batman. A Gothamite protects his home form the likes of Zsasz, Croc, Freeze, and the
Joker; the Joker than goes head-to-head with Azrael. Superman arrives in Gotham, takes out
the Mad Hatter, and restores power to the power plant, giving Freeze responsibility to
keep it running. Batman then sets out to settle all the minor squabbles in Gotham;
this issue features a retelling by Alfred of how Dr. Thomas Wayne broke the law for the
good of one of his patients.
MAY: The first major turf war has begun in part one of "Claim
Jumping". Two-Face and the Penguin make arrangements to take out both Batman
and the GCPD, respectively. Meanwhile, Two-Face frees a mentally two-faced assassin
named Isabella Cheranova from Blackgate prison - but why?
This issue also features an up-to-date map of Gotham: Batman now rules a HUGE chunk
of town, and it looks like Zsasz and Croc have expanded their territories as well.
It also looks like the Scarecrow and Mad Hatter HAVE been defeated and locked up in
Blackgate permanently.
That's 19 issues of NML so far. For a complete list, e-mail us.
WHAT'S TO COME...
-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.
-Rest of May: Batman and Batgirl fight Echo, the assassin Two-Face broke out of Blackgate
prison.
-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). And
don't forget Harley's intro!
-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:
-Batgirl's identity is revealed in LOTDK#120, this June.
-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.
-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, a la BATMAN CHRONICLES #16.
-Leslie Thompkins is the focus of BATMAN CHRONICLES #18, in August.
-Superman will return to Gotham in SHADOW OF THE BAT #92, 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.
-The one-shot comic featuring Harley Quinn's intro to the mainstream Bat-universe will
also come out this 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.
______________________________
TWO-FACE'S TRADING POST
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
I know that there are many people out there that collect Batman OR
Superman items - like
myself. I only started a year ago and, believe me, finding some of these items (like
action figures) that were released a couple years ago is pretty tough! So, I decided to
start up a
little section in the newsletter to help out our fellow Bat-fans. I can only
personally guarantee that my entries are 100% true, for I saw these items with my own
eyes. So we're working on the honour system here. Sound fair?
ALSO if you are LOOKING for something, e-mail me and I can put your
request in the "WANT TO BUY" section. There is the possibility that a
fellow subscriber is willing to sell what you're looking for!
IMPORTANT QUERY: Many fans have been unable to see any of the new-style
BTAS episodes, and any of the STAS or BATMAN BEYOND episodes. Can someone who is in the
know point out a website that tells the copyright laws regarding taping episodes off the
TV and selling them to people who want 'em? I'm not saying we're doing this - but I
know it would help many out. So if anyone has any official info on this (or, better yet,
if someone from the WB network contact us), that'd be great. In the meantime, we
won't be selling or trading any home-recorded BTAS episodes here.
Well, here we go! I hope this helps out someone out there!
1. JOKERZ LEADER. Mail editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton if you
are interested in the Jokerz Leader figure from the new "Batman Beyond" line, in
a near-mint package. Pic available. E-mail: juno@direct.ca
2. KILLER CROC. Editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton has a spare
Killer Croc figure lying around, in a mint package. Pic available. E-mail juno@direct.ca if interested.
3. THE MAD HATTER. Yup! Editor Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton has one
spare BTAS "Mad Hatter" figure (in a mint-condition package) in his possession
that he is willing to get rid of. This is the only Mad Hatter figure in existance (to our
collective knowledge), and is a wonderful figure besides! Sure, that was a shameless plug,
but it IS a cool figure. Pic available. If interested, e-mail: juno@direct.ca
4. TNBA EASTER EGG. From England. An approx. 5"X8"
box with great artwork all the way around. Contains a large red-foil wrapped
chocolate Easter egg (good until 7-99) and some gum-drop-like candies. Cost is $25.00 per
egg which includes shipping and insurance within the US. Email for scanned pic, or
if interested: keatking@icehouse.net
5. Wow! Look at all this! If you want any of the following, or are even
interested, e-mail Craig at NextNexus@aol.com
-Scans are available for all the figures, too. All figures are MOC (mint, on card),
and from the various BTAS lines.
Quick-change Bruce Wayne (red outfit)
Quick-change Bruce Wayne in yellow outfit = $35 RARE!
Turbojet Batman
Anti-Freeze Batman
Sky Dive Batman
Decoy Batman (orange "Mask of the Phantasm" card)
Total Armor Batman ("MotP" card)
Robin (w/Turbo Glider)
Dick Grayson/Robin
Ninja Robin
Joker, green face (w/"Laughing Gas" spray gun - original BTAS Joker fig.)
Jet Pack Joker, rare green face ("MotP" card)
Penguin MOC
Mr. Freeze (original deco)
Man-Bat
Clayface
Harley Quinn
Bane (original BTAS card)
----------
WANTS TO BUY
1. CLAYFACE. Anyone know where to get a "Legends of the Dark
Knight" Clayface figure? I know it's not animated, but it still counts for this
column...can anyone help? E-mail: juno@direct.ca
2. COMBAT BELT BATMAN, and BTAS BATMOBILE. If you know where to
find these figures - or a BTAS Batwing (I'm pretty sure one was made) e-mail this address:
cnwitkow@concentric.net
_____________________________
FEATURED BAT-SITES FOR THIS ISSUE
TERRY BEATTY and WENDY LEE WEBSITE
Yep! You heard right! A site dedicated to showing off the talents of
"Batman: Gotham Adventures" inker, Terry Beatty! And there's a lot more here
than just the expected Bat-content...a very good site indeed! The site also provides info
on how to make bids for their artwork at EBay. To check it out, go here:
http://www.muscanet.com/~wlee
_____________________________
ANIMATED BATMAN/SUPERMAN SITES:
* - indicates a shameless plug for a site a certain double-faced editor
created with his bare hands - in other words, a cheap advertising technique.
OFFICIAL SITES
-----
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.batman-superman.com
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://www.batmantas.com
BATMAN BEYOND
http://www.batmanbeyond.com
SUB-ZERO: THE DEFINTIE GUIDE
http://www.batman-subzero.com
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
TOON ZONE
http://www.toonzone.net
RAVING TOY MANIAC
http://www.toymania.com
VOICE CHASERS
http://www.voicechasers.org
UNOFFICIAL SITES
-----
*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
GOTHAM GAZETTE
http://members.aol.com/gothamajp
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE
http://www3.sympatico.ca/quartet/home.htm
RA'S AL GHUL'S THE LAZARUS PIT
http://www.aitnet.et/lazaruspit
THE DARK KNIGHT
http://www.darkknight.ca
ANIMANIA
http://hjem.get2net.dk/twt/home.htm
HARLEY'S HAVEN OF HEDONISM
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/harlequinhideaway
THE ANIMATED BAT
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/7382/index.html
BATMAN/SUPERMAN SNAP JUDGMENTS
http://www.snapjudgments.com/batsup.html
BATMAN BEYOND MULTIMEDIA
http://www.prophecysite.com/batman.htm
THE BATCOMPUTER
http://members.spree.com/batcomputer
BATMAN: FOREVER KNIGHT
http://batman.techv.net
WORLD'S FINEST
http://members.spree.com/sip/worldsfinest
CHARACTERS ON THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN
http://www.xse.com/leres/batman.html
ARKHAM ASYLUM
http://animation.acmecity.com/saturday/352
JLA: THE ANIMATED SERIES
http://animation.acmecity.com/character/375
THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES: THE UNOFFICIAL SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Makeup/5158
ANIMATED TALES
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/2294/at
BATMAN BEYOND: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE
http://www.batmanbeyond.net
MESSAGE BOARDS
-----
HEAVY DUTY DUBBAS DISCUSSION CENTER
http://members.spree.com/sip/hddboards
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED MESSAGE BOARD
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb158314
NEWSGROUPS
-----
news:alt.comics.batman
news:alt.animation.batman
news:alt.comics.superman
news:rec.arts.sf.superman
news:alt.tv.cartoon-network
news:rec.arts.animation
news:alt.animation.warner-bros
_____________________________
QUESTIONS, SUBMISSIONS, AND FAN-MAIL
If you have any questions, problems, links do not work, or anything else
then please e-mail this address with your problems and we'll try to fix them as soon as
possible. Also if you'd like to send any fan-mail then please send it to this address:
juno@direct.ca
As for submissions, feel free to submit an article or opinion on
anything pertaining to BTAS. Keep in mind that as the editors, we have the right to edit
your submissions if we deem it necessary. Such instances would include problems with
length, grammar, and language. If we do feel we must edit something, however, we
will do our utmost to ensure that the opinion and the basic message of the submission does
not change, as that is the most important part of any artcile, and everyone is entitled to
it. And if you do submit something, please don't just submit a basic review of an episode
or a comic or something (because we have people writing for those purposes already) -
write about an issue you'd like to discuss.
_____________________________
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED ARCHIVES
The very kind people at TOONZONE were nice enough to give us our own
little section of their huge and diverse website. The archives contain past newsletters
and is semi-regularly updated with the latest one. To check it out go here:
TOONZONE's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/btan
_____________________________
LIKE WHAT YA SEE? WANNA SUBSCRIBE? HERE'S HOW!!!
For those of you who are seeing this at the WBC HOMEPAGE BTAN ARCHIVES
section, and want to subscribe just follow these simple instructions:
To subscribe email juno@direct.ca
and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
For more information the newsletter just email juno@direct.ca
Thank you for your time, and thanks for reading! Tell your friends!
-Tim TWO-FACE Leighton and Dick Grayson, editors
_____________________________
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
EDITORS: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton and "Dick Grayson"
AIR DATE SCHEDULES: Brian Cruz
BTAS REVIEWS: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
EDITORIAL #1: Laura Hysert
EDITORIAL #2: Michael Mandeville
COMIC REVIEWS: Aaron Maurer
TOY REVIEW: Kevin Smith
"BTAN ARCHIVES" MODERATOR: Eileen Delgadillo
TRIVIA: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
ROAD THROUGH NO MAN'S LAND: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
TWO-FACE'S TRADING POST: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
PROMOTIONS AND JUST GETTIN' THE WORD AROUND: Dick Grayson, Eileen Delgadillo, Brian Cruz,
Brian Davis
THOSE WHO FILL IN FOR OTHERS WHEN THEY FOUL UP:-P Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
DELIVERY: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
E-MAIL RECEPTION HANDLING: Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
BATMAN CREATED BY: Bob Kane (who else?)
Batman and all related indica are trademarks of DC Comics, Copyright c
1999.
______________________________
