Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Week of July 19 - July 31/August 1, 1999
Volume 2,
Rated: PG for some "low-key coarse language and occasional griping"
THIS ISSUE'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: "IT'S THE SUMMER LULL...SO SUE US IF WE HAVE NOTHING INTERESTING TO SAY!"
_____________________________
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to another issue of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". Enjoy!
_____________________________
SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
Starting this issue, we are doing a special column in which fans write in and tell us why they love "Batman: The Animated Series", "Superman", and "Batman Beyond" so much. This column will run for the next four issues of "Batman: The Animated Newsletter". ALSO we have guest-editorialist Kelly Tindall on board; you can read his editorial in the space where Laura Hysert once wrote (where are you, Laura!??? :-(
Take care! Have fun! And enjoy!
_____________________________
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.
KidsWB will soon be shown on a new channel called "WeB" - I know little about this - but if you can get that channel, I'm pretty sure the WB shows would be on.
'ONCE BURNED'
Batman Beyond #14?
Air Date: 1999-2000 season
Ten returns to rekindle her love for Terry, and the Royal Flush Gang returns to once again kill Batman - but then again, is there more than meets the eye this time?
'SPLICING'
Batman Beyond #15?
Airdate:1999-2000 season
Teenagers at Hamilton Hill High School's new fad is 'splicing' where teens take characteristics of animals and geneticaly splice them into their own bodies. You can guess this goes downhill fast!
'THE DEMON REBORN'
Superman #44?
Air date: Fall of 1999
BATMAN'S FINAL CURRENT-DAY ANIMATED APPEARANCE! This episode features Batman and Superman teaming up to take down Ra's Al Ghul, who has plans to send the world back to its natural, pre-human state. WOOHOO! THE BAT IS BACK! Airs in September.
'LEGACY (Pt. 1 & 2)'
Superman #48, 49?
Air date: Fall of 1999
This two-parter features the final showdown between Superman and Darksied in which he strips Superman of his memory and adopts him as a son in an effort to take over Earth. Now it seems this won't air until September! Argh!
____________________________
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.html
PS - Remember that "Batman Beyond" airs 30 minutes AFTER "Batman/Superman" is over, because "Men In Black" has been squeezed in between.
THIS WEEK:
Mon 7-19-99: Superman #04 Fun and Games
Batman #79 Riddler's Reform
Tue 7-20-99: Batman #72 Harlequinade
Superman #24 Solar Power
Wed 7-21-99: Superman #06 The Way of All Flesh
Batman #84 Deep Freeze
Thu 7-22-99: Superman #33 Apokalips...Now! (Pt. 1)
Superman #35 Apokalips...Now! (Pt. 2)
Fri 7-23-99: Batman #95 Torch Song
Superman #29 The Hand of Fate
Sat 7-24-99: Batman #106 Mad Love
Superman #46 Absolute Power
B-BEYOND #04 Golem
NEXT WEEK:
Episode schedules for the week of July 12 to July 18 were unavailable at the delivery date of this newsletter. For current schedules, go to Brian Cruz' site, via the link provided above.
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.
______________________________
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 BTAS, as well as both animated movies. BTAS airs Monday-Friday at 6pm (ET) and then repeated again at midnight. If our schedule listings is not complete or up to date then please go to TOONZONE for the complete episode schedule at:
http://www.toonzone.net/brian/schedules/batman-cn.html
______________________________
EPISODE REVIEW: (SPOILERS!)
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
All of Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton's reviews of the new-style BTAS episodes and BATMAN BEYOND can be found via these links, which link to "Two-Face's Tower of Tranquility and Terror":
MAIN PAGE:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFace/index.html
BTAS PAGE:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/TimTwoFaceText/bats.html
<BATMAN BEYOND>
HEROES
Written by Rich Fogel
Directed by Butch Lukic
Animation by Dong Yang
Original air date: February 20, 1999
My rating: **1/2
I'll say this right off the bat - this episode is mediocre at best. Many say this is a blatant rip-off of Marvel's "Fantastic Four" - I won't agree to that, because I don't know much about those four mutant superheroes. However, I will say that this episode suffers terribly from a weak plot and uninteresting characters.
There is a new troupe of heroes in town - The Terrific Trio (which, sadly, are nearly as lame as BTAS' "The Terrible Trio") - which live in "Terrific Tower" or something like that. Everyone knows who these superpowered mutants are, and they're more like a publicity stunt than an actual superhero team. Just check out their merchandising line - it's even bigger than that of Batman's, as seen in "I am the Night".
Can we say BORING? We have three heroes - one who is like a ghostly Mrs. Freeze who has freezing powers (how original) - her name is freon. Then we have Clayface-wannabe, Magma, who has heat/lava powers. And then there's 2D man (who reminds me of the comic hero "Plastic Man"), who is made of rubber and is as thin as a piece of paper - just as thin as the plot.
The first main problem - these characters don't have time to be developed. We learn that they were all victims of a science experiment gone wrong, and that Freon and Magma are married. Is this supposed to deepen the plot? If it is, it doesn't work at all.
Bruce sees these people, and being the untrusting person he is, KNOWS they're gonna do something bad. So he sends Terry out. Fight. Fight. Fight. Then we see the army led by a Hitler-wannabe attack the trio; it's been made known that their DNA is deteriorating, and it's a well-known fact that when people are faced with adversity like this, they go insane and commit random acts of evil. Yeah, right. Anyhow, the army (who we are to presume are evil, because of this Hitler reference - how
drole) tries to save the city by blowing half of it up trying to stop the misguided trio. Way to go, guys. You deserve a medal. Clap. Clap.
Not only that, this episode got that stupid "Heroes" song by the Wallflowers stuck in my head - hate that song. Uhhhhgh. "We can be heroes...just one day"...but not today. Not this episode. Nope.
Very poor episode. But, I must admit that the visual look of the episode is quite good, and while the action is often confusing or has been done already (how many times have we seen people been frozen lately??), it was pulled off well enough. That's the only reason why I gave the episode as high a rating as I had.
I don't blame the writer here, because I know Fogel is a good writer. I just think the producers said, "we want an episode about three mutants vs. Batman with lotsa explosions and stuff", and he did the best he could. Everyone on the crew is more than capable to do better episodes than this - but I guess every show has to have its poorer episodes - this being the first (and worst) of
Beyond's. Hopefully it's the last of the poor ones.
I hope this doesn't mean we'll be seeing more mutant superhero episodes in the future. I don't want DC shows to turn out like Marvel's.
So, see it to make your own decision, but if you miss it, don't be heartbroken or lose sleep or anything.
_____________________________
SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE
(by YOU, the fans)
FANS, FANS EVERYWHERE!
PART ONE
Welcome to our new summer column! This will be a four week column showcasing why fans Batman/Superman/Beyond so much! This column is compirsed of quotes from fans, telling us why its a step above all the rest! But remember, these are YOUR quotes! Can you find yours? Can you find ours? Can you find Waldo? OK, enough of this...let's begin!
"Sometimes, the animation is the best reason to watch the show. If you watch long enough, you get to witness a real work of art - take the flying scene from the Superman episode "Little Girl Lost" - that was a really, really good piece of animation. The first seasons of Batman, too, have their moments - far more than Superman has ever had. The newer seasons are able to attract us to them with new characters and plot lines, as well as humor - Bruce Wayne, over the phone: "So, what are you going to do tonight?" Barbara Gordon, on the other end: "Same thing we do every night, Pinky" - so, okay, I admit that was a little thing they took from Pinky and the Brain, but still, the writing hasn't lost too much - the original series were a bit more intelligent, I'll admit, but the new season is still worth watching, if only to see whatever happened to Batgirl, or why Robin is now a young boy named Tim Drake. Batman Beyond has this quality as well - it's intriguing to find out what has happened to Gotham City over all of
these years. The blending of old characters, themes and places with new plots, new villains, and, of course, a new hero, creates an entertaining, fun-to-watch, and slightly nostalgic show."
-~Green
"These shows have spun off some of the best [comic-book] stories ever told. Who could forget BATMAN ADVENTURES #33? A tragic tale about the darker side of being Batman. Or what about issues #11-12 of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES when he gets a disease, and Metropolis is left helpless. What this show has is staying power, plus great stories - two factors that go hand in hand."
-Andrew
"Two Words: Dini. Timm."
-anonymous
"I think the fans have made this show. Fans can only enhance things. If a great series had no fans, then there would be no one to see it. A show like this has plenty of fans (plus dedicated ones, like the newsletter staff) and why shouldn't it? It has two pop culture icons (Batman &
Superman). Twisted villians and great stories. The best adaptation of comics ever!
-Austin
"An animated show based on a comic is only as good as its [comic book] spin-off. When you have heavy hitters like Ty [Templeton] and Mark [Millar] writing the book, and heavy hitters Paul Dini and Bruce Timm on the series, how can it not fail?"
-Jarvis
"Who can forget the [BTAS] theme?!"
-George
"Even though Kids'WB! is currently rerunning the Batman/Superman episodes to death, I don't think I could ever get sick of watching them. The good ones that is. Crap like MOON OF THE WOLF and CRITTERS should never have aired in the first place."
-Mike
"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the ratings for BATMAN BEYOND! I'm glad the Batman legacy will reach a new generation of fans."
-Marty
"X-Men animated series? Garbage. Spider-Man? Ugh! THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES? Excellent!"
-Ross
"It's amazing how Dini and Timm can strip away a lot of the crap from the past 60 years of Batman, and make it as new and refreshing as if this character was just invented. Congratulations!"
-Jeremy
"Their just great shows definitely go up in my favorites. I like the villians, the plots, the heroes. My favorite is Batman Beyond because I guess you can relate to him more because he's closest to our age and a youngin'. I like the show a lot and I can't wait for the second season even though I'll miss the original batman."
-anonymous
"I remember in an issue of TOONZONE (A WIZARD mag or something) they listed [the best cartoon series of all time.] BATMAN at #3, with THE SIMPSONS at #2, and LOONEY TUNES at #1. For some reason, I couldn't agree with them more."
-Benji
"It made me forget about the horrible 1960s series. Any show that can do that is spectacular!"
-Jason
"HEART OF ICE. I AM THE NIGHT. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE. Episodes like these you never forget. 30 years from now you may shed a tear watching the final minutes of HEART OF ICE when Mr. Freeze cried for his beloved."
-Matt
"I don't really think you can pinpoint why this series is so good. The take on the character is just so dead on and perfect, the series could be utter crap and would still be as popular as it is today."
-anonymous
"While BTAS appealed to the adult in all of us, TNBA appealed to our inner child. A show that captures all generations like this should never be forgotten."
-anonymous
"I was a bit afraid to watch it (visions of Adam West dance in my head), but when I saw the first scene of ON LEATHER WINGS I knew I wasn't gonna see BLAMMO! etched across the screen."
-Martin
"Superman is so amazing. The animation is astounding and the stories or horrifyingly close to home. Even though they are 'big-name' villians, they do evil that everyday people can do. That to me is scary. Superman handles it so perfectly though. Never crossing the line and rarely sugar coating it for children. Thank you WB for making a great Icon! Now if only WB would fix the Superman comics..."
-Mark
"It seems recently the best version of any character is the animated version. Look at the new Disney movie TARZAN. The best. Look at Kids'WB!'s Batman/Superman. Utter Genius."
-Micheal
"SUPERMAN ADVENTURES is basically the missing episodes. The stories practically pick up where the animated series left off. Mark Millar and Aluir Almancio just do stunning work to bring new stories of our favorite heroes and villians to life!"
-A Super Fan
...more to come next issue...
_____________________________
EDITORAL #1
(by Laura Hysert, aka "Phoenix")
Laura is still on hiatus, so we've managed to get an article to fill in the gap she's made - which, ironically, is about the hiatus of ANOTHER thing we all love and adore. (Cue sappy music!) So, without further adieu, here is guest-editorialist Kelly
Tindall! (Cue trumpet blast!)
THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: BETTER OFF ON HIATUS?
There has been a lot of uproar, primarily among die-hard fans, about the recent hibernation of The New Batman/Superman Adventures. Fans wring their hands, worrying that new episodes might never be produced. Critics turn their attention to newer shows. And the rest of the world? Well, relief is just a channel click away.
But who's to say that the indeterminate slumber Batman/Superman has gone into isn't welcome? Even necessary?
Let's examine the last season's worth of shows, shall we? While not all of the last few shows have been on my plate, most have been absorbed.
Many have been good. Some, like "Mad Love", have been extremely good. Alas, many have been bad. Very bad. While this is a natural difficulty in any show (BTAS, we all know, had its share of stinkers), many of the most recent episodes, Superman in particular, have been downright bland.
The episodes that really point out a difficulty are "Superman's Pal", "A Fish Story", and "Chemistry". The problems stem from two different difficulties; story and animation. Superman has bad animation, Batman gets the weak stories.
Now, to be fair, Superman has had some lousy scripts handed in, too. "Superman's Pal" was almost unwatchable due largely to the horribly contrived script and two ridiculous villains. However, the sinking of this, and puns aside, "A Fish Story", were the animation. Both episodes were embarrassing. The water effects in Fish were nauseating, but not in the obvious
seasickness fashion. They were badly done. The same can be said of the totally bland "Superman's Pal". Flashy animation saves weak scripts, but bad animation, if you'll pardon another ocean pun, sinks them.
The difficulty with the last few Batman episodes were largely the supporting cast. Specifically, the villains. The latest reincarnation of Batman was fair to the villains, giving all at least one episode to appear in and star. However, many of the solo appearances were weak at best.
"Chemistry" is the most obvious guilty party. It was a very dull episode, overall, with a few excellent lines("Bruce...I'm your WIFE...") and effects. The climax and motive were cliched Poison Ivy. The entire "stealing the money from wealthy bachelors" was, let's face it, beaten to death five years ago. Plus, the stark stylization of the new style made Ivy's plants look
flat and unappealing. Poison Ivy's freestyle removal of her plant-man's skin would have been a lot more affecting in more than two shades of green.
After all the fuss that was made over the new look of the Riddler, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, et al., we see after all there was no reason to be upset. We only saw Scarecrow alone once, and it was no epic storyline. The Riddler never said more than twenty words this year, and Croc was a henchman in his own episode. As for the Joker...well, it's pretty simple to write a good story for such a great character. The topic of Joker/Harley indulgence by the writers is a quest for another night.
So, why the weakness in the product? Less passionate writers? This could be true; "Legends of the Dark Knight" and "Mad Love" were labors of love, and good episodes. Less attention? The old standby directors, Riba, Geda, Timmm hardly made appearances this year, chugging away at Batman Beyond.
I think it's all a matter of moving on. The new season had its ups and downs, particularly near the end, and now Batman Beyond is the focus. This shouldn't be such a big deal for fans, for the new Bat is delivering just as much excitement as the old...but that's for another time. Just remember that the past is probably not as great as you remember.
Cheers for now,
Kelly Tindall
_____________________________
EDITORIAL #2
(by Michael Mandeville)
batboym@wtp.net
THE OVERSHOWN, UNDERSHOWN, AND UNSHOWN EPISODES OF DC'S GREATEST HEROES
Has anybody else noticed this? Am I the only one whom is driven nuts by this? Obviously not.
Superman's unshown episodes:
"Legacy (Parts 1&2)"
"The Demon Reborn"
They are taking a heck of a long time in showing these episodes, aren't they? Why do they have to wait so long to show them? In "Beast Wars" they wound up their season in June and will start the next chapter of the series in the fall - and this is announced to everyone. But in the case of Superman, they show all the new episodes together in June, and then wait to show the other episodes in...wait a minute...when ARE they supposed to be shown? They could have had the same effect if they showed "Legacy (Pt. 1)" in June and "Legacy (Pt. 2)" in June (of the next year), but obviously they want to space them out since there may not be any other episodes made. I agree on this decision to space them out, but I wouldn't have spaced them out so much as to have cause Batman/Superman fans to completely lose interest in them, (which will probably happen to me).
Superman's Overshown episodes:
"Brave New Metropolis"
Now I know that there are other episodes shown even MORE than "Brave New Metropolis", but when I started watching Batman/Superman, I saw "Brave New Metropolis" seven times in seven months. They usually don't show two episodes in the same month, but Batman has done it before (talk about over-kill).
Batman's Overshown episode:
"The Demon Within"
This episode has probably been shown 506 times (or more) since it premiered in May of 1998. Why did the WB do this? Did this show get high ratings? Did they spend so much money on it that in order for it to pay off, they must show THIS much? Do they do it so I can memorize every line (which I have)? Or do they do it just to annoy me (Probably)?
Superman's undershown (now no-shown) episode:
"The Last Son of Krypton (Pt. 1, 2, 3)"
This episode was released to video! Right? Whoever actually saw it in stores, raise their hand! But I do know that WB hasn't shown these episodes in at least a year. And I still have yet to see Part 3!
Batman's undershown episodes
"Blind as a Bat"
Yes, I do realize that many of the older episodes no longer air on the WB, now that the CARTOON NETWORK has the rights to show them. Maybe this is one of those episodes...but I swear that I saw it on the WB before (as well as a plethora of other older BTAS episodes). Worse yet, the Cartoon Network shows this episode only once a year! If I could just find an accurate schedule and figure out how to set my VCR...
Shouldn't the WB show all of the cartoons that the WB itself made? I'm not completely sure as to why the WB would give CARTOON NETWORK the rights to air a big chunk of the older BTAS eps. For money reasons, I'm sure...but how would this be more profitable?
Batboy [Beyond]
batboym@wtp.net
_____________________________
