AND THAT'S THE FACTS
(by "Reliable Source")

(Yes, I understand that the title is grammatically incorrect. So sue us. Actually, nix that. Don't sue us.)

(DISCLAIMER: For those of you who are not yet familiar, Reliable Source is an anonymous character who first surfaced on Batman: The Animated Message Boards, spewing forth ridiculous predictions about the future of Batman Beyond under the guise of spoiler warnings. His controversial posts created quite a buzz, and have now landed him, at least at this moment, a temporary column with this newsletter. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this character are in no way officially connected to Kids WB, Batman Beyond, this newsletter, or anything that is 
decent or holy.)

Well, ladies and gentlemen, with the new preview commercials for season two hitting the airwaves on Kids WB, there's been quite a buzz generated once again about what we can look forward to seeing on Batman Beyond. But, instead of talking about that, let's look at what we probably WON'T see on Batman Beyond. Sure, you've heard all the rumors... The Joker killed Tim Drake. Batman killed The Joker. Two-Face got plastic surgery and became a lawyer. Harley and Ivy became lesbians. You get the idea. But what about some of the lesser known villains? 
Doesn't anyone care what happened to them? Well, via my secret underground network of spies and informants, I have gotten the lowdown for you.

JOSIAH WORMWOOD (from "The Cape And Cowl Conspiracy") realized he was nothing but a shameless carbon copy of The Riddler and took his own life.

MAXIE ZEUS was cured of his delusions and opened up a Vegas casino called Mount Olympus. He became a millionaire, but was eventually sent to "sleep with the fishes" by old underworld ties.

THE CLOCK KING accidentally locked himself in his workshop, where the constant ticking of all those clocks slowly drove him mad. He was found with the name Hamilton Hill carved into his body numerous times and a dull pendulum in his hand.

KYODAI-KEN didn't really die in that volcano explosion. However, since he knew that Bruce Wayne was Batman, he set out to destroy his enemy in the most torturous way possible. He changed his name to Joel Schumacher and became a director....

RED CLAW gave up the terrorist gig and went into politics. That way at least she could be a more wealthy and respected crook.

THAT WOLF GUY FROM "Moon of the Wolf" eventually evolved entirely into a wolf. He was subsequently captured and lived out his days in the San Diego Zoo, where he often tried to eat small children, but failed.

NOSTROMOS, the prophet from "Prophecy of Doom," joined the Psychic Friends Network. Yes, he was still a phony psychic, but he got to host a half hour infomercial with Dionne Warwick.

CALENDAR GIRL, convinced that her movie career was over because she was too old and she had turned to a life of crime, C.G. decided to turn to "the oldest profession" and become a prostitute. She made a pretty good living at it, before finally returning to movies... in the porn industry. Appropriately, her stage name was "April May June."

and last but not least...

FARMER BROWN decided that, instead of growing huge bugs, he would grow huge chickens and rival Colonel Sanders for the title of the king of all poultry. His fried chicken was immensely popular, right up until the day the senile old coot fell into the Giant Chicken Coop and was pecked to death by his own hideous creations. Tragic irony, or poetic justice? You tell me.

That's all for now, see you next time for more news on our favorite pointy-eared crime fighter. 
'Til then, stay tuned.
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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 based on the show. Remember, answer the questions WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANIMATED CONTINUITY. Now have fun - let's see how well you do! Answers are provided below.

OK, I just returned home from a five-hour flight from Mexico, and boy, are my wings tired. 
*BA-DOOM-BOOM-CHING* My brain is 98% goo, so, obviously, thinking is something I DON'T want to be doing right now. Keeping with that, here are some random questions for you:

166. How many music CDs that pertain to any of the animated series have been released?

167. Which Batman villain has appeared in more Batman/Superman crossovers than any other?

168. In what state was this quote said? "Focus! Focus! FO-CUS!"

169. There was one episode of BTAS that ORIGINALLY was going to be the main plot of the animated movie, before the MASK OF THE PHANTASM script came into existance. Which episode was this?

170. Name the villain who appeared in the BTAS episode P.O.V.
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ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA

Answer to #166: Two. (Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Beyond)
Answer to #167: Harley Quinn
Answer to #168: California (Yucca Springs)
Answer to #169: Trial
Answer to #170: Uh, even I don't know this one. I don't think anyone does. If anyone does, send us a reply!
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LITTLE FACTS AND BLOOPERS
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)

Here is a section that just points out various little facts and bloopers 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) Blight's incredible disappearing ribs. Watch the very beginning of the BEYOND episode "ASCENSION". Just as Blight's first words of the episode are said, his lower two left ribs appear, disappear, appear, and disappear again. Blooper time!

2) In "Almost Got 'Im", Batman (dressed as Killer Croc) throws the Joker across the room at the end of the episode. After the cops all pull out their guns on the other villains present, you will see that the Joker has magically made his way back to the card table without the cops even noticing. What's up with that?

3) Remember Dr. Long? He was terrorized by Scarecrow in "Nothing to Fear". Well it seems he's got a new job at STAR LABS in Metropolis. Watch the episode "Livewire" and you'll notice him in some of the STAR LABS scenes.

4) You may notice that one of the doctors that Freeze kidnaps in "Cold Comfort" (the one with the mustache) looks exactly like one of the doctors trying to revive him in a new body in MELTDOWN. Hmm...his kid? Or is this doctor immortal, too?

CONTRIBUTED BY OTHERS:
(by "Lady Wayne")
5) In "Day of the Samurai", when Bruce is talking to Alfred about the fatal touch that Kyodai intends to use, Bruce is standing next to a window and it's raining. The rain is coming down at an angle from left to right. Bruce raises his cup of tea, and for ONE FRAME, the rain comes slanting down from right to left, then immediately goes back the other way! And a few seconds later, the camera zooms in on Bruce's face, and the rain is coming down from right to left again. Weird! 

(by "DetBatgirl")
6) In "Off-Balance," Batman and Alfred are talking over clues in the Batcave. Batman turns and starts typing on his computer, and Alfred comes up behind him. Batman has been speaking, and then Alfred starts speaking - but Batman's lips keep moving.

(by "Grey Eyes")
7) There is no reason to actually mention the word Phantasm in "Mask of the Phantasm". 
(Remember, even though that's the name of the main villain, it's not once mentioned in the movie.) I'm an English major at UCLA and I've read many Renaissance revenge tragedies - most of them feature a ghostly figure asking for justice...usually they come on stage dressed as the part and the audience knows it (if they are raised from the bottom of the stage to the surface by elevator then you can assume it is an evil spirit)...I've connected "Mask of the Phantasm" with the Renaissance and Elizebethan England because the plot is similar to two plays that I've read "The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd and another one I can't remember these plays show 3-6 people being murdered and MOTP follows the format exactly (Batman is like the Horatio figure in Hamlet who witnesses everything and is the only one who knows the whole story)...unsurprisingly these old plays also have scenes that are flashbacks...in any case they have women who seek revenge for various reasons (usually inspired by a dead fiancee or father)...MOTP merely combines the avenging figure with the wandering ghost character (notice how Phantasm is wearing a shroud). Just thought you might want to know.
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BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith) 
Oh_Ho77@hotmail.com

Mr. Smith was unable to submit an article by the delivery date of this issue, but fear not, he'll return shortly!
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COMIC REVIEWS
(by Aaron Maurer)

NOTE: Mr. Maurer has yet to return our calls - or e-mails - so we had to quickly write up a review of BGA#17 for ya'll. I hope it's good...actually, it'll probably make you beg for Aaron to return, huh? Well, he will shortly - in the meantime, you're stuck with ME...mwuhahahahahaha....

(Reviewed by Tim "TWO-FACE" L.)

BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #17
TITLE: "Daddy Dearest"
WRITTEN BY: Scott Peterson
PENCILED BY: Tim Levins
INKED BY: Terry Beatty
ISSUED: August 4, 1999 (Cover date is October)
RATING: **** (out of 5)

SUMMARY: A mobster named Enrico Zarelli is desperate to get to know his son who was switched with another at birth. Batman intervenes, and the boy, named Nicky, eventually meets his father - but later says that he wants nothing to do with him, for he does not want to abandon the family that raised him.

COMMENTS: Despite the minimalistic way in which this story was presented, I found it very effective. Even though I'm a big fan of the supervillains, I do like to see a good "normal villain" mobster story now and again; this story had a lot of heart in it. I'm not adopted or anything of that nature, but I know people that are; I let them read this issue and each and every one of them said that they were surprised that a COMIC BOOK struck such a chord with them. That's definate praise, for sure.

CRITICISMS: I don't have any real criticisms of this issue. I'm beginning to see a pattern in Peterson's style - he opens the first three pages of each of his stories with huge pictures and minimal dialogue. This was a major problem in the forthcoming (in my opinion), but here, it blends with the story perfectly. I can honestly say I have no complaints.

BOTTOM LINE: A great issue, not just as far as "animated" comics go, but comics in general.

-Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
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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 #19
October 6th?
Synopsis: Who are the deadly Lion Man and mysterious Prairie Girl? And what part do they play in Robin's dillusionment with crime-fighting? The answers will definitely surprise you!
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga19.jpg

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Poison Ivy makes a comeback in a story featuring none other than...breakfast cereal?
Cover: Unavailable

BATMAN BEYOND #1 (ongoing)
September 15th
Synopsis: Something seems to have gone horribly wrong with Terry McGinnis and now, as Batman, he's gone on a spree of terror, wreaking havoc on Gotham City. Bruce Wayne determines that the only way to stop him is to once again don the garb of the Dark Knight and bring down the new Batman. But there's much more here than meets the eye when the reader learns who's behind the terror and which Batman is being controlled.
Cover: Not Available

FOLLOWING MONTH: Issue #2. 
Synopsis: The shadowy villainess known as Inque has found a way to get Gotham's citizens to commit her crimes for her. She hopes to use the ill-gotten gains to finance a cure for her inhuman condition, but she doesn't realize that becoming human again may cost more than just money. Can Batman capture her...and save her from a cure that is worse than the disease?
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dbmbd2.jpg

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #37
September 8th or 15th?
Synopsis unavailable.
Cover: http://www.dccomics.com/directcurrents/comics/covers/download/dsma37.jpg

NEXT MONTH:
Synopsis: Unavailable
Cover: Unavailable
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NEWS AND RUMORS

ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-The 11th annual Eisner Awards were presented at the Comic-Con International '99 - San Diego on Friday, August 13, and out of 27 categories, 14 of the coveted awards were presented to DC projects, creators, or staff. DC's total of 14 - out of an amazing 39 nominations - made it the most honored publisher of the evening, followed by Dark Horse Comics with 9 awards.
Four of DC's Eisner awards went to Batman-related issues/series. They were:
* Best Title for a Younger Audience -- BATMAN: THE GOTHAM ADVENTURES, Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty.
* Best Comics-Related Book -- Batman Animated, by Paul Dini and Chip Kidd (HarperCollins).
* Best Publication Design -- Batman Animated, designed by Chip Kidd (HarperCollins).
* Best Graphic Album -- Reprint -- BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
-Dana Delany, known to all of us as the voice behind Lois Lane and Andrea Beaumont, has gone to the dogs - literally. She'll be playing Frank The Pug's love interest in an upcoming new episode of MIB; season three premieres October 2nd.
-WIZARD #98 talks about how influencial BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES was to future animated comic book series.
-Also in WIZARD #98, there's an article on the SUPERMAN reboot and an amazing Ed McGuiness SUPERMAN cover, as well as a sneek peek into the fall tv series which includes BATMAN BEYOND, THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES and others. Cover date is OCTOBER and the price is $4.95 
USA, $6.95 CAN.
-SUPERMAN is facing even something worse then Kryptonite, or it's current dropping sales: Copyrights! It seems that DC may soon be losing their exclusive rights on the SUPERMAN 'S' on more then 50% of their merchandise, but that's not all, it gets worse for DC! The Seigel/Shuster heirs are currently causing DC some headaches. To find out more this very important news event then go to this link:
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/supermanrights.html
-As you know, the new creative team for the SUPERMAN titles kick in in October and January. 
Well here's some sneek peek pages of SUPERMAN #151, done by the new creative:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/comicwire/0899/superman_151_preview.html
Here's a sneek peek at NO MAN'S LAND #0:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/comicwire/0899/batman_nml_0_preview.html
Here's a sneek peek at NO MAN'S LAND SECRET FILES & ORIGINS #1:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/comicwire/0899/batman_secret_preview.html
-Terry Beatty has been and will be selling Gotham Adventures and Batman Beyond original art on ebay. His Seller ID is: wlee@muscanet.com Do yourself a favor and check out some great art!

"CURRENT" ANIMATED SERIES'
-As of September 6, The Batman/Superman Adventures will only have a half-hour timeslot each day.
-Want to know how SUPERMAN will end? Well then click on this link provided. But take warning: it contains VERY, VERY, VERY MAJOR SPOILERS. The review is very in detail. You've been warned.
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/tv/features/supesbats.html
-BTAS/STAS will return in the fall of 2001 with NEW EPISODES, when Batman Beyond goes on hiatus.

BATMAN BEYOND
-As of September 13, BATMAN BEYOND will be airing on weekdays.
-The Terrific Trio will return in BATMAN BEYOND #3, on sale in November.
-The BATMAN BEYOND CD will come out in stores on August 31st. Check out this section of Batman: 
The Animated Newsletter in for a full play-list. The CD runs about 40 minutes. For more info, and a picture of the CD cover, go to this address: 
http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9907/23/index.htm
-A new villain named "Stalker" will be introduced. This villain will be a cross between a bounty game hunter and a celebrity stalker.
-Another new villain "Earth-Mover", will be introduced - who causes earthquakes.
-Wanna know some of the voice actors coming to lend a hand to BATMAN BEYOND? Try this list: John Ritter, Tim Curry, Andy Dick, Henry Rollins, Dan Castelleneta, Wendy Malik, Jill Eichenbury, Kate Jackson, Ice T - and more!
-According to WIZARD #98, Inque will be returning this fall in BATMAN BEYOND. Whether they mean the comic or the animated series is undetermined. (Inque will appear in issue #2 of the comic series, that's for certain.)
-More BATMAN BEYOND videos are heading our way! Two new videos - "School Dayz" and "Tech Wars" (theses are probably compilations of two episodes on each tape and not actual episode names) - will be released just in time for the Christmas season on December 21, 1999.
-Even more BEYOND news, found here:
http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9908/19/index.htm
This article says that:
-39 more episodes of BEYOND are on the way, which would bring the TOTAL episode count up to 52.
-The BEYOND movie has yet to be given the go-ahead.
-The BEYOND movie will be animated by TMS.
-The BEYOND movie will be out by November 7, 2000.
-A new Robin (one of Terry's classmates, voiced by Cree Summers) will be introduced.
-An updated version of The Huntress may appear.
-There are still plans for Superman and Ra's Al Ghul to appear.

ANIMATED COMICS
-Poison Ivy will be appearing in GOTHAM ADVENTURES #20.
-It's a nearly-safe bet that Two-Face will be in #22 (just as he was in BATMAN ADVENTURES and BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES).
-Ty Templeton's up comig two issue stint on Superman Adventures issues will be co-written with Dan Slott.
-Inque will return in Issue #2 of the ongoing BATMAN BEYOND series, and the Royal Flush Gang returns in Issue #3.
-The Terrific Trio was originally set to be in Issue #3 of BATMAN BEYOND, but the story was pulled because of their certain resemblance to a certain foursome of MARVEL heroes. An homage? 
Yeah, right.

OTHER COMICS
-Issue #2 of BATMAN: DARK VICTORY (in November) will feature the Riddler.
-Greg Rucka, known best by Bat-fans as "the guy who writes most of the good stories in NO MAN'S LAND", will be working on a six part Huntress miniseries next year, in addition to his work on DETECTIVE COMICS.
-NEW COLORS FOR BATMAN 
In addition to new logos, a new costume, a new Batmobile, a new Wayne Manor and a new Batcave, Batman group editor Dennis O'Neil said that two of the Batman core books, Detective Comics and Batman: Gotham Knights, will be getting a new colouring look next year from editor Mark Chiarello. 
"We're going to do something movies have done for a half-century and comic books - with a very few exceptions - have not done," O'Neil said. "In film, they call it colour keying. You hear people say that Indiana Jones is a 'brown movie.' That doesn't mean the every shot is full of brown, but that brown is the dominant colour throughout to match or evoke a certain emotional mood. 
"It's something that is eminently doable in comics, but it's something that nobody's really thought about doing, or perhaps, only recently have we had colours with enough sophistication to pull this off. 
"Mark has done an amazing amount of design work - not design work like a logo - but a sort of behind-the-scenes design to give these books a unique look and a look that matches the emotional tenor of the story. 
"For us, it's one of the most exciting things we'll be doing, because it's new. Commercial comics have never done this before. I don't expect that everyone who picks up one of these books will be sophisticated or even care enough to realize what's being done, but it will hit you subconsciously. I think it will increase you enjoyment of the stories in ways you might not be able to readily define." 
-For more, see the "Road Through No Man's Land" section below.

MOVIES
-This was taken from CINESCAPE ONLINE:
Frank Miller doesn't like to let information on possible projects slip out prematurely, an audience at the San Diego Comic Con learned well Thursday. But when Miller was asked whether there were any plans for a full length animated feature of his comic classic Batman Dark Knight, he said, "That's entirely up to [the Batman animated producers]. As long as the name Bruce Timm is on it, I'm there." 
Meanwhile, the comic legend refused to address Internet rumors that suggest that the Wachowski Brothers (Matrix) are interested in developing a film based on his Hardboiled series or rumors that he had been approached by Warner Bros. to write a screenplay based on his Batman: Year One story. "I really don't mean to be rude here, but if there were [such projects in the works] I wouldn't tell you," Miller said to such inqueries. "There are too many things that could go wrong ... I'd have kind of let the cat out of the bag and then there's no cat," he explained.
-CINESCAPE ONLINE also reports that Joel Schumacher has left working on "L'Appartement" to work on two films...one tentatively called "Tigerland" and the other only being referred to as "a closely guarded secret". COULD it be another Batman film? Who knows...(and who hopes NOT? Raise your hand!)

TOYS & MERCHANDISE
-The Playstation version of the SUPERMAN video game has a tentative release date of September 16, 1999.
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