___________________________
NEWS AND RUMORS
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-KIDS'WB! looks to be heading into the 2000-2001 season swinging. It seems
that KIDS'WB! is very close to aquiring X-Men and an animated JACKIE CHAN
show, as well as OSMOSIS JONES. Plus, there's POKEMON, the possibilities of
new BATMAN/SUPERMAN or BATAMN BEYOND episodes, KIDSWB! could have another #1
Network season!
-The Canadian TV channel GLOBAL (which airs BTAS and BATMAN BEYOND) finally
has a website of their own. Want to check it out? Here's the link:
http://www.GlobalTv.com
-THE BATMAN BEYOND INFO PAGE will be holding a contest. The prize and rules of
the contest are posted up at the site:
http://www.rogue-spear.com/BB
-Check out the VERY FIRST Batman Beyond chat room at this URL:
http://mercury.beseen.com/chat/rooms/p/10496
*Note: You must register a handle before chatting, which you can do at the
above URL given*
-For a great BATMAN Fanfic, go to this URL:
http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi?acct=mb715122
&MyNum=944431845&P=No&TL=944431845
ANIMATED COMICS
-The long-procrastinated Harley & Ivy miniseries will be released in late
2000.
-Here's a link for an article regarding Mark Millar's last issue of SUPERMAN
ADVENTURES, coming in January:
http://www.wizardworld.com/news/dc/
superman_adventures/announcement.html
-After Mark Millar leaves SUPERMAN ADVENTUERS, long-time fan-favourite Ty
Templeton (GOTHAM ADVENTUERS) will jump one board for a few issues.
-Northern Canada is the backdrop, the kidnapping of oil is the crime, and Ra's
Al Ghul is the villain in of GOTHAM ADVENTURES. This issue comes out
on February 2nd. The cover can be found here:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/9911/16/bmga23th.jpg
-GOTHAM ADVENTURES #24: Batman and Batgirl must track down the missing
Nightwing and Robin, who are being held by a villain who has outwitted them
both. Batman can track the heroes down, but will he follow their footsteps
right into a trap? This issue also features Killer Croc. Ships on March
1.
-The Terrific Trio story slated for BATAMN BEYOND #3 might still be published,
and could be published befpore the first 12 issues are complete.
OTHER COMICS
-Talia will be appearing in DETECTIVE COMICS somewhere around 0.
-Alex Toth (inspiration behind BTAS) will be providing the cover to the
BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE
softcover slated for a March release.
-Paul Ryan (Fantastic Four, GREEN LANTERN) will be one of the regular
alternating artists on
BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS. Paul Ryan is slated to alternate with NML's Dale
Eaglesham.
-JLA #41 will be the double-sized finale to WORLD WAR THREE. The story was
slated to finish in
seven parts in , but was parred down to six, and will end ina
double-size conclusion
costing either 2.99 or 3.99US.
-Remember that SUPERMAN/BUGS BUNNY 4 issue crossover slated for summer of
1999? Yeah, well
there was some difficulty but it's back on track for a May 2000 release.
-Beginning in January & Febuary, DC will be changing their trade dress.
The logos will remain
the same, but the UPC box will be made slightly larger to include the prices
for each book.
Also, the DC bullet will be repositioned, and the COMIC CODE will be be moved
besides the cover
date and issue number. The URL for the official DC COMICS website and
WILDSTORM website will be
put near the UPC boxes of their respective comics.
MOVIES
-There's a 'preview' of sorts for BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER on each
of the three VHS
BATMAN BEYOND tapes released Dec. 21st. There is no asnimation, but it
provides a bit more info
on what the movie will be about.
-The BATMAN BEYOND movie will be animated by TMS. (Good move, WB. Excellent.)
-Paul Dini, who wrote the script for Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, says
that the voice
recording for the BEYOND movie has been completed. He then said:
"One bit of guest-star news I
can give you is that among the many new villains introduced in the film are
twin hit-girls both
named Dee-Dee," Dini said. "They are played by everyone's favorite
teen witch, Melissa Joan
Hart." Hart, the star of ABC's Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, has worked
with the Bat-crew before.
She did the voice of Saturn Girl in an episode of Superman. Look for more
details on
-Harry Knowles (AIN'T IT COOL NEWS) reports on that rumors are around that
certain factions at
WB are trying to stall the Bruce Wayne TV show before it gets started.
Apparently there are
concerns that it would divert attention, budget and focus away from any
upcoming Movie project.
-THX had THIS to report:
"Bruce will never become Batman in the TV series. Instead, it will focus
on Bruce's adventures
before he became The Bat. What about the rumors that WB would not do a YEAR
ONE movie and a
similar TV series? he says "...it makes sense" that they would not.
In regards to the BATMAN
BEYOND live-action film, this source does insinuate that option just may be
tied to the fact that a Y1-type TV series is in the works at WB television. It seems that we
just may be having
us a little "Bat-war" going on at WB. AICN did report yesterday that
WB head Lorenzo Di
Bonaventura is trying to put the 'ol kabash to the proposed TV series. Other
sources tell me
that L.D. wants to do Y1 and sees this potential TV series as direct
competition. When asked to
go into specifics regarding this, "The Rock" declined to comment.
But did say that BRUCE WAYNE
may be better than any Bat-film that has been developed under Bonaventura....My
take? The TV
show will be excellent and will be a very fresh take on Batman; well Bruce at
least. I just
can't see him never becoming Batman. It will have to happen at sometime during
the series' run.
About this "Bat-war?" I do not know what will happen. I will stand
by this: both Y1 and BB are
on the table at the studio. And, there will not be both a Y1 movie and a too
similar BW TV
series. Am I saying that it is going to be BB? No. The powers that be that are
behind Y1 have
too much clout."
-Batman 5: Ben Affleck is apparently close to signing onboard the fifth Batman
project for an
estimated $15 million, though he has set a rather strange condition. A WB
source revealed to
the The Sunday Mirror that "Ben has told studio executives he'd love to
be the fourth Batman,
but he really wants Gwyneth to play Catwoman alongside him...Ben thinks they
would have
brilliant on-screen chemistry together, and has promised he will work on her
to get her on
board". Paltrow is apparently a huge fan of Michelle Pfieffer's version
of the role in 1992's
"Batman Returns", and helping to cement the possibility is that she
and Affleck, whose highly
reported relationship ended around a year ago, appear to be becoming a hot
item again. Can it
be pulled off? Unsure. Personally I can see Affleck as the Bat, but Paltrow as
Catwoman just
doesn't click - she just doesn't convey that "unsure if she is good or
bad" sense the character
needs and which Michelle did so well.
-Then again, in a post on his affleck.com messageboard, the 27-year-old star
slammed shut the
door on the gossip saying "As I'm sure most of you might infer, this
story is absurd. There is
no Batman script, no movie being planned, they have not called me or my agent
and Gwyneth is
much more the "Electra" (daredevil reference) type...I really have
no idea where they get this
stuff. It is as if someone sits in a room and quite literally invents
it". If that doesn't
clear things up, who knows what will, and to read the specific post in
question click here.
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-Starting January 3, Burger King & Batman Beyond will team up for four
weeks of action figures and kids meals. Once BK is done with Pokemon toys,
they will start a four month promotional Batman Beyond Kids' Meal pack. These
will include all-new action figures made spefically for the fast food
franchise. Go to
http://www.burgerking.com
for details.
-THE BATMAN BEYOND BOARD (
http://www.insidetheweb.com/mbs.cgi/mb163084)
has gotten picutres of the 8 toys to be released by BURGER KING beginning
January 3rd! The link for the post is here:
http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi?acct=mb163115
&MyNum=946238506&P=No&TL=946238506
-Rhino Records will be re-releasing the score of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE on
Febuary 15th. The score CD will contain 8 bonus tracks, and a 36 page booklet.
-A review of the NO MAN'S LAND novelization by Greg Rucka has hit Psycomic and
the novel looks great! Read the review yourself:
http://www.psycomic.com/articles/current/sjnomansland_19991211.shtml
-With anticipation of the novel BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND being released in
January, DC Comics online has given NML it's own section. It includes
information on both the hardcover novel, and the Youger Readers version, as
well as excerpts. Follow the URL given:
http://www.dccomics.com/features/nmlbk/nmlbk.htm
-The SUPERMAN video game for Playstation will be out in the first quarter of
2000.
-The first issue of the Sega Dreamcast magazine says a Batman Beyond video
game is due out in 2000.
____________________________
THE ROAD THROUGH NO MAN'S LAND
(by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton)
This is the last issue in which our NO MAN'S LAND
column will appear. It's been quite a year,
hasn't it? Even though it was never a truly ANIMATED topic, it still seemed
right to place it
in this newsletter. The synopsis for the events of the final months is
written below, and
links to all the other happenings can be found as well. Thank you to everyone
that contributed
to this crossover - it was a very successful endeavour, indeed.
THE WHOLE SHABANG...
JANUARY - APRIL: For synopses of what happened in the first four months
of NO MAN'S LAND, go see Issues #26 and #27 of "Batman: The Animated
Newsletter". Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
JULY: For synopses of the many things that
happened in the month that all of the other major players in Gotham broke back
into the city, see of "Batman: The Animated
Newsletter".
Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
NOVEMBER: For synopses of the issues
dealing with the wrapping of of many important tales and the revelation of the
mysterious benefactor, see of "Batman: The Animated
Newsletter". Follow this link:
http://www.toonzone.net/wbc/newsletters/btan
DECEMBER: Helicopters fly into Gotham on November
29 - day 333 of NML - bringing the bare
necessities and joy for the forthcoming Christmas season. LexCorp, Wayne
Enterprises, Star
Labs, and the US Government come together (some grudgingly) to rebuild Gotham.
Gordon is
reinstated as Police Commissioner; Montoya is given a promotion by Essen with
regards to her
dealings with Two-Face; Bullock and Hardback are joined by a number of
volunteers to police
Gotham City, with more coming by the New Year. Petit grows even more
barbaric; Huntress
remains in his camp just to keep him in check. Batman hunts for the
Joker, and goes to
Penguin, Ivy, Ventriloquist, and Two-Face for answers; no one lends him a
hand. On Christmas
Eve, when all the "good guys" (the cops, the Bat-squad, and Leslie)
are having Christmas
dinner, Petit's camp is attacked by the Joker. He finally makes his
move.
Installment #2. Billy Petit is dead. The Joker draws him out
of his lair, offing many of Petit's own men; Petit kills Foley (who's like his
right-hand-man) and is then shot by the Joker. The Joker is attacking the
stronghold to kidnap the children inside; Huntress stands in the way, and the
Joker shoots her once, twice, and thrice. To be continued.
Meanwhile, Azrael and Batgirl search for the babies Joker kidnapped.
Catwoman breaks her
"deal" with Penguin and confronts Mercy and Lex. With
government and media assistance, Tim
Drake's dad airlifts his son out of Gotham.
Batman and Nightwing intervene just as Joker's about to blow Huntress
away, and save her;
Joker flees and a huge search of the city ensues, looking for the babies he's
kidnapped. After
they find them, Sarah Essen encounters the Joker, where he promptly teases,
humiliates, and
kills her. The Joker then surrenders; in a desperate rage, Commissioner
Gordon shoots him in
the leg, crippling him. A week later Batman confronts Luthor and sends
him packing for
Metropolis. Gotham City becomes a part of the country once again.
And with that, the year-long experiment known as
"NO MAN'S LAND" comes to an end.
