_________________________
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":
NOTE: ALRIGHT! I've been messing up WHO is writing
WHAT for this column for too long now. If you wanna see who's writing each
review, just go to the bottom - they all sign it there. Sorry Zanna and
Justin! I feel so foolish...agh...*HALF OF MY FACE BLUSHES*
NOTE: To make up for last week's lack of a review
for a new episode, I decided to put one
review from each of our reviewers, Zanna and Justin, in this issue. It's
a two-for-one deal,
everyone! Stop complaining already!
<BATMAN BEYOND>
EYEWITNESS
Story by Rich Fogel
Teleplay by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by Butch Lukic
Animation by Koko, Dong Yang
Original airdate: January 22, 2000
My rating: ****1/2 (Out of five stars)
Terry, as Batman, witnesses an arms deal and jumps
into the fray destroying what turns out to
be a police sting operation that took a year to set up. Police
commissioner Barbara Gordon is
less than pleased and she visits Bruce at Wayne Manor to let him know that
this incident was
the "boy's" last mistake.
Soon after, Barbara is giving a speech for her
husband, Sam Young, at a re-election dinner,
when Mad Stan shows up. True to his name, Mad Stan starts threatening
the attendees and
blowing up things. Batman materializes to stop the crazed bomber.
The guests escape while Mad
Stan leads Batman on a chase through the hotel using more explosives than a
special effects
team in a LETHAL WEAPON movie. Finally, Batman corners the madman.
Mad Stan sneers at his
imminent capture saying that he'll be out soon. Batman agrees.
Instead of capturing him,
Batman bludgeons Mad Stan to death with one of Stan's own bombs and then
leaves the scene.
Barbara Gordon witnesses this vicious attack, blames herself for allowing
Batman to operate for
so long, and vows to finally stop Batman.
Terry protests his innocence and it's up to Bruce
and Batman to solve this dilemma.
GOOD POINTS:
I'm tempted to say that this was a dynamite
episode, feeling fairly safe from the groans and
flying rotten tomatoes in the relative anonymity of the net. The pacing
of the action, the
artwork, the dialogue, and the characterizations were wonderfully combined in
this episode.
The various chase scenes in this episode were
exciting and well illustrated with no two scenes
or settings alike.
The level of artwork throughout the episode was
exceptional. In the opening scene, the rain
was effectively depicted, even to the raindrops dripping off Batman's face as
he hid on the
outside of the building. The many explosions and the resulting fire and
smoke were vividly
drawn and detailed. The accompanying sound effects further added to the
action. The various
facial expressions were simply but deftly executed. Bruce's wordless
glare at Terry in the
study at Wayne Manor spoke volumes.
The dialogue of all the characters, especially
between Barbara and Batman (Terry) and Barbara
and Bruce, was short, effective, and cleverly written.
Elements of the movie, MASK OF THE PHANTASM, and
the BTAS episode, OVER THE EDGE, were echoed
in this "authorities against Batman" storyline. Like Bullock,
and to some extent, commissioner
Jim Gordon before her, Barbara stayed true to her established characteristic
of distrusting
this Batman and clamping down hard on him when she felt he'd crossed the line.
While the
ending very quickly resolved the issue, her character remained true to her
temperament as
written for this series. Her apology at the end was both short and
fitting.
Terry was portrayed as the impulsive, cocky and
rapidly improving Batman that fans have come to
know. In a few episodes, the fate of the villain was left somewhat
ambiguous and viewers have
been left to wonder and argue about this Batman's personal code and use of
terminal force. The
writers made an effort to show that he would never take a life. Terry
declares that he
wouldn't [kill]. That tenet is at the core of any Batman story and this
fan was gratified to
have that question answered.
Bruce was not just an observer in this episode.
He solved the mystery of the killing and he,
obviously, is still the one that makes the rules. He may no longer wear
the cowl, but his
Batman demeanor envelopes him as fully as his cape and cowl once did.
BAD POINTS:
Mad Stan, the anarchist, is a character that has
been used in several episodes. This was his
longest on air appearance, but still very little background information is
known or revealed
about his character.
The mastermind behind this frame-up, Spellbinder,
had very few lines in this episode. There
just wasn't time for much more character information.
What did Terry do that resulted in a three-month
stay at Juvenile Hall? Apparently, fans won't
find out until the BB movie is released this fall.
Reviewed by Zanna
(
Zanna_Z@NOSPAMyahoo.com
remove NOSPAM to email)
_______________________
EDITORIAL
(by Kelly Tindall)
THE TRICK WITH SEASON TWO
In my last editorial, I talked about the running
story beneath the story that I think powered
the first season of Batman Beyond, namely the downfall of Derek Powers.
Now, I haven't seen a
lot of the most recent season (in fact, almost none of it. Sue me), but
I have been struck by
two notices;
1)There is no villain now, just the 'villain of
the week' syndrome that was and is serviceable,
but a step down from last year. The only new running thread that is
immediately noticeable is
Max Gibson. Is she an acceptable substitute, character-wise, for Derek
Powers? You tell me.
2)There is no running theme.
I may be wrong about this. The episodes I
have seen have been very good, particularly LOST
SOUL. It seems to me that this year's theme has been Terry; his past,
his future, and his
claim to the title of Batman. Now, I think the Mantle of the Bat is a
ridiculous idea, and I
much prefer that the right man stumbled onto Bruce's secret. It's more
plausible to me.
I like that they've shown that Terry is coming
into his own, and the idea of the hero's battles
with himself are greater than any with a supervillain, but is that the case
here? How tortured
can a high-school student be? Particularly one with a smart, attractive
girlfriend, a good
home, looks & smarts, a little brother, and a billionaire superhero as a
mentor? What's his
problem?
I guess that's what they're trying to tell me.
I hope that I can glean a bit of clarity when I
review the season later this year. Until then,
well...I miss Powers!
I'm outta here. This is bat country!
_______________________
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 landed him a temporary
column with this
newsletter. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this shady character are
in no way officially
connected to Kids WB, Batman Beyond, this newsletter, or anything that is
decent or holy. That
said, on with the show.)
_______________________
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.
I have no real theme for this edition of the quiz.
Just go and knock yourself out, K?
256. Which of the following characters changed
skin colours when during the change from the
"old style" to "new style" look?
A: Harvey Dent
B: Selina Kyle
C: Waylon Jones
D: Oswald Cobblepot
E: Mary Dahl
257. Which issue of BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES
featured Batman telling Batgirl why he feels guns
are evil?
A: (vs. the Joker)
B: (vs. Two-Face)
C: (set in Paris)
D: (set in the Himalays (I think))
E: (featuring Commissioner Gordon)
258. Who was kidnapped in the animated issue
entitled "Oy to the World"?
A: Poison Ivy
B: Batman
C: Commissioner Gordon
D: The mayor's son, Joshua Hill
E: Harley Quinn
259. While polishing license plates in prison, the
Penguin comes across one that drives him
mad. What does that license plate read?
Answer: _________
260. Which present-day villains have an item in
the "trophy room" of the Batcave, but NOT their
costume?
Answer: _________
_________________________
ANSWERS TO THE TRIVIA
Answer to #256: B, C
Answer to #257: D
Answer to #258: A
Answer to #259: '1BAT4U'
Answer to #260: The Joker (the giant playing card), Two-Face (the giant
penny), Calendar Girl (the dinosaur).
