Batman: The Animated Newsletter
Weeks of August 27, 2000 - September 9, 2001
Volume 4,
Rated: PG (as with all other things Batman-related)
THIS ISSUE'S SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: "Well,
yeah, we know, school may be back in session but at least the 'summer lull' in comics is
over. Let the story-arcs
(Geez, these subliminal messages are just
getting lamer and lamer...I think I need a vacation...oh, wait a second...dang.)
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
-On account of possibly growing tedious, there
have been some changes here at Batman: The Animated Newsletter. There have been some
shuffling of the sections, trimming here, and deleting there, in hopes of making a
sleeker, easier read for all of you. That, and we're testing out a new delivery procedure
with this issue - some of our long-time subscribers may recall this method. Apparently
we've been having some problems with the size of this newsletter - so hopefully it'll load
quicker and easier this way. I hope this works out, everyone! If you have any suggestions
to make this newsletter better, just let us know!
Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton
-fearing change, but willing to give it a try
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EAGERLY ANTICIPATING...
New episodes are on the horizon! Here's what we can expect in the near future...
Unfortunately, there are no new Batman-related
episodes debuting in the near future. We'll just have to wait until the JLA debuts this
fall.
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NEWS AND RUMORS
(see back issues for older info)
ALL-ENCOMPASSING/OTHER
-A DVD of the original 1966 BATMAN movie with Adam West and Burt Ward is due out in
August. West and Ward are both providing a retrospective commentary on the DVD, too.
-The following artists are selling artwork on eBay. The following are their names and
Seller ID's:
Terry Beatty: beatty@machlink.com
Craig Rousseau: cerousseau
Tim Levins: tlevins
Min S. Ku: min3000gt
ANIMATED SERIES (BTAS, STAS, BEYOND, JLA)
-Some stills from the series have popped up on the net!
Hawkgirl: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:8080/stories/0108/24/hawkgirl.jpg
Batman: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:8080/stories/0108/24/batmanleft.jpg
-In addition to providing the voice of the Joker on JLA (of course), Mark Hamill will be
voicing Solomon Grundy as well. (You might recall him from old Superman comics or THE LONG
HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY.)
-Though BATMAN BEYOND will soon be leaving KidsWB, it will be returning to air on the
CARTOON NETWORK on October 1st, at 6:30pm as part of the Toonami line-up. Chances are the
episode UNMASKED will finally air after BEYOND makes the channel-switch.
-BATMAN BEYOND has returned to the Canadian cable channel YTV! It will air at 3:30pm and
4pm on Mondays only for the time being; it looks like ALL episodes #1-52 will be shown, as
well. Starting in the fall, it'll air at 10 am on Saturdays.
ANIMATED COMICS
-JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES, the new animated-style comic book based on the upcoming
animated series, releases its first issue on November 14, 2001. It is written by Ty
Templeton, has interior art by Min S. Ku and Dan Davis, and sports a cover by both Bruce
Timm and Alex Ross.
-Issues in this series will cost $1.99 US, or $3.25 Canadian, just as with GOTHAM
ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES.
Issue #1 description: "The JLA faces a deadly alien threat! When a meteor lands in an
American suburb, the League is called on to investigate. Soon they are drawn into an
intergalactic conflict, but it seems as if the real threat may be one of their own - Green
Lantern! Our heroes' adventures may be over as soon as they've begun!"
Cover to Issue #1: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/jla/jla01.gif
Cover to unknown issue:
http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Batman_Animation_Images/BatmanArticle272734.jpg
-Paul Storrie has just confirmed that he has written an issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE
ADVENTURES, which will come out within the first few months of the series' run. It
spotlights Martian Manhunter and an entirely new villain. (Most recently, Paul has written
the last two issues for the BATMAN BEYOND series.)
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #43
Who's out to get Harley Quinn? Batman has to take her on as a sidekick to find out. The
answer awaits deep in Harley's history...that is, if she and the Dark Knight survive the
traps set for them all over Gotham.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/batadv43.jpg
-BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #44
All I know about this one is that Two-Face finally returns; looks like Nightwing and Robin
are in it, too. Here's the cover:
http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/bga/bga44.jpg
-BATMAN BEYOND #24
This is the final issue of the series. Written by Hilary Barda; art by Craig Rousseau and
Rob Leigh; cover by Darwyn Cooke. In stores August 29. There's something curious about
Mom's new boyfriend. Could it be the claws, the fangs or the glowing eyes? That's right,
it's the issue you've been waiting for as "Terry's Mom Dates a Splicer!" But
what does Batman have to say about it?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0105/23/BB24.htm
-MAD LOVE will be re-released on November 21st to coincide with the release of the Harley
Quinn snowglobe by DC Direct.
OTHER COMICS
-The BRAVE AND THE BOLD comic series (which died in 1983) will be back come next year, and
will be helmed by Kevin Smith. Batman and Green Arrow will have large roles in this
series, though all of the DC universe will be at Smith's disposal.
-BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN is now officially being sold in three 80 page
issues.
-The new CATWOMAN series will kick off again on November 28.
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-11/catwoman01.jpg
-The BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE storyline starting in a few months' time will go through all of
the Bat-titles and end in Ed Brubaker's BATMAN #600 in January. It will prominently
feature the Vesper Fairchild/Sasha Bordeaux/Bruce Wayne love triangle, with Alfred and
Robin returning in a big way. Creators have said that both the Joker AND Catwoman will NOT
be involved in any way in this arc. Greg Rucka has shed a bit more light on this story;
follow this link to see it:
http://www.cinescape.com/7/editorial.asp?aff_id=7&this_cat=News&action=page&obj_id=28498&type_id=1130&cat_id=7565&sub_id=0
-Apparently the ROBIN series will never be the same after BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE.
-THE JOKER: THE LAST LAUGH crossover news: (by Chuck Dixon)
Premise: The Joker discovers he's dying and wants to take out the world with him with a
bang.
-Issue #1: The Joker infects many other DCU villains with the concoction that made him
what he is today - and only Black Canary stands in his way.
-Issue #2: Batman and Nightwing enter the story to stop the Joker from taking over the
Slab.
-Issue #3: The Joker's Jokerized buddies spread their terror across the world, and the
whole JLA gets involved. The Joker then realizes there's more to life than just a high
body count, so his greatest scheme enters the planning stage...
-Issue #4: President Luthor decides to save the world from the Joker and his Jokerized
buddies - by bombing the bejesus out of 'em.
-Issue #5: Is it the end? Robin, Nightwing, and JLA, and...Harley?...vs. the Joker and his
buddies?
-Issue #6: It all ends here. The Joker's staked out scenic Gotham Cathedral as the spot to
make his final stand against Batman's allies, and he's made sure no other heroes will
interfere with his final revenge. Nightwing's decided that the Joker's actions finally
need to be stopped — but will he go too far? And what is the fate of Tim Drake? Will
he become the second Robin to die at the hands of the Joker?
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/jll6.htm
-DETECTIVE COMICS #764
Vesper Fairchild continues sinking her teeth into her investigation on Batman.
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-11/tec764.jpg
-BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #22
With the Joker's crazed super-villains terrorizing the DCU, Batman and Spoiler are left to
defend Gotham City from a truly twisted new threat, as the Joker's brand of chemical
warfare has transformed the creatures of Gotham.
-BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #23
Featuring the Scarecrow out of Arkham, giving speeches on the ramifications of fear.
-DETECTIVE COMICS #763
With Batman out mopping up "Jokerized" pests, Sasha decides to go on solo
patrol. But the danger is double for her as she meets up with the knife-wielding new
villain Cucilla and...the Huntress! Plus, an all-new 8-part backup serial begins this
issue: Josie Mac, written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Cliff Chiang.
-BATMAN #596
As Last Laugh continues to roll out "Jokerized" mayhem across the country,
Batman must contend with Zeiss, the Russian Mob and a new villain who knows if you've been
bad or good — Santa Klaus.
Cover: http://www.comicscontinuum.com:81/stories/0107/17/batman596.htm
-BATMAN #597
The final showdown between Batman and Zeiss.
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-11/batman597.gif
-ROBIN #95
The horrific events of Last Laugh #5 tie-in as Robin defies orders and heads into Arkham
Asylum to try and prevent the Joker from adding to his legion of villains. But the
villains know he's coming, and the odds are overwhelming. No problem, right?
-HARLEY QUINN #13
With the world becoming "Jokerized," will this mean Harley is reunited with her
one true love? Think again! Instead, the Joker sends two of the strangest villains we've
ever seen — Moonrock and Luna — after Harley to bring his wayward honey home.
After all, Harley knows the secret of the Joker venom which has been causing havoc all
throughout the DCU — and that makes her a threat. With only Poison Ivy around to
help, it's time to run.
All other affected titles:
AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #83
BIRDS OF PREY #36
NIGHTWING #62
BATGIRL #21
(See BTAN #97 for all related non-Batman-issues)
-BATGIRL #22
Cain returns!
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-11/batgirl22.jpg
HARLEY QUINN #14
-Harley and Ivy take a roadtrip to Metropolis!
Cover: http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-11/hq14.jpg
-More news on Greg Rucka's BATMAN: TEN CENT ADVENTURE has surfaced! Rick Burchett and
Rodney Ramos are doing the artwork, and it will lead into a later crossover this year:
BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE.
-DETECTIVE COMICS #765 (in December) cover:
http://www.cinescape.com/multimedia/Batman/Comic_Book_Covers/BatmanArticle272867.jpg
-HARLEY & IVY: LOVE ON THE LAM - a one-shot story chronolizing the duo's relationship
post-NML but pre-HARLEY QUINN ongoing series. It's due out in September. Written by Judd
Winick.
Cover: http://www.assignmentx.com/multimedia/Batman/Images/BatmanImages271321.jpg
-A hardcover version of DARK VICTORY, collecting all 13 issues, will be released on
October 24. Don't expect a softcover version any earlier than March 2002.
MOVIES
-Wanna check out the new SPECIAL EDITION BATMAN MOVIE? (It's the one from 1966, by the
way.) Go to this link:
http://www.batmandvd.com
-Paul Dini has come out and said that it is very likely that the WB will release an
unedited ROTJ movie - but with different cover art to differentiate it from the
family-friendly version. It might even be sold only through DC Direct. Expect this as
early as late this year or early 2002.
-Word has it that even though Warner Bros. is undecided on which Bat-movie to produce
next, they will 100% favour YEAR ONE unless it enters production hell. They see this as a
smart alternative to both please fans and reboost their franchise. Another back-up plan is
to make a DARK KNIGHT RETURNS film (whoo!)
-Paul Dini is pondering ideas for a second BATMAN BEYOND direct-to-video movie, but
nothing, repeat, NOTHING has been greenlit by the studio just yet.
-The original 1960's Batmobile will be featured in a prominent role in the Mark
Wahlberg/Jennifer Aniston movie, ROCKSTAR. It is due out on September 14th.
*BATMAN: YEAR ONE (BATMAN 5) NEWS:
-David Boreaenz is once again at the top of the pile of rumours of actors that might play
Batman. Here's what he might look like:
http://www.comics2film.com/DCG/DispArt.php3?f_id=229
-Frank Miller has only now begun to write the screenplay for this movie, based on the
story of the same name originally released in 1988.
-Apparently now Jude Law is in the running to play Bruce Wayne.
-Reports coming in are saying that Darren Aronofsky has quoted that he wanted George
Clooney to return in the Bat-suit in the YEAR ONE adaption. Note, this is a strong MAYBE,
don't take this as Bible truth. And to be honest, maybe Clooney wouldn't be so bad IF he
had the proper direction. Hmmm. YEAR ONE is aiming for a summer 2003 release date.
-It would seem that even though the WB want to make both YEAR ONE and BATMAN BEYOND, they
don't
really know which will be first. They're waiting for both scripts to be completed and then
they'll go from there. As great as I think both would be, I know most fans really want to
see YEAR ONE make it to screen.
-WARNER BROS. is currently aiming for a 2003 summer release date for YEAR ONE. Frank
Miller has wrapped up all of his comics projects (such as THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN)
so he's focussing his attention on movie production, now.
-There is also rumours that YEAR ONE may not be made until 2005 or 2006, and BATMAN BEYOND
may be the movie due out in 2003. For more, go here:
http://www.cinescape.com/7/editorial.asp?aff_id=7&this_cat=News&action=page&obj_id=27621&type_id=1130&cat_id=7576&sub_id=0
*BATMAN BEYOND: LIVE ACTION NEWS:
-While at WizardCon in Chicago, Paul Dini implied that the live action BATMAN BEYOND movie
appears to be dead in the water.
-Despite Dini's earlier comments, casting rumours are starting to pour in: Mike Valentine
(?) has apparently beat out Freddie Prinze Jr. for the role of Terry McGinnis, Ving Rhames
is up for Mr. Fixx, and Katie Holmes is being pegged for Dana Tan. Hmm.
-The WB aims for the BATMAN BEYOND movie to be a continuation of the current Bat-movie
franchise, following the previous four films, much like the BEYOND TV series followed
BTAS.
-Paul Dini has already handed in the first script, and they're waiting for the WB to
contact them back. He said his script was a lot more "hard-edged" than the TV
series.
-This is NOT official, but rumblings at the WB seem to indicate BATMAN BEYOND will make it
to theatres before YEAR ONE does. See the previous story under the "YEAR ONE"
heading for details.
*BATMAN BEYOND: THE FOURTH ANIMATED MOVIE
-At the WIZARD WORLD convention, Paul Dini has confirmed that there will be more animated
Bat-movies on the way. Aside from a second BATMAN BEYOND "Nightwing" film (which
is always possible), there could possibly be movies featuring team-ups between Batman and
Superman, Wonder Woman, Plastic Man, and Green Arrow. These ideas HAVE been greenlighted
by the WB.
*CATWOMAN
-No new news on this movie for a while...but yeah, it's still in production.
*WORLD'S FINEST
-That's right, this movie is in production, apparently. Wolfgang Petersen (THE PERFECT
STORM) is pegged as director at the moment. Kevin Walker is writing the script; he's also
written SE7EN and SLEEPY HOLLOW in recent years.
-John Travolta as either Superman or the main villain? Mark Walhberg replacing Chris
O'Donnell as Robin? Hmmm. Let the casting rumours begin.
TOYS, BOOKS, AND OTHER MERCHANDISE
-BTAS is coming to DVD in early 2002! Stay tuned for further developments!
-DC Direct is going to be releasing a set of PVC figures based on THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES
AGAIN, to coincide with whenever it comes out next year.
-It looks like Hasbro is releasing a Batman/Joker two-pack based on the new designs of
animated series. No accessories appear to be supplied, though. Here's a link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1631345845
-They also appear to have a Batman/Robin two-pack in the same style, but it looks like the
Robin figure is Dick Grayson in the Tim Drake suit. Yeah. Check it out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1631345205
-Batman and Superman, too! See?
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1631344582
-All the 85 WB stores across the United States will be closed by October, 2001.
However, there is word that the other 30 locations, such as in Canada and across the pond
in European countries, will remain open because they operate under separate franchise
agreements.
-More news on the special edition DVD's. Apparently now, the WB IS interested in getting
Tim Burton back to do a commentary track on both of his Bat-movies; whether they also
intend to release cut material for these movies, or intend to do the same for BATMAN
FOREVER and BATMAN & ROBIN, is yet to be seen. Don't expect this to happen soon,
though; Burton is busy doing a lot of promotional work for PLANET OF THE APES at the
moment.
-Fast food chain JACK IN THE BOX is now selling JLA toys to go with their kids meal. These
toys include figures of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Superman, Supergirl, Steel, Hawkman, and
Shazam. Check 'em out on eBay, too! (Thanks to Andie Nappi for providing this info!)
SPECIAL NOTE
For more BATMAN, SUPERMAN, AND BEYOND news throughout the week, check out the WORLD'S
FINEST NEWS PAGE at:
http://www.geocities.com/bbeyond/news.html
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