Friday 13th Februay 2004
NEW BATMAN ANIMATED SHOW
Warner Bros has officially announced plans for THE BATMAN, a new animated series that
will air on both Kids WB and Cartoon Network.
The show will focus on Batman beginning in his third year, when he is in his mid-twenties
and still learning to lead a dual life as millionaire Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Warner Bros. has also let loose that the Edge, guitarist for U2, will perform the theme
song.
The series will premiere Fall 2004 and move to Cartoon Network spring 2005.
For more details see the official WB Press Release in the TV News section below.
We Still Need Your Votes
The voting for the this ALFRED AWARDS has been very slow in coming in. If you haven't yet cast your votes, please do so. I will be closing the voting with issue #200 in just two weeks time. So far I don't have enough votes to give me a sufficent base on which to announce any awards. So come on, send me an e-mail and vote for your favorite creators, storylines and characters. You can find the list of categories on-line here.
See you next week
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IN THIS ISSUE
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NEW ARTIST AND NEW ROBIN DEBUT IN ROBIN #126
DC Comics Press Release - Damion Scott, whose dynamic 3-year run on BATGIRL won him critical praise, takes over as interior and cover artist on ROBIN this May with issue #126. Scott, fresh off of drawing The Spectacular Spider-Man, joins writer Bill Willingham (FABLES) with an issue that's a perfect jumping-on point for new readers.
"I'm definitely excited about this," says Scott. "Working on ROBIN is going to be fun. I always wanted to draw Robin, so I'm glad to have the chance. And I never liked pencilling for another inker as much as I like doing the whole art job myself."
"Among the many good reasons for bringing Damion on ROBIN, I'd like to point out one selfish one," says Willingham. "The best moment in writing any comic book story occurs when the drawn pages start coming in and I get to really see the story for the first time brought to life by the vision, imagination and skills of a talented artist. Bringing Damion on board means I get to look forward to many such perfect moments. So, really, it's all about pleasing me."
"We're pleased to have Damion back at DC where he belongs," adds Dan DiDio, DC's VP - Editorial.
This issue marks a turning point for the series, as Tim Drake has relinquished the cape and mask. The Dark Knight's new partner-in-crimefighting makes a dramatic debut in this landmark issue! But you won't get the full story here. You'll just have to pick up the issue to discover the identity of the new Robin!
Batman's choice will have repercussions throughout the DC Universe...and this story gets the ball rolling for much bigger events coming later in 2004. Get in on the ground floor of history in the making with ROBIN #126!
COMICS SALES CHARTS
Diamond Comics Distributors has released the sales charts for product shipping in January 2004. Batman and related titles placed as follows:
Comics
Graphic Novels and Trade Paperbacks
Comics Shipping (February 18th)
AVENGERS/JLA #4 -
Written by Kurt Busiek; art and cover by George Pérez - Celebrate the finale of the biggest crossover in comics history! The World's Greatest team-up of Earths' Mightiest Heroes climaxes with the fate of both universes hanging in the balance! This one is crammed full of everything you read comics for. Don't miss it!. - DC UNIVERSE | 4 of 4 | 48pg. | Color | $5.95ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL -
Written by Dan Slott; art by Ryan Sook and Wade Von Grawbadger; painted cover by Eric Powell - Collecting the edgy 6-issue miniseries, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL examines the dark underbelly of Gotham's notorious "House of Madness!" Warren White, one of Gotham's most successful financiers, thought he could beat his jail rap by pleading insanity. Now he's finding out why you don't cop an insanity plea in Gotham! Expect appearances by Batman, The Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and the rest of Arkham's regulars – plus the debut of several new Rogues! - BATMAN | 144pg. | Softcover | Color | $12.95BATMAN ADVENTURES #11 -
Written by Ty Templeton and Dan Slott; art by Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty; cover by Kelsey Shannon - Riddler's reformed – but he still can't stop planting riddles, forcing Batman to put him to good use! And in the backup, can Riddler keep himself from turning a bank errand into a bank robbery! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.25BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #50 -
Written by A.J. Lieberman; art by Al Barrionuevo and Francis Portela; cover by Lee Bermejo - An all-new creative team sets off a new direction in this 50th issue extravaganza guest-starring 2003's hottest Batman villain: Hush! He terrorized Batman and his compatriots for months before disappearing without a trace. Now, Hush resurfaces, prepared to put his next plan for revenge on Batman into motion. But who is Hush, and what is the real nature of his relationship with the Riddler? - BATMAN | 40pg. | Color | $2.75BATMAN: ROOMFUL OF STRANGERS -
Written by Scott Morse; art and painted cover by Morse - A new 64-page Special by Scott Morse (Elektra: Glimpse; Echo: Barefoot) focusing on one of Batman's greatest allies: Jim Gordon! Batman's presence permeates this tale of a recently retired, convalescing Gordon, as he takes a trip to the shore for some much-deserved rest and relaxation. Soon after he registers at an old seaside resort, a body shows up – and a murder-mystery is suddenly his to unravel! But will his investigation be derailed by a Batman-obsessed youngster? - BATMAN | 64pg. | Color | $5.95BIRDS OF PREY #64 -
Written by Gail Simone; art and cover by Ed Benes and Alex Lei - Oracle is inexplicably missing, her data systems are corrupted, and Dinah stumbles upon a real-world evil involving Cheshire! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.50DC: THE NEW FRONTIER #2 -
Written by Darwyn Cooke; art and cover by Cooke - The sprawling miniseries chronicling the dawn of the DC Universe's Silver Age continues! It's the birth of a whole new breed of super-hero as the careers of the Flash, the Challengers of the Unknown, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and the future Green Lantern begin their dazzling ascent. Meanwhile, BATMAN comes face-to-face with a mysterious new enemy who will tie them together! - DC UNIVERSE | 64pg. | 2 of 6 | Color | $6.95OUTSIDERS #9 -
Written by Judd Winick; art and cover by Tom Raney and Sean Parsons - The Outsiders get their collective butt kicked by the all-new, powerful Sabbac! Can the extra muscle of Black Lightning and the Huntress help? - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.50ROBIN #123 -
Written by Bill Willingham; art by Francisco Rodriguez de la Fuente and Aaron Sowd; cover by Jason Pearson - Eisner Award-winning writer Bill Willingham's (FABLES) first story arc concludes in the unforgettable "Nemesis!" Robin and Spoiler track a trail of corpses across Gotham City, all left in the wake of one-time mobster Johnny Warren. But Johnny has become something else...something as sinister as any evil that has ever cut a swath across the Gotham underworld. Do our heroes stand a chance against the newly reborn Johnny Warlock? - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.25SUPERMAN/BATMAN #6 -
Written by Jeph Loeb; art and cover by Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines - The first story arc of the hottest new book of the year reaches an explosive conclusion! It all comes down to this, as DC's two biggest heroes take on Lex Luthor face-to-face - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.95ZERO HOUR: CRISIS IN TIME -
Written by Dan Jurgens; art by Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Frank Fosco, Ken Branch; cover by Jurgens and Ordway - A new printing of the trade paperback collecting 1994's classic ZERO HOUR saga! This volume collects stories from SHOWCASE '94 #8-9 and ZERO HOUR: CRISIS IN TIME #4, 3, 2, 1, and 0, chronicling a discovery by DC's greatest heroes of a tidal wave of temporal disruption. They band together to combat the chronal chaos as other heroes face even greater havoc a thousand years in the future! - DC UNIVERSE | 160pg. | Softcover | Color | $17.95"THE BATMAN" COMING TO CARTOON NETWORK
OFFICIAL WB PRESS RELEASE
WARNER BROS. ANIMATION PRODUCING “THE BATMAN,” - AN ALL-NEW TAKE ON THE DARK KNIGHT - FOR KIDS’ WB! AND CARTOON NETWORK
U2’s The Edge To Perform Theme Song For New Batman Series (Sherman Oaks, CA – February 9, 2004) “The Batman,” an innovative, all-new animated television series based on the famed DC Comics super hero Batman, is being produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Kids’ WB! and Cartoon Network, it was announced today by Sander Schwartz, President, Warner Bros. Animation; Paul Levitz, President and Publisher, DC Comics; John Hardman, Senior Vice President, Programming, Kids’ WB!; and Sam Register, Senior Vice President of Original Animation, Cartoon Network.
“The Batman” will feature the most complex and
intriguing character in comic book history in action-packed super-heroic adventures,
melding the renowned character’s extraordinary physical prowess and super-sleuthing
skills with a new range of experimental Bat-gadgets and amped-up Batmobiles. This series
picks up Batman’s story in year three: in his mid-twenties, just finding his way as
protector, defender and Caped Crusader, while balancing his public persona as billionaire
bachelor Bruce Wayne. Accentuating the original take on the series, The Edge from
multi-Grammy Award-winning sensation U2 will perform the series’ theme song.
“Batman is one of animation’s most recognizable and most popular characters,”
said Schwartz. “For decades, legions of fans throughout the world have enjoyed Batman
comics, feature films, television series and made-for-video releases. The new series will
continue this timeless tradition, while adding an exciting new interpretation that will
appeal to current fans, as well as attract a whole new generation to the celebrated Batman
franchise.”
“‘The Batman’ is an important new addition to the Batman mythology,
produced by our award-winning colleagues at Warner Bros. Animation,” said Levitz.
“We look forward to working with them to make it the new creative benchmark for
adventure animation, just as ‘The Adventures of Batman’ set the tone for the
field a decade ago.”
Living in Gotham, a metropolis where shadows run long and deep, beneath elevated train
tracks and within a 150-year-old drainage system, this younger Batman will confront
updated takes of familiar foes — meeting each member of his classic Rogue’s
Gallery for the first time. From the likes of Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze,
Riddler and Man-Bat, among others, the war on crime jumps to the next level with a new
arsenal at the Dark Knight’s disposal, all operated and linked by an advanced
remote-controlled invention he dubs the “Bat-Wave.”
“Batman has thrilled audiences for decades and we look forward to bringing a
contemporary vision of this classic hero to a new generation,” said Hardman. “Kids'
WB! is eager to work with the Studio and help expand the scope of this timeless franchise.”
“To me, this is a dream project. Batman is the ultimate action-adventure property,
and I've been a fan all of my life,” said Register. “The characters will remain
true to their heritage, but we're going to deliver an action-adventure show that will feel
so fresh and stylish that today's kids will love it as much as we all did growing up. I
think this new Batman animated series will be a show that kids and their parents will
watch together.”
Winner of the “Comics Buyer’s Guide” Favorite Character of the Century
Award, Batman is one of the most memorable inventions in literature and continues to
sustain his worldwide appeal, starring in numerous collected editions and special
publications and appearing monthly in seven comic books. Created by Bob Kane, Batman made
his comic book debut in “Detective Comics #27” in May 1939. Within a year,
“Batman #1,” the first comic book devoted exclusively to the Caped Crusader’s
adventures, hit newsstands. In this issue, he battled the Joker and Catwoman for the very
first time. In 2003, the monthly comic book “Batman,” written by fan favorite
Jeph Loeb and superstar artist Jim Lee, was the number one comic book in North America.
The graphic novels “The Dark Knight Returns,” “Batman: Year One” and
“Batman: The Long Halloween” are perennial industry bestsellers.
DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation and The WB Television Network (home of Kids’ WB!) are all Warner Bros. Entertainment Companies.
DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics
in the world and home to such other iconic characters as Superman, Wonder Woman and the
Sandman. These DC super heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television
series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for
generations. DC Comics’ website is www.dccomics.com.
Warner Bros. Animation, the most awarded animation studio in history, has produced several
highly successful Batman interpretations, starting in the early nineties when the Emmy
award-winning “Batman: The Animated Series” premiered. In early 1999, Warner
Bros. Animation took the legend of the Dark Knight into the future with the hit television
series, “Batman Beyond,” and in fall 2001, Batman appeared with his super hero
peers as part of the “Justice League,” which debuted to triumphant ratings and
acclaim on Cartoon Network. Warner Home Video recently released an all-new, feature-length
made-for-video adventure “Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman,” produced by Warner
Bros. Animation.
Kids' WB!, a leader in kids’ television, is the children’s programming service
of The WB Television Network. The top-rated broadcast and cable network for Boys, Tweens
and Male Tweens, Kids’ WB! has maintained its position as the #1 broadcast network
since spring of 1999 and continues to set precedent with its new powerhouse 2003-2004
programming schedule. Kids’ WB!’s website is www.KidsWB.com.
Cartoon Network, currently seen in 85.7 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the
world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering
the best in animated entertainment. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained
one of ad-supported cable's highest-rated networks. Cartoon Network's website is www.CartoonNetwork.com.
NEW SERIES ART DIRECTOR
Comics Continuum reports that artist Jeff Matsuda announced on his web site that he is the art director of The Batman, the new animated series announced by Warner Bros. Animation on Monday.
"It's been a dream working with a bunch of guys who all love Batman, and have been reading the comics for years," Matsuda said on his web site. "We're staying true to the essence of Batman, but also trying to give it our own spin. We all love and respect the Timm/Dini Batman -- we pay homage to them in the first season. We just want to give you something you haven't seen yet."
The two pieces of promotional artwork released by Warner Bros. on Monday were both done by Matsuda. His signature is in the bottom right corner of the image shown here.
Matsuda, who worked as a comic-book artist at all of the major publishers, recently worked on The Jackie Chan Adventures for Sony Television. He's listed in the opening credits for his character designs
VOICE TALENT
JUSTICE LEAGUE (Cartoon Network)
TEEN TITANS (Cartoon Network)
TEEN TITANS (KidsWB)
SUPER FRIENDS (Boomerang)
UK TV SCHEDULE
Toonami, Turner's new UK cartoon Network has just started broadcasting. The following Batman shows will be running.
BATMAN OF THE FUTURE (Batman Beyond) :
JUSTICE LEAGUE
LATEST BATMAN 5 RUMORS & NEWS
After a disappointing fourth installment, and three false starts at a fifth version, Batman will be born again. But don't call this the latest in the series. Consider it "Batman: Year One." This time around, it's about the genesis of Batman: How billionaire Bruce Wayne makes a series of decisions that turn him into the Caped Crusader. Batman will be more realistic and less cartoonish. There are no campy villains. Wayne -- younger, more vulnerable, more human -- will be getting as much attention as his masked alter-ego.
"I felt like doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before," says Chris Nolan ("Insomnia," "Memento"), who takes the reins of "Batman" from Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. Humanity and realism, says Nolan, is the crux of the new pic. "The world of Batman is that of grounded reality," he says. Burton's and Schumacher's visions were idiosyncratic and unreal. Nolan says, "Ours will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises." Nolan, a self-confessed James Bond fan as a child, is keen on reinventing Wayne as more of a modern-day Bond than hapless playboy -- an action-adventure hero who has mythic qualities and battles the odds to save the world.
With "The Matrix" series over, Warner Bros. is anxious to whip up a franchise to rival Fox's "X-Men" and Sony's "Spider-Man." Since the old Batman quartet was running out of gas, the goal is to rethink the whole thing. WB Pictures prexy of production Jeff Robinov says, "There's an emotional component to the film which grounds it and really tells us about Bruce Wayne's struggle."
While the new Bruce Wayne is getting emphasis, Nolan, scripter David Goyer and WB have focused on fixing problems that plagued the other pics. For example, Bruce Wayne was too dark and impenetrable and had lost the humorous side found in the comics. The character was basically just dead screen time until Batman appears -- which in the new film may not happen until 40 minutes after it begins. "If we're successful, the thing that will be talked about a lot and on what we worked on the hardest is that the audience will really care about Bruce Wayne and not just Batman," Goyer says. It doesn't matter how much you spend on special effects -- if it feels hollow, no one gives a damn."
Nolan starts helming the film next month, and its summer 2005 release will prove whether WB has been able to breathe new life into the Caped Crusader -- and to rescue its biggest franchise outside of "Harry Potter." WB's wants to tap into the "Batman" fan base and bring back audiences that wandered away from the original quartet. The 1997 "Batman & Robin" failed with critics, fans and the B.O., becoming the series' worst performer, with just $107 million domestically. So the new, untitled "Batman" is getting a complete overhaul, backed by a roughly $150 million budget. Rather than pit Batman against a new set of supervillains, the new film focuses on how billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes the Dark Knight.
"It's almost impossible to reinvent Batman," says Robinov. "Chris is reintroducing Batman, and it feels smart and cool and fresh. That's no disrespect to the other movies, but it's really Chris' vision of Batman, and that's what we're supporting."
Christian Bale will don the cape and cowl inherited from Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Michael Caine (as Alfred), Katie Holmes and Cillian Murphy also star. There'll be a new Batmobile, a new arsenal of gadgets, a new Batsuit (sans nipples) as well as a new musical theme. Even Gotham City is getting a facelift. Previous pics made the city seem dark and claustrophobic or garishly stylized. Instead of lensing on sets built inside huge soundstages, the new film will be shot on locations in New York, London and Iceland, assembling pieces of each city to recreate Gotham as a modern-day metropolis.
"Gotham will seem like this great city in a contemporary world and will be created through various cities," Nolan says. "We are trying to avoid a villagey feel for Gotham, as it starts to get claustrophobic."
Goyer -- who penned the successful "Blade" series for New Line and was a former staffer at "Batman" publisher DC Comics -- adds: "As the Batman films progressed, they became increasingly more cartoonish and more like the campy TV show. We think the audience is tired of that, and it's at odds with the way Batman is depicted in the comicbooks over the last decade. Batman is a classic figure whose story is wrapped in tragedy." Nolan jumps on that theme: "Few superheroes have the sense of purpose and destiny that Batman has. He is driven by an incredible sense of rage, sadness and grief because of the tragedy of his parents' murder at an early age. To me, Batman is the most interesting superhero because he doesn't have any superpowers. He is very human."
The casting of Bale, Nolan hopes, will not only give audiences a younger Batman to root for but also a weighty sense of his true character. "Bruce Wayne is strong, and the things that are done to him to make him become Batman are all psychological and character-based," Nolan says. "We needed an actor capable of taking us along on this journey and showing the different psychological layers which inspire Bruce to become Batman."
Fans fearing that the new Batman has taken his passport and moved across the pond shouldn't fret, however. Nolan may be a fan of Bond, and the new installment may be made up of a mostly British cast, crew and locations, but Batman's remaining American.
DC Comics not only provided Nolan and Goyer with key elements of Batman's background, it also gave the filmmakers a list of what Goyer jokingly dubs "the 10 Commandments," a set of guidelines that should appear in every Batman story.
"Before they sat down with us, they had already done a tremendous amount of homework," says Paul Levitz, prexy and publisher of DC Comics. "Working with them has been a delight. We haven't been dealing with questions like, 'Is it "Bruce Wayne" or could it be "Bob Wayne" instead?'
The company has what it calls a circle of "three rings" that make up the Batman universe.
There's the "aspirational experience," which Levitz says consists of how people react emotionally to the Bruce Wayne character, his traumatic childhood involving the death of his parents and how that leads the billionaire to use his riches to fight crime. "It's all about making you feel that if you went through something traumatic, you'd rise to the challenge in the same way," Levitz says.
The second ring: "You go to a Batman movie expecting certain moments," Levitz says. "You expect to see the Batmobile, the Batcave, the Bat Signal, his utility belt, Batman swinging across Gotham City. That's your wow." Another expectation is the prospect of seeing something that hasn't appeared in other Batman outings. "There's always the question of how do you give the audience something they haven't seen before," Levitz says.
The final ring deals with the creative interpretation that the director, writers and actors bring to the project. "They each want to bring things that are unique, but they can't fight the other rings of the circle," Levitz says. "It would be unique to have Batman tripping over himself, but that wouldn't be good. We started on the same emotional and intellectual level. We all want to make a movie that appeals to the most intense Batman fan as well as the person who's never seen a Batman movie or TV show before."
In terms of whether the movie will be too dark, Robinov says the film's more about conflict than darkness: about Batman's internal conflict and what drives him to suit up as a superhero. The director's feeling the pressure to succeed. "It's an awesome responsibility," Nolan says, "because the fan base for Batman is extraordinary, and there's a lot of emotional investment in the character."
Warner Bros. also is understandably eager not to alienate or disappoint auds and hardcore fans with Batman's latest adventure. A shroud of secrecy has surrounded the new pic since it was unveiled last year. Nolan and the new film's key creative team are reluctant to reveal too many details of the planned visuals or plot. The last thing Warners wants is a repeat of the early negative buzz that erupted on the Internet after Ain't It Cool News posted its scathing review of an early test screening of "Batman & Robin," which the studio said could have hurt the film's B.O. performance.
If the new film succeeds, WB's "Batman" franchise will have found a new direction for its sequels to take and compete with Sony's juggernaut "Spider-Man" and Fox's "X-Men" adventures.
CATWOMAN UPDATES
BATMAN TRIVIA GAME ON-LINE SUNDAY
Action figure and toy company Mattel are launching an on-line trivia game at http://www.batmantrivia.com/ for all Batman fans. The site will be live February 15 2004 after 9:00 PM ET.
CATWOMAN MOVIE BARBIE ON THE WAY
Mattel has announced it will be showing off a Catwoman-inspired barbie doll from Feb. 12 - 18 at the Toy Fair in New York...A short piece of footage from Access Hollywood showing the doll can be seen here.
NEW SHOW - NEW TOYS - NEW TECHNOLOGY
Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with its master toy licensee, Mattel, and VEIL Interactive Technologies to merge action figure and vehicle play with interactive television. The technology, exclusive to WBCP and Mattel for 2004, represents the first time a toy line will use the technology to enhance both the toy and TV experience.
VEIL (Video Encoded Invisible Light) technology transmits encoded digital data -- in the form of graphics, storyline components, gadgets and other features -- directly from The Batman series. The encoded data, captured exclusively by Mattel's new line of Batwave toys based on the series, unlocks new capabilities in the toys and provides more information about the show and its characters. Like the series, the toys will debut this fall.
"The Batwave line is an extraordinary and sophisticated new way for kids to watch and play with their favorite characters -- whether the TV is on or off," said Matt Bousquette, president, Mattel. "This is the kind of toy that really satisfies today's kid because it not only enhances the viewing experience of the show, it actually pulls the child into the storyline in an imaginative as well as interactive way. It's the next generation toy for a new generation kid."
Each episode of The Batman will be encoded using VEIL technology, an invisible data stream embedded in the video picture that is transmitted to and received by the removable module with LCD screen. The module is the component that brings the Batman action figure and Batmobile to life.
While watching the show, the toys can be activated to receive the encoded signal. After the signal is received, engine graphics, diagnostics, gadgets, story line background from the show, character information, power-ups, and more, are activated within the toys. In addition, when the show is on, the Batman action figure and the Batmobile vehicle recognize the show's signal and "come to life" and react with lights, motion, and sound.
Following are the products that will launch the Batwave toy line, with descriptions from Mattel:
* Batwave Communicator Handheld Device: The Batman Stand Alone Module with LCD screen and buttons, features VEIL Technology that allows kids to download items and power-ups from the series, The Batman from Warner Bros. Animation. When activated, and in the line of sight of the television, the LCD screen shows engine graphics, diagnostics, weapons systems, as well as allows the child to unlock different vehicle and figure-based games by watching the show. The Batwave Communicator Handheld Device can be used in the vehicle or on the figure to activate different features, or can be removed for use as a handheld game.
A.R.P.: $32.99 Age: 4+ Available: October
Batwave Batman Action Figure: This new Batman(TM) action figure lets kids enjoy real-time play via the Batwave backpack, which features VEIL Technology. When the new animated series from Warner Bros. Animation is aired, the figure "comes to life" as the wings on the backpack pop up and the Batwave chest emblem on the figure lights up when within the line of sight of the TV. The removable module with LCD screen and buttons, allows kids to download items and power ups from the show. VEIL technology also allows kids to unlock different figure-based games and a number of phrases while watching the show. The backpack module can be used to activate a spring-loaded Batarang and LED in the gauntlet, as well as a selection of downloaded weapon sounds.
A.R.P.: $38.99 Age: 4+ Available: October
Batwave Batmobile with Handheld Device: This amazing new Batmobile vehicle "comes to life" like never before when activated via VEIL Technology while a child views the new animated Batman series from Warner Bros. Animation, "The Batman." Once activated, LED headlights turn on, as do its blue side and fin lights, engine lights as well as a "starting up" light and rumble rack. The Batmobile vehicle has a "turbo" mode, which sees the rear fenders pop out sideways to expose missile pods and engine details, and the wings popping-out from under the vehicle -- all with an accompanying sound and force feedback. The vehicle comes with red LED's in the front to simulate lasers and rockets which are "captured" from the show, and paid-off in lights, sounds and force feedback. The removable Module with LCD screen and buttons, allows kids to download items and power ups from the show. The screen also shows engine graphics, diagnostics, weapon systems, and allows the kid to unlock different vehicle based games by tuning into the show. When left in the vehicle the Module can activate different features, or can be removed for use as a handheld game.
A.R.P.: $51.99 Age: 4+ Available: October
Comics Contimuum reports that Bandai America has annonced that this spring they will be introducing Teen Titans action figures and vehicles, inspired by Warner Bros. Animation's television series.
The core of Bandai's toy line will center on the main characters from the show in 3.5-inch form. These figures will be available individually with an assortment of weapons and accessories. "Comic Book Heroes" figures in the 1.5-inch scale will debut in packages of six.
Bandai will offer two role-play sets. Five-inch "Massive Feature" figures will also be available, each featuring a different sound or action feature such as transformation.
Vehicles will include T-Vehicle Assortment, which contains a Turbo Mobile and T-Cycle with an articulated 3.5-inch figure. The Teen Titans Battling Machines capture the comical spirit of the TV show with transforming vehicles that resemble variations of common ride-on machines, such as a lawnmower.
In the fall, Bandai will release new figures with new vehicles and playsets based on designs from the show, including the T-Sub and Teen Titans Tower.
BATMAN LOVING POLICE OFFICER SLAIN BY KILLER NAMED "GOTHAM"
From Defender Of Gotham and the Ocola Star Banner
Slain Deputy Brian Litz had a subtle way of getting fellow
officers to wear their bulletproof vests. As a training officer, Litz would give Batman
pins to those who wore the body armor. On the road as a patrol deputy, several years
before the nine-year veteran joined the K-9 Unit, he gave his closest friends Batman pins
featuring the famous symbol of open bat wings silhouetted by a spotlight.
"Brian didn't wear a mask, he wore a smile," said Deputy Brad Thomas, one six
other K-9 deputies. "Brian didn't wear a cape, he wore a badge. Brian idolized
everything Batman stood for. Brian to me symbolized a superhero . . . protecting the
less-fortunate."
To honor Litz - who was shot dead Saturday by 74-year-old Ivan K. Gotham, a mentally
disturbed man, in Pine Run off State Road 200 - 13 or more deputies have gotten tattoos of
the Batman emblem on their shoulders. Still more were planning to get the tattoo today,
Thomas said. Under the emblem, the tattoo has Litz's badge number: K3483.
Thomas and Deputy Brian Dotten, who also works on the K-9 Unit, said they got tattoos in
honor of their beloved friend and co-worker. "At first, he gave the pin to some of us
on night shift," said Dotten, who received a pin seven years ago to put on his
bulletproof vest. "That pin meant something different to everyone who got it."
"It was his subtle way of making a statement about the importance of bulletproof
vests," said Lt. Brad Smith, a district commander and friend of Litz. "He was
all about safety, and he was the go-to guy when it came to safety issues." The Batman
theme was important to Litz, some believe, because the superhero wore armor for his
safety.
The K-9 Unit deputies are considering "Batman" decals for their patrol cars.
Litz believed in what the DC Comics superhero stood for, Dixon said. "Batman was the
defender of peace."
EMERALD CITY COMIC CON - Seattle - Feb 29th
The second Emerald City convention features GREG RUCKA, MATT WAGNER, DAVE JOHNSON and PETE WOODS among many other guests.
MEGA-CON - Orlando - March 5th to 7th
The first major convention of the season kicks off in at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando Florida with numerous guests including CHUCK DIXON, DICK GIORDANO and many others. Your GWN editor will also be at the event on Saturday.
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GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS is a FOREST COMICS Publication.
FOREST COMICS and GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS are (c) and TM - Alan J. Porter (1994 - 2004)
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BATMAN and all related characters and indicia are acknowledged as Trademark and copyright DC Comics Inc..
BATMAN created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger