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GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS #158
Friday July 27th 2001
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Hi folks –
First I have to make a couple of apologies.
Sorry we didn’t get a newsletter out last week, but we were in the midst of the San Diego con. Four and a half days of fun and hard work, with lots to see and hear plus loads of people to meet and chat to.
On that front I’d like to make a special note of thanks to Bob Schreck, Matt Ideleson, Devin Grayson, Greg Rucka, Roger Robinson, Paul Storrie and the charming Mrs. Elizabeth Kane who all took time out of their busy schedules to chat with me.
Also if you’ve sent me e-mail over the last couple of weeks and haven’t had a response, please accept my apologies. My ISP is having e-mail problems and while I can send e-mails out from the GWN address I don’t seem to be able to receive any at the moment. So if you have sent me anything, it’s probably sitting on my IPS’s mail server. Once I get access again, I will begin responding to your notes and questions.
Well there’s a lot to get through this week, so enjoy all the Bat news.
As always have a great week.
Alan J. Porter
PO Box 3523
Ramona
CA 92065
USA
E-mail: gothamajp@home.com
http://www.gothamweeklynews.com
GOTHAM GAZETTE – The BATMAN Magazine On The Web
Don’t forget to check out our ongoing eBay auctions under UserID – forestcomics.
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IN THIS ISSUE OF GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS:
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Comics Shipping This Week – In stores August 1st
Comics News – .All the latest from SDCC
TV Show Schedules
TV News – Justice League details
Movie News – Batman Beyond delayed?
In The Stores – Target Bruce Wayne arrives ?
Meet The Bat-Team -.BatCon announced
On-Line Happenings - Rucka interview on-line
Fanzines & Fan-Clubs
Order The BATMAN Collectors Guide (Back in Stock)
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COMICS SHIPPING THIS WEEK ( August 1st )
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BATGIRL #19
Written by Kelley Puckett; art and cover by Damion Scott and Robert Campanella
An oath that "Nobody Dies Tonight in Gotham" proves tricky as an execution is scheduled at an upstate prison. Will Batgirl allow a death-row killer to die? The answer may surprise you! (32 Pgs, $2.50)
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #41
Written by Scott Peterson; art by Tim Levins and Terry Beatty; cover by Bob Smith and Beatty
Batman's giving his all to help one of Gotham City's denizens get on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, the subject of all of his efforts couldn't care less whether or not he was on the right side of the law…or the right side of the Bat. Batman may have to deal with someone who's too lethargic to care about redemption, when dealing with "The Man Called Joe." (32 Pgs, $1.99)
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #146
Written by Doug Moench; art and cover by Barry Kitson
Jordy is big and simple. A true innocent, he loves dogs and children — and never would even think of using his enormous strength to hurt even a fly. But deep inside Jordy, something lurks...something bad. Can Batman remove the Bad without destroying Jordy? (32 Pgs, $2.25)
SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS II #1
Written and illustrated by John Byrne; cover by Byrne
Re-enter the world of SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS in this thrilling new miniseries! The lives of Superman and Batman are just part of the rich tapestry writer/artist John Byrne explores in this sequel to the first GENERATIONS epic, as landmark moments in the careers of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the entire Justice Society of America unfold. (48 Pgs, $4.95)
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COMICS NEWS
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GOTHAM KNIGHTS EISNER
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Congratulations to Brian Bolland for winning this year’s Eisner Award for Best Cover Artist for his work on Batman: Gotham Knights and other DC titles.
SDCC BATMAN PANEL
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On the Friday evening of Comic Con International DC hosted a panel dedicated to the upcoming Batman comics. Featuring Batman Group Editors Bob Schreck and Matt Idelson as well as writers Greg Rucka, Devin Grayson and Ed Brubaker plus artist Rick Burchett it was entitled Batman: A Knight On The Edge.
Most of the panel was devoted to the upcoming Batman 10c Adventure and the follow on Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storyline that will run through the 2002 Bat books.
The 10c Adventure will lead into the events of Bruce Wayne Fugitive.
Bruce Wayne becomes a fugitive when he is implicated in the murder of someone close to him, just who that is the Bat team wouldn’t say, or even hint at. They were however adamant that this storyline will be “controversial” amongst the Bat fans, but pleaded for the fans to wait and see how it all pans out before being overly critical. “Don’t curse us before you’ve read it.” Was the comment.
Fugitive will be a “true mystery” spread across the various Bat titles, but you wont have to read every Bat book every month to follow it. Issues that include clues to the mystery will have a special symbol on the cover, possibly a numbered puzzle piece. To add to the air of mystery there will be no promotional copy for the books describing story lines. So don’t expect to find the answer by reading PREVIEWS.
Towards the end of the Q&A session Bob Schreck was asked about the status of the upcoming Dark Knight Strikes Back series ( or DK2 as it was shown on DCs promotional images throughout the con).
He told the audience that Frank Miller is hard at work and that the first issue is fully penciled and is now being colored by Lyn Varley, who is using computer coloring for the first time. There was no commitment on release dates and the project won’t be solicited until it is complete.
OTHER BAT ITEMS FROM SDCC
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- James Tucker, a producer on the Justice League animated series, told The Comics Continuum he will be doing an eight-page segment for Batman #600. "It'll be done in Dick Sprang style," Tucker said.
- Artist Pete Woods on the upcoming Robin #100: "It promises to be pretty interesting. It looks to be quite a shocker. Batman will be pretty miserable this year, and he'll be taking Robin along with him."
SILVER AGE BATMAN CGC GRADED COMICS
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The Comics Guaranty Corp (CGC) recently released its first “Population Report” of high graded (9.0 and above) Silver Age books. The following BATMAN issues were listed:
BATMAN #102 (2 copies), 103 (3 copies), 108, 110 (2 copies), 112, 113, 115, 120, 122, 128, 132, 136 (2 copies), 138, 142, 145 (2 copies), 147, 148, 149, 151 (2 copies), 152, 153 (2 copies), 154, 155 (4 copies), 156 (2 copies), 157 (2 copies), 158 (2 copies), 159 (2 copies), 163 (3 copies), 166, 167, 168, 169 (2 copies), 170 (2 copies),171 (5 copies), 173 (3 copies), 174, 175, 177, 178, 179, 180 (3 copies), 181 (4 copies), 182 (3 copies), 183 (2 copies), 185 (2 copies), 186 (4 copies), 188 ( 2 copies), 189 ( 9 copies), 190 ( 2 copies), 191 (3 copies), 192 ( 3 copies), 194 ( 2 copies), 194, 195 (3 copies), 197 ( 3 copies), 198 (3 copies), 199 ( 4 copies), 200 ( 20 copies), 201 ( 2 copies), 202 ( 3 copies), 203 (4 copies), 204, 205, 206, 207 (2 copies), 208 ( 2 copies), 209, 210 (2 copies), 211, 213 (3 copies), 218 ( 3 copies), 219 ( 2 copies), 220, 221, 222, 223 (4 copies), 226, 227, 228, 229 (2 copies), 230, 231 (2 copies), 232 (29 copies), 233 (3 copies), 243 (17 copies), 235 (5 copies), 236 ( 3 copies), 237 ( 4 copies),
BATMAN ANNUAL #3, 4, 7
The most popular Silver Age BATMAN issue to get graded and “slabbed” was #232 with the first appearance of Ra’s Al Ghul. The highest grade book was an issue of Batman #200 with a 9.8 grade.
Next week – The CGC report on Detective Comics.
SALES CHARTS FOR JULY
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Here are the positions of Batman family titles in the Direct Market sales charts for comics shipped in JULY 2001. (Note these positions reflect orders placed by the comic shops and not actual sales to readers).
This
time around I have also included estimates* of actual numbers of copies
ordered.
16 – Just Imagine .Stan Lee…Batman (New) - 59,740
(Note this was the top grossing comic book for July in $ terms due to the high cover price)
29 – Batman #593 (up 2) - 46,020
44 - Detective #760 (down 10) - 40,630
45 – Nightwing: Our Worlds At War (New) - 40,050
52 – Batgirl #18 (down 12) - 37,930
53 – Nightwing #59 (down 12) - 37,460
59 – Legends Of The Dark Knight #145 (down 10) - 34,980
64 – Gotham Knights #19 (down 16) - 33,500
67 – Harley Quinn #10 (down 7) - 31,310
76 – Robin #92 ( down 13) - 28,180
87 – Birds Of Prey #33 (down 13) - 24,740
92 – Nightwing: The Target (new) - 23,420
131 – Azreal #80 (down 16) - 15,920
143 – Gotham Adventures #40 (down 9) - 13,070
152 – Batman Beyond #23 (down 21) - 11,510
Total copies ordered 468,460
(Source: Diamond Comics Distributors)
* sales figure estimates from http://j_carl_henderson.tripod.com/july-2001.txt
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TV SHOW SCHEDULES
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BATMAN BEYOND
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Kids' WB! Has changed
it’s schedules for the summer and the good news is the return of BATMAN BEYOND
to 2 episodes per day Monday through Thursday at 3:00pm and 4:30pm
NEW BATMAN / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
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While Cartoon Network continues to run the Superman episodes at 6:30pm Tuesday through Friday, the BATMAN episodes are currently on hold. Current rumors are that it may return as part of the fall schedule.
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
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In Canada, YTV airs Batman: The Animated Series at 3:30 AM EDT, Monday
through Friday. Check out schedules on http://www.ytv.ca (Patrick Furlong)
UPDATES NEEDED
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Are any of the BATMAN TV SHOWS running in your area / country.
BATMAN BEYOND, NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, SUPER-FRIENDS or the classic BATMAN - 1960s TV SHOW.
If so send me an e-mail (gothamajp@home.com) with the show times and I’ll list them here for all your fellow batfans.
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TV NEWS
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B:TAS ON DVD NEXT YEAR ?
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World’s Finest News reports that "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" are slated for a spring 2002 DVD debut courtesy of Warner Home Video. Look for a season-by-season rollout, with season one of the show coming first. This will be the first time that WB has done a “season by season” DVD release as opposed to a “best of” or “themed” episode compilation.
JUSTICE LEAGUE DETAILS FROM SDCC
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One of the many highlights of the
San Diego convention was Saturday’s Cartoon Network presentation of the new
Justice League animated series hosted by Bruce Timm.
The presentation started and concluded with a showing of a short JLA demo piece showing the group in action against the alien invaders featured in the opening story. The clip was shown again before the evening masquerade show and in heavy rotation on the DC booth the following day.
The preview was then followed by a
slide presentation of all the major characters and settings.
Of interest to GWN readers will be the new presentation of BATMAN. In the JLA series he comes across as being a slightly “lighter” character in both dress and tone than the one seen in the New Batman Adventures. He has taken on more of the role of Detective, but is still the loner of the group. The body design is slimmer with some slight indication of musculature. The suit is not as dark as the NBA design. With slight purple highlights to the cape and cowl. The ears are longer, closer to the original Bob Kane design.
The
90 minute pilot episode “Secret Origins” is an alien invasion story that brings
the League together. It is planned to air as part of Cartoon Network’s Toon
Movie slot. Subsequent episodes will be 1 hour story lines presented as two 30
minute episodes. The season finale will also be a 90 minute show (maybe
featuring the JSA ?).
Storylines will tend to focus on individual members of the League – episodes were referred to as “The Green Lantern story” or “The Flash story” etc.
Apparently
there are already discussions at WB about a DVD or video release for the
series.
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MOVIE NEWS**************** BATMAN BEYOND ON HOLD ?---------------------------------------------
Paul Dini recently told The Comics Continuum web site that the live-action Batman Beyond movie is in a state of uncertainty.
Dini has teamed with fellow Batman Beyond television producer Alan Burnett and director Boaz Yakin on a script for the Batman Beyond film for Warner Bros. He told The Continuum that the first draft was turned in early this year.
"We've talked to the producers since then, but I don't have any sense of what's going to happen," Dini said. "We still owe them a rewrite on it, and we're waiting to see.
"All I can sort of do is guess. They're cool on the whole Batman Beyond concept right now. They want to see how a few other takes on Batman that are in development work out. They're still working on a Year One and might have a couple of different takes in the hopper.
"They'll probably look at bunch of things, including Batman Beyond, and choose one."
Dini said he enjoyed working with Burnett and Yakin on the script.
"It was not the cartoon show," Dini said. "It was a lot more hard-edged, with a lot of action and other cool stuff."
=============== IN THE STORES**************
BRUCE WAYNE ON TARGET
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It looks like the new Target Exclusive 9 inch Bruce Wayne/Batman is now shipping into stores. Be sure to buy this one as soon as you see it. Hasbro has made 13,500 only of this new figure. When they are gone that 's it! (Thanks to Joker Inc.)
DC DIRECT NEWS---------------------------On show at the DC Booth during the San Diego con were a number of upcoming Batman related items: MAD’s Alfred E. Neuman as Batman – Action figure – In stores Oct 17th.MAD’s Alfred E. Neuman as Robin – Action figure – In stores Sept 2002 Dark Knight Strikes Again – Batman and Catgirl – Statue – In store date to coincide with release of DK2 comic series.Detective Comics #38 cover – Batman and Robin – Statue – In stores Oct 24thPoison Ivy (Animated Style) – Statue – In stores Sept 26thCatwoman (Animated Style) – Statue – In stores June 2002Batman – mini-statue – In stores Oct 3rdClassic Batman – mini-bust – In stores March 20th 2002 (price $45 ) JLA Animated Maquette – released throughout 2002 – Batman will be the last figure released – Price $89.95 Harley Quinn Musical Snowglobe – In stores Nov 21st – Price $99.95 Batman Holiday Ornaments – In stores Oct 31st – price $24.95 Ace The Bathound – plush toy – In stores Jan 23rd 2002 – Price $14.95 During Sunday’s DC Direct panel the question was raised about DC Direct doing any Batman action figures. It was confirmed that Hasbro still holds the exclusive license to the Batman family for Action Figures, so while DC can do Bat themed statues, plush toys, maquettes etc it can’t do any Bat action figures. =====================================
MEET THE BAT-TEAM
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DALLAS TX – October 19-21
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HollywoodExpo has announced that its October Dallas show has been re-titled as BAT.CON to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Batman TV show. The show is scheduled for the weekend of October 19th to 21st. Featured guests include: MARK WAID, CRAIG ROUSSEAU, DAN BRERETON, NORM BREYFOGLE and from the TV show, ADAM WEST, BURT WARD, YVONNE CRAIG, JULIE NEWMAR and FRANK GORSHIN. For more details check out http://members.aol.com/toyshow/batcon.html
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ON-LINE HAPPENINGS
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RUCKA ON-LINE INTERVIEW
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DETECTIVE COMICS writer Greg Rucka is featured in a in-depth interview on the Cinescape web-site. Check it out at http://www.cinescape.com/0/editorial.asp?aff_id=0&this_cat=Comics&action=page&obj_id=28060
GOTHAM GIRLS SECOND SEASON
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The hit official internet site
Gotham Girls is gearing up for a new season of webisodes featuring Gotham's
baddest (and best) girls around. The premiere episode of the second season is
already up, written by Paul Dini himself. To check out the site and the new
webisode, go to www.gothamgirls.com
Two new episodes were shown at the San Diego Comic-Con to great applause. The representatives from WB web studios said that the episodes will be shown in rotation with two available on the site at any given time.
BATMAN COMIC BOOK APPEARENCES
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The listing of all Batman Comic Book Appearances from 1939 to present is now available at http://www.magpage.com/~demes/batapps.htm. Any corrections / additions can be sent to Jim Demes at demes@magpage.com
CATCH UP ON THE GOTHAM GAZETTE FAN-FICS
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Since the GOTHAM GAZETTE web-site went into hiatus I’ve had several e-mails from GWN readers asking where they can find the excellent fanfic stories we used to run. Well writer Lee Barnett now has them posted on his own website at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/budgie so click on by and check them out.
BATMAN DISCUSSION LIST
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BATSIGNAL a new Batman on-line discussion group has been launched at
http://www.eGroups.com/group/BatSignal
Or subscribe direct by sending an e-mail to BatSignal-subscribe@egroups.com
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BATMAN FANZINES & FAN-CLUBS
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(Know of any Batman related Fan-clubs that aren't listed ? Send me an e-mail with details. When contacting any of these clubs please mention GWN.)
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED NEWSLETTER
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Started in 1998, this newsletter dedicated to the animated aspect of Batman, has been making and breaking news. The newsletter has a weekly/bi-weekly schedule, and contains news, schedules, links, editorials, and a lot more for the animated Batman-fan. To check out back issues of this newsletter, go to http://www.toonzone.net/news/btan and to subscribe, simple email juno@dccnet.com and put 'Subscribe' in the subject line.
KNIGHTHOOD OF THE BAT
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The Knighthood Of The Bat is an online ICQ based fan club which, through the use of ICQ members can contact each other and share in their common interest of Batman. Check it out at the excellent Batman: Defender Of Gotham website at www.fandom.com/batman
GREEN HORNET & BATMAN FAN & COLLECTORS CLUB
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$10 a year for a bi-monthly newsletter. Contact J. Washington III, 321 Gracie Road . Chesapeake VA 23325
HARLEY QUINN FAN CLUB
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Based in San Diego. For more info contact Mike at 4574 Mercurio St. San Diego CA 92130
UNOFFICIAL BATMAN ANIMATED FAN-CLUB
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This club began in September and consists of a quarterly 30 page newsletter which is mailed out - 'a fan made magazine' with news, reviews, guides, artwork and basically all that we can stuff in related to Batman, Batman Beyond and Bruce Timm's amazing artwork. The club is non-profit making (i.e. - you only pay for paper and printing costs) and it's made by fans for fans. Based in the UK but USA and other members are always welcome. If you would like more information on how to join please e-mail - brian@batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk or for more info see website at http://www.batmanuk.freeserve.co.uk/club
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HOW TO ORDER OUR OWN BATMAN BOOK
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"THE UNAUTHORIZED BATMAN COLLECTORS GUIDE" by Alan J. Porter
The most comprehensive guide to Batman comics and collectibles ever collected between
two covers.
160 Pages
294 Photographs
6000 Items Listed
8 1/2" x 11" - Soft Cover.
ISBN 0-7643-0683-9
$30.00
With over 6000 items listed, this is the most comprehensive guide to Batman comics and collectibles ever assembled between two covers. Nearly 300 photographs accompany the informative articles and price guide listings. Highlights include a comics section which lists every comic book in which Batman has appeared from his debut in 1939 to the end of 1997, plus a figures section which lists all of the various Batman action figures. Covering everything from Artwork to Videos, and price ranges from 15c to $150,000, this book is a must for any Batfan.
As a special offer to GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS subscribers, you can order a signed copy from the author.
Send a check / money order for $30.00* (US Dollars), along with your mailing address to:
Alan J. Porter
Batman Guide
PO Box 3523
Ramona
CA 92065
* US orders postage free.
* CA residents please add 7 1/2% sales tax.
* Overseas orders add $5.00
Unsigned copies can be ordered via Credit Card from either http://www.BarnesAndNoble.com or http://www.Borders.com
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Sources used in compiling GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS
Ain’t It Cool News (http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/ )
Bat Signal newsletter
Comics2Film (http://www.comics2film.com/ )
Comic Buyers Guide
Comics Continuum (http://comicscontinuum.com/index.htm )
Comics International
Comic Shop News
Dark Horizons (http://www.darkhorizons.com/news.htm )
Joker Inc Newsletter (http://jokerinc.action-figure.net )
Previews
Wizard: The Comics Magazine
World’s Finest News (http://wf.toonzone.net/wfnews/ )
GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS is a FOREST COMICS Publication.
FOREST COMICS and GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS are (c) and TM - Alan J. Porter (1994 - 2001)
"GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS", "GOTHAM GAZETTE - The BATMAN Magazine On the Web" and "THE UNAUTHORIZED BATMAN COLLECTORS GUIDE" are not affiliated to, or endorsed by, either Warner Bros. or DC Comics.
BATMAN and all related characters and indicia are acknowledged as Trademark and copyright DC Comics Inc..
BATMAN created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger
If you no longer wish to receive GWN or have been sent a copy in error just send an e-mail to gothamajp@home.com with the words "unsubscribe GWN" in the subject line.