GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS #193
Friday 9th January 2004
THE 2003 ALFRED AWARDS
Welcome to the first Gotham Weekly News of the New Year. We trust that
all our readers had an enjoyable Holiday and that the upcoming year will be an enjoyable
one for you all.
We kick off the year with the return of our annual on-line
Awards for all things Bat related. here's your chance to reward your favorite creator,
story-line or Batman related collectible from the past 12 months. Voting will remain
open form now until the end of February.
So VOTE NOW and
pass the word to all your on-line Bat buddies
Off course no issue of GWN would be complete
with all the latest news from the various worlds of the Batman. So check out the sections
below for news of upcoming comics, new DVD Collections, the return of the classic 1960s
BATMAN show to TV and all the latest rumors from the sets of the upcoming BATMAN and
CATWOMAN movies.
As always have a great week. - Alan J. Porter
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IN THIS ISSUE
- Comics News
- Wagner Covers Batman
- Wizard Fan Awards
- Comics Shipping
- In Stores - January 14th
- TV News
- New DVD Collections
- Annie Awards
- TT Ratings Hit
- TV Schedules
- Justice League
- Teen Titans
- UK Schedule
- Movie News
- Latest on Batman 5
- Catwoman Latest News
- Catwoman Official Photo
- On The Newsstands
- DC Press Notes
- Batman Visits Kids Hospital
- Meet The Bat Team
- Austin TX - Jan 9-10
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MATT WAGNER COVERS WINICK/NGUYEN'S BATMAN ARC
Along with a creative team switch to Judd Winick and Dustin
Nguyen starting with Batman #626, the series will get a cover change as well, with
Matt Wagner supplying painted covers for the 6-part arc. Newsarama tracked him down for
the story, you can read the full interview here.
BATMAN RELATED COMICS WITH 2003 WIZARD FAN AWARDS
NOMINATIONS
Wizard has announced its nominees for the 2003 Wizard Fan
Awards with the winners to be announced at the Wizard World Chicago convention on the
weekend of August 13-15.
DC Comics was nominated in the FAVORITE PUBLISHER category
and the following BATMAN related comics creators, characters and storylines were also
nominated:
- FAVORITE WRITER - Geoff Johns - TEEN TITANS -
Jeph Loeb - BATMAN, SUPERMAN/BATMAN
- FAVORITE PENCILLER - Jim Lee - BATMAN - George
Pérez - JLA/AVENGERS
- FAVORITE BREAKOUT TALENT - Mike McKone - TEEN TITANS
- FAVORITE INKER - Scott Williams - BATMAN
- FAVORITE PAINTER - Alex Ross - JLA: LIBERTY &
JUSTICE
- FAVORITE COLORIST - Alex Sinclair - BATMAN
- FAVORITE LETTERER - Ken Lopez - JLA - Richard
Starkings & Comicraft - BATMAN, TEEN TITANS
- FAVORITE EDITOR - Eddie Berganza - TEEN TITANS and OUTSIDERS
- FAVORITE HERO - Batman
- FAVORITE VILLAIN - Deathstroke - Hush
- FAVORITE SUPPORTING CHARACTER - Catwoman
- FAVORITE ONGOING SERIES - BATMAN - TEEN TITANS
- FAVORITE MINISERIES - JLA/AVENGERS (copublished with
Marvel Comics)
- FAVORITE ONE-SHOT - PLANETARY/BATMAN: NIGHT ON EARTH
- FAVORITE COMIC MERCHANDISE - Batman Action Figures
(Mattel) - Kingdom Come Action Figures (DC Direct)
- FAVORITE COMIC, TV OR MOVIE PROJECT - Justice League
(Cartoon Network)
- COMICS' GREATEST MOMENT - 2003 - Clayface returns as
Jason Todd (BATMAN #617)
Comics Shipping (January 14th )
BATMAN: DEATH AND THE MAIDENS #6 -
Written by Greg Rucka; art and
cover by Klaus Janson - Bruce Wayne takes a discomforting walk down memory lane,
discovering things about himself he never dared acknowledge before. Meanwhile, the secret
history of Ra's and Nyssa concludes with a startling revelation, and we finally learn what
was pilfered from the Batcave! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color |
6 OF 9 | $2.95
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #175 -
Written by John Wagner; art
and cover by Chris Brunner - Rough Justice goes for the money in Part 4 of the 5-part
"Testament." Desperate for cash, they've targeted Bruce Wayne, the wealthiest
man in Gotham. Only they stumble across something even more damaging than the loss of
Wayne's priceless artifacts: the journal of Batman! - BATMAN | 32pg. |
Color | $2.50
GOTHAM CENTRAL #15 -
Written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka; art by
Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano; cover by Lark - The acclaimed series hits another
turning point as the Joker's reign of terror in Gotham City continues! While the GCPD race
against the clock to prevent him from claiming another victim, the story leaks to the
media and widespread panic hits Gotham. - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color
| $2.50
NIGHTWING #89 -
Written by Devin Grayson; art and cover by Patrick
Zircher and Andy Owens - In NIGHTWING #88, Blockbuster upped the ante in his bloody
vendetta against Nightwing. This month, he does the unthinkable in the single most
shocking issue of the year! Don't miss this turning point in the life of Dick Grayson! -
BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.25
OUTSIDERS: LOOKING FOR TROUBLE -
Written by Judd Winick; art by Tom
Raney, Scott Hanna, Chriscross, Sean Parsons, Ivan Reis, Carlo Barberi, Marc Campos and
Norm Rapmund; cover by Raney and Hanna - The exploits of Nightwing, Arsenal, and the rest
of comics' hottest new super-team are collected in a new volume reprinting OUTSIDERS #1-6
and the lead story from TEEN TITANS/OUTSIDERS SECRET FILES #1! The Outsiders take on
Gorilla Grodd and his ferocious monkey army in an attempt to rescue President Luthor, face
off against the dangerous Brother Blood, and more! - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg.
| Color | $12.50
TEEN TITANS #7 -
Written by Geoff Johns; art and cover by Mike McKone
and Marlo Alquiza - Guest-starring Superman! The Titans are weekend warriors...but what do
they do on a Wednesday? Plus, find out what Deathstroke the Terminator is up to! - DC
UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.50
NEW BATMAN DVD COLLECTIONS CONFIRMED
Warner Bros. has confirmed the release of
four new Batman related DVD discs, as predicted in the last issue of GWN they're
re-releases of old VHS collections.
Two of the DVDs will feature episodes from
THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND ROBIN and two will feature BATMAN BEYOND episodes. All have
an on-sale date of March 2nd 2004 and a SRP of $12.98
Adventures of Batman & Robin: Poison Ivy/The Penquin
- Eternal Youth
- House and Garden
- The Mechanic
- Birds of a Feather
Adventures of Batman & Robin: The Joker/Fire & Ice
- Christmas with the Joker
- The Laughing Fish
- Deep Freeze
- Fire from Olympus
Batman Beyond: School Dayz/Spellbound
- The Winning Edge
- Golem
- Dead Man's Hand
- Spellbound
- Hooked Up
- A Touch of Curare
Batman Beyond: Tech Wars/Disappearing Inque
- Heroes
- Lost Soul
- Splicers
- Black Out
- Disappearing Inque
- Shriek
ANNIE AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
Nominations for the animation industry's annual Annie
Awards (the toon version of the Oscars) were announced this week and include mentions for
both TEEN TITANS (Music) and JUSTICE LEAGUE (Writing). A full list of nominations can be
found here.
TEEN TITANS 2003 RATINGS HIT
The Teen Titans animated series helped Cartoon Network claim
the 2003 top ranking for prime-time delivery of kids 2-11 (1,058,000), boys 2-11 (709,000)
and boys 6-11 (484,000) for the fourth straight year. Prime time delivery of kids
6-11 (635,000, up 2 percent) also earned the network a No. 2 ranking among ad-supported
cable networks.
Teen Titans, which premiered on July 19, averaged
double-digit growth across all demographics versus 2002 time periods. Kids 2-11 average
delivery (1,021,000) and ratings (2.6) both improved by 30 percent. Kids 6-11
delivery (653,000) expanded by 47 percent and ratings (2.7) by 50 percent. Tweens 9-14
delivery (522,000) grew by 68 percent and ratings (2.1) by 75 percent.
JUSTICE LEAGUE (Cartoon Network)
- Saturday 10th Jan - 10:00pm - Hearts & Minds - Pts 1
& 2
- Sunday 11th Jan - 1:00am - Hearts & Minds -
Pts 1 & 2 (widescreen)
- Monday 12th Jan - 10:00pm - World War - Pts 1 & 2
- Tuesday 13th Jan - 10:00pm - The Brave & The
Bold - Pts 1 & 2
- Wednesday 14th Jan - 10:00pm - Fury - Pts 1 & 2
- Thursday 15th Jan - 10:00pm - Legends - Pts 1 & 2
TEEN TITANS (Cartoon Network)
- Saturday 10th Jan- 12:00pm - Nevermore
- Saturday 10th Jan- 9:00pm - How Long Is Forever
- Sunday 11th Jan - 10:00pm - How Long is Forever
TEEN TITANS (KidsWB)
- Saturday 10th Jan - 8:30am
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) :
- Weekdays - 06:30am, 10:30am, 3:00pm.
- Weekends - 07:30am, 12:00 noon, 3:00pm
JUSTICE LEAGUE
- Weekdays & Weekends - 00:30am, 05:10am, 11:30am, 02:30pm,
06:30pm.
LATEST BATMAN 5 RUMORS & NEWS
SCRIPT REVIEW
- Dark Horizons has
posted a review of what it claims is a synopisis of the shooting script for Batman 5. You
can read the full report here.
But below are the main points:
- - All the characters mentioned so far are in it - Bruce
Wayne/Batman, Alfred, Jim Gordon, DA asst. prosecutor Rachel, Jonathan Crane, and Ra's Al
Ghul.
- - Other characters include Ra's protege Ducard, Wayne
Enterprise's Applied Science Dept. head Lucius Fox, and mob boss Falcone. -
- - This movie restarts the franchise as its essentially an
'origin' movie.
- - Despite the filming in London, almost all of the film is set
around Gotham City.
- - With Ra's Al-Ghul he does have insidious plans but there
seems to be no mention of immortality, the Lazarus Pit, or Talia.
- - The Scarecrow is referred to only as Jonathan Crane who is
the head of medicine at Arkham Asylum.
- - There is an extensive Batmobile chase through the streets,
alleys and 'other surfaces' of Gotham. A decaying monorail system built by Thomas Wayne
serves as the backdrop for some story elements.
- - Batman really is the focus of the movie with the villains
taking a sidestep.
OTHER RUMORS
- From Batman On Film
comes a report that Warner Bros. Studio may be planning a press conference soon with
Chrisptopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and others involved with the upcoming BATMAN movie to
officilay "launch" the project around teh time that shooting starts in the UK.
- SUPERHERO
HYPE! is reporting that Warner Bros. has secured yet more domain names related to the
upcoming BATMAN film. Recently added domains are:
"BatmanIntimidation.com," Batman-Intimidation.com,"
BatmanIntimidation.net," and Batman-Intimidation.net." This seems to confirm
that the movie will be titled BATMAN INTIMIDATION
- According to a report from LATINO REVIEW that
was posted on several movie news sites this is the cast for the upcoming BATMAN
film. However some of this seems very unlikely to me, so take it for what it's worth:
" There's two villains. There's one love interest. There's
a young Comm. Gordon. There's a young Harvey Dent. The cast are Christian Bale [Batman],
Michael Caine [Alfred], Judson Caspian [Viggo Mortensen], Cillian Murphy [Harvey Dent],
Katie Holmes [Rachel Caspian], Chris Cooper [Gordon], Elle Fanning [Barbara], Noah
Emmerich, as of 11/29/03. "
- THE
BEDFORD TODAY is reporting that BATMAN director Chris Nolan is looking to shoot scenes
at the giant former airship hangars at Cardington - the largest single enclosed research
center in Europe.
- Possible additions to the BATMAN crew have been identified as
Lucinda Syson (Casting director, UK), John Papsidera (Casting director, US),
Michael Murray, and Cliff Lanning (Assistant Directors)
- SUPERHERO HYPE has
posted rumors about the BATMAN production filming in Iceland for a two week stretch. The
report also included some possible plot details: " In the scene, Batman, played by Christian Bale, will be fighting on ice with
Ra's Al Ghul's #1 pupil (who that is, you'll have to figure out). They won't be fighting
for real, however, as it is more of a training exercise. We're also told by our source
that "Batman: Intimidation" is a cross between "Year One" and
"Year Two" and that it's interwoven very creatively. So start thinking about
which characters appeared in each and you might get an idea. The film is also said to be
very story-driven. Of course you want to hear about the costume. Let's just say that the
costume concept the production is using is awesome! Just wait and see.... "
- Further details on the Iceland shoot: Filming will take
place in Höfn, Iceland (South-east Iceland) on the glacial lake, Jokulsarlon (where the
Bond movie "Die Another Day" was filmed), the location is said to be both green
and icy. Apparnetly set construction has already started with filming starting in late
February,for approximately 2 weeks, right into March. The Location Manager is Finni
Jóhannsson.
- COMICCON.COM's "The
Beat" reports that the rumors that Viggo Mortensen will appear in BATMAN 5 are
"100% true."
- Other reports say that the character of The Scarecrow is no
longer in the movie and that as a consequence Christopher Eccleston is no longer attached
to the movie. The actor's agent confirmed that he is not attached to the Batman projcet,
but so far no confirmation on the fate of The Scarecrow.
- However Dark Horizions
contains a report form someone caliming to have read the script that says that Scarecrow
is not only in the movie, but has a larger role than previously thought."There are three possible titles
(for the movie) - Batman Begins, Batman: Intimidation Game, Batman: Genesis. From what
I've read so far (a whooping three pages) it opens with a dream sequence of Bruce as a
young child and then cuts to him in the Himilayas being tended to by an asian monk.
One interesting thing I did notice when flipping through the script was that The Scarecrow
(always referred to as Jonathan Crane) appears a lot more than has been suggested. I'd say
by thumbing through he looks to be in it for at least half, if not more, and Ra's Al Ghul
doesn't appear to nearly midway in".
- Superhero Hype
posted an interesting note for someone who had reportedly seen the Batman costume in
development. "It was dark blue and gray. No nipples, had no Bat-logo on it, I
assume they hadn't settled on a design at the time. Think the original Animated Series
costume and you won't go far wrong."
- They also have a report from Irish news
website Unison.ie, that Cillian Murphy will play the Scarecrow aka Dr.
Jonathan Crane and start filming in the summer after a theater tour in Ireland. Here's a
clip from the article: "Although already hailed as a major player, the
29-year-old Cork actor is set for worldwide fame when he appears as the villain in the
next Batman movie. Beating Lord of the Rings superstar Viggo Mortensen to the role of
Scarecrow, Murphy will begin filming one of the most expensive movies of the year after
his Druid tour ends this summer. " When asked the Creative Artists Agency
,Viggo Mortensen's representatives, about Viggo's rumored role in Batman Intimidation.
They completely denied that he's signed or involved. When I asked what his next movie is,
they said: 'He has no new or next project.'
CATWOMAN UPDATES
- This week WARNER BROS issued this photo and the following
description of CATWOMAN in it's 2004 Movie Previews press release: "Catwoman is the story of shy, sensitive artist Patience Philips (Halle
Berry), a woman who can't seem to stop apologizing for her own existence. She works as a
graphic designer for Hedare Beauty, a mammoth cosmetics company on the verge of releasing
a revolutionary anti-aging product. When Patience inadvertently happens upon a dark secret
her employer is hiding, she finds herself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy. What
happens next changes Patience forever. In a mystical twist of fate, she is transformed
into a woman with the strength, speed, agility and ultra-keen senses of a cat. With her
newfound prowess and feline intuition, Patience becomes Catwoman, a sleek and stealthy
creature balancing on the thin line between good and bad. Like any wildcat, she's
dangerous, elusive and untamed. Her adventures are complicated by a burgeoning
relationship with Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt), a cop who has fallen for Patience but cannot
shake his fascination with the mysterious Catwoman, who appears to be responsible for a
string of crime sprees plaguing the city."
- Halle Berry has been talking about the training she recieved in a Brazilian form of
martial arts called Capoeira in prepartion for her role as Catwoman. "I'm getting to
do a lot of my own fighting," Berry told Extra. "I'm able to do some of this
Catwoman stuff that I really didn't I would be able to do. And that's exciting."
Capoeria uses a combination of high kicks, gymnastics and boxing moves. "It's
beautiful and it's sexy," Berry said. "And it's really tough."
- Meanwhile Ain't It Cool News has posted a spy report from
the set of "Catwoman" that hints at alleged "trouble" with the
production. According to the report it seems that "long term producer Denise De
Novi is having second thoughts on many aspectsof the movie from the script to
director. Evidently the problems surfaced about 4 weeks ago in Vancouver, Arguments were
being made over the reaction the film has gotten so far from the Internet and other bad
press, the initial Catwoman costume picture had a lot to do with this. The critical
lambasting worried Warner a lot, So much they started to fear that this film could hurt
the upcoming Batman film if it had bad word of mouth at this early in the game (Before
people had even seen it) Will people still flock to the theaters to see Batman if Catwoman
bitters their taste?" The report goes on to detail internal workings at Warner
Brothers and implies that fan responses (to the initial costume photos, et cetera) scared
the studio."
- Mad TV" star Alex Borstein posted an update on her website about
working on the set of "Catwoman," where she plays "Sally." Borstein
said, "So far, so good. Most of my scenes are with Halle Berry and she has been great
to work with. And for all those wondering ... yes, she is perfectly gorgeous in real life,
too. Come to think of it, Benjamin Bratt is pretty foxy as well. Sharon Stone is stunning
and very cool although we have no scenes together.
From DC Comics Press
Release
- The December 6 edition of the Washington Times includes a
review of BATMAN: DETECTIVE NO. 27, with Joseph Szadkowski writing that it "will have
Batman fans basking in sequential-art heaven."
- Comics Buyer's Guide (#1571) reviews BATMAN/JOKER: SWITCH with
Brett Weiss calling it "a healthy dose of madness." Weiss also looks at HAWKMAN
#21, calling it "a darkly interesting storyline." Maggie Thompson reviews ROBIN
#121 in "Comics Guide," writing, "It's confident, entertaining storytelling
with a compelling cliffhanger." BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE Volume 2 is reviewed as
well, with Thompson writing, "The incredible variety of story and art demonstrate
that the stereotypical 'hero in Spandex' can be the foundation for funny, sad, ironic,
thought-provoking, important, trivial, and/or don't-miss storytelling."
BATMAN & ROBIN VISIT KIDS HOSPITAL
News 8 in Austin, Texas recently covered a visit to the
Brackenridge Children's Hospital, by Batman, Robin, Batgirl and a Batcycle loaded with
comics and toys. You can check out the full story here.
Texas Superhero Collectors Show - Austin TX - Jan 9
to 10th
Come and join TV's BATMAN & ROBIN at this show. ADAM WEST
and BURT WARD will be in attendance along with the TV BATMOBILE and BATBOAT.
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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)
"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