GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS #205

Friday 8th April 2004

BRUCE WAYNE ON SET

GWN is a day early this week as I will be taking time off to enjoy the long Easter weekend.

Overall it's been a quite week news wise, but the release of the first on-set photos from the BATMAN BEGINS locations have ceratinly given Bat fans a lot to talk about over that last few days. Several shots of Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (left) were released on-line to generally positive comments. More photos can be seen in the Movie News section below.

So enjoy and as always we'll see you next week - Alan J. Porter

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IN THIS ISSUE

• Comics Shipping
• In Stores - April 14th
• TV News
• Titans Ratings
• Forever on Cinemax
• TV Schedules
• Justice League
• Teen Titans
• Super Friends
• UK Schedule
• Movie News
• Batman Begins
• On-Set Photos
• Goyer Speaks
• Catwoman
• New Photo
• Video Game Trailers
• Meet The Bat Team
• Atlanta, Apr 17-18
• Secaucus, Apr 17-18
• Runnymeade, Apr 24
• Los Angeles, Apr 25

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Comics Shipping (April 14th)

BATGIRL: FISTS OF FURY - Written by Kelley Puckett and Scott Peterson; art by Damion Scott, Phil Noto, Vincent Giarrano, Robert Campanella, and Jesse Delperdang; cover by Scott and Campanella - A thrilling trade paperback collecting BATGIRL #15-16, 21, and 26-28! In this action-packed volume, Batgirl faces the deadliest of Gotham's villains — the Joker — who gets the "Last Laugh" when Cassandra and guest-star Spoiler must also defeat a "jokerized" Shadow Thief. Then, can Batgirl stop the father of a young boy from making a lethal mistake? And just who are the mysterious agents that are after our heroine?  - BATMAN  |  144pg.  |  Softcover  |  Color  |  $14.95

GOTHAM CENTRAL #18 - Written by Greg Rucka; art by Greg Scott; cover by Lark and Stefano Gaudiano - As the cops of Gotham Central put their lives back together after the Joker's assault, their hottest homicide case comes to a head! The connections to murders in a pharmaceutical company run much deeper than anyone imagined, and have attracted the attention of one of Gotham's masked vigilantes. The bodies are piling up, and time's running out!  - BATMAN  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.50

JLA #96 - Written by John Byrne and Chris Claremont; art and cover by Byrne and Jerry Ordway - John Byrne and Chris Claremont's landmark "The Tenth Circle" continues with Part 3 of 6! The Circle has turned the JLA against one another — and it looks like it's up to Wonder Woman to close the Circle completely! And for a moment, it looks like she does! Plus, we meet more mysterious allies, and learn of a connection to the JLA's Faith! - DC UNIVERSE  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.25

NIGHTWING #92 - Written by Devin Grayson; art by Manuel Garcia and Andy Owens; cover by Scott McDaniel and Owens - Classic NIGHTWING artist Scott McDaniel contributes the cover to an issue featuring the battle of the century: Nightwing vs. Blockbuster! Blockbuster has thrown every resource at his disposal into his war against Dick Grayson, and Nightwing has weathered the storm despite a slew of shocking casualties. But now the war boils down to two men, face to face at last! - BATMAN  |  32pg.  |  Color  |  $2.25

TEEN TITANS #10 - Written by Geoff Johns; art and cover by Mike McKone and Marlo Alquiza - Part 2 of the 5-part "Raven Rising!" The Teen Titans seek out the Cult of Brother Blood in an attempt to learn where Raven is being held against her will. But there's someone else on the trail: a mercenary the Titans just had a run in with! Plus, see what makes the all-new Brother Blood the scariest villain in the DCU.  - DC UNIVERSE  |  32pg.  |  Color |  $2.50

TV News

TITANS RATINGS

Teen Titans continued to bring in strong ratings for Cartoon Network. First-quarter delivery compared to last year improved 34 percent in Kids 6-11 and 16 percent in Kids 2-11. Ratings in those demographic improved 38 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

FOREVER ON CINEMAX IN JUNE

Batman Forever will air five times on CINEMAX in June, including Tuesday, June 1 at 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 9 at 8 p.m.; Monday, June 14 at 8:05 a.m.; Saturday June 19 at 2:30 p.m.; and Friday, June 25 at 7:45 p.m.

TV Schedules

JUSTICE LEAGUE (Cartoon Network)

• Monday 12th April - 10:30pm -  Secret Origins Pt 2
• Tuesday 13th April - 10:30pm  - Secret Origins Pt 3
• Wednesday 14th April - 10:30pm - In Blackest Night Pt 1
• Thursday 15th April - 10:30pm  - In Blackets Night Pt 2

TEEN TITANS (Cartoon Network)

• Saturday 10th April - 12:00pm - Forces Of Nature
• Saturday 10th April - 8:00pm - Fear Itself
• Saturday 10th April - 8:30pm - Date With Destiny
• Saturday 10th April - 9:30pm - Transformation
• Saturday 10th April - 10:30pm - Titan Rising
• Saturday 10th April - 11:30pm - Winner Takes All
• Sunday 11th April - 1:00am - Sum Of His Parts
• Sunday 11th April - 10:00pm - Forces Of Nature

TEEN TITANS (KidsWB)

• Not showing this weekend.

SUPER FRIENDS (Boomerang)

• Sunday 11th April - 11:00am - Case Of The Shrinking Super Friends
• Sunday 11th April - 7:00pm - Case Of The Shrinking Super Friends
• Monday 12th April - 3:00am - Case Of The Shrinking Super Friends
• Sunday 18th April - 11:00am - Darksied's Golden Trap
• Sunday 18th April - 7:00pm - Darksied's Golden Trap
• Monday 19th April - 3:00am - Darksied's Golden Trap

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.

Movie News

LATEST BATMAN BEGINS RUMORS & NEWS

• For Photos - see the BATMAN BEGINS Movie Page
• Note the GOTHAM CITY plate on Bruce Wayne's Lamborghini  Murcielago (bottom left) it is very similar in style to an Illinois state plate. Why? Remember that some outside location shots will be done in Chicago later this year. This way the plates on the backgroud vehicles will match the Gotham plates.
• If you look carefully at the street scene (lower right) the cab may be American in style, as is the "Grand Ave" street sign. But the parking meters and the small yellow "No parking" sign on the lamp post are very British giving a hint as tho where this scene was filmed. Wonder if they will be digitally removed in the final print?
• Meanwhile AICN carried a report form a "Women In Film" event held in Vancouver, Canada in which BATMAN BEGINS script writer David Goyer was a guest speaker. Here's what he said about the Batman movie: - He and a researcher went through the DC comics archives to glean the feel.... "Let's pretend we were 12 or 14.... What would we want to see and hear him say?" (dialogue between him and Chris Nolan)......... "Think like the audience"....... He went to chatrooms (not as himself) to see what true fans wanted..... he and Chris Nolan played with plasticene, no shit, and made the Batmobile themselves, back and forth.... till they got the hummer-lamborghini look (have fun with that, fuckwitters I mean, talkbackers) ..... a major theme in the film is police corruption.... the vacuum, the need for a Batman.... says he wanted the script to have a classic feel, as if you were reading Dr. Zhivago....
• With the script rumoured to have leaked online late last week, it appears thatr plans to debut photois of  the new look Batsuit online have apparently been put on hold for now.

CATWOMAN UPDATES

• Trailers for Catwoman video games now on-line at here.
• E! Online has launched a new section to track the development of comics related movies. CATWOMAN is featured and her page can be found here.
• Apparently Halle Berry was so gracious on the last days of the CATWOMAN production, that she ordered nearly over 400 custom designed shirts. The CAT cast and crew recieved shirts which featured claw marks, and a Catwoman silhouette. The manufactuer's site has photos of the designs, including a shot of Halle Berry in the shirt!
• Halle Berry recently talked to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about her feline fatale film, saying that you shouldn't expect too garish a take on costumed adventurism. "It's very much based in reality," Berry said. "It was a full character I got to create here. Her emotional life, her life when she's not Catwoman, when she is Catwoman. It was a lot to play, and I really like that part of this one."

Meet The Bat Team

ATLANTA COMIC-CON - Atlanta GA, April 17th to 18th

Among the many guests at this year's Atlanta Con to be held at the Gwinnett Civic Center in Deluth GA are: JOHN BEATTY, BRIAN BOLLAND, DAN BRERETON and DARWYN COOKE,

EMPIRE FAN FEST - Secaucus NJ, April 17 to 18th

The first in a new series of conventions for fans of Science Fiction and Anmiation includes an impressive line up of guests headlined by MARK HAMMIL and KEVIN CONROY

DYNAMIC FORCES AN FEST - Runnymeade NJ, April 24th

Dynamic Forces, creator of comics related collectibles, is venturing into the convention arena with a new style of show, designed to me more "intimate" than traditional cons and give visitors more access to the guests. The guests for this new show include: BRIAN AZZARELLO and EDUARDO RISSO.

LOS ANGELES COMIC BOOK AND SCI-FI CONVENTION - Pasadena CA, April 25th.

The lastest incarnation of this ever popular event focuses on the world of BATMAN fan films with showings of BATMAN: DARK JUSTICE and BATMAN BEYOND - YEAR ONE and interviews with the movie's producers and lead actors.

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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 created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger