Friday 14th May 2004
NEW ROBIN DEBUTS NEXT WEEK
First there was Dick Grayson, then Jason Todd and most recently Tim Drake. But next week a new face will pull on the famous domino mask and wear the R logo. And for the first time in current continuity it's a girl. All will be revealed in ROBIN #126 which arrives in comics stores next Wednesday, May 19th priced at $2.25
On the movie front there have been several announcments of new cast members for the currently fliming BATMAN BEGINS. Check out our BATMAN BEGINS Movie page for a full current cast list with photos.
Do you think Bruce Wayne is the "first and only Batman?" (to quote from an early 1960s comic). Well think again. As we continue to work on the GOTHAM GAZETTE revamp, I've posted the first of what will be a set of BATMAN FAQ pages that shows just "How Many People Other Than Bruce Wayne Have Been The Batman." You can check it out here.
So enjoy and as always we'll see you next week - Alan J. Porter
And don't forget to order our new GOTHAM WEEKLY NEWS logo t-shirt. Now available on-line here. Just in time for the summer convention season
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Three original Batman novels based on the comic book series are currently scheduled for Spring 2005, Fall 2005 and Spring 2006, and will be penned by New York Times bestselling novelist Michael Reaves. Reaves, who will be working on the Batman novels with writing partner Steven-Eliot Altman, is an Emmy Award winner for his work as story editor and writer for Batman: The Animated Series. Del Rey and DC Comics will work closely with the authors to develop the storylines, and at DC the editors for the Batman comic book series will offer input and editorial resources.
“This is an exciting program, and one which should give us tremendous opportunities for terrific books,” said Del Rey’s Steve Saffel, Editorial Director of Media Projects. “Each of Michael’s novels will be a complete adventure that will explore the world of Batman in greater detail than is generally possible in a comic book or a film. Batman, perhaps more than any other character, lends himself to wonderful fiction opportunities, and allows us to enter a world that is dark and dramatic, populated by some of the most wonderful characters ever created. At the same time we will remain true to the essence of Batman and the world he patrols. Though each novel will stand alone, the three novels will work together, building in intensity through the storylines that flow throughout the trilogy.”
“The complex world of Batman benefits when we tell his story in many different media,” said Paul Levitz, the President and Publisher of DC Comics, “And it’s exciting to team up with Del Rey for these new novels at a time when Batman is headed for the top of the charts in film, television and comics.”Comics Shipping (May 19th)
BATMAN ADVENTURES #14 -
Written by Ty Templeton and Dan Slott; art by Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty; cover by Kelsey Shannon - The Gray Ghost returns! Batman's childhood idol goes missing while filming the new Gray Ghost movie. Is something sinister afoot? And in the backup, written by ARHKAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL's Dan Slott, a favorite old Gray Ghost episode stirs childhood memories in Batman - and helps him solve a crime! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.25BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY -
Written by Matt Wagner; art and cover by Wagner - The critically acclaimed, sold-out miniseries by the legendary Matt Wagner is back as a stunning hardcover! Witness the first meeting of three DC icons as they join forces to combat Ra's al Ghul and his mad quest to remake the world in his own terrible image! - DC UNIVERSE | 208 pg. | Hardcover | Color | $24.95BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #53 -
Written by A.J. Lieberman; art by Al Barrionuevo and Francis Portela; cover by Lee Bermejo - The arc of extra-length stories continues with a tale featuring Hush and guest-starring Green Arrow! One of the deadliest villains from Batman's past has returned, one so powerful he's even gone toe-to-toe with the JLA. But unknown to him, the mystery villain is the one with a target on his back this time, and the hunter in question is none other than Hush! Hush's quest takes him to Star City, where he must face not only Batman but Green Arrow, too! - BATMAN | 40pg. | Color | $2.95BIRDS OF PREY #67 -
Written by Gail Simone; art by Ed Benes and Alex Lei; cover by Greg Land and Matt Ryan - The action-packed finale to the 6-part "Sensei and Student" story arc, guest-starring Catwoman, Shiva, and Cheshire! All the answers are revealed as Black Canary assembles a strike team of the world's deadliest women to rescue Oracle! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.50JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: ANOTHER NAIL #1 -
Written by Alan Davis; art and cover by Davis and Mark Farmer - The thrilling sequel to Alan Davis's miniseries JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: THE NAIL! The JLA comes to terms with its newest recruit - Superman - and faces a sprawling adventure that catapults them to other worlds, other dimensions, other eras, and even the mystical realms that lead to Hell itself! - DC UNIVERSE | 48pg. | 1 of 3 | Color | $5.95THE NEW TEEN TITANS ARCHIVES VOL. 2 -
Written by Marv Wolfman; art by George Pérez, Romeo Tanghal and Carmine Infantino; cover by Pérez and Tanghal -OUTSIDERS #12 -
Written by Judd Winick; art by Tom Derenick and Kevin Conrad; cover by Ian Churchill - A special issue guest-starring Psimon, the old Teen Titans fearsome foe with guest art by Tom Derenick (SMALLVILLE) & Kevin Conrad! Psimon is on the loose — and that can't be good for a team comprised of former Titans like Nightwing and Arsenal. And is Roy really ready for battle? - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.50ROBIN #126 -
Written by Bill Willingham; art and cover by Damion Scott - BATGIRL artist Damion Scott signs on as new regular series artist just in time for Batman's search for a new Robin! Tim Drake has given up the mantle once held by Dick Grayson and the late Jason Todd. Now Batman must find a new teen hero to wear the cape. But who will be his choice? It's a decision that will affect the DC Universe for years to come! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.25SUPERMAN/BATMAN #10 -
Written by Jeph Loeb; art and cover by Michael Turner - The mystery of the Supergirl from Krypton continues! Hidden away on Paradise Island, Wonder Woman begins training the beauitful young strange visitor. But when Darkseid and The Female Furies come for her, Superman and Batman join the Amazons in a battle that leads to an unexpected death! - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.95WONDER WOMAN #204 -
Written by Greg Rucka; art by Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder; painted cover by Matt Wagner - BATMAN guest-stars in an issue as "Bitter Pills" continues, Diana's search for help with the Silver Swan leads her to the same destination as Batman's investigation of the Keyes murder: Veronica Cale. But there's something in Cale's closet that will have unexpected consequences for Wonder Woman in a shocking surprise ending! - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.25JUSTICE LEAGUE FINALE DETAILS
Cartoon Network announced Friday morning that it will be airing the Justice League: Starcrossed movie earlier than expected. he episode concludes the second season of Justice League and leads into the third season, renamed Justice League Unlimited.The network has revised its May schedule and will air the three-part episode on Saturday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
CARTOON NETWORK PRESS RELEASE - In the final installment ever of the acclaimed Cartoon Network series Justice League, the universe’s greatest superheroes face down a threat to destroy the Earth and must deal with a treasonous threat from within. Starcrossed, the 90-minute feature-length conclusion to the series, will air on Saturday, May 29, at 7:30 p.m. (ET, PT).Justice League, from Emmy-winner Bruce Timm, debuted on Cartoon Network in November 2001. Justice League brings together seven of the world’s top superheroes – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, the Flash and Hawkgirl – to form an alliance that protects the Earth. The group keeps close tabs on criminal conspiracies and otherworldly threats as it orbits high above the Earth in its high-tech monitoring station, The Watchtower. And because all these heroes are used to working solo, tensions often arise when they must join forces to fight a threat.
In Starcrossed, the fate of the world is literally at stake when a huge army arrives from Thanagar, Hawkgirl’s home planet. The Earth’s leaders are warned of an imminent invasion by the Gordanians, the mortal enemies of Thanagar. Secrets about Hawkgirl’s past are revealed, and no one is more surprised than Green Lantern, who has a budding romantic relationship with his winged colleague. While the Thanagarian leaders claim to be here to help the Earth, not even Hawkgirl is fully aware of their true plans. As Starcrossed unfolds, friends turn into enemies and the League must deal with a betrayal from one of its own. Facing this unprecedented alien threat, the Justice League is forced to convene using their secret identities. As “Starcrossed,” concludes, the Justice League is changed forever and forced to be reborn.
While the series Justice League ends with “Starcrossed,” a new series starring the superheroes is slated for August 7, 2004. The heroes of the Justice League return in August with a new series, Justice League Unlimited, which incorporates a bold new look and a much larger scope. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern continue to lead the universe’s most powerful superheroes in an effort to stop criminal plots and alien threats that endanger the universe. In Justice League Unlimited, they are joined by an even greater collection of heroes, some of whom are well-known, like Supergirl, Green Arrow and the Atom, as well as some that are less familiar, like Booster Gold, Hawk & Dove, Elongated Man, The Question, Mister Miracle, Big Barda and Zatanna. Each half-hour will tell a power-packed story, combining some of the original heroes with new ones as they band together to battle alien invasions, powerful sorcerers, vast shadowy conspiracies and even ancient gods.
Justice League: Starcrossed will be released on DVD on July 13.
JUSTICE LEAGUE (Cartoon Network)
TEEN TITANS (Cartoon Network)
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 BEGINS RUMORS & NEWS
CATWOMAN UPDATES
HUSH WAVE 1 FIGURES DELAYED
the first series of DC Direct Batman: Hush figures which were orginally slated to be released on May 19t, 2004 have been delayed till June 23, 2004. The first series of figures are to include Batman, Huntress, Poison Ivy, Joker and Hush
BATMAN UNMASKED IN SUMMER EXCLUSIVE FIGURE FROM MATTEL
Mattel’s Batman exclusive this year features their comic-inspired Batman figure kicking back after a long day of kicking ass and peeling his mask off. It features a new head sculpt, new arms and a newly-sculpted cape, and one in ten figures will be a rare, fully unmasked Bruce Wayne variant! This figure and the variant one will be available at both this Summer's 2004 International San Diego Comic Con (July 22-25) and WizardWorld Chicago (August 13-15).
CATWOMAN VISUAL GUIDE NOW IN STORES
Recently arrived in stores is the latest volume in the excellent "Visual Guide" series. Written by Bat-scribe (Batgirl: Year One) and fellow bat-fan Scott Beatty these are a great introduction to the history and worlds of various DC heroes. This new volume, timed to coincide with the movie release, features everyone's favorite Feline Fatale - Catwoman.
Focusing on the more modern versions of the character the book details the various costume changes, examines the woman behind the mask, her friends, lovers and the on-off relationship with a certain Caped Crusader. Not fogetting that Selina walks both sides of the law, her criminal activities are also given full coverage.
The book concludes with a painstakinhgly researched time-line that details the lady's career in comics from her first appearence in Batman #1 (Spring 1940) right up to her recent series relaunch.
Easily the best guide to the life and times of Catwoman published to date. - A must for any Bat library.
MOTOR CITY COMIC CON - Novi MI, May 14 to 16
Guests at this year's Motor City Comiccon include: NORM BREYFOGLE, GUY DAVIS, DAVE DORMAN.
LOS ANGELES SCI-FI AND COMIC CON - May 15-16
This month's Convention in Pasadena will include a rare appearence by screen Batman, VAL KILMER
WIZARD WORLD PHILLY, May 21 to 23
The major East Coast convention of the season has a large and impressive guest list, including: MICHAEL TURNER, TOMMY CASTILLO, DARWYN COOKE, BO HAMPTON,
BRITISH COMICS FESTIVAL, Bristol UK - May 29-30
The UK's major comics event of the year features many guests including: BOB SCHRECK, CHARLIE ADLARD, MARK BUCKINGHAM, ALAN DAVIS, ALAN GRANT, JAMES HODGKINS, "JOCK," STAZ JOHNSON, BARRY KITSON, JOHN McCREA, RODNEY RAMOS,
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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
