Friday 9th July 2004
MORE BATMAN BEGINS CAST PHOTOS
Last week WB released the first set of official photographs of supporting characters through the Batman Begins web-site. (Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth | Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox | Liam Nesson as Henri Ducard | Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon ). Rumors also continue to circulate about a major Batman Begins presence at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. Check out the Movie News section for more on this and other updates.
As always have a good 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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Comics Shipping (July 14th)
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #181 -
Written by Dylan Horrocks; Ramon Bachs and John Holdridge; cover by Tom Fowler - An investigation into the death of a computer hacker has led Oracle to a secret cyber-world hidden in the bowels of Gotham. But now more bodies are turning up, and someone who might just be the Joker has turned his attention to Oracle! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.50BATMAN: THE ORDER OF BEASTS -
Written by Eddie Campbell and Daren White; painted art and cover by Campbell - From Hell co-creator Eddie Campbell delineates the story of a young Batman who must hone his detective skills while penetrating the veil surrounding the mysterious Order of Beasts! In wartime London, the members of a secret society are found murdered, with the killings subtly connected by a thread only the Dark Knight can detect - BATMAN | 48pg. | Softcover | Color | $5.95GOTHAM CENTRAL #21 -
Written by Ed Brubaker; art by Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano; cover by Lark - An explosive story guest-starring the Penguin, the Mad Hatter and Harvey Bullock! Detective Driver and Josie Mac are desperately trying to crack an unsolved mass murder from 10 years ago, one that has uncertain ties to the Mad Hatter. But a delicate investigation is completely shaken up now that disgraced detective Harvey Bullock is on the case! But Bullock's not the man he used to be, and with the Penguin inexplicably in his sights, things are about to get messy! - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.50IDENTITY CRISIS #2 -
Written by Brad Meltzer; art by Rags Morales and Michael Bair; cover by Michael Turner - Continuing the shocking miniseries that will shake the entire DCU to its very core! In the aftermath of a devastating loss, past and present members of the JLA revisit a deep dark secret of their collective past. Alliances will form and trusts will be broken as the heroes and villains try to solve the greatest mystery to hit the world in decades! - DC UNIVERSE | 40pg. | Color | 2 of 7 | $3.95JLA #101 -
Written by Chuck Austen; art and cover by Ron Garney - The powerful 6-part saga "The Pain of the Gods," written by Chuck Austen (Uncanny X-Men, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN) with art by Ron Garney (The Hulk) begins here! Superman faces one of his greatest tragedies when he's unable to prevent the death of a fellow super-hero. But how can a man with god-like abilities face the guilt of such a terrible failure? Especially when the event will have repercussions that could come back to haunt the JLA! - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.25NIGHTWING #95 -
Written by Devin Grayson; art by Mike Lilly and Andy Owens; cover by Scott McDaniel and Owens - Featuring a stunning cover by classic Nightwing artist Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens! The world is still spinning for Dick Grayson following the shocking events of NIGHTWING #93. Will he get his head together in time to save his new partner from certain death? Or will Tarantula taste the venom of Copperhead - BATMAN | 32pg. | Color | $2.25TEEN TITANS #13 -
Written by Geoff Johns; art by Tom Grummett; Cover by Ed McGuinness - Kicking off the 3-part storyline "Wild Kingdom," featuring guest pencils by Tom Grummett and a cover by Ed McGuinness! What begins as a normal day for San Francisco transforms into chaos as the city is overrun with wild animals of all kinds. But what's Beast Boy's connection to the problem? And who started this in the first place? - DC UNIVERSE | 32pg. | Color | $2.50NEW BATMAN ANIMATED DVD IN OCT
Warner Home Video has anoounced a new DVD Batman: The Animated Series -- Secrets of the Caped Crusader to be released on Oct. 19.
"Defending the streets of Gotham City, Batman stands as a beacon of justice, a crusader for good, a one-man crimefighting force. In these four fabulous adventures from the Emmy-winning TV series, the Caped Crusader takes on Gotham's toughest criminals! When Batman's favorite feline villain Catwoman stirs up trouble, the Dark Knight flirts with danger -- literally! He certainly can't believe what he doesn't see as he searches for an invisible crook. And he gets a chillingly lethal reception from archnemesis Mr. Freeze. Join the heroics with Gotham's finest for more than an hour of action-packed thrills and excitement." Includes the Episodes: "The Cat and the Claw," Parts I and II, "Heart of Ice," "See No Evil."
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED - PRESS RELEASE
Bigger and Bolder: Justice League Unlimited
to Premiere on Cartoon Network on Saturday, July 31
Dozens of New Heroes Join Batman, Superman and Wonder
Woman in New Series
In the new series Justice League Unlimited, the world's greatest superheroes, led by
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern, enlist some help from their friends
to take a more aggressive approach to thwarting alien invasions, criminal threats and
global conspiracies. The new 30-minute action-adventure series, produced by Bruce Timm,
James Tucker, Linda Steiner and Dwayne McDuffie at Warner Bros. Animation, will premiere
on Cartoon Network on Saturday, July 31, at 8:30 p.m. (ET, PT).
As the season begins, Superman addresses an awesome assemblage of heroes. He and the rest of the Justice League, which in the past included the Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, have come to realize that the universe might be best served by enlarging the group, being more proactive and coordinating more effectively. The group assembles an awesome collection of superheroes and brings them together aboard the Watchtower, the orbiting space station. It's from this perch that Martian Manhunter monitors goings-on across the galaxies and assigns teams of superheroes to tackle problems.
But it isn't always smooth sailing for the members of the expanded Justice League. Superheroes usually work alone and have powerful, and idiosyncratic, personalities, so conflicts inevitably arise. Like any co-workers, these people don't always agree on the best way to solve a problem. But in the case of the new Justice League, these superheroes are dealing with civil wars, rogue criminals and rampaging monsters, so they must learn to work together.
The new roster of Justice League Unlimited includes some of the most famous superheroes around, like Green Arrow, Supergirl and Captain Atom. Other members may be a bit more obscure. Hawk & Dove are siblings with a very different take on conflict resolution techniques. B'wana Beast is a jungle man-turned-superhero, a combination of the Bronx and the Bronx Zoo. The Atom is the world's smallest superhero. Booster Gold, a glory-seeking hero from the future, joins the Justice League, as does Zatanna, a beautiful magician and sorceress. While there is a universe filled with new threats, a few classic villains return, including Lex Luthor, Soloman Grundy and Mongul.
Justice League Unlimited will air Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (ET, PT). Following is the schedule for July and August.
· Saturday, July 31: "Initiation" - A reluctant Green Arrow is asked to joiin the new Justice League. He, Supergirl and Captain Atom are dispatched on a mission to stop a rampaging nuclear monster in Asia.
· Saturday, Aug. 7: "For the Man Who Has Everything" - Batman and Wonder Woman surprise Superman at the Fortress of Solitude, in order to bring the Man of Steel his birthday present. But when they arrive, he has been immobilized by a special "gift" that Mongul has delivered to him.
· Saturday, Aug. 14: "Hawk and Dove" - Two siblings, one a pacifist and the otther more aggressive, join Wonder Woman in a mission to stop a war between two neighbors. It turns out that the escalation of the conflict is all part of Ares' plan to spread misery.
· Saturday, Aug. 21: "Fearful Symmetry" - When Supergirl begins having some very disturbing dreams, she gets help from Green Arrow and The Question to figure out what is happening. It turns out she may not be dreaming after all.
· Saturday, Aug. 28: "Kids' Stuff" - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Greeen Lantern are transformed into 8-year-olds in a desperate attempt to save the world from the magic of Mordred.
TEEN TITANS RATINGS
The Teen Titans animated series continues to provide improved ratings for Cartoon Network. For the recently completed second quarter, in its 6:30 p.m. time period, Teen Titans provided a 36 percent delivery (667,000) increase and a 40 percent ratings increase from the same period the year before. In Kids 2-11, the show increased delivery (1.03 million) by 50 percent and ratings by 53 percent.
NEW TEEN TITANS EPISODES
Cartoon Network has issued the following Press Release detailing the new episodes in the next season of Teen Titans.
The new episodes of Teen Titans air Saturdays at 8 p.m. (ET, PT), beginning Aug. 7. Led by Robin, the group forms a defensive force to protect their sunny hometown from a new generation of villains. When the group, which also includes Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire and Cyborg, are not battling bad guys they live together in a T-shaped tower, playing video games and bickering about whose turn it is to do the dishes.
Saturday, Aug. 7: "Fractured" When Robin accidentally wrecks the R-Cycle while pursuing a nasty thug named Johnny Rancid, he winds up with his arm in a cast. Lucky for Robin, he gets a helpful visit from his Number One Fan: a short little weirdo from another dimension known as Larry the Titan. But Larry's reality-bending powers cause more problems than they fix.
Johnny Rancid's voice is done by Henry Rollins.
Saturday, Aug. 14: "Aftershock, Part 1" A long lost friend of the Titans returns and Slade orders Overload, Cinderblock and Plasmus to launch a series of sinister strikes all over the city.
Saturday, Aug. 21: "Aftershock, Part 2" In a world without Titans, Slade has taken control of everything: the streets, the city, and the heart of his young apprentice.
Sunday, Aug. 28: "Deception" School is back in session at the Hive Academy, and Gizmo, Jinx and Mammoth are up to something. To find out what, the Teen Titans send Cyborg on a daring undercover mission to infiltrate the academy and blend in as one of their own. Using a holographic cloaking device, Cyborg creates the appearance that he is fully human and takes on the persona of "Stone," a tough transfer student who can change into a powerful creature of solid rock.
JUSTICE LEAGUE (Cartoon Network)
TEEN TITANS (Cartoon Network)
TEEN TITANS (Kids WB!)
SUPER FRIENDS (Boomerang)
LATEST BATMAN BEGINS RUMORS & NEWS
LATEST "BATMAN BEGINS" RUMORS & NEWS
CATWOMAN UPDATES
MONOGRAM TO PRODUCE TEEN TITANS MERCHANDISE
Press Release
Monogram International is proud to announce that Warner Bros. Consumer Products has
granted the company a multi-year licensing agreement to produce several items featuring DC
Comics' Teen Titans and Justice League characters. Items slated for production are dynamic
bobble heads, paperweights, bust banks, figurines and key rings.
"We feel that adding these two licenses will help establish our leadership in the
gift market on the Super Heroes properties," said Mike Normann, Monogram's Executive
Vice President of Sales & Marketing.
Monogram International is a world leader in bringing beloved characters to life in a wide
variety of officially licensed merchandise. Monogram's place in the industry has been
established for more than 30 years by creating authentically branded character
interpretations with impeccable attention to detail. The company continues to add new
licenses, like Teen Titans and Justice League, to keep the product lines current.
Monogram International currently produces DC Comics Super Hero bobble heads, paperweights,
bust banks, figurines and key rings.
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL - SAN DIEGO - July 21st to 25th
DC Comics have released the following list of people who will be attending Comic-Con International
BRIAN AZZARELLO, JIM LEE, JEPH LOEB, DUSTIN NGUYEN, GREG RUCKA, TIM SALE, BILL WILLINGHAM, JUDD WINICK, BOB SCHRECK and MATT IDELSON
For a full list of tha many professionals attending this year's convention click here. If you look hard enough you may even find your GWN Editor's name in there somewhere.
SUPER MEGAFEST - Baltimore - July 31st to August 1st
This media show at the Sheraton Baltimore North will feature the stars of the 1960s live action Batman TV Show: ADAM WEST, FRANK GORSHIN, JULIE NEWMAR and LEE MERIWEATHER as well as the BATMOBILE, BATCYCLE and BATBOAT from the show
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