Batman: The Animated Interviews–Progress Report 12-16-2023
From Los Angeles Comic Con, December 2, 2023, Los Angeles Convention Center, Heroic Fine Art Gallery, booths 1865/1867. Left to right: Kevin Altieri, Dan Riba, Brad Rader, Alan Burnett. Photo © W. R. Miller.
I interviewed all of the above gentlemen for this project.
Finally, the text for the Unofficial Batman: The Animated Interviews, all five volumes, is complete. I submitted Volume Five today to the publisher, BearManor Media. So now, here is the update.
Volume One. Batman: The Animated Series, first season. Foreword by Batman scholar Robert Greenberger. Done.
Volume Two. Batman: The Animated Series, second season, Mask of the Phantasm, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. Foreword by Robert Greenberger. Done.
Volume Three. The New Batman Adventures. Batman’s appearances in Superman: The Animated Series and Static Shock. Mystery of the Batwoman. Gotham Girls. Foreword by Andrea Romano. Index in preparation.
Volume Four. Batman Beyond. Terry McGinnis’s appearances in the DCAU. Foreword by Joe R. Lansdale. Done.
Volume Five. Batman’s appearances in the Justice League. The Zeta Project. The legacy of Batman: The Animated Series and the DCAU. Foreword by Jerry Beck. Being typeset. Index in preparation.
More updates forthcoming!
Further details here.
David Michelinie and Bob Layton kill Janson!
December 1, 2023
This morning comics scribe Bob Layton tweeted he killed Wedge’s co-pilot, Janson! From Star Wars #78, published 30 years ago this month:
#FlashbackFriday: Published this month in 1983, @starwars #78 created a huge controversy decades later. According to critics, David & I screwed-up the entire canon by killing off Wedge’s co-piliot Janson. Need I remind them, Lucasfilm officially approved our story? @Marvel pic.twitter.com/EEIi65DNG8
— Bob Layton (@Bob_Layton) December 1, 2023
Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789
President George Washington.
The Thanksgiving Proclamation
City of New York, October 3, 1789.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
DC Heroes of the CW at the WB Store
November 13, 2023
This afternoon a friend and I visited the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank, where they were hosting their Annual Art Expo, mostly cels from Hanna-Barbera, Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and other images.
The exhibit lasts/lasted from November 6 to November 19. If you timed your visit perfectly, you could get your purchase signed by animation notables such as Tom Ruegger, Darrell Van Citters, and Kevin Altieri.
Hours: 8:30am – 7:00pm daily. They say the exhibit is free, but what they don’t tell you is they charge $15.00 for parking. But there is free street parking, if you can find a spot.
Adjacent to the exhibition was their store, which was already decorated for Christmas throughout. I took some pix from their DC/CW Network heroes on display–Green Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl. Enjoy.
Harrison Ford, 1983
From May 19, 1983 on NBC’s Today Show, Jim Brown talks to Harrison Ford about his career.
Harrison Ford interviewed around the time of RETURN OF THE JEDI. he's in top form. pic.twitter.com/GbzGNk26EJ
— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) October 29, 2023
Dragons of the Day: September 14, 2023
The seventh season of Dragons: The Nine Realms premiered on Hulu and Peacock on September 14, 2023, with yet another opportunity to see hand-drawn characters at the end credits, except–they were the same ones shown at the end credits last season. At least there are parts where the text doesn’t obscure the art as much, and so, I present them below. Notice how fresh and vibrant the characters appear when hand-drawn?
STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES — 50 Years Later!
Can it be it’s been 50 years since the animated Star Trek premiered on television? Yes, it’s true. To commemorate the anniversary, Michael Coate of The Digital Bits assembled a team of Trek experts to talk about it on his website, here. The speakers are myself, plus animation historian Jerry Beck, Michael and Denise Okuda, Jeff Bond, Scott Mantz, David Gerrold, Mark A. Altman, and Daren Dochterman. We were each questioned separately, and now that our opinions have been collected, it’s nice to see that we’re pretty much in agreement.
Here’s a taste.
How, or why should the show be remembered? My response was this:
(1) As a noble effort to keep the Star Trek franchise alive until a better incarnation came along.
(2) For expanding the potential of Star Trek in the medium of animation, allowing for extensive use of nonhumans, exotic worlds and wondrous starships (e.g. “Beyond the Farthest Star”).
(3) For its cheap production values.
In 2022 Gazelle Automations replicated the Filmation style for Star Trek: The Next Generation,
and Star Trek: Voyager.
(4) For introducing new concepts into Star Trek canon—such as the holodeck (called a “rec deck” here), visualizing Spock’s pet sehlat, Robert April as the first captain of the Enterprise, and David Gerrold identifying the “T” in James T. Kirk: “Tiberius.”
(5) For continuing the Enterprise’s five-year mission. (Though, does Captain Pike’s tenure count or was that a separate five-year mission?)
(6) For daring to tell mature stories on Saturday morning. (Well, some more than others.) Some characters actually died.
(7) For keeping American animation artists employed. This was a time when American studios—other than Filmation—started sending animation work overseas. Star Trek: The Animated Series was an early credit for Glen Keane, who served as a layout artist. He later joined Disney and became one of their top animators.
(8) Showcasing James Doohan’s talent as a voiceover actor, performing multiple roles including Lt. Arex. He had done voiceovers as well in the original series. He would later play Commander Canarvin in the first season of Filmation’s Jason of Star Command.
(9) For continuing Gene Roddenberry’s philosophies torn from the pages of The National Enquirer: that Outer Space Aliens visited Earth, masqueraded as deities and gave us culture, and that mankind will one day evolve into Giant Space Slugs.
(10) As the only Star Trek series to win an Emmy Award in a non-technical category.
Go to Digital Bits for the rest of our comments.
The Passing of Arleen Sorkin
August 24, 2023
Arleen Sorkin, the original voice and inspiration for Harley Quinn, has passed away.
Here’s an animated segment from “Harlequinade,” written by her co-creator, Paul Dini. Harley performs before a nightclub of gangsters singing “Say That We’re Sweethearts Again.”
Play the video. Close your eyes. Listen to Sorkin’s performance. And you’ll know the extent of her talent.
Proud of Her Eggs
It is a world of anthropomorphic talking animals, divided into carnivores and herbivores, all struggling to survive each other. But unlike Disney’s Zootopia, Beastars takes the conflict to R-rated levels, in a which the star wolf, Legoshi, has to fight his instincts to either eat–or love–a rabbit.
Heavy drama aside, I consider these clips to be the funniest. It features a standalone character, Legom (voiced by Reba Buhr), who takes great pride in her work. Watch.
And this is what happens next:
Note the animation quality of the show, as produced by Studio Orange. Here’s how they did it.
Here’s some motion capture dancing for the opening:
And later on in the series:
Netflix has commissioned a third season, to stream sometime in 2024.
Disclaimer: Beastars is not for the squeamish.
Pirates Attack THE DRAGON PRINCE Producers!
Saturday, July 22, 2023, 2:45 p.m.
At the San Diego Convention Center, Room 6BCF has a seating capacity of 1500. Alas, it wasn’t enough space to accommodate everyone eager to learn about Season Five of The Dragon Prince. Those who could attend would be treated to not one, not two, not three, but four surprises.
The panel was run by series co-creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, executive producer Villads Spangsberg, and special community guest Hailey Karter of Cartoon Universe podcast, who showed off some gorgeous pieces of fan artwork inspired by the characters. (Jack de Sena, the voice of high mage Callum, had been announced to appear but didn’t for publicly-undisclosed reasons.)
Then came the first surprise: a screening of the first episode from Season Five, “Domina Profundis.”
The second surprise had been foreshadowed by an announcement from Wonderstorm on July 10:
(WARNING: This panel is strictly limited to landlubbing con attendees only. Due to recent threats of salty shenanigans, NO privateers, nautical criminals, or seafaring ne’er-do-wells of any kind will be permitted entry. Thank you for your understanding.)
Despite “security precautions,” two lady pirates barged onto the stage shouting demands to give more screen time to Berto the parrot, and to play the rest of Season Five … now. The panelists would be held hostage till their demands were met.
Ehasz assured the crowd that everything was under control.
Behold the ferocity of the pirate ladies. Arrrrr.
Luckily for everyone, Justin Richmond, Aaron Ehasz, and Villads Spangsberg just happened to have a special briefcase with them.
Which they opened.
And pulled out a red button.
That Ehasz pressed.
At that moment—or close to it—came Surprise Number Three.
The entire Season Five became available for screening on Netflix, about a week ahead of its previously-announced date of July 27.
The victorious pirate ladies pulled off their hats, beards and nautical garb, revealing themselves to be Paula Burrows, the voice of Rayla the Moonshadow Elf—and Surprise Number Four—Boone Williams, who plays a new character, Astrid, from Season Six.
Q & A followed. One youngster wanted to know if Soren (the Crownguard who needs to shave) was going to be in more episodes, because he was funny. Answer: He is. The panel topped off with a round of audience applause.
Season Five awaits your viewing pleasure.
For The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos, Seasons Six and Seven are yet to come.
