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GKO: MADHOUSE

Here you will find our rambalings on all area's of Batman, interviews and speical features!

JL: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS REVIEW

We review Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

BATMAN OF ZUR-EN-ARRH

We take a look at the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh from Batman #113.

GREG RUCKA INTERVIEW

Gotham Knights Online - Interview with Greg Rucka.

BTS: MUSIC MEISTER

A behind the scenens look at The Music Meister.

REVIEW: SB: PE

We review Superman / Batman: Public Enemies.

J.H. WILLIAMS III INTERVIEW

Gotham Knights Online - Interview with J.H. Wiilams III

REVIEW - BATMAN: AA

We review the most eagarly anticipated game this year!

BATMAN CRIME JAZZ

Composers talk crime jazz for Batman

Executive Producer Bruce Timm offers New Insights on “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” and “The Spectre”

Gina Torres joins panel for West Coast Premiere of “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” on Thursday, Feb. 18 at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills

Executive producer Bruce Timm offers new perspective on the creation of “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original movies, and “The Spectre,” the inaugural DC Showcase animated short, in an all-new Q&A with the guru of super hero animation.

Timm will be joined by filmmakers and cast members on Thursday night at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills for the West Coast Premiere of “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.” The premiere is presented by Warner Home Video, Newsarama and The Paley Center for Media. The screening will commence at 7:00 p.m.

Gina Torres, the seductively powerful voice of Superwoman, has joined the panel of filmmakers and cast members to follow the screening. Josh Keaton and Vanessa Marshall, the voices of Flash and Wonder Woman, respectively, will also be on hand to field questions.

Filmmakers slated to attend are co-directors Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, dialogue/casting director Andrea Romano and screenwriter Dwayne McDuffie.

Warner Home Video will distribute the full-length animated Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths on February 23 as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and Download.


Timm, the executive producer on “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” has been the creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animation’s modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics’ canon of super heroes to new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical acclaim and further whetted the public’s appetite for comic book entertainment. “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” is the seventh film in the ongoing DC Universe series.

And here’s what Mr. Timm had to say…

Batman attempts to save the Earth, er, Earths as he faces off with his evil doppleganger owlman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Question: What excites you about Juctice League: Crisis on Two Earths?

Bruce Timm: In a weird kind of way, this is a return to my favorite show Justice League Unlimited. The original script was intended to be the bridge story between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited to explain how we went from seven heroes to more than 50 super heroes. We loved the story and the script, and it floated around here for years while we tried to figure out what to do with it – it was considered for a comic, but fortunately that got shot down. Then we took a look at it and, with just a few slight tweaks, we jumped at the chance to make it a DC Universe movie.

Question: What sets it apart from the TV version of Justice League?

Bruce Timm: It’s a very satisfying, grand scale adventure movie with a big cast of interesting, quirky characters. It’s amazing how much it feels like a great episode of Justice League Unlimited as a big, epic film with slightly different visual stylings. That’s a good thing.

Question: Did this film present challenges that the first six DC Universe movies did not?

Bruce Timm: The biggest challenge, and this is kind of esoteric, was that we had to find the line between the original source material and making it feel like a stand-alone movie so anyone that didn’t watch JLU could follow it. We really didn’t have to tweak the script too much – I think about 95 percent remains untouched. In terms of visual styling, we also wanted it to stand on its own and not necessarily as a continuation of the old show. We have this brilliant character designer – Phil Bourassa – who draws in a style similar to my own in terms of simplicity, but slightly different. So it doesn’t look 180 degrees away from the old show, but it definitely feels unique.

Question: What are the benefits of having two directors on the same film?

Bruce Timm: The positive for Sam and Lauren is that having two directors lightens the workload, because it’s a big movie. They have similar strengths, and they’re both very good at what they do. They’re both all around talented in terms of understanding story, acting, the emotional core of the story, and they’re both really good at directing big crazy action scenes. But they’re methodology is different. Sam thinks a lot, he’s very analytical. Lauren is more intuitive about everything. I just kind of stayed out of it when they had disagreements – fortunately I never had to be the tiebreaker, They just worked things out between the two of them.

The Justice League makes its pitch to stand and fight the Crime Syndicate to an alternate Earth’s President Wilson in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Question: What are Dwayne McDuffie’s strengths?

Bruce Timm: Dwayne is really well-rounded as a writer – he knows comics inside and out, he understands the lore, he knows what makes a good super hero story, and at the same time he’s really good with character dynamics and conflict. Plus he’s one of the best dialogue writers in the business.

Question: Of this fairly huge casdt, do you have a favorite character?

Bruce Timm: In this story, it’s probably Owlman. He’s a fascinating character himself, but the dynamic with Superwoman is so messed up as a couple, and yet really appealing in a weird kind of way. It’s a little similar to JLU’s relationship between The Question and Huntress. Superwoman is this badass hot chick, and he’s the quiet, brainy, nerd guy. They’re an interesting, odd couple. Plus I loved both James’ (Woods) and Gina’s (Torres) performances – they were spot-on. The amazing thing is we like to get all the actors to record as an ensemble, but in this case it wasn’t feasible, So they never met or performed together, but they totally mesh. It’s such an interesting chemistry considering they’ve never even met.

Question: You’ve brought another all-star cast to this film. Anything fans don’t know about the casting choices this time around?

Bruce Timm: There’s an interesting side note in that Vanessa Marshall, who plays Wonder Woman, came this close to playing the role in Justice League. We were down to the final two choices, and they were neck and neck. The thing about Vanessa is that she sounded perfect for Wonder Woman – exactly what she should sound like. But Susan Eisenberg had this vulnerability. We thought it would be interesting to not play her to type, which ultimately played really well. When it came to casting for this movie, we thought, “What if we go down the road not taken?” So we opted for Vanessa in a full-length movie and she is great.

Question: “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” includes the premiere of the first DC Showcase animation short, “The Spectre.” How have the DC Showcase shorts changed your work day?

Bruce Timm: The DC Showcase is fun because it gives us an opportunity to play with characters that maybe don’t have a broad enough marquee value to support their own movie. As much as I like Batman, Superman, etc., the more lower tier, offbeat characters are really fascinating to me. It’s fun to mess around with others characters in the DC Universe. Super heroes are great, but it’s nice to do a change of pace, and that’s a lot of what we’ve done here. “The Spectre” is a supernatural thriller,; “Jonah Hex” is a western, and so on. So the Showcase is giving us a chance to stretch different muscles.


Owlman explains his nefarious plot to destroy all Earths with a devastating weapon in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Question: After taking a break from episodic TV for the past several years, are you enjoying a return to the short-form with the DC Showcase?

Bruce Timm: The interesting thing is these are really short form – they’re half as long as a half-hour TV episode. So the story has to be really tight and condensed – you have to cut away the fat, but it can’t be just wall-to-wall action. It still has to be a story. Fortunately we’re working with some really great writers, and because of that, every time we roll tape on these shorts, they feel like you’ve watched a whole episode of something. There’s a clear beginning, middle and end – a full story. So mission accomplished.

Question: What made Steve Niles the right guy to write “The Spectre,” and how did you lure him into writing an animated short?

Bruce Timm: I’ve admired Steve Niles’ work for a long time and, honestly, it would have never occurred to me to approach him. That was Todd Casey’s suggestion. He contacted Steve, and Steve was thrilled to get the assignment. He’s a big Michael Fleisher/Jim Aparo fan, and a big fan of “The Spectre” – especially that 1970s era of the character. Steve is very into crime fiction and horror, so he was the perfect writer for it.

Question: Does “The Spectre” hold any special significance for you?

“The Spectre” was one of my favorite characters back in the 70s. Even by today’s standards, those comics are pretty hard core, and they were written in 1974, I don’t know how they got some of that stuff past the comic code. It was so different from any other comic on the stands. It’s really dark, really nasty. The character is pretty easy to understand – he’s the dark avenger of the night, even more so than Batman. He punishes bad guys in horrible, horrible ways. He’s like the benign Freddie Krueger. I’ve wanted to use “The Spectre” for a long, long time and we never had a opportunity to do it, and this was our chance to go hog wild with him.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at
http://www.justiceleaguecrisis.com/

NOTE: A limited number of new seats for media and fans are now available.

A red carpet media line will be open starting at 5:45 p.m. with all above talent available for interviews. Media wishing to attend the premiere should RSVP via email to WHVRSVP@gmail.com, or contact Gary Miereanu at 818-427-9469.

Fans in the Los Angeles area wishing to receive free tickets to the event must RSVP via email to justiceleagueLA@newsarama.com. Tickets will be distributed on a “first come, first served” basis, and fans are encouraged to arrive early to ensure good seating for the 7:00 p.m. screening and panel. Limited edition prizes will be awarded to select members of the audience during the Q&A panel session following the screening, including “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” script covers signed by the entire cast, autographed copies of the Blu-ray and DVD, and two mounted posters signed by Thursday night’s panel.

LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS PODCAST ONLINE COVERING NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS WITH GUESTS FROM ALL BATMAN INDUSTRIES!



GKO: PODCAST #43

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 4th to 17th Oct, including Batman: Knightfall Pt11.
23-10-10

GKO: PODCAST #42

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 20th Sept to 3rd Oct, including Batman: Knightfall Pt10.
09-10-10

GKO: PODCAST #41

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 13th to Sept 20th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt9.
14-09-10

GKO: PODCAST #40

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 30th to Sept 12th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt8.
14-09-10

GKO: PODCAST #39

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 23rd to Aug 29th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt7.
31-08-10

GKO: PODCAST #38

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 9th to Aug 22nd, including Batman: Knightfall Pt6.
24-08-10

GKO: PODCAST #37

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 2nd to Aug 8th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt5.
03-08-10

GKO: PODCAST #36

This week we have a new host and review Batman: Under the Red Hood along with all the news from the week.
03-08-10

GKO: PODCAST #35

This is our SDCC '10 coverage special covering all the news from July 19th to July 25th.
26-07-10

GKO: PODCAST #34

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 12th to July 18th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt2.
19-07-10

GKO: PODCAST #33

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 5th to July 11th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt1.
12-07-10

GKO: PODCAST #32

This week we interview writer Judd Winick about the Red Hood.
05-07-10

GKO: PODCAST #31

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. June 14th to June 20th.
21-06-10

GKO: PODCAST #30

This week we cover the amazing release of Batman #700. June 7th to June 13th.
14-06-10

GKO: PODCAST #29

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. May 31st to June 6th.
7-06-10

GKO: PODCAST #28

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. May 24th to May 30th.
31-05-10

GKO: PODCAST #27

This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. May 10th to May 23rd.
24-05-10

GKO: PODCAST #26

We return for a quick April round table episode.
10-05-10

GKO: PODCAST #25

This week is our 25th Anniversary episode including a new co-host.
21-03-10

GKO: PODCAST #24

This week we interview with artist Lee Garbett to talk about his current run on Batgirl
01-03-10

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