Justice League: Trinity
Justice League: Trinity is an action/adventure video game and a sort of sequel to the games Batman: Gotham Stories and Wonder Woman: Amazon Of Themyscira (though a true sequel to that game is in development for the next-gen consoles). It sees Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman teaming up to take on the combined forces of Lex Luthor, Ra's al-Ghul, and Cheetah in order to save the planet from a nefarious scheme to wipe out nine-tenths of the world's population. Other Justice Leaguers such as The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter also play prominent roles in the game, but only the "Big Three" are playable. Batman and Wonder Woman control much like they do in their previous games, with Batman a brawler and tech expert and Wonder Woman fighting with agility, finesse, super strength, and her familiar lasso. Meanwhile, Superman exhibits his familiar powers, including super strength, speed, flight, and heat vision, and the three each get a chance to shine across the game's array of missions (though players aren't able to pick who they control, with each mission requiring a specific character). Sometimes, a player will control one character while the other two serve as NPC companions, and with clever timing and placement, the player is able to combo with one or two characters at once. Missions also differ in mood and tone depending on the character: Batman's missions are more about stealth and detective work, Wonder Woman's missions are more God Of War-style hack and slash, while Superman's missions are more epic in scope, with Superman frequently taking to the skies and surveying a wide area. The game features HD graphics comparable to those in the previous DC games of this generation, with a similar level of detail to the graphics in X-Men: Fallen (a game Trinity is frequently compared to). Kevin Conroy returns to voice Batman, George Newbern voices Superman, and Susan Eisenberg voices Wonder Woman, with Lex Luthor voiced by Clancy Brown, Ra's voiced by Michael Sheen, and Cheetah voiced by Moira Quirk. The plot kicks off with Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, who is already functioning as her alter ego Cheetah, forging an alliance with both Lex Luthor and Ra's al-Ghul, with Luthor wanting to advance his scientific knowledge and Ra's wanting to decimate humanity. With Luthor's money, Ra's mystic knowledge, and Minerva's practical knowledge, the three begin working together to create a living weapon called Genocide. While Batman is able to discover some of this plot himself, Superman is tipped off to it by Luthor's former aide Mercy (the game is somewhat adapting the storyline from the comics, with Mercy leaving Luthor to become a wandering antihero), and Wonder Woman learns of the plot from following Cheetah and also after several of her fellow Amazons are kidnapped and experimented on. The Justice League soon assembles to deal with the growing threat, and from there, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman perform several missions hoping to stop their nemeses from completing their plans. They're unsuccessful in stopping the creation of Genocide, who soon begins to leave a trail of destruction across the planet. Eventually, the heroes are able to stop Luthor, Ra's, and Cheetah in a series of fierce battles, with the final boss battle against Genocide having the player take control of all three heroes at least twice at some part of the battle, before uniting their efforts in one final mighty blow. Genocide is defeated and the world is saved thanks to the Justice League, though many of their allies are left with lasting physical and mental scars, and Wonder Woman seemingly walks away from the League at the end of it all.
Justice League: Trinity is released in October 2011 for the Sapphire and iTwin. It gets a decent critical reception, averaging in the mid to high 7s. While critics enjoy the game's presentation and storyline, the gameplay itself is considered somewhat unoriginal, while they also criticize the fact that you can't freely switch between heroes, and that the Superman and Batman segments lagged behind the Wonder Woman segments. The game is mostly considered to be inferior (though only slightly) to X-Men: Fallen, with sales pacing slightly below that game. Trinity still takes in a decent profit, but it isn't the crossover superhero smash some expected it to be. It's mostly remembered as a fun superhero brawler that's a bit of a mess but which DC fans will probably enjoy.
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Comics And Films Explore Batman's Past, Present, And Future
Batman continues to be a majorly hot property in 2011, with Batman Crusader debuting to strong box office numbers (after the latest Justice League movie, also featuring Batman, shattered all domestic box office records) and Batman: Gotham Knight establishing itself as one of Cartoon Network's most successful shows. These two properties are set in Batman's past, and while they're not origin stories for the Caped Crusader (though a few members of his rogues' gallery do get origin stories in Gotham Knight), they touch upon a crucial part of Batman's crime fighting career, while showing him in a new light that has made him as popular as he's ever been.
Gotham Knight is set in a different continuity from the familiar DC Animated Universe, with an entirely new actor (Brett Dalton) voicing a Bruce Wayne who's in his early 30s, having fought crime in Gotham for nearly a decade but still seeing things he hasn't seen before. While some members of his familiar rogues' gallery (the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman) are already present and accounted for, still others (including the Riddler and Harley Quinn) are given new roots in the very first season of the series. Batman hasn't become as friendly with Commissioner Gordon (voiced by Bryan Cranston) as we see him in the DCAU, and Gordon is still struggling with whether or not to trust Batman, which leads to occasional run-ins with the police. Prominent GCPD officers featuring in the series include rookie Renee Montoya (voiced in Gotham Knight by Myrna Velasco, though Brittany Saldita voices her in the upcoming straight-to-DVD feature Harley Quinn: Frenemies) and newly promoted detective Harvey Bullock (voiced by Troy Baker). In fact, the GCPD plays a major role in the series, with several police characters new to the Batman mythos introduced in Gotham Knight for the first time (and one, a senior detective voiced by Michael Parks, seemingly moonlighting as a serial killer). We've also gotten a lot of backstory for Batman's butler Alfred Pennyworth, who is depicted as ex-MI6 and who had a brother-like relationship with Batman's father Thomas Wayne, who reminded Alfred of his own younger brother (who also tragically died young). Gotham Knight also depicts a 13-year-old Barbara Gordon (voiced by Alyson Stoner) who's already secretly training herself in martial arts and crimefighting, and it's implied that the show will introduce Dick Grayson at some point before he ultimately becomes Robin. Gotham Knight has a somewhat darker, grittier tone than the original Batman: The Animated Series, depicting slightly more graphic scenes of violence and even featuring mild language (the show airs at 10:00 PM on Saturday Night's Toonami block with a TV-PG rating), and while it hasn't quite reached the level of acclaim or popularity as Bruce Timm's masterpiece, it's established a strong reputation amongst Batman fans and has carried the success of the new Crusader film forward, looking to keep Batman popular throughout the remainder of the 2010s.
The current comic stories, which depict Batman in an ongoing struggle with the Joker, have gotten more intense in recent years, especially after Harley Quinn was shown leaving the Joker to eventually partner up with Poison Ivy. Joker has become more nihilistic and cruel since Harley left him, and his schemes have been dedicated mostly toward causing mass death and destruction, with seemingly no punchline in sight (of course, with the Joker, there's always a punchline, the writers just haven't quite gotten to it yet). Batman is struggling with the implications of his "no killing" rule as the Joker has gotten more and more dangerous, while Harley Quinn has been depicted as having guilt for leaving the Joker. Meanwhile, a new villain, a "crime fighter" called the Neutralizer who utilizes Wayne Industries tech to murder anyone they (the Neutralizer's gender hasn't yet been revealed, with few hints given to their identity as of yet) deem a threat to humanity, with the Joker currently #1 on their hitlist. Batman has been unable to stop the Neutralizer or even best them in combat, but the Neutralizer refuses to harm Batman except to defend themselves, calling Batman a "hero who just doesn't go far enough". Most of the other rogues, with the exception of Harley, Poison Ivy, and the Riddler, are currently locked up in Arkham, while Catwoman seems to be in retirement, reverting to her identity as Selena Kyle and occasionally being spotted overseas helping the less fortunate. All of these storylines are running parallel to an Arkham Asylum-based story in which a new supervillain has taken over the facility and seems to be trying to recruit from amongst the inmates, all of whom refuse to help him. The current run of Batman comics seem to be slowly building up to something major involving the Joker, the Neutralizer, Harley/Ivy, Selena Kyle, and the new Arkham-based villain all coming together in some sort of massive clash, and as Batman slowly puts all the pieces together (he's already found a link between the Neutralizer and Harley Quinn), a major clash is sure to take place.
Amidst all this dark and gritty Batman content, we've also seen the release of a new straight-to-DVD movie, The Riddler's Final Puzzle, in which a slightly aged Batman must save his friends after the Riddler abducts them all and forces Batman into a globetrotting game of puzzles and riddles to get them back. Despite the dark potential for the source material, this movie actually has a somewhat lighter tone, despite its PG-13 rating. The Riddler (voiced in this project by Matt Frewer) has a quick wit and some hilarious comic timing, and it's been confirmed by voice director Andrea Romano that Frewer was allowed to improv numerous lines in the film. Meanwhile, Robin and Batgirl don't take their captivity lying down or being tormented by the Riddler, the two of them take active roles in their own rescues, and there's some especially witty banter between Batgirl (voiced by Tara Strong) and the Riddler in which Batgirl is subjected to a clever word puzzle and manages to trick the Riddler into giving up some of the answers. The film does get somewhat dramatic and serious toward the end, and it features a somewhat poignant, bittersweet scene, but the film in general stands in somewhat pleasant contrast to the rest of the Batman universe in 2011, and has received a strong reception from critics and fans alike. The Riddler's Final Puzzle seems to follow the trend of the recently released direct to DVD Batman films being a bit lighter and funnier than the rest of the Batman material, with last year's animated Harley Quinn film, despite a high level of violence, being considered by some to be the funniest Batman based movie ever released, and next year's Frenemies looking to have plenty of humor as well.
-from an article on Comicconsumer.net, posted on October 14, 2011
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*The moderator for the Harley Quinn: Frenemies panel at 2011's New York Comic-Con is currently introducing the guests.*
Moderator: Our first guest on this panel is a legendary voice director, who has directed dozens of animated projects spanning three decades. She of course directed Batman: The Animated Series, and has also directed shows such as Avatar: The Last Airbender. She's the voice director for Harley Quinn: Frenemies, please welcome to our panel today, Andrea Romano!
*Andrea Romano happily takes the stage, hugging the moderator and then taking her seat at the panel.*
Moderator: Our next guest is an actress who got her start on MTV, on the gameshow Singled Out and the legendary GameTV. *the audience is already cheering loudly* She went on to star in films such as Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and later appeared as the first ever live action Harley Quinn in 2006's Suicide Squad *the crowd cheers wildly* and will reprise her role in next year's sequel! She currently appears on the hit CBS sitcom Hating Places, and played the voice of Harley Quinn in 2010's animated film Harley Quinn, and will be starring as Harley in Harley Quinn: Frenemies! Please welcome the beautiful and amazingly talented Lyssa Fielding!
*Lyssa takes the stage, dressed in a normal but somewhat revealing outfit, to the cheers and applause of the audience. She happily waves to them and blows them some kisses and does some Harley Quinn poses before taking her seat at the panel next to Andrea, who leans over and hugs her.*
Moderator: Our next guest appeared with Lyssa Fielding on GameTV *the crowd goes absolutely bonkers, and the moderator has to quiet them down before he continues to speak*, and went on to become an all-star voice actress in shows such as The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Spy School, as well as video games including Thrillseekers, in which she plays BMX biker Vivian Martinez. *the crowd roars* She co-stars in Harley Quinn: Frenemies, playing Gotham City police officer Renee Montoya. Making her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year, please welcome to the stage the amazing Brittany Saldita!
*As Brittany takes the stage, looking no worse for wear and cosplaying as Renee Montoya, with an accurate GCPD outfit and a long black wig, the crowd gives her an even louder ovation than the one they gave Lyssa. Brittany looks a bit touched as she is showered in the crowd's love, smiling and waving to them as she walks over to the panel. Andrea is first to stand up, giving Brittany a tight hug and saying a few words to her, and then Lyssa hugs Brittany tightly before giving her a quick smooch on the cheek and then on the lips. Brittany waves to the crowd again and then takes her seat, as the crowd continues to cheer.*
Moderator: This is a really incredible reception, Brittany, would you like to say some words to the audience before we bring the next guest onto the stage?
Brittany: *nodding* Sure, sure. *she takes the mic* Um, hi everyone.... *smiling and waving as the crowd cheers* It means... so much to get a reception like this and it feels so good to be back on stage at a convention, you guys have no idea! Um, first of all, yes, this is not my real hair... *she lifts up her wig and police hat to show that she's still bald from the chemo* I know, I know! It'll grow back! It'll grow back! *laughing, she sets her wig and hat down to let the audience see her bald for a few more seconds, Lyssa rubs Brittany's head before kissing the top of it, Brittany giggles* The good thing is that I have an excuse to cosplay now! *she puts her wig and hat back on*
Lyssa: I should've cosplayed as Harley, what was I thinking?
Brittany: You didn't want to upstage me.
Lyssa: Are you kidding, listen to them, they love you! *the crowd roars for Brittany again*
Brittany: Also, um, I am in remission.... *the crowd screams with joy, cheering wildly, Brittany laughs softly and smiles a bit but looks very very touched by this and Lyssa reaches up and wipes a tear from one of Brittany's eyes, then jumps up and pumps her fists happily, pointing at Brittany and clapping, Andrea is clapping as well* And I'm also working again! I started working on my first big project since my diagnosis! It's totally NDA, but I can say that it's a game... it's not Thrillseekers, it's another game. That's all I can say though.
Lyssa: I don't even know what it is, she won't tell me!
Brittany: I can't tell you!
Lyssa: *sticks her tongue out at Brittany*
(...)
Andrea: So part of the process for what we did when Lyssa and Brittany recorded their lines was that every single scene that Harley and Renee had together, we got Lyssa and Brittany and had them record their lines together. We even turned them to have them facing each other, so they could actually look at each other's facial expressions and act directly off of one another, and then we recorded those facial expressions for the animators to use. It really helped because these two women have such amazing chemistry with each other, and it was absolutely electric. We had them do several takes usually, first reading lines strictly off the script, and then we let them do a few takes going off the script and doing improv, and we did end up using quite a few of those improv takes in the movie.
Lyssa: I would deliberately try to get Brittany super annoyed with me.
Brittany: Oh, she's really good at it.
Lyssa: I'd make these silly faces at her, and slip in these insults every once in a while, and cut her off sometimes...
Andrea: Yeah, Lyssa actually told me in private that she'd record the first few takes with Brittany just normally, reading the lines and then doing some normal improv, and then she'd ask me to do a take where she might interrupt Brittany.
Brittany: She would find the perfect timing to just slip in there and say something right in the middle of my line....
Andrea: And being the professional that Brittany is, she'd keep going, but that annoyance would start to slip in and it would be perfect, you could see it in Brittany's eyes that she was starting to become... not too happy with Lyssa, and we ended up using some of those expressions for Renee's animation in the movie.
Brittany: And the thing is, like... I can get pretty annoyed with Lyssa sometimes. I can't possibly hate her, because I love her to death, but sometimes she can piss me off.
Lyssa: *smirking like a troll at Brittany*
Brittany: And... that, right there!
Lyssa: *leans in and does her Harley voice* Uh huh.
Brittany: *muttering some profanities in Spanish as the crowd laughs with approval*
(...)
Moderator: We've got a question from... Julie, is it? *puts the microphone up to a fan*
Julie: Brittany, did you wrap up all your voice work for this movie before your diagnosis?
Brittany: Oh, yes. Oh yes. It was done... way before.
Andrea: It's always one of the first things we do in animation is the voice acting.
Brittany: We did most of it in... early 2010, I believe, and then the ADR wrapped up in... I want to say November? The movie doesn't come out until next year, but I finished all my work on the film way before my diagnosis.
Andrea: And even if... even if we still had some work to do, we would have gotten it done with Brittany.
Brittany: There is no way I would have pulled out of this film. I would have recorded from my hospital bed if I could have. This is one of my favorite projects to have ever worked on, maybe my all time favorite... getting to work with Andrea again is awesome, I've been doing voice work for her now for 15 years. She gave me some of my very first tips when I was just starting out, when I was just a lowly host on MTV only doing voice work because the agent I had to get when I got the GameTV job said I might be good at it. I worked with her on Avatar, and now on this... she's amazing. And then working with Lyssa... working with my best friend and getting to play these iconic characters together in these crazy situations, getting to stand in a booth facing her and acting with her... I mean that's a dream come true. I had so much fun making this movie and you guys are gonna have so much fun watching it. I promise you guys, please buy it next year!
-from the Harley Quinn: Frenemies panel at the 2011 New York Comic-Con, on November 4, 2011
Justice League: Trinity is an action/adventure video game and a sort of sequel to the games Batman: Gotham Stories and Wonder Woman: Amazon Of Themyscira (though a true sequel to that game is in development for the next-gen consoles). It sees Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman teaming up to take on the combined forces of Lex Luthor, Ra's al-Ghul, and Cheetah in order to save the planet from a nefarious scheme to wipe out nine-tenths of the world's population. Other Justice Leaguers such as The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter also play prominent roles in the game, but only the "Big Three" are playable. Batman and Wonder Woman control much like they do in their previous games, with Batman a brawler and tech expert and Wonder Woman fighting with agility, finesse, super strength, and her familiar lasso. Meanwhile, Superman exhibits his familiar powers, including super strength, speed, flight, and heat vision, and the three each get a chance to shine across the game's array of missions (though players aren't able to pick who they control, with each mission requiring a specific character). Sometimes, a player will control one character while the other two serve as NPC companions, and with clever timing and placement, the player is able to combo with one or two characters at once. Missions also differ in mood and tone depending on the character: Batman's missions are more about stealth and detective work, Wonder Woman's missions are more God Of War-style hack and slash, while Superman's missions are more epic in scope, with Superman frequently taking to the skies and surveying a wide area. The game features HD graphics comparable to those in the previous DC games of this generation, with a similar level of detail to the graphics in X-Men: Fallen (a game Trinity is frequently compared to). Kevin Conroy returns to voice Batman, George Newbern voices Superman, and Susan Eisenberg voices Wonder Woman, with Lex Luthor voiced by Clancy Brown, Ra's voiced by Michael Sheen, and Cheetah voiced by Moira Quirk. The plot kicks off with Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, who is already functioning as her alter ego Cheetah, forging an alliance with both Lex Luthor and Ra's al-Ghul, with Luthor wanting to advance his scientific knowledge and Ra's wanting to decimate humanity. With Luthor's money, Ra's mystic knowledge, and Minerva's practical knowledge, the three begin working together to create a living weapon called Genocide. While Batman is able to discover some of this plot himself, Superman is tipped off to it by Luthor's former aide Mercy (the game is somewhat adapting the storyline from the comics, with Mercy leaving Luthor to become a wandering antihero), and Wonder Woman learns of the plot from following Cheetah and also after several of her fellow Amazons are kidnapped and experimented on. The Justice League soon assembles to deal with the growing threat, and from there, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman perform several missions hoping to stop their nemeses from completing their plans. They're unsuccessful in stopping the creation of Genocide, who soon begins to leave a trail of destruction across the planet. Eventually, the heroes are able to stop Luthor, Ra's, and Cheetah in a series of fierce battles, with the final boss battle against Genocide having the player take control of all three heroes at least twice at some part of the battle, before uniting their efforts in one final mighty blow. Genocide is defeated and the world is saved thanks to the Justice League, though many of their allies are left with lasting physical and mental scars, and Wonder Woman seemingly walks away from the League at the end of it all.
Justice League: Trinity is released in October 2011 for the Sapphire and iTwin. It gets a decent critical reception, averaging in the mid to high 7s. While critics enjoy the game's presentation and storyline, the gameplay itself is considered somewhat unoriginal, while they also criticize the fact that you can't freely switch between heroes, and that the Superman and Batman segments lagged behind the Wonder Woman segments. The game is mostly considered to be inferior (though only slightly) to X-Men: Fallen, with sales pacing slightly below that game. Trinity still takes in a decent profit, but it isn't the crossover superhero smash some expected it to be. It's mostly remembered as a fun superhero brawler that's a bit of a mess but which DC fans will probably enjoy.
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Comics And Films Explore Batman's Past, Present, And Future
Batman continues to be a majorly hot property in 2011, with Batman Crusader debuting to strong box office numbers (after the latest Justice League movie, also featuring Batman, shattered all domestic box office records) and Batman: Gotham Knight establishing itself as one of Cartoon Network's most successful shows. These two properties are set in Batman's past, and while they're not origin stories for the Caped Crusader (though a few members of his rogues' gallery do get origin stories in Gotham Knight), they touch upon a crucial part of Batman's crime fighting career, while showing him in a new light that has made him as popular as he's ever been.
Gotham Knight is set in a different continuity from the familiar DC Animated Universe, with an entirely new actor (Brett Dalton) voicing a Bruce Wayne who's in his early 30s, having fought crime in Gotham for nearly a decade but still seeing things he hasn't seen before. While some members of his familiar rogues' gallery (the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman) are already present and accounted for, still others (including the Riddler and Harley Quinn) are given new roots in the very first season of the series. Batman hasn't become as friendly with Commissioner Gordon (voiced by Bryan Cranston) as we see him in the DCAU, and Gordon is still struggling with whether or not to trust Batman, which leads to occasional run-ins with the police. Prominent GCPD officers featuring in the series include rookie Renee Montoya (voiced in Gotham Knight by Myrna Velasco, though Brittany Saldita voices her in the upcoming straight-to-DVD feature Harley Quinn: Frenemies) and newly promoted detective Harvey Bullock (voiced by Troy Baker). In fact, the GCPD plays a major role in the series, with several police characters new to the Batman mythos introduced in Gotham Knight for the first time (and one, a senior detective voiced by Michael Parks, seemingly moonlighting as a serial killer). We've also gotten a lot of backstory for Batman's butler Alfred Pennyworth, who is depicted as ex-MI6 and who had a brother-like relationship with Batman's father Thomas Wayne, who reminded Alfred of his own younger brother (who also tragically died young). Gotham Knight also depicts a 13-year-old Barbara Gordon (voiced by Alyson Stoner) who's already secretly training herself in martial arts and crimefighting, and it's implied that the show will introduce Dick Grayson at some point before he ultimately becomes Robin. Gotham Knight has a somewhat darker, grittier tone than the original Batman: The Animated Series, depicting slightly more graphic scenes of violence and even featuring mild language (the show airs at 10:00 PM on Saturday Night's Toonami block with a TV-PG rating), and while it hasn't quite reached the level of acclaim or popularity as Bruce Timm's masterpiece, it's established a strong reputation amongst Batman fans and has carried the success of the new Crusader film forward, looking to keep Batman popular throughout the remainder of the 2010s.
The current comic stories, which depict Batman in an ongoing struggle with the Joker, have gotten more intense in recent years, especially after Harley Quinn was shown leaving the Joker to eventually partner up with Poison Ivy. Joker has become more nihilistic and cruel since Harley left him, and his schemes have been dedicated mostly toward causing mass death and destruction, with seemingly no punchline in sight (of course, with the Joker, there's always a punchline, the writers just haven't quite gotten to it yet). Batman is struggling with the implications of his "no killing" rule as the Joker has gotten more and more dangerous, while Harley Quinn has been depicted as having guilt for leaving the Joker. Meanwhile, a new villain, a "crime fighter" called the Neutralizer who utilizes Wayne Industries tech to murder anyone they (the Neutralizer's gender hasn't yet been revealed, with few hints given to their identity as of yet) deem a threat to humanity, with the Joker currently #1 on their hitlist. Batman has been unable to stop the Neutralizer or even best them in combat, but the Neutralizer refuses to harm Batman except to defend themselves, calling Batman a "hero who just doesn't go far enough". Most of the other rogues, with the exception of Harley, Poison Ivy, and the Riddler, are currently locked up in Arkham, while Catwoman seems to be in retirement, reverting to her identity as Selena Kyle and occasionally being spotted overseas helping the less fortunate. All of these storylines are running parallel to an Arkham Asylum-based story in which a new supervillain has taken over the facility and seems to be trying to recruit from amongst the inmates, all of whom refuse to help him. The current run of Batman comics seem to be slowly building up to something major involving the Joker, the Neutralizer, Harley/Ivy, Selena Kyle, and the new Arkham-based villain all coming together in some sort of massive clash, and as Batman slowly puts all the pieces together (he's already found a link between the Neutralizer and Harley Quinn), a major clash is sure to take place.
Amidst all this dark and gritty Batman content, we've also seen the release of a new straight-to-DVD movie, The Riddler's Final Puzzle, in which a slightly aged Batman must save his friends after the Riddler abducts them all and forces Batman into a globetrotting game of puzzles and riddles to get them back. Despite the dark potential for the source material, this movie actually has a somewhat lighter tone, despite its PG-13 rating. The Riddler (voiced in this project by Matt Frewer) has a quick wit and some hilarious comic timing, and it's been confirmed by voice director Andrea Romano that Frewer was allowed to improv numerous lines in the film. Meanwhile, Robin and Batgirl don't take their captivity lying down or being tormented by the Riddler, the two of them take active roles in their own rescues, and there's some especially witty banter between Batgirl (voiced by Tara Strong) and the Riddler in which Batgirl is subjected to a clever word puzzle and manages to trick the Riddler into giving up some of the answers. The film does get somewhat dramatic and serious toward the end, and it features a somewhat poignant, bittersweet scene, but the film in general stands in somewhat pleasant contrast to the rest of the Batman universe in 2011, and has received a strong reception from critics and fans alike. The Riddler's Final Puzzle seems to follow the trend of the recently released direct to DVD Batman films being a bit lighter and funnier than the rest of the Batman material, with last year's animated Harley Quinn film, despite a high level of violence, being considered by some to be the funniest Batman based movie ever released, and next year's Frenemies looking to have plenty of humor as well.
-from an article on Comicconsumer.net, posted on October 14, 2011
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*The moderator for the Harley Quinn: Frenemies panel at 2011's New York Comic-Con is currently introducing the guests.*
Moderator: Our first guest on this panel is a legendary voice director, who has directed dozens of animated projects spanning three decades. She of course directed Batman: The Animated Series, and has also directed shows such as Avatar: The Last Airbender. She's the voice director for Harley Quinn: Frenemies, please welcome to our panel today, Andrea Romano!
*Andrea Romano happily takes the stage, hugging the moderator and then taking her seat at the panel.*
Moderator: Our next guest is an actress who got her start on MTV, on the gameshow Singled Out and the legendary GameTV. *the audience is already cheering loudly* She went on to star in films such as Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, and later appeared as the first ever live action Harley Quinn in 2006's Suicide Squad *the crowd cheers wildly* and will reprise her role in next year's sequel! She currently appears on the hit CBS sitcom Hating Places, and played the voice of Harley Quinn in 2010's animated film Harley Quinn, and will be starring as Harley in Harley Quinn: Frenemies! Please welcome the beautiful and amazingly talented Lyssa Fielding!
*Lyssa takes the stage, dressed in a normal but somewhat revealing outfit, to the cheers and applause of the audience. She happily waves to them and blows them some kisses and does some Harley Quinn poses before taking her seat at the panel next to Andrea, who leans over and hugs her.*
Moderator: Our next guest appeared with Lyssa Fielding on GameTV *the crowd goes absolutely bonkers, and the moderator has to quiet them down before he continues to speak*, and went on to become an all-star voice actress in shows such as The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Spy School, as well as video games including Thrillseekers, in which she plays BMX biker Vivian Martinez. *the crowd roars* She co-stars in Harley Quinn: Frenemies, playing Gotham City police officer Renee Montoya. Making her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year, please welcome to the stage the amazing Brittany Saldita!
*As Brittany takes the stage, looking no worse for wear and cosplaying as Renee Montoya, with an accurate GCPD outfit and a long black wig, the crowd gives her an even louder ovation than the one they gave Lyssa. Brittany looks a bit touched as she is showered in the crowd's love, smiling and waving to them as she walks over to the panel. Andrea is first to stand up, giving Brittany a tight hug and saying a few words to her, and then Lyssa hugs Brittany tightly before giving her a quick smooch on the cheek and then on the lips. Brittany waves to the crowd again and then takes her seat, as the crowd continues to cheer.*
Moderator: This is a really incredible reception, Brittany, would you like to say some words to the audience before we bring the next guest onto the stage?
Brittany: *nodding* Sure, sure. *she takes the mic* Um, hi everyone.... *smiling and waving as the crowd cheers* It means... so much to get a reception like this and it feels so good to be back on stage at a convention, you guys have no idea! Um, first of all, yes, this is not my real hair... *she lifts up her wig and police hat to show that she's still bald from the chemo* I know, I know! It'll grow back! It'll grow back! *laughing, she sets her wig and hat down to let the audience see her bald for a few more seconds, Lyssa rubs Brittany's head before kissing the top of it, Brittany giggles* The good thing is that I have an excuse to cosplay now! *she puts her wig and hat back on*
Lyssa: I should've cosplayed as Harley, what was I thinking?
Brittany: You didn't want to upstage me.
Lyssa: Are you kidding, listen to them, they love you! *the crowd roars for Brittany again*
Brittany: Also, um, I am in remission.... *the crowd screams with joy, cheering wildly, Brittany laughs softly and smiles a bit but looks very very touched by this and Lyssa reaches up and wipes a tear from one of Brittany's eyes, then jumps up and pumps her fists happily, pointing at Brittany and clapping, Andrea is clapping as well* And I'm also working again! I started working on my first big project since my diagnosis! It's totally NDA, but I can say that it's a game... it's not Thrillseekers, it's another game. That's all I can say though.
Lyssa: I don't even know what it is, she won't tell me!
Brittany: I can't tell you!
Lyssa: *sticks her tongue out at Brittany*
(...)
Andrea: So part of the process for what we did when Lyssa and Brittany recorded their lines was that every single scene that Harley and Renee had together, we got Lyssa and Brittany and had them record their lines together. We even turned them to have them facing each other, so they could actually look at each other's facial expressions and act directly off of one another, and then we recorded those facial expressions for the animators to use. It really helped because these two women have such amazing chemistry with each other, and it was absolutely electric. We had them do several takes usually, first reading lines strictly off the script, and then we let them do a few takes going off the script and doing improv, and we did end up using quite a few of those improv takes in the movie.
Lyssa: I would deliberately try to get Brittany super annoyed with me.
Brittany: Oh, she's really good at it.
Lyssa: I'd make these silly faces at her, and slip in these insults every once in a while, and cut her off sometimes...
Andrea: Yeah, Lyssa actually told me in private that she'd record the first few takes with Brittany just normally, reading the lines and then doing some normal improv, and then she'd ask me to do a take where she might interrupt Brittany.
Brittany: She would find the perfect timing to just slip in there and say something right in the middle of my line....
Andrea: And being the professional that Brittany is, she'd keep going, but that annoyance would start to slip in and it would be perfect, you could see it in Brittany's eyes that she was starting to become... not too happy with Lyssa, and we ended up using some of those expressions for Renee's animation in the movie.
Brittany: And the thing is, like... I can get pretty annoyed with Lyssa sometimes. I can't possibly hate her, because I love her to death, but sometimes she can piss me off.
Lyssa: *smirking like a troll at Brittany*
Brittany: And... that, right there!
Lyssa: *leans in and does her Harley voice* Uh huh.
Brittany: *muttering some profanities in Spanish as the crowd laughs with approval*
(...)
Moderator: We've got a question from... Julie, is it? *puts the microphone up to a fan*
Julie: Brittany, did you wrap up all your voice work for this movie before your diagnosis?
Brittany: Oh, yes. Oh yes. It was done... way before.
Andrea: It's always one of the first things we do in animation is the voice acting.
Brittany: We did most of it in... early 2010, I believe, and then the ADR wrapped up in... I want to say November? The movie doesn't come out until next year, but I finished all my work on the film way before my diagnosis.
Andrea: And even if... even if we still had some work to do, we would have gotten it done with Brittany.
Brittany: There is no way I would have pulled out of this film. I would have recorded from my hospital bed if I could have. This is one of my favorite projects to have ever worked on, maybe my all time favorite... getting to work with Andrea again is awesome, I've been doing voice work for her now for 15 years. She gave me some of my very first tips when I was just starting out, when I was just a lowly host on MTV only doing voice work because the agent I had to get when I got the GameTV job said I might be good at it. I worked with her on Avatar, and now on this... she's amazing. And then working with Lyssa... working with my best friend and getting to play these iconic characters together in these crazy situations, getting to stand in a booth facing her and acting with her... I mean that's a dream come true. I had so much fun making this movie and you guys are gonna have so much fun watching it. I promise you guys, please buy it next year!
-from the Harley Quinn: Frenemies panel at the 2011 New York Comic-Con, on November 4, 2011