RICHARD MOLL DEAD AT 80

 

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Best known as “Bull” Shannon from the original Night Court, he voiced Two-Face and the Bat-Computer in Batman: The Animated Series; Emperor Spooj in an episode of Superman: The Animated Series; Wolf Man and Vorn the Unspeakable in an episode of Freakazoid!; was the second voice of Scorpion in Spider-Man: The Animated Series; and Krick in an episode of The Zeta Project. He also provided additional voices for The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat and The Legend of Calamity Jane.

EARL BOEN DEAD AT 81

 

You can read the full story here.

He played Chef Pierre Goulash/Mr. Gordon in an episode of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, as well as provided additional voices to other episodes; Magneto in Pryde of the X-Men; Lugg Brother #1 in three episodes of The Pirates of Dark Water; General Massey in “Liberty and the Littles” and Monostatos in “The Magic Flute” episodes of ABC Weekend Specials; Rhino in three episodes of Batman: The Animated Series; Zeus in an episode of Animaniacs; Kilrathi Commander in an episode of Wing Commander Academy; Principal Blumford on California Dreams; the President in an episode of The Mask: The Animated Series; Santa Claus and Earth in episodes of Pinky and the Brain; the Red Skull (2^nd voice) and the Beyonder in Spider-Man: The Animated Series; Vice President Obsequious in an episode of The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries; Nick (aka Santa) in an episode of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command; and an Event Judge in an episode of The Zeta Project. He also provided voices for The Addams Family (1992), Skeleton Warriors and What-A-Mess.

CROSSOVER: WORLD'S FINEST

 

 The DC Animated Universe was the biggest shared universe in animation. While Spider-Man had constantly crossed over with unused characters in his own shows and eventually X-Men: The Animated Series, the DCAU was the crossover of several shows based on DC Comics characters.

The DC Animated Universe.

It all began with Batman: The Animated Series. The show itself was largely insular, restricted mostly to Batman-related characters with a non-powered version of magician Zatanna (Julie Brown) being the only major outside character featured. But then came Superman: The Animated Series from the same crew, and based on its success The WB wanted more episodes of Batman. The New Batman Adventures, while utilizing Superman’s design-style due to a significantly reduced budget, maintained largely the same cast and was treated as an extension of Batman. It would also be paired together with Superman in a block called The New Batman/Superman Adventures.

The long-awaited meeting of these two titans.

Shortly after its debut, Batman (Kevin Conroy) would find himself in Metropolis meeting Superman (Tim Daly) for the first time in the three-part episode “World’s Finest”, written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Rich Fogel, Steve Gerber and Stan Berkowitz, which was also released as a separate film. A cash-strapped Joker (Mark Hamill) stole a statue made out of a large piece of Kryptonite and went to Metropolis to try and form an alliance with Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) by promising to get rid of Superman for a big payday. Lex ultimately tries to back out of the deal when Joker fails, leading Joker to steal a LexCorp super jet that will allow him to destroy the city.

Superman helping Robin keep the peace and find his mentor.

Batman returned to the show in the episode “Knight Time”, written by Robert Goodman. When Batman goes missing, Superman disguised himself as Batman to help Robin (Matthew Valencia) deal with the crime in Gotham City while investigating his disappearance. The final crossover episode, “The Demon Reborn”, written by Fogel, saw immortal villain Ra’s al Ghul (David Warner) steal a mythical staff that would allow him to steal Superman’s powers, leaving it to Batman to rescue him.

Bad girls just wanna have fun.

Over on Batman’s show, Batgirl (Tara Strong) and Supergirl (Lauren Tom) got in on the crossover action with “Girl’s Night Out”, written by Hilary J. Bader. Livewire (Lori Petty) escaped a prison transport taking her to Gotham for experimental treatments to remove her electrical powers. She joined forces with Poison Ivy (Diane Pershing) and Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin) to help them commit some crimes. With Batman and Superman both away, it became up to Batgirl and Supergirl to stop the villains—which didn’t always go quite that smoothly. This marked the only time a character from another DCAU show would appear on Batman.

Zeta taking the Batmobile for a spin.

At the conclusion of both series, a new Batman spin-off was produced: Batman Beyond, which took place in the future and saw teenager Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle) taking up the mantle with an elderly Bruce Wayne guiding him. The episode “Zeta”, written by Goodman, saw the debut of Infiltration Unit Zeta (Gary Cole), a synthezoid built for the NSA that could disguise itself with holograms in order to gather information through interrogation or impersonation with extreme prejudice. Zeta would develop a conscience and go on the run from his creators, with his adventures continuing in the spin-off The Zeta Project.

Classic hero misunderstanding fight.

Zeta (now Diedrich Bader) would return to Beyond in “Countdown”, written by Fogel and Dini. Zeta and his companion, Ro (Julie Nathanson), came to Gotham in search of Zeta’s creator. Radical Mad Stan (Henry Rollins) rescued Zeta from NSA agents that manage to shut him down, but upon discovering he was a robot believed he was sent by the government to kill him. Stan strapped a bomb to Zeta and made him believe that Ro was being held at the Department of Health as a means to get revenge on the agency for raising the price of pet licenses (as he had a dog, Boom-Boom). The same day that episode aired, Batman would appear on Zeta’s show in the episode “Shadows”, written by Fogel and Bader. Infiltration Unit Seven (Bader) tracked Zeta and Ro down to a mall owned by Wayne-Powers. Their resulting fight drew the attention of Terry and Bruce, with footage making it seem like Zeta reverted to his old programming. Batman arrived and attacked Zeta, believing he was going to hurt an injured Ro in the hospital. Ro tried to convince Batman Zeta was innocent, but it was only with the arrival of IU7 that Batman believed and helped them stop it.

Static on the case with Batman and Robin.

Also airing on Kids’ WB was the series Static Shock, based on the character from Milestone comics that was also under the ownership of DC. Initially, the show was an entity unto itself until it joined the DCAU in its second season with the premiere episode “The Big Leagues”, written by Len Uhley. The Joker came to Dakota to recruit Bang Babies—the powered individuals of the city who all gained the abilities from a chemical unleashed by an explosion—for his new gang after Batman put his old one in jail. Batman and Robin (now Eli Marienthal) follow Joker to Dakota to help Static (Phil LaMarr) put a stop to his plans (while they were from the revamped Batman series, by this point that show was long over and Batman was currently starring in Cartoon Network’s Justice League).

Static and Gear hanging out with the Justice League.

For Static Shock’s third season premiere, “Hard as Nails” written by Dini, saw Bang Baby Allie Langford (T’keyah Keymáh) having trouble coping with her transformation into the hard-skinned and taloned Nails. Static tailed her to Gotham City where she had been communicating with people who could supposedly cure her online, turning out to be Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn who convinced her to help on a robbery. Static teamed-up with Batman to stop them, urging him to go easy on Nails as she needed help, not prison. Later that season, the two-part “A League of Their Own”, written by John Semper, Jr., Ernie Altbacker and Static co-creator Dwayne McDuffie, saw the Justice League call on Static to recharge the Justice League’s Watchtower as it was drained by a cosmic storm and was threatening to crash into Earth. During the chaos, Brainiac (Corey Burton) managed to escape confinement and took control of the Watchtower while the Justice League were off dealing with what turned out to be a false distress signal. That left Static and his sidekick, Gear (Jason Marsden), alone to deal with Brainiac.

Static with the future Batman.

Continuing the one-upmanship of the previous seasons, the final season of Static Shock was crossover heavy with three episodes. “Future Shock”, written by Berkowitz, saw Static in Gotham helping Batman and Robin with a criminal named Timecode. Static trying to free Batman from one of Timecode’s devices ended up shunting him into the future of Batman Beyond. Old Bruce requested Static’s help in rescuing a high-value prisoner taken captive by criminal organization Kobra in exchange for their leader in GCPD custody. Static had no choice but to accept when he learned that the prisoner was his future self. “Toys in the Hood”, written by Semper, Altbacker and John Ridley, presented the first encounter between Static and Superman (George Newbern). Darci (Nicollette Sheridan), the mechanical woman created by the maniacal Toyman (Bud Cort) to be his companion before she escaped, had come to Dakota under the guise of teacher Miss Moore. It seemed as if Toyman had found her and sent his toys after her, drawing the attention of Static and Superman. However, that turned out to be a ruse so she could study Static’s classmate Daisy Watkins (Crystal Scales) in order for Toyman to place Darci into her body and take her place completely. The final one, “Fallen Hero” written by Semper and Berkowitz, saw Static forced to take down his personal hero, Green Lantern (also LaMarr), when it appeared he went on a crime spree. However, after doing so Static learned that it was actually Sinestro (Ted Levine) disguising himself as Lantern utilizing power from his stolen Power Battery. Static teamed-up with Lantern, provided a power source to recharge his ring, and helped take Sinestro down.

The Justice Leagues of two eras working together.

Finally, in the last entry of the DCAU, Justice League Unlimited, there were two last crossover episodes. The two-part “The Once and Future Thing”, written by McDuffie, saw Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) chasing time thief Chronos (Peter MacNicol) into the Wild West, where people there were equipped with advanced weaponry. After helping that era’s heroes take down the corrupt sheriff, the modern heroes again follow Chronos into the future Gotham City where they encounter that era’s Justice League: Batman, Static and Warhawk (Peter Onorati), who turned out to be Lantern’s son. There they learned that Chronos had decided to abandon his restraint in traversing time and instead became a warlord. However, his mucking about had caused serious disruptions to the time stream: Wonder Woman faded from existence and John Stewart’s Lantern is replaced by his predecessor Hal Jordan (Adam Baldwin). Ultimately, Chronos headed to the beginning of time where he planned to re-write history and become a god.

Terry learns the truth about himself.

“Epilogue”, also by McDuffie and Bruce Timm, served as a finale of sorts for Batman Beyond and was intended to be the series finale of Unlimited, bringing things full circle by ending where the DCAU began. 15 years into the future of Beyond, an elderly Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder) revealed to Terry that he was a clone created by her in order to carry on Batman’s legacy as she felt the world would always need a Batman. She initialized a program called Project: Batman Beyond and took Batman’s DNA, found Terry’s parents to be near-psychological match for Batman’s parents, and overwrote his father’s DNA with Bruce’s making Terry his biological son (as was Terry’s brother).

GEORGE SEGAL DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

Guested as J.B. in an episode of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and provided the original voice of Dr. Eli Selig in an episode of The Zeta Project.

CONCHATA FERRELL DEAD AT 77

 

You can read the full story here.

She played Aunt Jill in the “Runaway Ralph” episode of ABC Weekend Specials, Williamina Bubask in an episode of The Mask, Simpah in an episode of Aaahh!! Real Monsters, Ma Munchapper in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Dr. Greer in an episode of The Zeta Project.

THE ZETA PROJECT

THE ZETA PROJECT

(WB, January 27, 2001-August 10, 2002)

Warner Bros. Animation

MAIN CAST:

Diedrich Bader – Infiltration Unit Zeta, Infiltration Unit 7

Julie Nathanson – Rosalie “Ro” Rowan

Kurtwood Smith – Agent James Bennet

Michael Rosenbaum – Agent West

Lauren Tom – Agent Lee

Erika Alexander (season 1) & Dominique Jennings (season 2) – Agent Rush

            The Zeta Project was a spin-off from the Batman Beyond second season episode “Zeta.” It centered on Infiltration Unit Zeta (Diedrich Bader), a synthoid designed to carry out covert assassination missions for the National Security Agency through the use of his holographic disguises. However, it was learned that his creator, Dr. Selig (George Segal & Hal Linden), installed a module in Zeta that gave him a conscience. On his last mission for the NSA, Zeta’s target proved to be innocent and he decided he could no longer kill.

Zeta and Ro running from Agents Bennet and West.

            The agency, believing Zeta a dangerous rogue element that joined the terrorist organization he was investigating, Brother’s Day, dispatched a team with the sole purpose of either retrieving or destroying him. It was led by Agent James Bennet (Kurtwood Smith), who strongly believed Zeta was simply reprogrammed by enemies and not an actually sentient being. Under him was the young and egotistical Agent West (Michael Rosenbaum) and Agent Lee (Lauren Tom), who grew to see there was more to Zeta than they believed and began to subtly help him evade capture. When Lee left the team and was subsequently promoted, she was replaced by by-the-book Agent Rush (Erika Alexander & Dominique Jennings). Other foes during the series included the cybernetically-enhanced bounty hunter Krick (Keith Szarabajka & Richard Moll), cyber-hackers Plug (Paul Amendt), Meg (Amy Danles) and Buss (Googy Gress), high-ranking Brother’s Day terrorist Titus Sweete (Robert Costanzo), and his more-advanced counterpart, Infiltration Unit 7 (Bader).

Infiltration Unit 7.

            Joining Zeta on his adventures was 15-year-old orphan Rosalie “Ro” Rowan (Julie Nathanson). Initially seeing Zeta as an opportunity, Ro came to care about Zeta and decided to help him on his quest. Zeta also worked to help her locate her biological family. Occasionally, they were aided in their efforts by child genius Bucky Buenaventura (Ulises Cuadra & Blayn Barbosa), a technology whiz. Batman (Will Friedle) also made a singular appearance on the show, aiding Zeta against Infiltration Unit 7.

            The Zeta Project debuted on The WB on January 27, 2001 as part of their Kids’ WB! programming block. The series was developed by Robert Goodman, who created Zeta and wrote his debut episode. “Zeta” wasn’t originally intended as a backdoor pilot, but Goodman decided that the concept could make a decent series and, within the year, the network agreed. Zeta’s appearance was reworked to make him appear more human, and he and Bennett’s voices were recast having been originally played by Gary Cole and Joe Spano, respectively.

Zeta's original appearance on Batman Beyond. 

            Although it was part of the DC Animated Universe and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the series’ first season had a decidedly different appearance than all of the other programs. The scenery was generally very light and the characters lacked any sort of shading, as well had an overall differing appearance from the models seen since the debut of Superman: The Animated Series. The stories themselves also took on a comparatively lighter tonality than the rest of the DCAU. For the second season, the animation was modified to bring it more in line with the other DCAU shows with darker settings, shadows, and a sleeker design for Zeta. The stories were also more action-oriented and intense, increasing the level of danger and excitement in each episode. 

Zeta and Ro between the seasons.

The series was animated mostly by Koko Enterprises Co., LTD. and DR Digital Co., LTD, with some episodes done by Sun Min Image Pictures and Dong Woo Animation. The series was written by Goodman, along with Hilary J. Bader, Kevin Hopps, Ralph Soll, Rich Fogel, Stacey Liss Goodman, Wendell Morris, Tom Sheppard, Paul Diamond, Katy Cooper, Ned Teitlebaum, Joseph Kuhr, Liz Holzman, Randy Rogel, Lyle Weldon, David Benullo and Christopher Simmons. Hopps and Fogel were also the show’s story editors along with Goodman. Lolita Ritmanis, Kristopher Carter and Michael McCuistion served as the series’ composers, with Ritmanis also composing the theme song.

Zeta's hologram mode.

            The Zeta Project managed to generate decent ratings and a loyal fanbase despite episodes being constantly delayed to allow the network time to run new--and often failed--programs in its timeslot. The network handed down a mandate that if the production wanted to see a third season, the second had to end on a cliffhanger. They also had plans for the third season that took the show places that Goodman wasn’t completely happy about. All of that proved moot, however, when the network ultimately decided to cancel it at the end of the second season. During its run, it managed to earn four Annie Awards and two Daytime Emmy Awards nominations, and won two Women’s Image Network Awards. Zeta’s debut also earned an Annie nomination.

Promotional material for the original DVD release.

            Zeta and Ro would make one final appearance in the Batman Beyond episode “Countdown” and Zeta as a cameo in Batman Beyond Unlimited #16 before ultimately disappearing into creative limbo. Zeta’s original design, however, would be recycled for the training robots used by the Justice League in Justice League. In 2009, Warner Home Video released the complete first season on DVD. In 2017, Warner Archive re-released the first season and released the second for the first time.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“The Accomplice” (1/27/01) – Zeta is joined by 15-year-old runaway Ro after saving her, and she convinces him to find his creators to help prove his innocence.

“His Maker’s Name” (2/3/01) – Finding one of Zeta’s creators takes him and Ro on a detour with some space hippies, and when they find the scientist he lures them into a trap.

“Change of Heart” (2/17/01) – Zeta and Ro track his creator, Dr. Selig, to a museum but a malfunctioning fusion reactor and the NSA prevent them from making contact.

“Remote Control” (2/10/01) – At a science convention, the brilliant young Bucky takes control of Zeta in order to use him to get revenge over a stolen invention.

“The Next Gen” (2/24/01) – Zeta stumbles upon the mission of another infiltration unit and decides to stop it.

“West Bound” (3/10/01) – The NSA pursues Zeta and Ro on a train just as Zeta’s hologram projector malfunctions, causing him to take the appearance of anyone he sees.

“Hicksburg” (3/31/01) – Ro and Zeta visit her foster family to try and find information on her biological one.

“Shadows” (4/7/01) – IU 7 returns and causes the destruction of a mall Ro and Zeta visits, bringing them to the attention of Batman.

“Crime Waves” (4/14/07) – Zeta and Ro are framed for the kidnapping of the son of a wealthy robotics manufacturer.

“Taffy Time” (5/5/01) – A bounty hunter stakes his claim on Zeta and threatens to kill Agent Lee unless he turns himself over to him.

“Ro’s Reunion” (5/12/01) – Zeta convinces Ro to go on a show that helps people find their families, but soon discovers the show uses fakes and turns runaways back over to the state.

“Kid Genius” (8/11/01) – Bucky asks Zeta and Ro to help him find his kidnapped parents.

“Absolute Zero” (3/23/02) – Zeta attempts to meet Dr. Selig at a cryogenics lab, but his presence there causes a disruption that results in Selig getting trapped in a freeze unit.

Season 2:

“Wired: Part 1” (3/30/02) – Ro and Zeta encounter a seemingly friendly trio of hackers, but Bucky soon gets word to them that two of them want to strip Zeta for parts.

“Wired: Part 2” (4/6/02) – The NSA captures Zeta and wipes his memory for reprogramming, discovering an unknown module in his head not part of his schematics.

“Hunt in the Hub” (4/20/02) – An associate of Selig’s takes away Zeta’s cred card ability unless he and Ro steal parts for him.

“Ro’s Gift” (4/27/02) – The Brain Trust witnesses Zeta, disguised as Ro, take down a robot and end up kidnapping the real Ro in order to get her to join their group.

“Quality Time” (7/13/02) – Bennet has to join forces with Zeta in order to rescue his son and Ro from a damaged submarine.

“Resume Mission” (4/13/02) – Jason Foley unknowingly helps reactivate IU 7, allowing him to reassemble himself and resume his mission to destroy Zeta.

“Lost and Found” (5/11/02) – Zeta malfunctions while escaping from Krick and recalls his final mission before going rogue.

“On the Wire” (7/20/02) – Bucky reunites Ro with her brother, a reporter, whose boss recognizes her and decides to get an exclusive on Zeta’s capture.

“Cabin Pressure” (7/27/02) – Zeta and Ro have to rescue Bucky from the NSA, his having been captured under suspicion of working for a terrorist group.

“The Wrong Morph” (4/20/02) – Ro and Zeta get involved in a theft and end up causing a disabled boy to be framed for it.

“Eye of the Storm” (5/18/02) – Genius brothers devise a way to stop tornados, but the younger of the two attempts to stop one on his own to escape his brother’s shadow.

“The River Rising” (8/3/02) – Zeta and Ro take refuge in a “No-Tech” village.

“The Hologram Man” (8/10/02) – Zeta and Ro finally find Selig and learn the module is Zeta’s conscience, but Tidus Sweete destroys Selig’s lab and seemingly kills him in the process.