US Superhero Animation On DVD

[chas]

Although I'm a big Japanese anime fan, I've been holding off with most US Superhero animation stuff, although its been getting very good these last ten years or so. Yesterday, on the way home from my local game store, I got lucky on the street, and picked up the first two seasons of Teen Titans ($10 each) and Justice League New Frontier ($5). What do you have that you think is really stellar?

[Jim]

The entire run of Batman: The Animated Series (though slightly less good in the final season), Superman Animated series, followed by the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited series. Public Enemies was also very well done. I haven't seen the other DCU movies yet.

[lefton4ya]

Wonder Woman & Green Lantern are really good and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Released today (I'm picking that and Public Enemies up tonight) and it should be really good. Superman Doomsday was OK, but half of it was fighting.

I am going to have to agree that Batman: TAS was and is still the best. I am a DC/Batman fan in general - but it is mostly because of this show. I heard the Marvel Animation movies (Ultimate Avengers 1/2, Invincible Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Next Avengers, Hulk Vs., Planet Hulk) are all fairly good but I haven't seen any of them yet.

The best current show is Batman: The Brave and the Bold. It has the style of 40s/50s and is actually pretty funny if you can appreciate intentionally bad puns and one-liners. It has a lighter tone, but still has great fighting sequences and can have in-depth stories as well. Wolverine and the X-Men is decent as well, but not quite as good as X-Men: Evolution, another I would recommend.

[jschild]

For Marvel, the first Ultimate Avengers is really good, Iron Man is ok, Next Avengers is horrible, Hulk vs. is awesome, and Planet Hulk is really good).

The Animated Series is still easily the best superhero cartoon ever, but Brave and the Bold is the most fun ever (short of maybe the Tick cartoon, but not the TV series).

[RabSheila]

Favorites:
Batman TAS
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman & Mr. Freeze
Superman TAS
Justice League & Justice League Unlimited
Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Justice League New Frontier (so far, this is my favorite animated super hero film)
The Amazing Screw On Head
The Next Avengers
Hulk Vs. Wolverine
Spider-Man (The MTV series)
Wonder Woman
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Worth Seeing:
Ultimate Avengers
Ultimate Avengers 2
Green Lantern First Flight
Hulk Vs. Thor
Dr. Strange
Hellboy Sword of Storms
Hellboy Blood & Iron
Batman: The Mystery of the Bat-Woman
Batman: Gotham Knight
Iron Man
Superman/Doomsday
Superman/Batman Public Enemies
Turok Son of Stone (Yeah, I know. Turok is not a super hero, but I grew up reading those comics. I had to include him.)
Planet Hulk
Spawn (HBO Series)

[jschild]

Speaking of Crisis, just finished watching it.

Very good overall, except for one thing. They didn't get a single voice actor from any of the regular series. So despite it looking like Batman/Superman/Justice League cartoon series, none of them sound right. For some reason they chose more famous actors, none of who feel "right".

Small quibble for an otherwise great movie.

[chas]

1. Does anyone have a list of all the DCU Movies out so far?

2. Having star casting is a double edged sword! On the one hand, you hope the film with have better success--which means they'll make more of them. On the other hand, as you say, they don't use the voices we've come to know and love.

Celebrity voices in The New Frontier: David Boreanaz, Brooke Shields, Lucy Lawless, Kyra Sedgewick, Neil Patrick Harris, Jeremy Sisto, and Kyle MacLachlan.

3. I also have the old Fleisher Superman (1941-43), Thor (TV 1966), Star Trek the Animated Series, Fire and Ice (Bakshi, Frazetta) Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (1986) X-Men:The Dark Phoenix Saga, the two recent Hellboy animations, lots of Star Wars animations (Tartakovsky and the current TV series), Titan AE, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

[Jim]

Also:

the Tick!
http://nickctv.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tick-graphic.jpg

[jschild]

God, that was such an awesome show.

[chas]

Yes, I also have The Tick, both animated (better) and live. Spoon indeed! I have lots of superhero live stuff as well.

[RabSheila]

Does anyone have a list of all the DCU Movies out so far?


Superman: Doomsday
Justice League: The New Frontier
Batman: Gotham Knight
Wonder Woman
Green Lantern: First Flight
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Batman: Under the Red Hood is next. And according to Wikipedia, DC is going to make a Superman/Batman: Public Enemies sequel rumored for a 2010 release.

Starting with Crisis on Two Earths, DC is planning to release a series of short films called Showcase. The first one was The Spectre. DC has also announced a Jonah Hex and Green Arrow short as well. Pretty cool.

[chas]

Wow, thanks RabSheila. Very helpful. How do you rate the ones you didn't mention in your previous post?

[jschild]

I'm not Rab, but here's my own rating...

Superman/Doomsday - 7 (tons of fighting and not really about Doomsday).

Justice League: New Frontier - 9 (wonderful homage)

Batman: Gotham Knight - 5 (pretty much random assortment, some good, some not).

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - 6 (Just far too fast and short for what it covers, but done well).

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths - 7 (and shows very well how ruthless Batman can be - but again, very rushed and could have been about 20 min longer - also didn't like a single one of the voice actors - none felt "right" to me).

[chas]

JSChild: Thanks for your ratings! What is Public Enemies about?

;) The only DC animation I know of that has gotten raves from the regular film reviewers (a while ago) is Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which I've seen rated "as good as good live action."

[RabSheila]

Wow, thanks RabSheila. Very helpful. How do you rate the ones you didn't mention in your previous post?

In order of my favorites:

1- Justice League: The New Frontier (My personal favorite animated Super-Hero film. I loved the comic series this was based on)
2- Wonder Woman (Right blend of action and humor. Great story. Stellar voice cast.)
3- Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (Owlman alone is reason enough to like this one, but he’s not alone so it’s even better.)
4- Superman: Doomsday (Sometimes all you need is a bit of the old Ultra Violence. Sometimes you need more. I think this was one of the times you needed more)
5- Green Lantern: First Flight (I liked this one, but something about it was lacking for me.)
6- Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (I liked the story, but didn’t care for the animation. I know they were trying to capture the artist’s look from the book, but I don’t really care for his art)
7- Batman: Gotham Knight (It’s worth seeing, but I really didn’t care for the animation in most of the stories. The story couldn’t even save it for me.)

On any given day I could switch around the rankings of 4 through 6. I like all of them, but I don’t think they’re in the same class as the first three.

The Spectre short was really enjoyable. I liked the whole 70’s feel to it and the way it felt like it could have been taken from one of his Adventure Comics stories. I’m looking forward to their Jonah Hex and Green Arrow shorts as well.

[RabSheila]

JSChild: Thanks for your ratings! What is Public Enemies about?


I'm not JSChild, but in a nutshell:

Lex Luthor is President and the Justice League is working for him. Only Batman and Superman stand against him. They are Public Enemies. You can guess what happens next. It’s got Kevin Conroy as Batman. Tim Daly as Superman. And Clancy Brown as Lex. (just like the animated series)

[jschild]

So far DC"s biggest flaw is taking nice big series, and making them 70ish minute movies. I don't need a 3 hour epic, but just making them about 90 minutes would eliminate the rushed feeling many of them have.

Just rewatched New Frontier again last night - again, could be 20 minutes maybe longer, but easily DC's best animated feature.

Mask of the Phantasm is good (espec the graveyard scene with Bruce), but light on the action. Very well thought out for a movie actually released in the theater - but that was pretty much a staple for Batman: TAS. Fav episode is still the first one with Mr. Freeze - if the ending doesn't tug your heartstrings, nothing will.

[chas]

;) Well, I'm not RabSheila or JSChild, but I did start this thread! Thanks to everyone for getting me up to speed on DC Animation. The more lists and reviews I can get, the better.

:D I just broke down and bought JLA: The Complete Series, since everyone here and others seem to feel they are top notch. I've only seen a few, and certainly not in the proper order, but I love them too. Even if its the wrong Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl and Hawkman seem to only have a tenuous hold on reality! I rationalized the purchase by telling my wife that it was a very reasonable per disk cost. Then I realized I don't have a wife...

:help: Is it time now to discuss Marvel Animations? I only have the few noted in a previous post. My specific question here is, does anyone know what series/title/collection contains the X-Men episodes on Phoenix where the Mutants battle the Shi'ar Imperial Guard in space? I think Corsair is involved as well. I tried to get them, only to find that the "Dark Phoenix Saga" I bought was instead about Jean Grey hypnotised by the Hellfire Club. Darn.

Besides that, which do you think are the best?

[jschild]

My problem with the X-Men AS is that they watered down most of their stories to such a pathetic level, none of them capture the essence of the story.

The single worst offender being the entire Dark Phoenix saga, which, while far, far, far, better than the sh** fest that is X-Men 3, it's still nowhere as good as the comic.

EDIT: If you want it though...

http://www.amazon.com/X-Men-Marvel-Comic-Book-Collection/dp/B002DYKPF6

[RabSheila]

Hawkgirl and Hawkman seem to only have a tenuous hold on reality! I rationalized the purchase by telling my wife that it was a very reasonable per disk cost. Then I realized I don't have a wife...

And Hawkman and Hawkgirl have a tenuous hold on reality?

I got your backs, Hawkpeople!

Is it time now to discuss Marvel Animations? Besides that, what do you think are the best?

Starting with the first Ultimates movie? Even though I prefer the Marvel comics and characters to the DC ones, I think the animated DC movies are better than Marvels. If you’re a fan of comics they’re all worth seeing at least once, but as far as the best ones? In my opinion I’d go with Hulk Vs. Wolverine and The Next Avengers.

[chas]

;) Hawkman and Hawkgirl being among my favorite comic characters, I was offended by the GL/Hawkgirl romance. However, from the point of view of the TV Series alone, artistic freedom, and getting to know John Stuart, I'll give it a chance.

The Hawks were the very first DC married superheroes, and therefore the first role models for positive adult relationships in comics. I was reading comics when they first came from Thanagar pursuing Byth, and Mavis Trent thought she'd discovered a new type of bird. To this old softie, there are some things you don't mess with! Ditto for the following: Lois and Clark, Reed and Sue, Peter and MJ, Jean and Scott, Barda and (a different) Scott. That's just how it is in The Chas Universe...

[chas]

:D I've just been loading all 14 disks of Justice League The Complete Series to see that they are playable, and watching all the extras. Not having seen a lot of these episodes, I have to say I'm amazed just by the quick reference scenes shown during the interviews and discussions. It seems they've animated everything and everyone in the DC Universe that I've always wanted to see. Here is what I noticed, besides of course most of the greater and lesser lights of the superhero world: The Guardians of the Galaxy, the Legion of Superheroes, Big Barda and Mister Miracle (my most favorite of all, aka Jack and Roz Kirby), many, many super villains, Paradise Island, Krypton, DC WWII heroes like The Blackhawks, etc. etc. and etc. Wow!

More info, for those who don't have the set:

*You get printed hard copy disk guides that list all the episodes and locate all the extras.

*For some reason seasons 1-2 of JL are in the "Collection Two" case, and JL Unlimited seasons 1-2 in the "Collection One" case, which is reversed, but its no big deal.

*Seasons 1-2 of JL and 1 of JLU are 36 episodes each; Season 2 of JLU is only 13.

I'm really looking forward to watching them...

[RabSheila]

To this old softie, there are some things you don't mess with! Ditto for the following: Lois and Clark, Reed and Sue, Peter and MJ, Jean and Scott, Barda and (a different) Scott.

I’ve got no problem with any of those relationships, except for one. I grew up reading Spidey (and still do today). I was always for the Peter and Gwen relationship. From her first appearance in #31 to her death in #121 it was always about Gwen for me. Needless to say when Straczynski came along and sullied Gwen’s memory I was a little ticked off (he never did print my letter, in fact, after his crapping all over Gwen the letters page vanished from Amazing during his run, guess I wasn’t the only one irked, the mail must have flooded in over it) I was hoping during the current Brand New Day storyline one of the things they could bring back would be Gwen. They brought back Harry, why not Gwen? Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, though. At this point I’d even settle for another appearance of one of her…shudder…clones.

RabSheila
President of Gwen Stacy Fan Club
Chapter 31

[chas]

;) Love it, Rab! OK, I'll come out of the closet--I'm a Petey and Gwen fan too!!! Gwen had depth, and MJ was back then just an airhead. But its a long lost cause. And MJ was first, in the sense of being a running gag of Aunt May trying to introduce her to Peter since when, the Romita days?

[Sherman Davies]

;) Love it, Rab! OK, I'll come out of the closet--I'm a Petey and Gwen fan too!!! Gwen had depth, and MJ was back then just an airhead. But its a long lost cause. And MJ was first, in the sense of being a running gag of Aunt May trying to introduce her to Peter since when, the Romita days?

Romita was the first to draw MJ's face, but she was introduced as the "mysterious stranger" during Ditko's run.

Have fun with the JLU series, chas. It's probably the best superhero cartoon ever made.

[RabSheila]

I'm a Petey and Gwen fan too!!! Gwen had depth, and MJ was back then just an airhead. But its a long lost cause. And MJ was first, in the sense of being a running gag of Aunt May trying to introduce her to Peter since when, the Romita days?

Excellent. Another Gwen fan. Slowly the army increases. Now we’re up to two. Soon, they won’t be able to stop us from….uh….hmmm. Stop us from…..er…..

I got nothing.

Romita was the first to draw MJ's face, but she was introduced as the "mysterious stranger" during Ditko's run.

Yeah, Ditko drew MJ with her face obscured by a scarf and a flower in issue 25. And Ditko also drew the first appearance of Gwen in issue 31 (as well as Harry Osborn). Romita drew the famous “Face it, Tiger…blah, blah, blah jackpot!” scene at the end of issue 42 showing her face for the first time.

Have fun with the JLU series, chas. It's probably the best superhero cartoon ever made.

Seconded.

[chas]

:lol: After watching the first three episode JL arc, my new favorite saying is with Flash, after they set up teams for the first time:

"Dibs on the Amazon!"

;) A month later, having seen JL Seasons One and Two, and most of JLU, I agree that they are among the best US animations ever, and highly recommend the Complete Series package if you can afford it. They have created their own continuity with the characters which is very well done, even if different from the main comic book developments (as retconned, revised, redrawn, etc. through the years).

:shock: Having now finished Justice League Unlimited (in effect, JL Seasons 3 and 3 1/2), I can only say Wow! Anyone have a favorite episode? One of my favorites is the Mr. Miracle/Barda/Flash Fourth World episode, with Virman Vundabar saying "Verry interesting..but futile!" in a bad German accent -- as voiced by Arte Johnson himself! Not to mention Granny Goodness voiced by Ed Asner, and some other interesting cast members as well...Iowyn Gryffud, Farrah Forke, Michael Dorn, Carl Lumbly, Michael Rosenbaum, etc.

[chas]

;) WONDER WOMAN (Two Thousand Eight) Keri Russell, Nathon Fillion, Alfred Molina, etc. is the best of the best, and the greatest treatment of her story ever. Don't miss it for mythology, spectacle, fantasy, adventure, humor, and a touch of romance. Includes a nice Commentary and featurette too. A+

:shock: GREEN LANTERN FIRST FLIGHT (Two Thousand Nine) is lots of fun; the entire story taking place in outer space with the Green Lantern Corps. B+

8) SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES (Two Thousand Nine) shows the world's finest duo defying President Luthor, and fighting both super villains and super heroes while trying to save the Earth from a giant Kryptonite meteor heading right for Earth. Yikes! B+

[chas]

;) Lots of comic book activity continues with new DVDs, both animated and live action, both new and newly released, or just finally gotten around to. Here are my updated reactions to stuff I just acquired:

ANIMATED

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
With the same designs as GL: First Flight, this movie is successful in telling tales of the GL Corps in five episodes, plus a sixth framing adventure. With the popular Nathan Fillion voicing GL, there are fun characters and Corps history. For me a solid B+.

Thor: Tales of Asgard
Like the old Jack Kirby featurette "Tales of Asgard," join Thor and Loki as boys for their first adventure out of the Golden Realm, with the Warriors Three! Arty animation, quite different from other Marvel products. Superior animation, effects, humor, action, characters, and Norse settings. A winner. A-.

Fandral: From Jotunheim to the training grounds of the Valkyrie...from one frigid realm to the other.
Hogun: How many of those warrior maiderns did you...anger?
Fandral: Let's just say that their archery targets resemble me closely!

X-Men (1992-7 Animated series)
Excellent stories direct from the comics for the most part, with some of their best story arcs such as The Phoenix Saga, best characters both good and evil, etc. Extras with Chris Claremont discussing his role, why they had to kill off Jean Grey, and some of his episode commentaries. A+.

Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006)
I guess how much you like this depends on how much you enjoy this take on the characters. To me it seemed like most of the guys were acting like whiny teens being baby sat by their girl friends, while the women waited for them to grow up. The original comic creators explain what they were going for on an extra feature: kid and reality friendly. For me, it didn't work. The "soap operas" of each personality seemed like sad parodies of the old Marvel ones that were done better in the old days. C.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
Not much Batman; mostly Supergirl (Summer Glau). She arrives on Earth, she shops, she trains with Wonder Woman and the Amazons, she goes rogue and apprentices for Darkseid! Say what? She's rather easily forgiven, and turns out ok. Lots of fun, with Big Barda and plenty of other great characters like the Female Furies and Granny Goodness. B+

LIVE ACTION

Aquaman (Unreleased TV Pilot, with Justin Hartly--Green Arrow on Smallville, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ving Rhames). They belted it outta the park with this one, and then the suits didn't pick up the series! Fascinating take on the King of the Seas; the best treatment since the original comics. A! See it and get wet...

Justice League of America (unrealeased TV Pilot) Its so bad its...funny, with warm fuzzies. The JLA as bumbling young folk in their early 20s--Flash, Green Lantern, The Atom, Fire, and Ice, with David Ogden Stiers as their mentor (Martian Manhunter)! Low budget, terrible effects, but hey, its wacky. "Nice can be sexy." D.

[RabSheila]

Chas-

Have you gotten a chance to watch Batman: Year One yet? I just saw it today and thought it was great. It's based on the Frank Miller storyline of the same name. Catch it if you haven't already.

[chas]

:D Rab: Thanks for the reccommendation! I've heard about it but haven't seen it yet.

I mentioned on the TV thread that I'm now watching Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot which I hadn't even heard of! Its based on Frank Miller's work and I'm told was shown on Channel Five (NYC) in the Nineties. There are three discs, including a few episodes that were never broadcast.

[blooded scion]

NERD RANT
The nerd in me hated the New Avengers.
So all the worlds villains just watched as ultron took over.
It always annoyed me that the government never used the sentinels or hulkbusters for anything else. Monsters or aliens are attacking D.C. what can we do wait for the heroes.
Of course using them against anything other than the mutants and the hulk never occurs to them.
Of course using them against ultron/magneto would be a no-no but perfectly valid course of action in most other cases.

[jschild]

NERD RANT
The nerd in me hated the New Avengers.
So all the worlds villains just watched as ultron took over.
It always annoyed me that the government never used the sentinels or hulkbusters for anything else. Monsters or aliens are attacking D.C. what can we do wait for the heroes.
Of course using them against anything other than the mutants and the hulk never occurs to them.
Of course using them against ultron/magneto would be a no-no but perfectly valid course of action in most other cases.

I don't think anyone liked Next Avengers. It was just horrible.

[johnny139]

NERD RANT
The nerd in me hated the New Avengers.
So all the worlds villains just watched as ultron took over.
It always annoyed me that the government never used the sentinels or hulkbusters for anything else. Monsters or aliens are attacking D.C. what can we do wait for the heroes.
Of course using them against anything other than the mutants and the hulk never occurs to them.
Of course using them against ultron/magneto would be a no-no but perfectly valid course of action in most other cases.

I don't think anyone liked Next Avengers. It was just horrible.

I liked Next Avengers. :(

It was pretty dumb and the characters were bland but it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

[RabSheila]

I liked Next Avengers.

It was pretty dumb and the characters were bland but it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

I'm with you, man. I liked it, too.* I didn't think it was dumb or bland, though. I thought it was a pretty clever addition to the Avengers mythos.


* - see post #5. - Rollicking Rab

[jschild]

I liked Next Avengers.

It was pretty dumb and the characters were bland but it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

I'm with you, man. I liked it, too.* I didn't think it was dumb or bland, though. I thought it was a pretty clever addition to the Avengers mythos.


* - see post #5. - Rollicking Rab

I don't think saying it was bland and dumb is saying you "liked" it. I don't like anything bland and dumb.

What was clever about it? Each kid is pretty much a kid version of their parent. They do absolutely nothing themselves in the movie but fail. Then they bring in the Dues Ex Machina of the Hulk to easily defeat the villain no one else on the planet could beat. It was just way too simplistic. Young Justice is an awesome show if you want to see a youth team done right.

[chas]

Yesterday, a well informed teen told me that they were making "A second season of the Legion of Superheroes." Since there is already a second season out there which was broadcast but not yet released to DVD, I assume what they are making is a third season, which was planned but not made. Anyone have confirmation about this?

[RabSheila]

I don't think saying it was bland and dumb is saying you "liked" it.


Yeah, I was going by when he said he liked it.
I liked Next Avengers.

I don't know, I guess you can read into that anyway you want. I take it to mean he liked it. I like Young Justice, too. (That means I like it. No secret message there. I like it.)

[jschild]

Sorry, Rab, I meant that for johnny139.

It just sounded so wierd. Don't tell me you wouldn't do a double take if someone told you this....

"You know. I just finished that sandwich. It was bland as everything and not even put together right. I liked it though."

[RabSheila]

Data: "I hate this! It is revolting!"
Guinan: "More?"
Data: "Please!"

[johnny139]

I can enjoy things that I recognize are objectively of poor quality. Like, I know that the food at McDonald's is not good food - but I still enjoy eating it. I know that Next Avengers is not an objectively great film, and it's not winning any Oscars, but I still enjoyed watching it.

[jschild]

I can enjoy things that I recognize are objectively of poor quality. Like, I know that the food at McDonald's is not good food - but I still enjoy eating it. I know that Next Avengers is not an objectively great film, and it's not winning any Oscars, but I still enjoyed watching it.

Ah, but there is a distinction. I love many "crappy" foods. But I don't love them because they are "bland" or "generic". I enjoy their flavor.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, you just tickled me with your description of it, followed by "like".

[johnny139]

Well, I happen to enjoy things that are bland and generic. I don't watch cartoons about superheroes punching things because they're fresh and original concepts. :p

(Though, really, Next Avengers is probably more original than most superhero cartoons, since its characters and story aren't direction adaptations like a lot of shows/movies.)

[Garada]

I am a huge fan of 'Superhero Animation', owning pretty much everything released so far on DVD and BluRay, including Marvel, DC and anything else [Hellboy Animated, etc]. IMHO, DC is definitely kicking Marvel's butts on the animated front, no contest. For the record, my top 3 DC flicks are All-Star Superman, New Frontier and Crisis on 2 Earths. In the Marvel realm, Hulk VS is head and shoulders above any of their other films, with Planet Hulk and maybe Tales of Asgard distant second and third respectively; Wolverine & The X-Men is pretty fun and the BluRay set is nice, but for all of the cool bits [really, Dust from Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men gets a cameo?! Awesome!!], there are quite a few groaner moments and clunker / filler episodes. The rest of the Marvel stuff is mediocre or worse. I still watch it, mind you... I just don't think it's that great. ;)

I really wish WB would hurry up and release Batman The Brave & The Bold on Blu... I refuse to buy DVDs of a show that was created in HD! Add Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice to the list and I am a happy man. Heck, let's just go ahead and get all of the DCAU out on BluRay already! I'm not sure the older shows [Batman TAS & Superman TAS] would benefit from it without a complete restoration though, so I'll be happy with my DVDs of those for now. I am holding out for a HD release of Avenger's EMH from Marvel too, what's the hold up?!

Anyway... all of that background to say: the newest DCU Animated Feature [the 13th in the series], JUSTICE LEAGUE : DOOM, based on the 'Tower of Babel' storyline from JLA, is being released this coming Tuesday, February 28th! Who else is excited? I have bought each and every one of these on the day of release. Nerd.

[chas]

8) Here are a couple of items I've picked up lately, as we wait for our copies of JLA Doom. Hey Garada, is that 13 JLAs that are out, or 13 DCU movies in total? I think the latter. Glad to hear from another 'animaniac!"

The Golden Age of Cartoons: Atttack of the 30's Characters (Thunderbean) Although not superheroes, this one disk collection features 16 vintage cartoons from 1930-1937, including a Betty Boop, a Popeye, a Porky Pig, Micky Mouse, Krazy Kat, and other more obscure characters like Oswald Rabbit, The Little King, Bosko, etc. The inventiveness is top notch, with almost psychedelic changes and events happening so quickly that if you look away for a second, you miss something.

Plastic Man: The Complete Collection (35 episodes on 4 disks; WB). I'm not into most of the stiff and childish superhero shows made in the Seventies, but there is one exception, and here it is. Plas ran 1979-1981 on ABC--yes, right after Super Friends--and mixed comedy with adventure and some truly bizarre villains (See The Clam flood New York City and attempt to loot it while its underwater! But Plas corners him in Spacey's Department Store). This show is the transition between late Hanna-Barbera type animation and what was to come in the future. Voiced primarily by Michael Bell, Joe Baker, and Melendy Britt, you'll also hear Chuck McCann, Keye Luke, Ruth Buzzi. and many others. Polynesian sidekick Hula Hula contributes his bad luck, and girlfriend Penny becomes wife and mother. Meanwhile they face Half Ape, The Diminuitive Seven, and Disco Mummy. Yikes! Extras include a history of Plastic Man hosted by DCU regular production staff and an unaired pilot.

[Garada]

hey Chas!

Yes, that is 13 TOTAL DC Universe Animated Features [14 if you count the SUPERMAN / SHAZAM! disc that compiled the SHOWCASE shorts]; the newest JL flick, DOOM, is the 3rd 'Justice League' feature in the series, the other two being NEW FRONTIER and CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS.

I really enjoyed DOOM; not in my top 3 but definitely not a disappointment. Having many of the original voice actors from the Justice League series return was a welcome addition, and the featurettes and commentary were great. I just wish they didn't discontinue the SHOWCASE shorts as bonus features, but maybe they'll do a second compilation of all-new ones some day.

I am a HUGE fan of classic cartoons, especially the really early stuff like what is on that 30s compilation you mentioned. Sounds like a fun disc; I highly recommend the 3-Volume 'official' Popeye sets that Warner Bros put out a few years ago. It covers the ENTIRE Fleischer Studios series, and there are tons of commentary tracks, documentaries and other tasty extras included.

I remember that old PLAS cartoon from my childhood, don't have that one in my collection. I seem to remember it as being pretty corny even when I was a kid; does it hold much interest for an adult viewer? Any clever humor, innuendo, or even appearances by other DC characters? I love Plastic Man as a character in the DCU, but I'm not especially nostalgic for that particular show.

[screwDriver]

Just saw JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM last night. I liked it. Although I often wonder why is it that super-villains in these animation series/movies always celebrate prematurely. It's almost always that they are depicted as over confident of themselves that they don't make sure their target is dead. Oh well, I'm nit-picking. But it is still a good watch.

[Arcus]

Just saw JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM last night. I liked it. Although I often wonder why is it that super-villains in these animation series/movies always celebrate prematurely. It's almost always that they are depicted as over confident of themselves that they don't make sure their target is dead. Oh well, I'm nit-picking. But it is still a good watch.

I enjoyed this feature as well, but I wish it was longer. I know it is an hour, but I'd love an hour and a half or more if they could do it. This was the combination of two story lines so I thought it would have been possible. I am already looking forward to the next one.

[Yodaking]

Stacked my Netflix queue full of some super hero animation. I've watched 3 so far.

Ultimate Avengers wasn't too bad, although it could have been another 10-15 minutes longer. Two really strange things in it that I didn't like though. First they had Barnes in it as an old man who lived a peaceful life married to Cap. love interest when he 'died'. So no Winter Soldier story line. Second, when they went to go and recruit Thor, Thor is hanging out on Earth protesting whaling? Lame. Everything else was pretty good though.

Hulk vs. was really just two shows that would have been better titled Thor vs. Hulk & Wolverine vs. Hulk as both stories centered more around the ones Hulk fought against then Hulk. That being said, Thor vs. Hulk was good, but Wolverine vs. Hulk was better. I might be picking this DVD up soon just so I can watch the Wolverine vs. Hulk one whenever I feel like it.

Planet Hulk was really good. The only thing they forgot to explain was why Hulk never reverted back into Bruce Banner and how the Hulk could suddenly walk around calmly and hold conversations with people. If Hulk could do that on Earth, they never would have sent him away. This one is on the buy list too now.

[jschild]

@Yodaking

Ultimate Avengers is in an alternate universe. None of them are from the "real" Marvel timeline.

Re: Planet Hulk - Watch the beginning again carefully.

[Yodaking]

I had sent it back to Netflix already jschild so couldn't rewatch it yet. I was watching it with a buddy I had not seen in a while and we were talking some during it so I'm not surprised I missed something. I'll have to pick it next time I see it on sale.

Watched a couple more now.

Justice League: The New Frontier - not too big a fan of this one. The whole thing takes place in the 1950s, so it felt rather dated. I know that is the era many of the stories originated in but I have been enjoying the recent wave of the re-imagining of these characters and stories in modern times. So watching Batman look though microfiche for clues and dealing with McCarthy ear fears was a let down. Plus they got a lot of the physics/technology very wrong based on what we know in today's world much less what was available in the 50's. They also tried to squeeze a Green Lantern & Martian Manhunter origin stories into it while neglecting the character development of the movies villain.

Justice League: Crisis on two Earths - Now this one I did enjoy watching. Flash had me cracking up on several occasions. Interesting story with good action, plus we find out where Wonder Women gets her invisible jet from!