I just watched the Young Justice premiere, and it definitely lived up to expectations. Cadmus was suitably creepy, and I love, love, loved the way they didn't just throw Superboy in, but actually showed Robin/Kid Flash/Aqualad rescuing him from the cloners. I actually sat up and squealed. It was completely unexpected.
I also enjoyed the continuity set up. No one-off episodes here! Good use was made of the comics--the Guardian was not only present but featured, and J'onn J'onzz has his modern look. This is a more mature cartoon, and thank god for that. I was beginning to think we would never get back to the feel of the BTAS and JLU cartoons.
That isn't to say that this is as utterly wonderful as the old DC Animated Universe cartoons. Young Justice lacks the subtlety of the DCAU. No subtext here. It is definitely aimed at an 8-13 year old audience, and it is a bit oversimplified. The Justice League is portrayed as overprotective jerks, and all the characters are pretty one-dimensional, except for maybe Aqualad.
As for casting, its mostly pretty good, especially for the adults. Robin sounds a little street-kid for Dick Grayson (I'm assuming that he's Robin, though it's never said), and Superboy is too deep-n'-macho for a teenager. The characters are strange in the first few minutes, mostly due to Speedy's sudden and inexplicable temper tantrum. It makes sense if you know the comics, but in context its completely out of place.
Kid Flash is probably my favorite character. He's got excellent lines, both by him and about him ("Speedy isn't Flash's sidekick? That makes no sense."). He offers a nice balance in an episode that could go to the bad side of strange and creepy very quickly.
Warner Bros. new anime-leanings are on show here, and I felt they worked very nicely. It wasn't crazy-Japanese, nor was it identical to the DCAU style. A good blend, overall. The monsters looked good, and Robin and Kid Flash had very nice character designs. Miss Martian was also good, but she only got a minute of screen time so there wasn't a good chance to look her over.
The only thing that I thought was outright strange was Aqualad's weapon, which was basically an knockoff Green Lantern ring, except in the form of two guns. I haven't seen the new Aqualad, but I didn't think he had that weapon. Guaranteed, he isn't really that much of a threat without it, but I was thinking he'd go more the Tempest-water-sorcery route.
Overall, this was a nice if clunky beginning. It isn't up to the level of Justice League, though, not even the pilot of that show. I think that the characters and plot were a little to simple. I'd like to see more depth, multiple plot threads, and actual motivations for characters. I'm hoping that further episodes exceed this one and this is just the stumbling of a new show, and not a trend.
Overall: 8 out of 10
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Birds of Prey: The TV Show
I just checked out the complete "Birds of Prey" TV series and watched all thirteen episodes in about a week. It's excellent!
Okay, not very much like the comic book, but Barbra Gordon is still in it and she was still Batgirl and there's a Huntress and a Black Canary. I can't believe this was cancelled after only one season. Where was I when this happened?
Go find this at your library (or video store) and watch it. It's very much worth it.
Okay, not very much like the comic book, but Barbra Gordon is still in it and she was still Batgirl and there's a Huntress and a Black Canary. I can't believe this was cancelled after only one season. Where was I when this happened?
Go find this at your library (or video store) and watch it. It's very much worth it.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Terry McGinnis
DC will soon be doing a miniseries for the "Batman Beyond" Batman, aka Terry McGinnis. For anyone who hasn't heard of this, it was an animated seres about the future. You can see it here. Personally, I really didn't like it, and therefore am not looking forward to the miniseries, but I did realize something weird.
This is Batwoman:
This is Terry McGinnis:
Is it just me, or are these costumes creepily similar? It could just be an artist fluke, not anticipating someone from the DCAU to cross over to the regular universe, but it just seems odd to me. After all, no other Batman heroes expect for Robin (who we can agree has a pretty distinct costume) has red in the costume. Well, I guess there's Red Robin, but again, it isn't similar to these at all, and has yellow.
Me, I think there's going to be some significance. Why bring Terry McGinnis back now, anyway?
This is Batwoman:
This is Terry McGinnis:
Is it just me, or are these costumes creepily similar? It could just be an artist fluke, not anticipating someone from the DCAU to cross over to the regular universe, but it just seems odd to me. After all, no other Batman heroes expect for Robin (who we can agree has a pretty distinct costume) has red in the costume. Well, I guess there's Red Robin, but again, it isn't similar to these at all, and has yellow.Me, I think there's going to be some significance. Why bring Terry McGinnis back now, anyway?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
JLA/JLU Batman Episodes
Injustice for All (2 pt, JLA):
The basic plot is that Lex Luthor starts an Injustice Gang and The JLA takes him down. Batman is featured in this episode.
--Rating: 7.5/10
--Although this is a Batman centric episode (and therefore rocks), he comes off almost weak-looking in comparison to everyone else. First he's poisoned, then the Joker manages to sneak up on him, hit him with a bag of bricks, and capture him. In episode 2, he redeems himself by making it seem like he planned it all. There's a fabulous scene where he manipulates Cheetah into alerting the JLA that there's a bomb on the Watchtower.
Twilight (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: Darksied comes to the Watchtower asking for help because Brainiac is attacking Apokolips. It's of course a ploy, and the JLA has to take down both villians.
--Rating: 9/10
--Featured in this episode is how Batman and Superman interact and it came off perfectly.There's a scene where Batman reads Superman the riot act about not wanting to help Darkseid, and its wonderful. Also, the last ten minutes of the storyline are all almost exclusively Superman/Batman. The only downside to this is an overdone fight scene between three members of the JLA and Brainiac.
This Little Piggy (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Wonder Woman (who Batman is in a romantic relationship with) is turned into a pig by Circe and Batman has to get her turned back.
--Rating: 5.5/10
--WONDER WOMAN?! No...just no. I didn't like it when they did it in the comics, I don't like it here. The basic story is pretty good, but Batman comes off very out of character. And (spolier alert here) he SINGS. "Am I Blue", to be exact. In front of a room full of people.
A Better World (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: In parallel universe, the JLA took over the world, convinced they could wipe out injustice and in the process became dictators. That universe's Batman built a portal to see another dimensions, and found the regular universe. They captured the real heroes and imprisoned them in the other world so they could bring "justice" to this one.
--Rating: 9.5/10
--Wow. This was just a great episode. Superman kills Luthor (AU Superman), Batman talks to Batman (fabulous scene, that one), and the Justice League explores Arkham Asylum. To tell more would spoil the plot. You must see this episode, even if you never watch another.
For The Man Who Has Everything (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Batman and Wonder Woman go to the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday, and end up battling Mongul.
--Rating: 8/10
--This is a really good episode, just for the fact that it shows Batman can hold his own against these superpowered menaces. It spends a little too long in Superman's fantasy world (brought on by the Black Mercy), but I guess I feel that way because I'm not a Superman fan. There's also some nice dialouge between Batman and Wonder Woman at the beginning.
The basic plot is that Lex Luthor starts an Injustice Gang and The JLA takes him down. Batman is featured in this episode.
--Rating: 7.5/10
--Although this is a Batman centric episode (and therefore rocks), he comes off almost weak-looking in comparison to everyone else. First he's poisoned, then the Joker manages to sneak up on him, hit him with a bag of bricks, and capture him. In episode 2, he redeems himself by making it seem like he planned it all. There's a fabulous scene where he manipulates Cheetah into alerting the JLA that there's a bomb on the Watchtower.
Twilight (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: Darksied comes to the Watchtower asking for help because Brainiac is attacking Apokolips. It's of course a ploy, and the JLA has to take down both villians.
--Rating: 9/10
--Featured in this episode is how Batman and Superman interact and it came off perfectly.There's a scene where Batman reads Superman the riot act about not wanting to help Darkseid, and its wonderful. Also, the last ten minutes of the storyline are all almost exclusively Superman/Batman. The only downside to this is an overdone fight scene between three members of the JLA and Brainiac.
This Little Piggy (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Wonder Woman (who Batman is in a romantic relationship with) is turned into a pig by Circe and Batman has to get her turned back.
--Rating: 5.5/10
--WONDER WOMAN?! No...just no. I didn't like it when they did it in the comics, I don't like it here. The basic story is pretty good, but Batman comes off very out of character. And (spolier alert here) he SINGS. "Am I Blue", to be exact. In front of a room full of people.
A Better World (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: In parallel universe, the JLA took over the world, convinced they could wipe out injustice and in the process became dictators. That universe's Batman built a portal to see another dimensions, and found the regular universe. They captured the real heroes and imprisoned them in the other world so they could bring "justice" to this one.
--Rating: 9.5/10
--Wow. This was just a great episode. Superman kills Luthor (AU Superman), Batman talks to Batman (fabulous scene, that one), and the Justice League explores Arkham Asylum. To tell more would spoil the plot. You must see this episode, even if you never watch another.
For The Man Who Has Everything (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Batman and Wonder Woman go to the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday, and end up battling Mongul.
--Rating: 8/10
--This is a really good episode, just for the fact that it shows Batman can hold his own against these superpowered menaces. It spends a little too long in Superman's fantasy world (brought on by the Black Mercy), but I guess I feel that way because I'm not a Superman fan. There's also some nice dialouge between Batman and Wonder Woman at the beginning.