Batman in the JLA
In this, the second entry of my “Year of the Batmen” series, I am going to discuss the Dick Grayson Batman and the dynamic of his entry into the newly reconstituted Justice League of America.
For the longest time the JLA was led by the holy trinity of the DC pantheon, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The Batman character, specifically embodied by Bruce Wayne, was often seen as the intellectual leader of the JLA and for the most part its chief tactician. The Wayne Batman was renowned for planning for every contingency, for being several steps ahead his foes and for never being caught off guard. This served him well in the JLA as that unit was often comprised by disparate heroes, some with much less experience than Wayne but often possessing much more physical power and or abilities.
Because Wayne often dealt with these heroes of different or greater qualities, who were used to pursuing causes of their own, he often clashed with them as they chafed under his authority. And because this Batman did not suffer fools well and was often harsh and impatient he often clashed with his team mates off times coming to physical blows. The most distinct rivalry often came from Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, who was essentially an inter-galactic policeman and who quite often resented taking orders from Batman who basically was the guardian just of one city.
As most readers know now the Bruce Wayne Batman is no longer on the scene. He has been succeeded by his foremost protege, Dick Grayson. For years Dick toiled under the shadow of the Bat as Robin and is only now getting up to speed as Gotham’s premier crime fighter. In the JLA, as written by James Robinson, we see a different personality to the Batman. It’s something I call the “Winick Model” after Judd Winick, who took up the writing for the Batman series as Grayson became Batman. This particular take on Batman found the caped crusader to be more open and visible. No more lurking in the shadows or avoiding the spotlight. He even smiles.
Fortunately, Dick Grayson is no neophyte when it comes to the team concept. Something the original could not claim. As Nightwing he fought along side the Teen Titans some of which now comprise this new JLA. The Teen Titans however could be seen, unfairly or otherwise, as a second tier unit. What’s different now are the expectations of being the Batman and serving in the JLA which has historically been seen as Earth’s mightiest heroes and its foremost protectors. So how does Robinson integrate this new Batman into this new progression? By having Grayson coordinate his first major action with the team.
In JLA #42 the team is confronted with a rogue Atlas and it takes all the group members to bring him down. Each heroic character is allowed an internal dialog that speaks to the reader on how they feel it is to be part of the team. Grayson comes off as a bit callow. He seems surprised to be even included. He says, “My league, me as Batman” as if he can’t quite comprehend that he is there. Something the Wayne Batman would not think even to himself. As the battle rages Dick also has to deal with the fact that two of his team mates have had an intimate relationship with him. Something the Wayne Batman would certainly sneer at. Grayson calls out instructions to Donna Troy and Starfire and they execute his plan perfectly and when the coup de grace has to be applied, it is Dick who orders Green Lantern into play. Jordan thinks it is “weird” taking orders from Dick as does Grayson giving orders to the Green Lantern.
So that part of the dynamic stays true. Batman calls the shots while the others follow, trusting that Batman will know what is best for the team and the consummation of the outcome to be without flaw. The major difference is the hint of doubt we see from each principle even though it does not affect their performance. At least for now.
Additionally, let’s study how this particular Batman is drawn for this story. Mark Bagley does the pencils. Inks by Hunter, Rapmund, and Glapion with colors by Pete Pantazis. This new JLA Batman is not very threatening. He wears the blue and gray costume as opposed to the more Gothic black and gray as drawn by Tony Daniel. Therefore this Batman is depicted to less of a loner and more of a team player. Even the cowl as drawn by Bagley has a less threatening look to it as the ears are minimized and therefore less frightening. This Batman will not threaten the team dynamic with arrogance or force of will and is drawn to reflect that.
As constituted now the new JLA Batman is a bit green behind those nominal ears. Unsure, untested in his new team dynamic. Will he be allowed to grow in this new structure? Will doubt set in if his next plan goes awry? The original Batman led without question. Will the Grayson version be allowed the same luxury? And what of the return of Bruce Wayne? As Dick becomes more comfortable in this role will he want to let it go? There are many questions to be answered as the Dick Grayson Batman not only fills out the most iconic of roles but also steps into the rarefied air of the holiest of trinities of the DC pantheon.
Next up for the Year of the Batmen, a sneak peek into the art of the Batmen as drawn by Daniel, Gary Frank, Rags Morales and Frank Quitely amongst others.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
The DC DTV animated movie series has had its fair share of ups and downs. It has put out awesome movies, like Green Lantern, or Wonder Woman, and it has put out very bad movies, like Superman Batman: Public Enemies. So where does JL: CTE, the latest film in this series, sit? Well, it’s at the top. This movie was fantastic!
Before I actually review it though, I want to go into the history of the film. It originally was supposed to be Justice League: Worlds Collide, and was going to be part of the DCAU. The film was intended to be released between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. It would have served as a bridge between the two series. However, the film never got made, and Justice League Unlimited began, albeit, bridge-less. Now, many years later, the film has finally been released, but rewritten as Crisis on Two Earths. Even though The Film has been rewritten, not much has changed. We get to see the League building the new Watchtower, how the expanded roster came about, and even how Wonder Woman got her Invisible Jet. The only actual difference is that Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, not John Stewart. Other than that, CTE fits nicely into the DCAU, and perfectly fills the gap between JL and JLU.
The story is simple enough, a good version of Lex Luthor, from an alternate earth, comes to the Justice Leagues world, asking the league to help him defeat the Crime Syndicate of America, super powered criminals who have the country’s crime under their thumbs. The League goes to Luthor’s earth to take down the Syndicate, but soon discover a more sinister plot to destroy all of reality. The story is not to complex, but excellent nonetheless. Though the movie is made primarily of action sequences (awesome action sequences), it has some nice character development, especially a subplot involving John Jonzz. Dwayne McDuffie delivers one his best scripts with this movie.
The animation is absolutely top notch. The fight sequences are brutal, and exciting, and just look great all-around. The character designs are very good too. They seem to take some inspiration from Frank Quitley’s artwork on the JLA Earth 2 graphic novel written by Grant Morrison. I particularly liked Batman’s fight with Owlman at the end of the movie. It was one of the coolest animated fight scenes I have seen in a while. I won’t talk about it though; you just have to see it.
One of the things that makes the movie so good is the flawless voice cast. Everyone involved is great, there is no weakness in the cast (can we expect less from Andrea Romano though?) In the Justice league we have Mark Harmon as Superman, William Baldwin as Batman, Josh Keaton as Flash (he was awesome, and had the perfect voice for The Flash), Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Jonathan Adams as Martian Manhunter, and Nolan North as Green Lantern. From the Crime Syndicate we have James Woods as Owlman, Gina Torres as Superwoman, Brian Bloom as Ultraman, and James Patrick Stuart as Johnny Quick. Also from the Crime Syndicate world is Chris Noth as Lex Luthor. Focusing on Batman for a minute; William Baldwin was great! At first I was a little jarred by his voice, it’s definitely different from Kevin Conroy’s DCAU portrayal. However, as the film progressed, I liked his performance more and more. He is actually really good, and I would like him to return to the role. His last line to Owlman is awesome! Speaking of Owlman, James Woods’ performance is one of the highlights of the film. He was the perfect actor for the role, and it shows! His performance alone makes the movie worth watching!
Also, one more thing I loved; the music. The film is scored by James L. Venable, and though he is new to me, I hope I hear more of him soon. His score was very good, and had a big budget cinematic feel.
So all in all, I can’t say enough good things about his movie. It’s certainly the best of the DC DTVs, and I highly recommend that you see it.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Reviewed by TheCapedCrusader
We received a copy of the DVD version of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths a little while ago and it releases today in stores. Should you head to the store and buy this right now? Well, I am going to let you know.
At first glance, this film seems like another quick story to expand the animated DC Universe, yet something feels strangely familiar. We have the Justice League battling villains in order to save the world. Does that remind you of something? Perhaps, Justice League Unlimited. Well, when this film was announced, that is exactly what I thought it was. In the podcast that you will hear on Friday, I referred to the announcement seeming as if it was another Superman/Batman mishap. Everything seemed to line up as what we saw before. The story originated from Dwayne McDuffie, who wrote many episodes of Justice League Unlimited. All of the characters that were in the film we had seen in the show. So why would you think that this was any different than the many multi-part stories we saw in episodic form for the show? Well, let me tell you why.
The basic plot of the film is that the Justice League of our earth battles the Crime Syndicate from a parallel earth. In this parallel earth, things are different. Despite the Syndicate being an obvious group of villains, they are treated with a level of respect. The heroes on this "Earth" are led by Lex Luthor. Their "Justice League" has been taken out one by one by the Crime Syndicate. We even see The Jester (a parallel version of The Joker) give his life to try and stop the Crime Syndicate. Lex Luthor travels to our universe to enlist the help of the Justice League to help him take down the Syndicate. The Justice League travels to the alternate earth to take them out. Batman stays behind, as he believes that there are enough problems in their universe. Owlman (the parallel version of Batman) is pretty much the main villain. He has created a bomb that will take out not only the the earth of his universe, but destroy Earth Prime, hence eliminating all "Earths." Batman of course comes and faces Owlman head on leading to climatic ending.
Overall, this film was a surprise to me. As I said, because it was first announced as a series of episodes that McDuffie wrote for Justice League Unlimited, I was concerned that it would have a feel of episodes put together as a film. But, it did not have that feel at all. The pace was very quick. It did not feel at any point that there was meant to be a break between acts. It had a more mature feel with the obvious violence. It wasn't overdone. We got more than we would have if this had ever aired on Cartoon Network. I applaud McDuffie for this. He took what was supposed to be a cartoon and made it a film.
On the Batman front, William Baldwin did a decent job at voicing Batman. It isn't the best job, but it fit with the feel of the film. Batman did take a back seat to the first half of the film. Although we see that while he wasn't around, he had a recruitment drive to have more heroes join the league. That kind of seemed out of place. Then again we have seen stranger things in the DC animated films. Batman not only saves the day in the end, but also proves to be smarter than most of the Justice League within the final scene with the Crime Syndicate.
For the special features, there were some interesting ones. The main feature was a piece about the various "crisises" that have happened in the DC Universe. They did a very good job getting many of the main creators that were involved in everything from Identity Crisis to Final Crisis. There was also a preview of the next DCAU film, which we know will be Batman: Under the Red Hood. There wasn't any footage from the film, but we did see the voice cast as well as some storyboards.
Also in this release, was the first DC Showcase film. It featured The Spectre. A good story that laid out his origin and told an interesting story in a very short amount of time. This was maybe even better than the main film. I look forward to more of these.
Overall, the film was good. I would not place it in the top three of DCAU films, but it was definitely better than I expected. One thing that many do not know is that the film will be released at Best Buy with an exclusive Owlman figure. This will be in limited quantities and only be with the Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD version. So you may want to get that right away and not wait until the end of the week to pick it up. I think if you are questioning it, rent it on iTunes or at your local video store. You will see that the film is worth adding to your collection of DC films.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Reviewed by Dustin
Superman/Batman 69 starts off where the last issue took place, with Superman staring down NRG-X who actually is that Bronze Age villain, Grant Haskill, (this is shown in a flashback as a shadowy man, Anderson Gaines, is asking for the hit on Clark Kent) I mentioned in the last review. They fight, have some exposition dialogue and Superman is left wondering who would want him killed.
Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne while at a function gets to meet Gaines, afterward. After Gaines unwittingly gives Bruce a DNA sample, contacts Clark and the two convene at the JLA Watchtower.
While Gaines is going back to his penthouse apartment we learn why we’ve never heard of this character before. Gaines is in fact one of the shape shifting alien terrorists from the Kryptonian ship that Superman and Batman found in issue 64. Currently the ship is still on the dark side of the Moon and is shown on the last page of the issue. Gaines also reveals his Durlan form and it does look interesting. It’s a nice grouping of all these green tentacles coming out. We then end with Batman telling Superman that instead of taking on Gaines head on, that they’ll have to do it guerrilla warfare style.
Well, it’s moving the story well, which is a good thing of course. But at the same time the story is still leaving me wondering what is the need for it to be set after “Our Worlds At War.”
It does seem that Joe Casey had this idea, the editors were saying “Yeah okay, but just so you know, when the Blackest Night crossover is over, the book is getting an overhaul. So can you do your thing around it?” So it’s like we are getting two stories; this Durlan vs Krypton story that Casey started back in issue #64 and the aftermath of Our Worlds At War, which is getting the “shoehorned in because I have to drop references” treatment. At some point I’d like to know if there is a reason that the time of this story had to be where it is, and not say after “Legends” or “Invasion.” Actually Invasion would have been a more intriguing setting as that would have been just before Superman literally went into his self-imposed “Exile” (that was the name of the storyline). Whatever results from this story could have added to the reasons Superman just left Earth for a time.
But the story Casey is telling is still an intriguing one, and I am interested in seeing where this is going. I’m going to drop the rating a bit though, because it still has a run-of-the mill feel to it, as opposed to an epic feel that an aftermath tale should be.
Superman/Batman #69:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Boy this comic has taken tons of twists and turns in its run hasn’t it?
It starts out as a complete in-continuity book, which is where events such as the downfall of Lex Luthor’s Presidency (1-6) and the return to the DCU current continuity of the Kara Zor-El Supergirl (8-13). Then it starts becoming an out of continuity title where the main attributes seem to have been to spotlight the difference between DC’s “Big Two” in “dueling” thought balloons, which essentially seemed to come down to stuff like “I like vanilla ice cream.” “I like chocolate ice cream,” or “I love Mondays.” “I HATE Mondays!”
It has been in recent issues seemingly heavily influenced by ideas from the Silver Age era World’s Finest tales when that title was the Superman-Batman team up book. The extreme of this was a recent issue where it turned out the entire story of the issue was just a simulation file in a new virtual reality training device in the Batcave. Bruce Wayne’s file name for the file was “WF V2 63 Night & Day.” In other words it was the artist’s, Rafael Albuquerque, way of treating Superman/Batman as a second volume to the World’s Finest series that ended in 1986. Which leads to way too many issues to go into here in terms of how this series should be taken when trying to fit it’s stories into the continuity of the time.
So now we begin a new era on the book, well technically it started back in issue #64 since #68 picks up where it left off, though I don’t think anyone knew that at the time, especially Apple as he slaughtered it on the comic podcast when it came up. So now the book is essentially a peek into different events in DC history. Part entertainment, part history lesson I suppose. And we kick things off as #68 has a nifty “Our Worlds At War Aftermath” banner on the cover. The best thing to do first is to dive into what happened in the event Our Worlds At War.
Mostly a Superman cosmic event for the summer of 2001, though it did cross over into several of DC’s books and had Imperiex as the main villain attacking Earth. Big battle of course, with Metropolis as the epic center, and as per norm it seems, the city gets ravaged. Long story short, Superman is able to save the day, and the universe! The story has been collected in three different volumes, Superman: Our Worlds At War volumes 1 and 2, as well as a complete edition.
So it is at the point after the event has occurred that the book starts off with. As well as after # 64 and the mysterious Kryptonian ship that Superman and Batman found.
This is very much an introductory piece to the story, entitled “The Big Noise” and Joe Casey does a good job setting up what you would think are the major players for this story. An adventure seeker, who manages to find the missing escape pod from the ship in # 64, and a major backer of S.T.A.R. Labs, Anderson Gaines, appears at first to be a major focal point. Research is coming up empty on whether or not this character has been spotted before, so Casey has to be given props for setting up a nice shady villain.
Also Casey gives us a mystery man showing down Superman at cliffhanger at the end, NRG-X (Nuclear Radiation Generator Experimental), the name comes from a Superman villain from the 1970s, but I doubt Casey is brining that particular character out of mothballs. This NRG-X kind of resembles Iron Man, I wonder if that is the indented effect by the art team.
On the Batman side of things, Bruce investigates a strand of DNA taken from the non-Kryptonian aliens found on the ship in #64 (strange not saying “previous issue” but that is what a Halloween special followed by a two part Blackest Night crossover story will do to you), to determine just what kind of creature was on that ship, and hopefully a clue to determine how it ended up in current (at that point) DCU time.
In all, it was an enjoyable issue with some great art work, but it does leave me wondering just what the tie-in to Our Worlds At War is going to be, besides just lip service to the event that Superman and Batman had just gone through. It does leave me wanting to read more though, and I guess that is the best thing you can say about the first issue of a story, it leaves you wanting to continue reading. It’s not quite enough to give 5 out of 5, so I’ll give it a nice solid 4, but only because it just seems to superficially tie-in with the story its supposedly linked with.
Superman/Batman #68:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Batman joins the newly reformed Justice League of America in issue number 41 of the JLA written by James Robinson, penciled by Mark Bagley and ably inked by Hunter, Alquiza, and Wong.
First and foremost, what is the most striking detail about this issue? The continuity problem! Not only does this issue take place after Blackest Night is over it also spoils the ending to “Justice League: Cry for Justice”. So anyone who wants an advanced look at how that series ends, help yourselves! (Not that “Cry” has exactly set the world on fire. Also written by Robinson, it is now running late.)
Batman does not take a central role in this book as it is, of course, a team up affair. The story starts out with a disconsolate Donna Troy ready to walk away from it all. Burnt out and “beaten down” Troy happens across a crime scene where children are being held hostage in a hospital and she is forced to act. After securing the children and stuffing the bad guys, she openly questions herself, lashes out at Wonder Woman and proclaims, “I am done.”
Or not.
After a short lecture from Wonder Woman and a brief interlude through America’s colonial period (with a sidebar trip to the Smithsonian, which serves as a future JLA storyline) Troy relents and starts the recruitment process. Starfire and Cyborg quickly sign up and Troy takes off to Gotham City. Here we catch up with the Caped Crusaders in the middle of a beat down of some poor Killer Moth wannabe’s. The new Batman and Robin are at their acrobatic best and seem to be following the Judd Winick model. Lighter in attitude and much less grimmer in tone. The action stops as Troy appears on the scene and says not bad to "Batman". Batman, in quotes, as she knows it is Dick Grayson beneath the cowl. She compliments the duo and refers to Damian as a kid. Cue comedic retort from the new Damian Robin, “Kid?” he says, “How dare you Harlot.” Funny and not too far off as Donna Troy is sporting a skin tight cat suit that might be more appropriate to the bedroom than a back alley.
The two exchange some small talk and catch up quickly. Batman tells Donna that he just put down “Yellow Wasp” and is on the trail of a bigger evil doer called” The Broker” who has been setting up hideouts and putting together groups for what may be a larger storyline in the future. He correctly deduces Donna hasn’t arrived for chit-chat and asks her if her visit means she wants him to join the Justice League. She is amazed at his deductive prowess (he cheated) and the seal the deal with a groan inducing “fist bump”. Again, from the Winick model? Of course if she had asked me to join the League I would have told she had me at revealing, skin tight jump suit that barely covers her ample, um, attributes. Just sayin’. (Oh yes, Damian says he's in too.)
The story continues as Donna goes off to recruit the new Dr. Light, Mon-El as the Superman sub, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow. The final panel is a full pager and is a nice portrait of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern and Batman.
The artwork seems a bit rushed but the inking was fine. Like I said, the last panel is pretty cool and Mon El gets a nice action splash page. The story? Well, it is a reboot of the JLA series, so Robinson had to fit in a lot threads just to pull each character in. Hopefully future plots will be tighter. I’m curious how large a role the Dick Grayson Batman will play in this series and if he will continue the lighter tone discussed earlier. I’m actually hoping he’ll keep the cape and cowl and stay on as Batman in the JLA even after Bruce Wayne returns. There is more than one Green Lantern after all. Anyone think DC has the guts to allow that angle?
Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
Justice League of America #41:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
Everyone’s favorite 10 year old crime fighter is back and this time he is teaming up with Metropolis’ own Guardian in the second entry of the four part “World’s Finest” miniseries. Before I get to the nuts and bolts of the book (and how lucky Guardian must feel to be working with Damian) allow me to address the title of “World Finest” itself.
The title “World’s Finest” to me means the very best our planet has to offer in the way of super hero crime fighters. And for our trouble we are given Guardian and Robin? Please! I just hope the fate of mankind doesn’t come down to a ten year old terror with daddy issues and the cloned head of the Science Police who admits to not knowing much about science.
Yes, the premise of the “World’s Finest” books is to bring together heroes from the spheres of Batman and Superman while the aforementioned are either off world or trapped somewhere in time. The idea, apparently, is to fill the void left by those men. But don’t you think the Dick Grayson Batman would be just a little more than miffed to learn he doesn’t qualify for some reason? Ah well, at least in the next book of this series we get the compelling match-up of Supergirl and Batgirl.
As far this book goes I’ll make it as brief as possible. Not being an artist sometimes I find it difficult to judge someone else’s art work. However, I can only say the cover to this edition was truly uninspiring. As for the art work inside I thought it drifted between overly simplistic to slightly better than average. Perhaps DC is trying to entice a younger newer readership with less sophisticated tastes. The dialog also followed this same basic template. Which to be fair, again may be geared to the younger set with less discerning tastes.
As far as the story goes, which is all I am really interested in, we find Robin in all his petulant ten year old splendor in hot pursuit of a stolen device from Wayne Tech. Damian, as usual, pushes the boundaries of normal crime fighting discipline which leads him to bump heads with the Guardian. In typical boilerplate style the two heroes work against each other more often than with each other. Fortunately they have the Parasite and Mr. Freeze to unite them in their quest to solve the crime. It helps that Parasite and Freeze are easy to track and act like a couple of B leaguers themselves. A battle ensues and the baddies are easily vanquished. Damian gets the Tech back and Guardian gets to lock up the evil doers.
The MacGuffin you ask? We don’t get to see that till the final two pages. Toyman resurfaces from the first World’s Finest edition of this series and with the help of his trusty “Toyboy” Mr. Freeze is hijacked from his impending incarceration as his abilities are apparently integral to the Toyman’s latest contraption an impossibly large Superman/Batman robot that spells nothing but trouble for Supergirl and Batgirl in the next issue. Good luck to them.
World's Finest #2:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
From all of us at The Batman Universe, we wish you a Merry Christmas! We hope that you spend time with loved ones and receive the gifts you really wanted. As you head to family and friends houses today to celebrate the holidays, please stay safe.
Batman sings?
Posted by Dustin
Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. This phrase describes everything in this picture. From this year's DC Comics Holiday Special 2009
Posted by Dustin
Who would have ever thought that super heroes helped Santa deliver gifts? Actually in the DCU it makes sense that they do with all of the problems in the world. From DC Comics Holiday Special 2008
Posted by Dustin
As a reminder to all, Christmas is the time of giving. I don't suggest giving Batman a Superman action figure though. From Batman: Year 100 #1
Posted by Dustin
This is another show that you most likely have already seen. You might even already own the individual seasons. For the very first time the series is collected in one form on DVD. The series first aired in the late nineties after the success of Batman: The Animated Series. It featured Big Red saving Metropolis from the perils of many of his own rogues' gallery. It aired over three seasons and ended before the Timmverse continued on with Batman Beyond.
This set consists of seven discs. It has a total of fifty-four episodes for over eleven hundred minutes. There are special features throughout and even a brand new special feature specifically for this set. The new feature focuses on Darkseid.
The series featured all kinds of villains that you have heard of and some new ones that were made for the series. Metallo, Parasite, and Toyman are all present. Many may not know that Mercy Graves was created for the series. The classic voices of Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor and Tim Daly as Superman are obviously present as well. There is even a three-part episode that crosses over with Batman and Gotham City where Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill make an appearance.
Overall, the series is another great release from Warner Bros. I don't have any complaints about this set like I had with the past ones. The discs are still numbered as if they were separate seasons, but I get why now. Another great series to add to this year's Christmas list.
Superman: The Complete Series:
The series became available on November 24, so you can get it at most retailers. If you want to get it from Amazon, click here. Warner Bros. sent over this clip to promote the release as well.
Posted by Dustin
The fate of Batman finally revealed? Bruce Wayne rises from the dead? The latest horror from the Blackest Night is none other than our own Caped Crusader?
In a stunning development from the ongoing DC universe series “Blackest Night” the skull of Bruce Wayne (that was ripped from its resting place by the villain Black Hand) has now been used as the instrument to induce the deaths of some of Earths greatest heroes.
You heard that right. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. In the latest issue of “Blackest Night” (number 5) the arch villain, Nekron, stands astride the resting place of seven million souls that once populated Coast City the home of Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. Seemingly, only Barry Allen stands between Nekron and the fate of our world but he is soon aided by Wally West and Earths mightiest heroes the Justice League of America. The battle hangs in the balance until these heroes are joined by the seven “New Guardians” of light (read Green Lantern #48 for more back story) led by Hal Jordan. As victory is within their grasp the grimmest manifestation of the “Darkest Knight” we have ever seen is resurrected.
People, you have to see this Cadaverous Crusader to believe it. In a two page splash Ivan Reiss, ably assisted by inkers Prado and Albert and colorist Sinclair, the guardian of Gotham takes on his most hideous incarnation ever. This Batman is both compelling and repellent. Truly, it is one of the most stunning representations of Batman to date. Worse yet, in this story Batman is used as the emotional tether that Nekron needed to bring about the deaths of Wonder Woman, Superman, Conner Kent, Bart Allen and the Green Arrow Oliver Queen. As this unholy Batman regurgitates Black Lantern rings Nekron calls those heroes to their deaths as he has held them from their everlasting demise all along.
As soon as this new gothic horror of Gotham descends upon us he is gone. Having served his purpose, “Bruce Wayne” as Nekron calls him, is banished to the afterlife once again and his connection is severed. In his wake stands a new dark vision of the JLA and the fates of Barry Allen and Hal Jordan hang by a thread.
Was this truly “Bruce Wayne”? Is Red Robin/Tim Drake wrong about his fate? What answers will be given in the delayed “Batman and Robin” issue #7 and how does it tie into Blackest Night #6? If you haven’t picked up the magnum opus that is Geoff Johns “Blackest Night” I urge you to do so. This series that was once a bit slow paced and frustrating has really taken off and may be one of the best story lines we seen in comic books in years.
Written by Dark Knight Dave
If you are viewing this site, I think it is safe to say that you have probably seen this show at one point. The show started off by focusing on the Big Seven of the DCU. They were Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. Now you might argue if these seven should be the main seven, but that is besides the point. Justice League ran two seasons and then was renamed Justice League Unlimited, which also ran for two seasons giving the series a total of four seasons. Justice League Unlimited still featured the "Big Seven," but it also featured a lot of lesser known DC characters. And when I say lesser known, I mean that. I don't think as a casual reader of DC Universe comics, you would have came across Waverider or Vibe. But the series introduced new characters that casual fans and even some seasoned fans may never have known about.
There is nothing bad to say at all about this series. The stories were well written and the animation was high quality. The only downfall of the series was that it ended. The first two seasons featured many multi-part episodes were the story carried over between two and sometimes three episodes. JLU didn't have the multi-part episodes, but it did have an overarching storyline through both of the seasons. The show hasn't been aired regularly on Cartoon Network for quite some time. I personally own the entire series in individual season form.
As for this set there are a couple of negatives, but we will get to that in a minute. Let's cover the series as a whole collected. The entire series has ninety-one episodes. The price tag may seem steep depending on where you are going to buy it from, but even $99.99 as the suggested retail price, is well worth it. Let me put it into perspective. If you were to sit down in front of your TV and start watching the series, it would take you more than two days to watch the entire series. Now I don't recommend you do that, but you may find yourself doing exactly that once you start watching the series. It is just that good.
Now for the negatives. I don't know if it is just the copies that I get sent or what, but there is always some sort of packaging error. With this series, I know it isn't just mine. The fifteen discs are packaged in two plastic DVD cases. One having all of the discs for Justice League and the other one having all of Justice League Unlimited. The two plastic cases are then enclosed in a steel case. Now, the problem with this steel case is that it has lips around the edges, which makes it difficult to get the plastic cases out without having to bend the steel. If someone was going to spend close to one hundred dollars on the series, I would imagine that they do not want to damage the casing. Once you figure out how to get the cases out, you might notice (or this was just mine) that the cases are mis-marked. They are labeled Volume One and Volume Two, but when you open the Volume One case, you find Justice League Unlimited, which many know is actually Volume Two. The paper inserts describing what is on the discs is also mis-placed in the wrong cases. Now, it may seem that I am making a big deal about nothing (and I probably am) but I can't understand why something that gets designed by a person and sent to a factory never gets checked to see if it makes sense. On top of all the that, the discs are labeled as if you bought separate seasons instead of one through fifteen.
I know I am spending way too much time covering the packaging of the series, but the thing is that this is the exact same thing that you might already have if you own the separate seasons. The special features are the same except for one new one. It is on the fifteenth disc and has the series creators discussing challenges and opportunities that the different characters presented.
Overall, the series is remarkable. It is up to par with Batman: The Animated Series. And I would even say that the writing for this series is actually a little better since it as an overall story plot. If I put aside the packaging mishaps, this is the perfect gift for a DC Universe fan for the holidays.
Justice League: The Complete Series:
It would have been a perfect five if not for the packaging and lack of new special features. Keep in mind that this rating is not what the show itself would be rated. I am rating the series collected in this new form. I can't stress enough that the show is amazing. The series was released on November 10. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here. Warner Bros. sent over this clip to show with the review. Take a look:
Posted by Dustin