The Mad Hatter
11-04-2001, 11:55 PM
Here's the first review! Just to let you all know, I've been a huge fan of the animated DC stuff since I laid eyes on "Two-Face, Part I" from B:TAS. Since then I've taped them all and spent a ludicrous amound of money on animation cels and a ceramic Harley Quinn. So, uh, I'm a fan. :)
1
Ever since the successful debut of Superman: The Animated Series heck, probably right after the Batman series started up the fans have been clamoring for a Justice League series. The talented artists had pulled off miracles in reinventing and reviving Batman, Superman and their menagerie of characters, so why couldn't they do that for the rest of the DC universe? It would work wonders at washing the horrible, lingering taste of Superfriends away, at any rate.
After beating off a near-constant barrage of "so when are you doing a Justice League series?" questions over the years, Bruce Timm and company have finally been given the chance to tackle an entire team of superheroes in one show. It must have been a daunting task, since the years of fan salivation had driven expectations through the roof. But if the pilot story arc of Justice League is any indication, there should be very few disappointed viewers.
The plot in a nutshell revolves around an alien invasion; to give any more details than that would be to wade into spoiler territory. And what an invasion it is the aliens and their various vehicles of destruction are fantastically designed. Timm's flowing style is put to marvelous use in making these creatures otherworldly, creepy and visually appealing all at once. If there's any gripe I have against these antagonists, it's that their society and motivations aren't explained at all. It's as if they invaded simply because they enjoy doing so.
Then again, the focus of the pilot is to introduce the audience to the seven Justice League members, so loading the aliens with detail may have distracted from that goal. And the goal is achieved admirably within the 60 minutes of material. The pilot gradually eases people into this new group by starting with familiar territory, then adding to it. Batman arrives first, quickly followed by Superman. In fact, for the first 15 minutes or so the pilot feels like another great "World's Finest" team-up.
After these two have grounded the audience, they encounter Martian Manhunter, who soon summons the rest of the heroes to repel the invasion. The first three characters get the majority of the attention, though the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl arrive with strong personalities which I'm sure will only get fleshed out more as the series continues.
So without further ado, here are the character impressions:
Batman: Don't worry, he's still Mr. Obsessive. He's a bit lighter than he was in TNBA, though darker than in B:TAS in fact, we get a couple of wonderfully grim lines out of him. His design also seems to be a blend of the two series, as his streamlined form is now rimmed with the "older" blue (and not purple as originally reported). He may be the only one without powers, but he works hard in the pilot to keep up with the others.
Superman: Yes, he's got a different voice actor this time around. Get over it. Tim Daly's superb voice work will be missed, though George Newbern fills the role well, even if he sounds "younger." Superman's design seems quite a bit older, however maybe slightly too old. But that's a minor gripe, as otherwise Supes seems much the same as he was in S:TAS.
Martian Manhunter: The last survivor of an ancient Martian civilization is played as a telepath to the hilt. He keeps perceiving faraway events, which creeps out the others. Carl Lumbly's voice work on the character sounds much like his old Stalker role on Batman Beyond sans the bloodlust, which fits J'onn J'onzz perfectly. His design is, for the most part, an angular version of his look in the comics, though I was most impressed with his true form.
Wonder Woman: In this series, she's the newcomer. Fresh off the island for the first time in her life (to the certain frustration of her aloof mother, who would rather Diana kept out of human affairs), she's a proud amazon who dedicates her battle feats to the Greek gods. As such, she's extremely naοve about the modern world. She pretty much looks like the classic Wonder Woman would we have wanted it any other way?
Green Lantern: John Stewart, a long-term member of the Green Lantern Corps, is a man who gets to the point and tolerates no nonsense. As such, he's more apt to use his power in the most direct manner possible, mostly through beams, shields and force fields. Naturally the Flash drives him nuts. His eyes seemed a little too disconcertingly green, but maybe that's the point.
The Flash: He's quick, he's impulsive, he's a one-liner generator. The Wally West incarnation of The Fastest Man Alive is the comic relief of the group, though he's not devoid of character depth. For the most part, he's unchanged from his guest shot on S:TAS.
Hawkgirl: It seems that Hawkgirl has been on Earth for a while, as Batman recognized her during the first team gathering. She's a fierce fighter as her culture dictates, and her wicked electrified mace does considerable damage. The pilot shows off her nearly endless determination, but beyond that we don't really get to know her yet.
The personalities of the group seem balanced, and the numerous character types play off one another quite well. This story arc really lets you feel as if the League is just meeting for the first time, as they often have trouble working together as a team.
On the whole, the first episodes of Justice League are extremely well-paced, as the creators used the time to stretch their legs, delve into the characters and relish in the horrible grandeur of the invasion without letting things drag out. The whole event captures the raw, rollicking excitement of a good B-movie, only without the camp. There are a few cliched superhero lines, but overall the dialogue remains reasonably crisp.
And it's obvious Justice League didn't have the limited budget of a B-movie, either. Overseas studio Koko does a very good job with the animation, as their work outclasses nearly everything produced for TV animation. (It falls just short of TMS' work, such as "Feat of Clay, Part II" from B:TAS and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, however.) The orchestral music lives up to Warner Bros. consistently high standards, as several of the Batman Beyond regulars prove they can be evocative with "traditional" instruments. I was even impressed with the sound effects, many of which seemed movie-quality and produced just for this show.
While the Justice League pilot isn't short on action and delivers some solid character studies, it doesn't contain any of the psychological depth or complex twists we've grown accustomed to. Still, the pilot has to labor under the unenviable task of introducing seven characters while making them all seem interesting, and remember that the B:TAS pilot, "On Leather Wings," wasn't particularly deep either. I'm sure we'll get more complicated stories as the series progresses.
But beyond that, the underdeveloped yet physically impressive aliens and a climactic plot twist that stretches things just a bit, I really can't come up with any substantial complaints. I was glued to my television as the plot unfolded. It's impossible to fully judge a series by its pilot, but Justice League shows a remarkable amount of potential.
1
Ever since the successful debut of Superman: The Animated Series heck, probably right after the Batman series started up the fans have been clamoring for a Justice League series. The talented artists had pulled off miracles in reinventing and reviving Batman, Superman and their menagerie of characters, so why couldn't they do that for the rest of the DC universe? It would work wonders at washing the horrible, lingering taste of Superfriends away, at any rate.
After beating off a near-constant barrage of "so when are you doing a Justice League series?" questions over the years, Bruce Timm and company have finally been given the chance to tackle an entire team of superheroes in one show. It must have been a daunting task, since the years of fan salivation had driven expectations through the roof. But if the pilot story arc of Justice League is any indication, there should be very few disappointed viewers.
The plot in a nutshell revolves around an alien invasion; to give any more details than that would be to wade into spoiler territory. And what an invasion it is the aliens and their various vehicles of destruction are fantastically designed. Timm's flowing style is put to marvelous use in making these creatures otherworldly, creepy and visually appealing all at once. If there's any gripe I have against these antagonists, it's that their society and motivations aren't explained at all. It's as if they invaded simply because they enjoy doing so.
Then again, the focus of the pilot is to introduce the audience to the seven Justice League members, so loading the aliens with detail may have distracted from that goal. And the goal is achieved admirably within the 60 minutes of material. The pilot gradually eases people into this new group by starting with familiar territory, then adding to it. Batman arrives first, quickly followed by Superman. In fact, for the first 15 minutes or so the pilot feels like another great "World's Finest" team-up.
After these two have grounded the audience, they encounter Martian Manhunter, who soon summons the rest of the heroes to repel the invasion. The first three characters get the majority of the attention, though the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl arrive with strong personalities which I'm sure will only get fleshed out more as the series continues.
So without further ado, here are the character impressions:
Batman: Don't worry, he's still Mr. Obsessive. He's a bit lighter than he was in TNBA, though darker than in B:TAS in fact, we get a couple of wonderfully grim lines out of him. His design also seems to be a blend of the two series, as his streamlined form is now rimmed with the "older" blue (and not purple as originally reported). He may be the only one without powers, but he works hard in the pilot to keep up with the others.
Superman: Yes, he's got a different voice actor this time around. Get over it. Tim Daly's superb voice work will be missed, though George Newbern fills the role well, even if he sounds "younger." Superman's design seems quite a bit older, however maybe slightly too old. But that's a minor gripe, as otherwise Supes seems much the same as he was in S:TAS.
Martian Manhunter: The last survivor of an ancient Martian civilization is played as a telepath to the hilt. He keeps perceiving faraway events, which creeps out the others. Carl Lumbly's voice work on the character sounds much like his old Stalker role on Batman Beyond sans the bloodlust, which fits J'onn J'onzz perfectly. His design is, for the most part, an angular version of his look in the comics, though I was most impressed with his true form.
Wonder Woman: In this series, she's the newcomer. Fresh off the island for the first time in her life (to the certain frustration of her aloof mother, who would rather Diana kept out of human affairs), she's a proud amazon who dedicates her battle feats to the Greek gods. As such, she's extremely naοve about the modern world. She pretty much looks like the classic Wonder Woman would we have wanted it any other way?
Green Lantern: John Stewart, a long-term member of the Green Lantern Corps, is a man who gets to the point and tolerates no nonsense. As such, he's more apt to use his power in the most direct manner possible, mostly through beams, shields and force fields. Naturally the Flash drives him nuts. His eyes seemed a little too disconcertingly green, but maybe that's the point.
The Flash: He's quick, he's impulsive, he's a one-liner generator. The Wally West incarnation of The Fastest Man Alive is the comic relief of the group, though he's not devoid of character depth. For the most part, he's unchanged from his guest shot on S:TAS.
Hawkgirl: It seems that Hawkgirl has been on Earth for a while, as Batman recognized her during the first team gathering. She's a fierce fighter as her culture dictates, and her wicked electrified mace does considerable damage. The pilot shows off her nearly endless determination, but beyond that we don't really get to know her yet.
The personalities of the group seem balanced, and the numerous character types play off one another quite well. This story arc really lets you feel as if the League is just meeting for the first time, as they often have trouble working together as a team.
On the whole, the first episodes of Justice League are extremely well-paced, as the creators used the time to stretch their legs, delve into the characters and relish in the horrible grandeur of the invasion without letting things drag out. The whole event captures the raw, rollicking excitement of a good B-movie, only without the camp. There are a few cliched superhero lines, but overall the dialogue remains reasonably crisp.
And it's obvious Justice League didn't have the limited budget of a B-movie, either. Overseas studio Koko does a very good job with the animation, as their work outclasses nearly everything produced for TV animation. (It falls just short of TMS' work, such as "Feat of Clay, Part II" from B:TAS and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, however.) The orchestral music lives up to Warner Bros. consistently high standards, as several of the Batman Beyond regulars prove they can be evocative with "traditional" instruments. I was even impressed with the sound effects, many of which seemed movie-quality and produced just for this show.
While the Justice League pilot isn't short on action and delivers some solid character studies, it doesn't contain any of the psychological depth or complex twists we've grown accustomed to. Still, the pilot has to labor under the unenviable task of introducing seven characters while making them all seem interesting, and remember that the B:TAS pilot, "On Leather Wings," wasn't particularly deep either. I'm sure we'll get more complicated stories as the series progresses.
But beyond that, the underdeveloped yet physically impressive aliens and a climactic plot twist that stretches things just a bit, I really can't come up with any substantial complaints. I was glued to my television as the plot unfolded. It's impossible to fully judge a series by its pilot, but Justice League shows a remarkable amount of potential.