Jeff Harris
11-09-2001, 04:57 PM
Before I begin, let me tell you all who I am. Name's Jeff Harris, creator and webmaster of CNX: Toonami Revolution, one of the net's first Toonami-oriented sites, creator and lead editor of Absolution Station online magazine, lead administrator of the rowdy bunch over at the Revolution Board, and part time comic book writer/artist (or artist/writer on those rare days). Now, back to the review in progress)
To put it bluntly, this is not your father's Superfriends.
If you were a kid when the original Hanna-Barbera show was on, like I was, this is not the same goofy "hey, we're all buddy-buddies over here" that mainstream Americans expected. In '89, when the first Batman movie was release, mainstream Americans expected the campy '60s version. Fortunately, that was never to be, and the hero of Batman was given a brand new aura of respect.
Justice League, the latest vision to come from the mind of Bruce Timm, will do for the mainstream American perception of the JLA franchise what the Burton-guide Gothic masterpiece did for the Dark Knight Detective.
Wait, this probably wasn't a good introduction for a review of a comic-inspired series. Perhaps I have to get in the proper mood:
In a world full of chaos, there will always be heroes. Recent events have proven that to be oh-so true. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, and earn a lot of respect from mankind. They often protect those innocents in many ways, often making a sacrifice to make sure they're safe.
These are heroes. They roam the Earth.
The events that led to the creation of the Justice League were very chaotic, but this myrad of heroes learn to work together to stop a strange, unknown force, mysterious invaders whose lone mission is total annihilation. With the guidance of a mysterious shape-shifting telepathic alien named J'onn J'onnz (pronounced John Jones for those who haven't heard of the legend of the Martian Manhunter), many of Earth's finest warriors come together to stop this evil force.
Storywise, this pilot episode had it all. Mystery. Suspense. Humor. And of course action. You have many of DC's best-known heroes making up the core of the team like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and heroes barely recognized by John Q. Public and totally admired by the average DC Comics fan, like The Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl. You have an interesting nemesis for the pilot, a group of shape-shifting aliens who control massive landmark-destroying organic vehicles, not unlike those of sci-fi epics like War of the Worlds and Neon Genesis Evangelion (there's a little bit of the infamous mind, um, screwing moments in some scenes; if you seen EVA, you know what I mean).
The dynamics in this series are strong, though a few need some work. The strained, yet respectful relationship between Batman and Superman has always been present ever since their first teamup, "World's Finest." It's all about respect, really. Speaking of respect, there's something about the relationship between John Stewart, the Green Lantern, and Wally West, the Flash, this just reminds me of the Lethal Weapon movies. You got the tough-as-nails, law-abiding, military-minded soldier in GL and you have the brash, egotistical, and somewhat juvenille attitude of the Flash. Like Danny and Mel, these two heroes make a great team. J'onn is the gather, the sage, the guiding spirit, and it's obvious that the heroes look up to the Martian warrior. Diana is new to this world and has a strange curiousity about what goes on Earth. It's an innocence that will make her a popular character for sure. Hawkgirl is a true warrior, as vicious as she is brave. She's another to look out for, and though you don't see a lot of her in the pilot, I think I'll keep my eye out for her as well.
My only gripe about the pilot was the same one I had about the episode that introduced Dr. Fate in Superman and the episode of Batman that introduced The Demon . . . namely how in the world did these heroes know each other. Speed Demons and World's Finest were good introductory episodes, and Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter's introductions in the pilot were well-handled. Since the Green Lantern in JL isn't Kyle Rayner, the GL in the Superman episode "In Brightest Day," the fans are thrown for a loop as to how the heroes of Batman and Superman met John. Hawkgirl has obviously encountered Batman on a previous engagement, but once again, fans would ask, "How the heck did Batman know who she is?" among other questions. I'm sure all will be answered in future episodes.
I'm hooked. Of course I was hooked when the show was announced, but after witnessing it firsthand, I can say I'm impressed with the way the first episodes turned out. Fortunately, the generic supervillians of yesteryear will be gone and replaced with a lot of familar villians. Justice League, premiering Saturday, November 17 at 7 PM on Cartoon Network, is a must see for fans of action-animation, and I can't wait to see more!
To put it bluntly, this is not your father's Superfriends.
If you were a kid when the original Hanna-Barbera show was on, like I was, this is not the same goofy "hey, we're all buddy-buddies over here" that mainstream Americans expected. In '89, when the first Batman movie was release, mainstream Americans expected the campy '60s version. Fortunately, that was never to be, and the hero of Batman was given a brand new aura of respect.
Justice League, the latest vision to come from the mind of Bruce Timm, will do for the mainstream American perception of the JLA franchise what the Burton-guide Gothic masterpiece did for the Dark Knight Detective.
Wait, this probably wasn't a good introduction for a review of a comic-inspired series. Perhaps I have to get in the proper mood:
In a world full of chaos, there will always be heroes. Recent events have proven that to be oh-so true. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, and earn a lot of respect from mankind. They often protect those innocents in many ways, often making a sacrifice to make sure they're safe.
These are heroes. They roam the Earth.
The events that led to the creation of the Justice League were very chaotic, but this myrad of heroes learn to work together to stop a strange, unknown force, mysterious invaders whose lone mission is total annihilation. With the guidance of a mysterious shape-shifting telepathic alien named J'onn J'onnz (pronounced John Jones for those who haven't heard of the legend of the Martian Manhunter), many of Earth's finest warriors come together to stop this evil force.
Storywise, this pilot episode had it all. Mystery. Suspense. Humor. And of course action. You have many of DC's best-known heroes making up the core of the team like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and heroes barely recognized by John Q. Public and totally admired by the average DC Comics fan, like The Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl. You have an interesting nemesis for the pilot, a group of shape-shifting aliens who control massive landmark-destroying organic vehicles, not unlike those of sci-fi epics like War of the Worlds and Neon Genesis Evangelion (there's a little bit of the infamous mind, um, screwing moments in some scenes; if you seen EVA, you know what I mean).
The dynamics in this series are strong, though a few need some work. The strained, yet respectful relationship between Batman and Superman has always been present ever since their first teamup, "World's Finest." It's all about respect, really. Speaking of respect, there's something about the relationship between John Stewart, the Green Lantern, and Wally West, the Flash, this just reminds me of the Lethal Weapon movies. You got the tough-as-nails, law-abiding, military-minded soldier in GL and you have the brash, egotistical, and somewhat juvenille attitude of the Flash. Like Danny and Mel, these two heroes make a great team. J'onn is the gather, the sage, the guiding spirit, and it's obvious that the heroes look up to the Martian warrior. Diana is new to this world and has a strange curiousity about what goes on Earth. It's an innocence that will make her a popular character for sure. Hawkgirl is a true warrior, as vicious as she is brave. She's another to look out for, and though you don't see a lot of her in the pilot, I think I'll keep my eye out for her as well.
My only gripe about the pilot was the same one I had about the episode that introduced Dr. Fate in Superman and the episode of Batman that introduced The Demon . . . namely how in the world did these heroes know each other. Speed Demons and World's Finest were good introductory episodes, and Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter's introductions in the pilot were well-handled. Since the Green Lantern in JL isn't Kyle Rayner, the GL in the Superman episode "In Brightest Day," the fans are thrown for a loop as to how the heroes of Batman and Superman met John. Hawkgirl has obviously encountered Batman on a previous engagement, but once again, fans would ask, "How the heck did Batman know who she is?" among other questions. I'm sure all will be answered in future episodes.
I'm hooked. Of course I was hooked when the show was announced, but after witnessing it firsthand, I can say I'm impressed with the way the first episodes turned out. Fortunately, the generic supervillians of yesteryear will be gone and replaced with a lot of familar villians. Justice League, premiering Saturday, November 17 at 7 PM on Cartoon Network, is a must see for fans of action-animation, and I can't wait to see more!