Did you ever wish on JL..That they stop showing alien worlds? :)

[DR.MID-NITE]

I just got my 3yr old son into JL/Supes/Bats. One thing I noticed. Is they really need to stop showing alien worlds. For example, we watched the JL episode "In Blackest Night". And I have to wonder...."What the hell is up with these aliens?!?" It's like they are stupidly bizarre. :D :p

I mean...What the heck are these things?...

http://www.jlanimated.com/episodes/inblackestnightpart1/a000000003.jpg

http://www.jlanimated.com/episodes/warworldpart2/Image028.jpg


And on a completely different note. Watching "Secret Origins" again. Reminded me of why everyone complained how weak they made Supes then. I mean he gets hit with a laser from a Martian and is knocked over screaming in pain. :confused:

[psifreek28]

I just got my 3yr old son into JL/Supes/Bats. One thing I noticed. Is they really need to stop showing alien worlds. For example, we watched the JL episode "In Blackest Night". And I have to wonder...."What the hell is up with these aliens?!?" It's like they are stupidly bizarre. :D :p

I mean...What the heck are these things?...

http://www.jlanimated.com/episodes/inblackestnightpart1/a000000003.jpg

http://www.jlanimated.com/episodes/warworldpart2/Image028.jpg


And on a completely different note. Watching "Secret Origins" again. Reminded me of why everyone complained how weak they made Supes then. I mean he gets hit with a laser from a Martian and is knocked over screaming in pain. :confused:

Luckily the weakling supes issue was fixed,by season 2...it kinda seems to me a the creators decided to create a continuity issue with it, meaning his weakness was due to how he felt because it was all post "legacy", and slowly he regained stregnth and confindence. This point could be stregnthened by supes speech in the jlun finale (i hope that isnt a spoiler)

[Christophe]

Yes. I hate alien worlds. Thank God they pretty much stopped in JLU3

[A.J]

Luckily the weakling supes issue was fixed,by season 2...it kinda seems to me a the creators decided to create a continuity issue with it, meaning his weakness was due to how he felt because it was all post "legacy", and slowly he regained stregnth and confindence. This point could be stregnthened by supes speech in the jlun finale (i hope that isnt a spoiler)

Exactly what I thought after watching the JLU finale, couldnt agree anymore that was the reason why Supes was weaker back in JL season 1.

[James]

Luckily the weakling supes issue was fixed,by season 2...it kinda seems to me a the creators decided to create a continuity issue with it, meaning his weakness was due to how he felt because it was all post "legacy", and slowly he regained stregnth and confindence. This point could be stregnthened by supes speech in the jlun finale (i hope that isnt a spoiler)

Never thought of that. That's really very cool. This is what I mean about hating the term "plot holes" and various complaints of "errors" made by audiences in regards to shows. Superman was weaker in season one. People saw it as a writing flaw than there being any rationale behind it. Now we have a rationale (be it retrospective) and it all makes sense. Any "mistake" in a show, be it a character one, a plot hole or whatever, can be remedied as it's fiction. In the end the only plot holes and mistakes lie with the viewer. If his/her imagination can't make up for what isn't told or what doesn't make sense, one has to saddle part of the burden - there is ALWAYS an answer out there. :)

[Mister Intensity]

Never thought of that. That's really very cool. This is what I mean about hating the term "plot holes" and various complaints of "errors" made by audiences in regards to shows. Superman was weaker in season one. People saw it as a writing flaw than there being any rationale behind it. Now we have a rationale (be it retrospective) and it all makes sense. Any "mistake" in a show, be it a character one, a plot hole or whatever, can be remedied as it's fiction. In the end the only plot holes and mistakes lie with the viewer. If his/her imagination can't make up for what isn't told or what doesn't make sense, one has to saddle part of the burden - there is ALWAYS an answer out there. :)

Superman's "reduced power level" in Season One didn't really bother me because it was consistent with his power level in S:TAS. What does bother me is the emergence of "angry Supes" as his default characterization. It's like they said, "what can we do with Superman?" "I know let's make him angry all the time so he can punch things all the time." I find it interesting that now there's not much reason for Superman to be angry all the time that he didn't get used much in Season Three of JLU.

Mister Intensity

[DR.MID-NITE]

I thought the reason he was weakened in season 1 was the writers didn't want him to be all-powerfull?

[Bones Justice]

I don't mind them showing alien worlds occassionally. But I don't really care for the whole "Justice League patrols the universe" angle. I know that missions come up for other worlds (In Brightest Day or War World are good examples) but when they start going out looking for trouble throughout the galaxy, it seems a little too "Superfriends" for my tastes.

Besides, don't these heroes have enough on their plates with stuff on Earth? Besides League business, most of them have their own turf to cover, and most have secret identities, too. I can't even guess how Batman or Superman juggle all three. But then, I guess I never figured out how Santa does it, either. :D

[James]

I thought the reason he was weakened in season 1 was the writers didn't want him to be all-powerfull?

As far as I'm aware that was the point and why I disagree slightly with Mr Intensity. He was depowered because now there was a multi hero dynamic in which Superman couldn't simply be used at full strength without devaluing the use of others. If Super was too Super, he outstripped the requirements for the rest of the League. He makes it harder to write battles when essentially he's powerful enough to limit the tension. Season one Superman always seemed to be getting knocked out or caught in mid air suffering from an attack.

That issue was readdressed in season two (as it seemed he was too depowered for the character) and rewritten as a fictional explanation retrospectively in the JLU finale.

That's how it seems from this Brit's viewpoint.

[Simpler Simon]

Eh the designs are okay....but the voices need to sound more alien-esque. There was a scene in War World where GL and HG nab an informant (who later gasses and ditches them) and he's talking English with an accent. Just didnt work for me.

[DisneyBoy]

I think the biggest problem with the "alien worlds" seeming dominant in the series early on was the fact that the first two arcs, "Secret Origins" and "In Blackest Night" prominantly featured aliens. We got a break for a while, but then the infamous "War World" came along and took us on another space ride.

I think that may be partly why Season Two's "Hearts and Minds" wasn't altogether popular with the fans. Coming off three major arcs in the first season taking place (in part or in whole) on other planets, we might have all been hoping for the writers to keep things closer to home. Thankfully JL S2 did, for the most part.

I think the greatest loss, however, is that of ALL the alien worlds we got to see, we never ONCE actually went to Thanagar with Shayera, either in flashback, or in a redemption tale of some sort...and yet that was probably the planet most often talked about.

[Sue]

I think alien worlds can be fascinating if for no other reason that it's offers a change of scenery.

[Sage Shinigami]

I never cared for JL, but I love alien worlds. Why place everything on Earth? This place is boring. :p

That said...JL Supes in my eyes is no weaker than S:TAS Supes. The only thing I remember from watching S:TAS all those years (like, 6 :D) was that Superman got his butt kicked all the time. So if JL Superman was weaker I sure never noticed it. If he was weaker because of the fact that they needed to make him weaker so the team would seem necessary, they went about it wrong. You don't make members of the team weaker...you make the ENEMY stronger.

[BigFatHairyDeal]

Since Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Orion, Hawkgirl, and most Green Lanterns are aliens, I don't mind seeing an alien world or two.

I'm not sure they ever gave an in-continuity reason why Superman was so weak in the first season (not that they have to). As others alluded to, if they decide to fix it one day, that's fine by me. And thank goodness. Not only was it annoying that they'd go out of their way to rough him up, but it was so conflicting with every other portrayal of the character. If everyone else could write a tough Supes, why couldn't the DCAU writers? Anyway, as I like to point out, the drastic improvements in the show coincided perfectly with when Superman stopped being a wuss. Coincidence? I think not... :D

[Casey Mack]

Since Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Orion, Hawkgirl, and most Green Lanterns are aliens, I don't mind seeing an alien world or two.

I'm not sure they ever gave an in-continuity reason why Superman was so weak in the first season (not that they have to). As others alluded to, if they decide to fix it one day, that's fine by me. And thank goodness. Not only was it annoying that they'd go out of their way to rough him up, but it was so conflicting with every other portrayal of the character. If everyone else could write a tough Supes, why couldn't the DCAU writers? Anyway, as I like to point out, the drastic improvements in the show coincided perfectly with when Superman stopped being a wuss. Coincidence? I think not... :D

Those mysterous wrinkles around Superman eyes didn't help either. Anyway why wouldn't people want to see alien worlds, it makes the show more interesting.

[FALLEN ELDOR]

I'm upset we didn't see MORE alien worlds! It would have been nice if we could have gotten an Adam Strange episode or seen Thanagar or more of the GL Corps in JLU. Heck I would have killed for a Starman spotlight so we could see his stomping grounds.

[DR.MID-NITE]

I don't mind alien worlds. It was just the fact that the aliens they created were just too ridiculous looking. :)

[Arkangel]

That said...JL Supes in my eyes is no weaker than S:TAS Supes. The only thing I remember from watching S:TAS all those years (like, 6 :D) was that Superman got his butt kicked all the time.
While I disagree that he got his butt kicked all the time, I do agree that the JL Superman was written at the same power level as the Superman in STAS, which to me is the perfect power-level for him. He's still formidable and still outclasses almost everyone as far as strength and invulnerability goes, but it's not taken to the ridiculous extremes of the pre-Crisis Superman. So he gets hurt, so what? Superman in STAS is pretty impossible to kill, but he does get hurt a lot and is stopped by conventional weapons at times, i.e. the machine guns on the helicopter give him a hard time during the climax of "The Late Mr. Kent."

[Duke]

I didn't mind the alien words too much (though the designs sometimes went a bit TOO alien [or I've been watching far too much Stargate]), and considering how 90% of the Earth scenes were either in Metropolis or Gotham (or some variant of it), it was nice to see somewhere else.

[BigFatHairyDeal]

While I disagree that he got his butt kicked all the time, I do agree that the JL Superman was written at the same power level as the Superman in STAS, which to me is the perfect power-level for him. He's still formidable and still outclasses almost everyone as far as strength and invulnerability goes, but it's not taken to the ridiculous extremes of the pre-Crisis Superman. So he gets hurt, so what? Superman in STAS is pretty impossible to kill, but he does get hurt a lot and is stopped by conventional weapons at times, i.e. the machine guns on the helicopter give him a hard time during the climax of "The Late Mr. Kent."
Showing Superman get hurt by conventional weapons was a bad idea, IMO. As I pointed out, that's out of touch with ninety-some percent of every other incarnation of the character, it's practically unrecognizable. The image that's far more common is that bullets bounce of the guy harmlessly. What's further unfortunate is that JL almost made it a point to have Superman take a painful shot every time. Watch an episode like "Savage Time" and count how many times Superman gets hit and grunts in pain, then compare it to everyone else.

Anyway, here's a little visual demonstration I concocted this morning. Take the first example:

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/9292/boo9ue.gif

Honestly, does seeing this happen every episode really make the show more interesting? Not at all. On the other hand...

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1848/flick2qk.gif

This accomplished everything the writers wanted for the first season and STAS. There was a guy (Grodd) who had a unique ability that could literally give Superman quite the headache, but if Superman gritted through it, he'd still come out on top. Where this surpasses most of the pre-Season 2 JL scenes is that it also had three additional bonuses:
They played off an old Superman trademark, the finger flick o' doom, so it's consistent with what Superman fans expect
It's a very funny scene
It looked really coolAs Sage pointed out, it's not a problem if you make the bad guys tougher. It is a problem if you make Superman weaker because now all of the sudden you simply can't do all the cool visual stuff that helps make episodes (or comic books) that much more memorable.

[Dusty]

While I disagree that he got his butt kicked all the time, I do agree that the JL Superman was written at the same power level as the Superman in STAS, which to me is the perfect power-level for him. He's still formidable and still outclasses almost everyone as far as strength and invulnerability goes, but it's not taken to the ridiculous extremes of the pre-Crisis Superman. So he gets hurt, so what? Superman in STAS is pretty impossible to kill, but he does get hurt a lot and is stopped by conventional weapons at times, i.e. the machine guns on the helicopter give him a hard time during the climax of "The Late Mr. Kent."
I agree with you here, and also i love seeing alien worlds, that is part of what made me like JL so much,



D.

[DR.MID-NITE]

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1848/flick2qk.gif



It's funny you showed this scene. I remember watching it with a doctor friend of mine. He was like if you flicked someone hard enough to fling them across a football field. Your finger would either go through their head or at least cause major facial trauma. To which I replied..."Yet, you have no problem with a man who can fly, invulnerable and is from another planet?". :p

[Silly McGooses]

Yeah, I hate the aliens. Really seems cheap and tacky to me. It's like...wouldn't anybody find this the least bit incredible? Secret Origins at least had people shocked by the aliens and the discovery of there being something from another world, after that everybody was just...meh. Look. There's an an alien. Hmm.

[Sage Shinigami]

I don't mind alien worlds. It was just the fact that the aliens they created were just too ridiculous looking. :)


Sooo.....you want they should look more human? I'm not getting your meaning. Aliens are *supposed* to look different, that's the the point.

[Sue]

Funny you mention that -- I just read a complaint at DC's message boards that many of their aliens races don't look "alien" enough! I like having a mix of freaky-looking creatures and humans out in space, and I think JL/U's done that.

[DR.MID-NITE]

Sooo.....you want they should look more human? I'm not getting your meaning. Aliens are *supposed* to look different, that's the the point.

Sage, I am cool with them being different...I just think some are just stupid looking. Just my opinion...heck aliens may look just like that. ;)

[Shadow09]

I don't mind seeing the alien worlds at all, gives a change in scenery which is always good to see. But having too much alien worlds and not enough eps that are on Earth makes you wonder if the Justice League is actually protecting Earth or the entire Galaxy.

That being said, I have no problems with league members visiting other worlds to help out the people that inhabit the planet, after all these heroes wouldn't turn down a call for help anyway.

An even mix of alien worlds and showing the JL helping the people of Earth works for me.

On and regards too how aliens should look, whos to say what they should or shouldn't look like? Come on it's not like any of us have actually seen aliens anyway... so to say they look too weird... seems just a bit too bogus for me... :sad: Oh well... we all have our own opinions anyway *sigh*

[Squall]

I had no problem with alien planets per se, as long as the Justice League spent most of their time on Earth, and didn't go out on patrol looking for problems to solve. (Now, if someone called them for help... I could understand.)

There were three ideas regarding alien planets that did bother me, though:

1. Any Star Trek fan would watch JL/JLU and say, "Hey, the Justice League Javelins have warp drive capability! Why haven't they shared this technology, and other remarkable technology, with the rest of humanity?"

2. Most alien planets should be primarily composed of a single species, but on JL/JLU they often weren't. For example, how did War World end up being composed of such a mix of dramatically different alien species living together? Is it at a crossroads of worm holes in our galaxy or something?

3. I could see most Justice League members leaving Earth for the occasional adventure, but some are just best left on Earth. Batman, for example, gets more and more out of his element the farther away he is from Gotham City; I think that Batman, no matter how smart and well trained in fighting techniques he may be, couldn't survive on many of the alien planets we saw on JL/JLU. (His appearance in New Genesis on JL "Twilight" still bothers me to this day.)