Blog Talkback: Toons of the 2000s: The End of DCAU - A Retrospective

[Harley]

Neo Yi and crew take a look back at some of the finest moments in the DC Animated Universe timeline in, Toons of the 2000s: The End of DCAU - A Retrospective.

[ABrown]

"Greatest Story Never Told"??? I wish that it had "never been told." Oh well, I'm sure that there were episodes that I liked that other people didn't like as much.

I'd be the first to admit though, I definitely was a DCAU crybaby. It took at least two years after Justice League Unlimited ended to accept DC animation that wasn't a part of the DCAU. But after really giving the DC Universe movies a fair chance, I think I've more than gotten over the DCAU.

[Michael24]

"Greatest Story Never Told"??? I wish that it had "never been told." Oh well, I'm sure that there were episodes that I liked that other people didn't like as much.

I know how you feel. I mean, I like "War World." LOL!!! But I agree, "The Greatest Story Never Told" was probably my least-favorite episode of JL.

[Neo Yi]

The Booster Gold episode was more to emphasize Justice League Unlimited's amazing job using obscure or other DC characters instead of the main ones we're used to. This isn't a "best DCAU episode" list.

Personally, I loved "The Greatest Story Never Told". I had absolutely no clue who Booster Gold was prior to this airing, so its deliverance and key focus on him and only him instead of the more popular or utilized character still managed to captivate me. Plus, the episode is just plain hilarious; the pregnancy scene still gets me.

[Rud]

I think its a good list, besides "The Greatest Story Never Told" the episodes mentioned were all pretty amazing and or iconic.

Personally, I loved "The Greatest Story Never Told". I had absolutely no clue who Booster Gold was prior to this airing, so its deliverance and key focus on him and only him instead of the more popular or utilized character still managed to captivate me. Plus, the episode is just plain hilarious; the pregnancy scene still gets me.

Me neither.

[Duke]

I don't know how you all don't like "Greatest Story Never Told." It, "Kid's Stuff," and "This Little Piggy" were easily better than "Dark Heart," "Initiation," and 3/4 of JLU Season 3.

[Michael24]

Personally, I loved "The Greatest Story Never Told". I had absolutely no clue who Booster Gold was prior to this airing, so its deliverance and key focus on him and only him instead of the more popular or utilized character still managed to captivate me.

I was the same way, and I think that's why I didn't like it. I had no idea who this character was, so suddenly being forced to spend the entire episode focused on him made it hard to get into. (Plus, the fact that I found him annoying more than anything else didn't help, either.) I mean, I appreciated and even liked the idea behind the episode, but it just didn't work for me.

I don't know how you all don't like "Greatest Story Never Told." It, "Kid's Stuff," and "This Little Piggy" were easily better than "Dark Heart," "Initiation," and 3/4 of JLU Season 3.

I didn't care for "Kid's Stuff," either. I groan every time I see a story where the main characters are turned into kids. And the episode where Wonder Woman is turned into a pig? Ugh. But Season 3 was my favorite of the three JLU seasons.

[Revelator]

I also liked "The Greatest Story" and it's a good choice to show how JLU gave third-tier characters treatment deserving of first-tier ones. It was written by Andrew Kreisberg, who also wrote "Legends," one of the few highlights of JL Season 01, and it's just as funny. I can't remember if I began reading Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League International comics before or after seeing "Greatest Story" but I found that they dovetailed perfectly. And any episode that goes beyond the original seven--who still had too many episodes of their own in JLU--to be a relief.

[Neo Yi]

I didn't care for "Kid's Stuff," either. I groan every time I see a story where the main characters are turned into kids. And the episode where Wonder Woman is turned into a pig? Ugh. But Season 3 was my favorite of the three JLU seasons.

B-But it gave us Batman singing! Singing!

We have to agree to disagree; those two episodes (especially "Kid's Stuff") are among my favorite. It proves the crew are just as adapt on humor as they are on drama and action.

In fact, we're the opposite; I didn't enjoy Season 3 as much. It lacked the intensity and brilliance of the Cadmus Arc that spread throughout Season Two - though the creators had the mindset that "Epilogue" would have been the series finale, so I can understand a new season renewal might have threw them off.

[Michael24]

We have to agree to disagree; those two episodes (especially "Kid's Stuff") are among my favorite. It proves the crew are just as adapt on humor as they are on drama and action.

That's okay. And I do think "Kid's Stuff" had a great line when Young Batman said, "I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old," though. I know the crew are adapt at humor, but those episodes in particular just didn't work for me is all.

In fact, we're the opposite; I didn't enjoy Season 3 as much. It lacked the intensity and brilliance of the Cadmus Arc that spread throughout Season Two

Cadmus was interesting, but I thought that season was underwhelming. Granted, you can only do so much in the span of 13 episodes that barely run 22-23 minutes, especially when they're packed with more characters than any series should ever have, but it felt both rushed and underdone to me.

[Gokou Ruri]

Looking back.. I think Justice League Unlimited was the weakest show of them all. They spent so much time on one-shot characters it was hard to care about any of it. It felt like they were more focused on showing as many cameos as they could that they kind of forgot to develop them as characters or do much of anything with them. Sort of a "Here's Vigilante, he'll show up to shoot some things than leave." If you're a comic fan, and pretend that their 100% accurate to their comic characters so you can fill in all the blanks, then I guess it might not be a big deal. I just know I couldn't care less about Booster Gold, Vigilante, or any of the other characters who got only one or two episodes. Especially when the episodes turned into the 'new recruit shows up the original members to prove themselves' type of episode. I don't think we even saw most of them out of costume as normal people. It was even worse with the villains since they got even less. I'm not a big fan of those kinds of 'cameo shows'.

[Mek]

My main issue with JLU was that it focused on too many characters for me to count or care for.

Now, bear in mind I am first and foremost, always a Marvelite. Marvel has my undying loyalty in most respects (and honestly enough, their recent animated output has been very strong), but I really liked BTAS and all the DCAU shows up until JLU. Something about their shows was just so much more sophisticated and, well, better produced.

The problem is that -from MY perspective- JLU seemed more like fanservice with what I call 'gratuitous fanboy porn' with all these obscure characters showing up. For someone who had -and still has- no idea who Stargirl or Booster Gold are, it's really frustrating. Ultimately, I found both seasons of JLU to be extremely difficult to get into and I just gave up. For me, Justice League ended with 'Starcrossed'.

... Well okay, I do think 'Epilogue' was pretty decent.

[Neo Yi]

Cadmus was interesting, but I thought that season was underwhelming. Granted, you can only do so much in the span of 13 episodes that barely run 22-23 minutes, especially when they're packed with more characters than any series should ever have, but it felt both rushed and underdone to me.

Personally, I didn't feel any rush. True, I felt Brainiac popping out of nowhere at the last minute feels like a cop out, yet this is a callback to the Superman Animated Series that aired at least ten years ago. The deliverance of continuity and story arc is simply amazing.

[ABrown]

Cadmus was interesting, but I thought that season was underwhelming. Granted, you can only do so much in the span of 13 episodes that barely run 22-23 minutes, especially when they're packed with more characters than any series should ever have, but it felt both rushed and underdone to me.

Well see I think the Cadmus arc stretched the first 26 JLU episodes. Granted, there were some stand alone episodes in there too. But I found it to be one of the greatest ongoing stories I'd ever seen.

[Michael24]

Looking back.. I think Justice League Unlimited was the weakest show of them all. They spent so much time on one-shot characters it was hard to care about any of it. It felt like they were more focused on showing as many cameos as they could that they kind of forgot to develop them as characters or do much of anything with them. Sort of a "Here's Vigilante, he'll show up to shoot some things than leave." If you're a comic fan, and pretend that their 100% accurate to their comic characters so you can fill in all the blanks, then I guess it might not be a big deal. I just know I couldn't care less about Booster Gold, Vigilante, or any of the other characters who got only one or two episodes. Especially when the episodes turned into the 'new recruit shows up the original members to prove themselves' type of episode. I don't think we even saw most of them out of costume as normal people. It was even worse with the villains since they got even less. I'm not a big fan of those kinds of 'cameo shows'.

That was pretty much my biggest complaint about JLU. It seemed so concerned about squeezing in appearances from so many lesser-known and rarely used DC characters that character development was sacrificed in favor of "look who pops up this week!" For all the appearances by those kinds of characters, the only ones who left any kind of impression -- for me, at least -- where Green Arrow and possibly The Question. Everybody else just seemed sort of tossed in for the sake of tossing them in. I knew nothing about them prior to their appearances, and was pretty much the same way afterward.

I loved having full-length 26-episode seasons with multi-part episodes in those first two seasons, so coming off of those I found JLU something of a letdown. Of course, there were things I liked about those JLU seasons, but it was just really hard to enjoy them as much as those first two seasons.

[Barbossa]

I guess B.Timm and co can't please everyone.They must have the hardest job in the world trying to please everyone despite them spoiling us with great shows like jlu

[adoptedBatpuppy]

I guess B.Timm and co can't please everyone.They must have the hardest job in the world trying to please everyone despite them spoiling us with great shows like jlu

I don't think they are. Bruce Timm and Warner Brothers were making great cartoons (for majority of us) which are enjoyable by everyone!

[Michael24]

I agree, overall Timm and Co. made some great -- sometimes even fantastic -- contributions to the world of animation with their DCAU work.

Even the more lackluster episodes of JLU would be preferred over most other toons I've seen this decade.

[klammed]

Epilogue was some crazy episode. I loved it, but I never quite knew if the monochrome bits were just in Terry's head as he played out possible scenarios, or recollections of things he had already done. Hmm.. ideas anyone?

Going back to watch Rebirth I was struck by the intensity of the music that went along with that episode, stuff I didn't notice as a kid.

Excellent choices of episodes for the DCAU

[adoptedBatpuppy]

Epilogue was some crazy episode. I loved it, but I never quite knew if the monochrome bits were just in Terry's head as he played out possible scenarios, or recollections of things he had already done. Hmm.. ideas anyone?

Going back to watch Rebirth I was struck by the intensity of the music that went along with that episode, stuff I didn't notice as a kid.

Excellent choices of episodes for the DCAU

I think Terry did both, some of the things he already done, others were possible scenarios for him to do.
For example, when he told Dana that he was Batman was done in the past, and he was remembering this event in his life. When Terry thinks about his proposal to Dana in the future, as a possible scenario.