Justice League Unlimited (2004-06)

Justice League Unlimited (2004-06)

39 episodes, approx 22 minutes each, split over 3 seasons.

A continuation of the excellent Justice League (2001-04) animated series, set approximately two years after its end.

As you'll see in the accompanying image, while the core team remain Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc, there are a lot more supporting characters than before. And that's just a sample. There's even more in the series proper, some that are obvious choices and some that certainty aren't.

The extended roster is both a good and bad thing. It's good because with new faces come new challenges, which can open the door to new types of story, that can in turn give rise to internal conflicts and additional depth.

Some examples are the stories involving The Question (Jeffrey Combs) and Huntress (Amy Acker); and the love triangle that revolves around Green Lantern John Stewart (Phil LaMarr), Vixen (Gina Torres), and Hawkgirl (Maria Canals-Barrera).

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

Dir. Curt Geda

Batman (Kevin Conroy) rarely gets a break. In addition to risking his life fighting against ego-centric criminals, he risks his public reputation dodging gold-digging ladies at high class charity balls as Bruce Wayne. It's tough being a billionaire.

When a female figure hits the streets of Gotham in a stylised bat suit, being reckless and endangering human life, the caped crusader has to use his night time detective skills and his daytime playboy skills to figure out who's hiding under the mask.

The story offers up more than one possible candidate, which should keep interested viewers guessing for a while. It might be a short while, though, because the 'mystery' aspect isn't as adroitly developed as it could've been.

Justice League (2001-04)

Justice League (2001-04)

52 episodes, approx 22 minutes each, split over 2 seasons.

Seven unique heroes fighting as one unit, with each one bringing individual strengths and weaknesses, creating opportunities and anticipating reactions, kicking villainous ass in dramatic set-pieces that give way to relatable human drama is what made Justice League one of the best cartoons that I've ever seen, especially Season 02.

It's often the City of Metropolis under threat, but, while not explicitly stated, the War of the Worlds style attacks in the very first arc make it clear that the danger isn't just going to be of global origin, it'll be intergalactic.

The typical focuses are there, of course, such as the folly of those with power, the corruption of the weak-willed in the face of that same power, and the way in which good intentions ill-conceived can be catastrophic to all, but like the comic from which the show took its name the stories aren't unwilling to stray into surreal situations in its exploration of such things. JL is storytelling without constraints.

The Zeta Project (2001-02)

The Zeta Project (2001-02)

Dirs: Various | 26 episodes (12 in S1 + 14 in S2), approx 22 mins each.

TZP is a spin-off series starring a character that was introduced in Batman Beyond, specifically S02 Ep20: Zeta; with a second appearance in S03 Ep 12: Countdown. It's recommended you watch those to get the backstory, but for the benefit of anyone who didn't, a spoilery synopsis follows:

Infiltration Unit Zeta is a synthoid (robot) with a chameleon-like ability to holographically assume the appearance of anyone he's met or seen.

Equipped with high-tech gadgets and deadly weaponry, Zeta's primary function was to carry out covert assassinations for the NSA. But an existential crisis brought on by the realisation that one of his given targets was innocent of the crime they were accused of caused Zeta to overcome his programming and vow to never again kill.

The synthoid's newfound morality didn't sit well with his NSA superiors, however, who fear he's been reprogrammed by an enemy.

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)

aka Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker (2000)

The only feature-length outing for Batman Beyond is a great one. It came out between Seasons 02 and 03 of the parent series, so was able to reference Terry McGinnis' life up to that point, including splicing and The Jokerz street gang. [1]

But that's not all, because being a part of TAS continuity meant is could reference Bruce Wayne's life, too, which it does via a split timeline, telling a story that spans decades and involves both the Batman of old Gotham and the Batman of New.

It's no spoiler to say that The Joker (Mark Hamill) appears to have returned, which impacts the lives of both Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) and Terry (Will Friedle). The Clown Prince of Crime's appearance vexes Bruce greatly and is the mystery that drives the narrative in the early part.

Static Shock (2000-04)

Static Shock (2000-04)

52 episodes, approx 22 mins each.

I haven't had time to watch Static Shock, much less write about it. I need to publish the post, though, so I can keep the links to PREVIOUS and NEXT in functional order. I'll edit the post when I have something more to say; i.e., when time allows and I get to to watch all 52 episodes!

It likely won't be until 2024. Until then, I'll use lorem ipsum to fill the empty space. Quisque lacinia pretium convallis. Donec iaculis vulputate ante. Ut finibus sem bibendum posuere semper. Proin scelerisque iaculis dictum. Phasellus auctor lacus et ex finibus, id luctus arcu hendrerit. Duis sed risus augue. Sed ornare pretium neque vitae placerat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

Phasellus eget est in sapien blandit luctus. Aenean tincidunt purus arcu, non rutrum lectus dapibus.

Batman Beyond (1999-2001)

aka Batman of the Future (1999-2001)

52 episodes, approx 22 minutes each, split over 3 seasons.

The team that created Batman Beyond (aka Batman of the Future) achieved the near-impossible: they made a show that's the equal of Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95) in tone and content and they did it without having Billionaire Bruce Wayne as the lead! Holy personnel changes, Batman.

It's set in 2039, forty years after TAS' successor, The New Batman Adventures, and continues the continuity set up by both it and TAS. The era of the original caped crusader has passed and the world has moved on.

Even Gotham has evolved, into Neo-Gotham, a towering, high-tech megalopolis wherein crime and corruption is as rife in the shiny office buildings as it is on late night docks.

Bruce (Kevin Conroy) is still around, possibly because like one of his contemporaries said he's too stubborn to die. He is, however, a retired, cranky and cynical recluse that rarely leaves the seclusion and safety of Wayne Manor.

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)

Dir. Boyd Kirkland

Victor Fries (Michael Ansara) does the wrong things for arguably the right reason: for love, but it's the all-consuming kind that can cloud judgment and rationale. He's a tragic figure whom tragedy seems to follow, even when far from civilisation.

When the world that Victor purposefully left behind intrudes upon the peaceful existence that the cryogenics expert created for himself, Batman (Kevin Conroy) is forced to step in and take him down. Bruce isn't alone this time, however, because he has Robin (Loren Lester) to help him.

It's the second film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS) continuity, set sometime between the end of The Animated Series and the beginning of its successor, The New Batman Adventures. 

The New Batman Adventures (1997-99)

The New Batman Adventures (1997-99)

Dirs. Various | 24 episodes, approx 22 mins each.

A direct continuation of Batman: The Animated Series set two years after TAS ended. It had many of the same cast and creative team behind the scenes, but it's visually different to what came before, with a different title and a distinct logo design.

It's been previously marketed both as a different show with two produced seasons of its own, and, perhaps erroneously, as a third season of TAS. Like many fans I subscribe to the belief that it is indeed its own thing, albeit one that continues TAS continuity. The many visual changes in the series seem to support that belief.

It features Batgirl (Tara Strong), Robin (Mathew Valencia), and Nightwing (Loren Lester) at various times throughout, with Batman (Kevin Conroy) being the only team member who appears in every episode, but the characters were redesigned to more closely match Superman TAS, due to how the two series were being screened on TV at the time.

Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000)

Superman: TAS (1996-2000)

Dirs. Various | 54 episodes (split over 3 seasons), approx 22 mins each [1]

Devised and produced by many of the same creative team that made Batman: TAS (1992–95), Superman's animated series looked familiar but also different. Metropolis is brighter than Gotham, with a different kind of art deco influence, one more inspired by Streamline Moderne. Giving each city its own visual identity is a positive change, but the less textured aesthetic of Metropolis looks cheap and sparse by comparison.

Likewise, and the first indication that what you're watching might be a step down in quality, the opening credits, which are a montage of episode scenes in roughly chronological order, feel tawdry and lazy compared to the dramatic excellence of Batman's. Superman's are spoilery, too, for anyone who's not seen the series before.

And subjectively speaking, Shirley Walker's accompanying theme music is also less memorable.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Dirs. Eric Radomski + Bruce Timm

MotP was the first film in the DC Animated Universe (TAS). The excellent voice acting, dramatic noir lighting, stylistic art deco designs, and Shirley Walker music all help elevate the work beyond a typical PG rated animation of the era.

Bruce isn't just an angry orphan fighting against a world that he feels took something irreplaceable from him, he's a flawed dark avenger, suffering emotional conflicts as he weighs the lure of a normal, loving relationship against an earnest vow to protect others from the pain he weathers. He's fully aware of why he does what he does, but finds reasons to justify it. I can relate to that. I'm sure we all can. (Except for the dressing in tights part?)

There's been dozens of Batman films since its release, but MotP is still the best that I've seen.

Don't be put off by the CGI opening that takes you thorough a sprawling Gotham skyline. There's an occasional use of CGI throughout the rest of the film, but mostly it's traditional hand-drawn animation, and is all the better for it.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95)

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95)

Dirs. Various | 85 Episodes (65 in S1 + 20 in S2), approx 22 mins each. [1]

Quintessential - that's what The Animated Series version of Batman is for me, outside of the printed page. Whether it be live action or animation, TAS is superior to every other onscreen interpretation of the iconic character that I've encountered thus far.

That same adjective applies to two of its most notable voice actors. Firstly, Kevin Conroy, who provides the voice of both billionaire Bruce Wayne and his pointy-eared and black-caped nighttime alter ego.

The other, mentioned second but no less memorable than the first is Mark Hamill, who brings maniacal life to The Joker. I've not enjoyed Hamill's work outside of TAS, but as the clown prince of crime he's a master.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020)

Dirs. Matt Peters + Christina Sotta

Apokolips War marks the end of the DC movie continuity that began with The Flashpoint Paradox (2013). I didn't like the New 52 very much, so have no problems if its influence on the animated universe comes to an end - if indeed that's what actually happens. At time of writing, it remains to be seen if that's the case.

The story begins with a quote written large onscreen, a slight paraphrasing of a famous prayer that was penned by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. While initially untitled, in modern times it's become known as the Serenity Prayer. If you're not familiar with the title, it's the verse that encourages one to accept the things that they cannot change; have the courage to change the things that they can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)

Dirs. Sam Liu / Justin Copeland

Wonder Woman's second solo animated movie is nothing like her first one. In short, the first one was good, but the second one is downright awful.

It begins with Captain Steve Trevor (Jeffrey Donovan) in a jet plane somewhere over the Mediterranean. An unforeseen event causes him to crash into the sea, plunging him also in the world of Diana (Rosario Dawson), Princess of Themyscira, on a secret island that's been sealed away from the rest of the world. Steve's presence is disruptive, most of all to Diana, who quickly decides that everything she's ever known and loved is of lesser value than helping a man that she's just met return home to help his people.

So far, so rushed, but that part of the story is well-known to Wo Wo fans, as is her subsequent travels to the outside world. What follows after is new.

Batman: Hush (2019)

Batman: Hush (2019)

Dir. Justin Copeland

I'm surely not the only person who wishes that WB and DC would stop doing direct adaptations of existing comic book story arcs and instead focus on creating more original animations. There's plenty of writers who'd be willing to submit something unique.

I read Hush years ago in its first TPB format. Jim Lee's artwork was excellent, but I've had no desire to experience the story again, such was my feelings for it. The animation didn't reverse that decision.

The premise is that an unknown antagonist, the titular Hush, whose face is bandaged to conceal his identity, hopes to destroy Batman from afar by targeting people close to him and by manipulating the other supervillains to work strategically against him.

Reign of the Supermen (2019)

Reign of the Supermen (2019)

Dir: Sam Liu

NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD

A sequel to The Death of Superman (2018), set six months after its predecessor's end. 

Rather than show us what a world without Superman is like, it instead quickly fills up the necessary spaces with four new supermen, each with their own (initially secret) reason for wanting to protect Metropolis from itself.

A lack of faith in either script or viewer means we're told outright that in order to heal emotionally, Lois needs to solve the mystery of the four. The journey that should follow that realisation is a solid basis to build a sequel on, but the story has even more problems than The Death of Suprman and I lost interest.

If that hadn't been the case, however, I'm confident that the absurdity of the resurrected Super-Jesus and his three disciples hurtling toward a fisticuff finale would've been more than enough to ultimately kill it for me.

Constantine: City of Demons (2018)

Constantine: City of Demons (2018)

Dir. Doug Murphy

An animated solo adventure for Liverpool's most famous warlock that has him investigating the reasons why his oldest (living) friend's daughter has fallen into a coma. Originally presented in episodic form (5 parts) it was later merged into one feature-length production.

Matt Ryan is once again on voice duties, as he was in the previous year's Justice League Dark animated movie and the live action Constantine TV Series (2014-15). There are differences with regards continuity between the two formats, so I'm choosing to view them as separate things. But it's perhaps also worth noting that episode ten of the live action TV series (Quid Pro Quo) used the same source text as City of Demons does, namely the Hellblazer: All His Engines (2005) comic book by Mike Carey and Leonardo Manco.

The Death of Superman (2018)

The Death of Superman (2018)

Dirs: Sam Liu + Jake Castorena

TDoS starts badly, with 'millennial' dialogue that made me cringe. Unfortunately, that aspect of it doesn't get much better as it goes on, and the voice casting is mostly weak, meaning even the well-written lines are often delivered without gravitas and with little in the way of real conviction from the speaker.

The strained romantic relationship between Clark/Superman (Jerry O'Connell) and Lois Lane (Rebecca Romijn) is a major concern in the story. Quite often that kind of thing can feel rushed or under-developed in DC movies, but it's given a respectable amount of time to develop. That alone could've been something to celebrate, if not for the aforementioned weak dialogue and lifeless voice of Superman.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)

Dir. Sam Liu

This post exists to satisfy a personal goal. There's nothing of value within it. That's not some kind of playful in-joke. It's a true statement. I shit you not, et cetera.

⊲  PREV POST  ☆  NEXT POST  ⊳

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)

Dir. Sam Liu

A second DCAMU outing for the super-powered youths, this time based on a story arc of the same name by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez that featured in The New Teen Titans comic book. I've not read the full arc, so can't say how faithful it is or isn't.

It also functions as a sequel to the previous year's Justice League vs Teen Titans (2016) animated feature, which I have seen. From that perspective, it's merely an okay movie.

The character that was teased in the closing credits of the previous movie is now a member of the group. Her name is Tara (Christina Ricci). As with any established collective, a new face has an effect on the team dynamic, but she plays a major role and is the focus of many of the story's themes.

Justice League Dark (2017)

Justice League Dark (2017)

Dir. Jay Oliva

I wonder how many names were in the hat when the creative team were struggling to come up with a catchy moniker for their new magic-themed 'League' collective. Given what they settled on, the others mustn't have been much good at all. But despite the name, the team itself is an interesting bunch of individuals.

Their genesis in animated form occurs when a spate of supernatural happenings perturbs the regular Justice League. Batman is chosen to enlist the help of folks who understand the workings of magic, in the hope that they'll be able to get to the bottom of the mystery.

It's an original story, not adapted wholesale from any of the existing comic book adventures, so deserves credit for that, if nothing else.

Justice League vs Teen Titans (2016)

Justice League vs Teen Titans (2016)

Dir. Sam Liu

While the 'heroes vs other heroes' thing isn't a new concept for DC, it was pleasing to see the Teen Titans included in the continuity of the DCAMU movies because, while I'm not as familiar with the group in comic book form, I loved the 2003-06 animated series. And  their involvement gave the writers an opportunity to address concerns that the Justice League might not be best equipped to tackle alone.

A connection to the Titans is made when Batman, tired of Damian's pissy attitude, sends the boy to Titan Towers in the hope that time spent with crusaders of his own age will help him to learn the value of teamwork. (And secretly he maybe just wanted some time away from the little turd for a while.)

Batman: Bad Blood (2016)

Batman: Bad Blood (2016)

Dir. Jay Oliva

Bad Blood features the 'extended bat-family', which changes the tone considerably from how it is when Batman works alone against the horrors of the night. Personally, I prefer the latter model, but it's nice to see the filmmakers try other things.

The 'family' in question are Nightwing (Sean Maher), Robin - the Damian version (Stuart Allan), and Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski). Though separate ordinarily, the different personalities must work together to discover the whereabouts of Batman (Jason O'Mara), who's gone missing.

The lack of any proper 'team dynamic' was perhaps intentional, to illustrate how the individual personas felt about each other, but the layers of stupid that exist outside of that were no doubt conceived to work in a more direct way. Alas, "high tech" villains with rocket wings, a bat-styled antagonist with a secret origin, ropey CGI vehicles, and a soldier with expert control of experimental tech that he's never used before all register high on the dumb-as-shit meter.

Batman vs. Robin (2015)

Batman vs. Robin (2015)

Dir. Jay Oliva

NOTE: there will be SPOILERS for Son of Batman (2014) in the text that follows.

A sequel to the Son of Batman movie, partially inspired by The Court of Owls crossover storyline from the comics. It has less protagonists, though, which some might argue is a good thing.

Bruce (Jason O'Mara) and ten-year-old Damian (Stuart Allan) have been living and fighting together for a few months. Having been taught by his grandfather to kill his enemies and draw power from the victory, the boy struggles with the moral code imposed upon him by Batman. That he even tries to overrule his instincts, however, suggests that he sees some merit in the non-lethal approach.

Unfortunately, the clash of egos that erupts when father and son don't see eye to eye threatens to destroy the fragile bond that they've built up. And the more Bruce pushes him to accept, the more Damian feels the need to defy his father.

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

Dir. Ethan Spaulding

It surprised me to learn that Aquaman made his comic book debut in 1941. I'd not given his genesis any thought before now, but if asked I would've guessed that he was a product of the Silver Age. I don't know if the DC universe would be much worse off if he wasn't in it, but the modern (internet) age hasn't improved his profile much. The Throne of Atlantis movie doesn't help his credibility, either.

Before he dons the orange and green duds, he's dry-land dweller Arthur Curry (Matt Lanter). Arthur's father has recently died, leaving the young man lonely and angry as he moves through the stages of grief.

Besides loss and anger, the story explores yearning, belonging, belief, and teamwork, among other things, as Arthur uncovers his true heritage.

Son of Batman (2014)

Son of Batman (2014)

Dir. Ethan Spaulding

Batman's brand of paternal instincts have been explored before with regards the various Robins in both comic book and animated form. There's room for debate on the usefulness of a Robin, but at least they aren't all snot-nosed little shits like the youth in SoB. He puts himself in dangerous situations to prove his mastery and ends up ruining everyone's day.

Does the continuity shake up of JL: War (2014) excuse the uncharacteristic way that Batman behaves? It's one thing to allow an outsider access to the Bat Cave, but to bring him into the world of other people who value their secrecy as much as Batsy is supposed to value his own is ridiculous.

And since when was letting someone who could be saved go ahead and die any different than killing him, in Bruce's mind at least? It's that kind of movie.

I didn't realise until I started writing that the movie's title as an initialism was kind of fitting, given that SoB is a polite way of saying son of a bitch.

Justice League: War (2014)

Justice League: War (2014)

Dir. Jay Oliva

The first Justice League animated movie to be based on the New 52 reboot in the comics is itself a reboot of the DC animated world, picking up the continuity reset of The Flashpoint Paradox (2013). It doesn't waste time giving backstory for most of the heroes. It starts instead in the middle of a chase and goes steadily downhill from there.

It earned my respect for addressing certain criticisms of failings that are almost inherent in superhero stories and for turning them into strengths, but the characters are mostly awful.

None of the protagonists have met one another at the movie's beginning, so it's essentially a League origin story that strives to establish rebooted attitudes and relationships, and lay the groundwork for bonds of friendship that are not yet forged.