Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Dir. Brandon Vietti

A criminal calling himself Red Hood attempts to take control of Gotham's criminal underworld, an act that doubles as a kind of challenge to Batman.

The villain's methods are extreme and permanent, but seem to be getting results. Batman tries to prevent further casualties; he's determined, brave, and overflowing with professionalism, but something about Red Hood bothers him on a deeply personal level.

The usual DC quality and attention to detail is evident throughout, besides their penchant for trying to incorporate CGI vehicles. The character designs are mostly great, and there's some timely black humour, more often than not courtesy of the Black Mask character (Wade Williams).

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

Dirs. Sam Liu + Lauren Montgomery

After an intriguing introduction we join the primary Justice League members as they build a new HQ in space; regular fans will know it as the Watchtower.

Construction is halted, however, when an intruder alarm is triggered, which is the precursor to a situation that requires their special talents; namely, a collective of evildoers who threaten to destroy everything that the League hold dear, and more.

The DC Multiverse has been used more in the comic book medium than in the animation one, but you won't need any special knowledge of the 'cosmic construct' concept to enjoy CoTE, and nor does it get too heavily into the science behind the phenomenon.

It focusses on action and adventure, mixing up expectations just enough to keep things feeling fresh.