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.