Superman: Red Son (2020)

Superman: Red Son (2020)

Dir. Sam Liu

An Elseworlds tale that explores what the Man of Steel might have become if he'd been raised and come of age in a post-World War II Soviet Union locale instead of a 'friendly' US state.

The one and only time I read the comicbook miniseries that Red Son is based on was about twenty years ago, so, naturally, I remembered absolutely nothing about it. I hoped the movie's story might attempt a meaningful exploration of how much a location's dominant system of beliefs and cultural identity might influence the cognitive development, moral standing, ethical mindset, psychology, etc, of its citizens.

Or, to put it another way, the nurture vs nature debate, which could've critiqued or commented on the accepted, overused norms of the US version of the costumed superhero and his alien origins, through reflection at the very least. Otherwise, what would be the point of shifting the protagonist's all-important location?

Justice League: Doom (2012)

Justice League: Doom (2012)

Dir. Lauren Montgomery

Batman is a notable and valued part of the Justice League collective, but he's never really been what one would call a 'team player'. He'd much rather be alone, doing things his way, accountable to no one but his his own (troubled) conscience.

But it's while alone that each member is most vulnerable. Ergo, if a megalomaniac with strategic knowledge and the proper resources was to target each of the individuals while they were divided…

JL: Doom is an exciting animation that's loosely based on author Mark Waid's four-issue Tower of Babel story that ran in the JLA comics in 2000.

The pacing is excellent, the action is plentiful, and there's a decent level of subtext in play. It's so well assembled that you might not even notice until afterwards that the villains are mostly blank slates who exist to facilitate the main antagonist, himself a character who gets some back-story but doesn't actually do very much. A more devastating threat comes from a less obvious place, and isn't as straightforward as it might sound.

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)

Dirs. Christopher Berkeley / Lauren Montgomery / Jay Oliva

A monstrous evil — i.e., some gubbins about shadow demons, a rift in the nearby Sun, and an anti-matter universe — forces the Elders of the Green Lantern Corps to take drastic measures, which results in every available Lantern queueing up to get their power rings charged. Next to each other in line are Hal Jordan (Nathan Fillion) and a rookie named Arisia Rrab (Elisabeth Moss), who inherited her ring just three days prior and is understandably nervous.

Hal tries to distract the girl from the coming danger by telling her stories from the Corps' past, which is a pretty basic set-up for an anthology with six stories in all; one bridge and five others told via flashback.

Many of the most popular Lanterns are present, including Kilowog (Henry Rollins), Abin Sur (Arnold Vosloo), and Sinestro (Jason Isaacs).

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.

Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Dir. Lauren Montgomery

A Green Lantern origin story in which test pilot Hal Jordan (Christopher Meloni) inherits a power ring and a spandex romper suit and is all too suddenly saving the universe from powerful bad guys.

Hal's chock full of confidence and embraces the role quickly, but that doesn't explain how he's instantly flying around and transporting heavy objects over great distances with no apparent learning curve. It just doesn't bear scrutiny.

Before he can claim full ownership of the power ring, he has to prove himself to a group of elders and to his peers. That part gets more time devoted to it, but isn't without problems of its own, most notably the main bad guy, whose attitude and methods mark him out as such from a mile way.

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Dir. Dave Bullock

A voiceover in the deep tones of Keith David is a good way to open any animation, but coming as it does before a title sequence that captures the aesthetic of the Atomic era as it might be seen through the expert eyes of Saul Bass is a hell of a good start! And yes, I feel that exclamation mark is fully warranted.

It then establishes the mindset of a few of the heroes by having them placed in various parts of the world during times of great social and/or political upheaval. For fighter pilot Hal Jordan (David Boreanaz) that translates to his having to make some very difficult decisions whilst in a life or death situation.

For Superman (Kyle MacLachlan) and Wonder Woman (Lucy Lawless) the level of mortal danger is significantly less, given their near-invincibility, but thematically their challenges are also demanding.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)

Dir. Jay Oliva

An alternative universe tale of sorts that can be viewed as a single movie in itself, but also functions as the beginning of a major continuity shakeup for the animated DC Universe. I'll refer more to the second part of that sentence at the end of the post. [1]

It's a gritty and violent adventure packed with DCU heroes and villains; some of whom have very little impact on the story, but it's fun to see them included.

A knowledge of the Justice League is required, however, in order to fully appreciate how different things are in the featured timeline - to understand the extent of the contrast, you'll need to have some knowledge of how things ought to be normally.

The primary protagonist is Flash, the Barry Allen version, as seen front and centre on the cover art.