Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Dir. Sam Liu

An animated adaptation of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's celebrated Batman one-shot.

Personally, I enjoy Moore's comic work more often than not, but any filmed versions of his books that I've seen previously have been mostly awful, so I wasn't keen to see it. I prefer original stories written specially for the screen, over adaptations. As it turns out, the film contains both of those things.

It's a short book, just 46 pages long, so some padding was needed to turn it into a 77 mins feature-length film. The extra content is an extended 28 mins prologue featuring Batgirl that greatly upset some members of the fandom. I've written about it elsewhere, so won't go over it again now. [1]

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.

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Dirs. Various (see below)

An anthology with six shorts from various Japanese animation studios and a number of different Asian directors. There's no frame narrative tying the works together, but most, if not all of them, do seem to share the same continuity and the whole thing is unified somewhat by having Kevin Conroy be the voice of Batman throughout.

The first of them, by Studio 4°C and directed by Shōjirō Nishimi, features four kids at a skatepark trying to outdo each other as they relate the story of their individual encounters with Batman. It's a highly stylised work, varied even further by each child putting their own spin on the event.

The second is by Production I.G. and directed by Futoshi Higashide in a more traditional style. It follows two Gotham detectives who get caught in the middle of a gang shootout.

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.

Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons (2020)

Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons (2020)

Dir. Sung Jin Ahn

Originally conceived as a dozen webisodes that were to be released periodically, Knights and Dragons was ultimately pulled from that format after just one installment had aired. It was eventually released straight to disc instead with all twelve parts stitched together, which explains 'The Movie' being in the title.

It's the story of Slade Wilson (Michael Chiklis), an ex-Green Beret soldier who, unbeknownst to his wife Adeline (Sasha Alexander), makes his living now as a costumed mercenary named Deathstroke.

His job isn't the only thing Slade keeps secret from Adeline. Before their marriage he volunteered to receive an experimental military serum, which gifted him super powers and a convenient healing ability. It's like someone took the most overused aspect of every Marvel comic character and gave it a new home.

All-Star Superman (2011)

All-Star Superman (2011)

Dir. Sam Liu

An animation based on DC's twelve-issue comic book series of the same name. In both instances it features a change in Superman (James Denton) after he rescues a crew of fearful scientists on a space vessel that's plummeting towards Earth's Sun. It relies on elements and lore from the series past, but is itself separate from the wider Superman continuity.

Character designs are faithful to Frank Quitely's work on the original comic. It's admirable that they weren't made more cartoony, but, strangely, they're not as pleasing to look at onscreen as they are on the page.

The story feels episodic, with obvious breaks where events in one comic issue would've ended and weeks later another began. That unevenness isn't helped by some intrusive wild science that sometimes feels like a teenager has taken over the writing duties.