So, I was a fan of Batman: The Animated Series when it came out in the 90’s – the only decent cartoon since The Real Ghostbusters. Superman: The Animated Series followed and it had some good episodes. Justice League was similar but Justice League: Unlimited really kicked the jams in, or out, or something. Jams and kicking was involved. Then came Teen Titans which I…mostly disliked, and Legion of Superheroes, which does nothing for me.
But…
Superman: Doomsday (click for trailer) is a direct-to-DVD release which will have followups including Justice League: New Frontier, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Batman: Gothic Knight and a Wonder Woman vid. Because it’s not on TV they did it more “adult” (PG-13) than the previous cartoons, plus it will be out of continuity with the previous work. Unfortunately they got name stars to do the voices, rather than legitimate voice actors, but we’ll see how that plays out.
Justice League – Warner issues Press Release for New Frontier
ON FEBRUARY 26, 2008!
There will also be a 2 disc Special Edition DVD available for $24.98 SRP which contains additional bonus features including
* “Super Heroes United!: The Complete Justice League History” – The documentary is a comprehensive forty seven year Justice League chronology from the inception in the comics to vivid animated renditions.
* “Sneak Peak: Batman: Gotham Knight” – One part anime, one part Caped Crusader, the result is a glimpse at the world of Eastern anime sensibilities combined with a Western tradition of Batman. A detailed look at the world of Warner Bros Animation, and how they joined forces with the renowned Japanese animators to create the highly anticipated anime film of 2008.
* “Audio Commentary I” (featuring the talented filmmakers of New Frontier)
* “Audio Commentary II” (featuring Comic Book Writer and Artist Darwyn Cooke)
* “The Legion of Doom: The Pathology of the Super Villain”- This documentary will examine the early mythological archetypes of nemesis characters from a historical perspective, and see how the tenants of this rich history were adapted and woven into the Justice League stories.
* “Comic Book Commentary: Homage to the New Frontier” – This documentary is a nod to the fans of the New Frontier comic book.
* “Justice League Unlimited Bonus Episodes” Bruce Timm selects three of his favorite episodes from the Justice League Unlimited animated series:
1. Dark Heart 2. To Another Shore 3. Task Force X
I love Darwyn Cooke’s artwork and his Catwoman comic, “Selina’s Big Score”, is fantastic, but I was really “meh” about The New Frontier (the comic). I’ve yet to be drawn in to his version of The Spirit. Still, I’ll probably buy this when it’s released.
I’ve been reading reviews of Superman: Doomsday and they are not that great, so I won’t be picking it up after all. Hopefully the Justice League direct-to-video will be better.
Doogie Howser is the Flash? Not a promising start. At least not for me.
I’ve watched Superman: Doomsday. Quite violent for a Superman cartoon, but fits the content. Adam Baldwin did okay but I would have preferred the regular JLU voice actor. The way they drew his face bothered me for some reason; something about the eyes…oh well.