Review: Justice League
(Originally posted Jul 31, 2005 on my older blog)
I’ve been watching Justice League and Justice League Unlimited lately. This is good stuff.
Mike got me hooked. I’d caught it while flipping channels from time to time, but never really followed it well, and certainly never knew the episode order. Now I’ve seen all four seasons in order and … wow.
This Justice League is way beyond any previous incarnation. (Actually I suppose I should say “these Justice Leagues,” since the first two seasons are the seven member “Justice League” followed by the next two seasons of “Justice League Unlimited” featuring a whole host of heros led by the original seven.) While still mostly “kid-friendly,” these stories deal more seriously with their subject matter than most cartoons. I’d say it’s pretty close to animé in that respect.
One thing I really like is that actions in one episode have consequences in the remaining episodes. Relationships are affected, both on a personal and global (really, literally universal) scale. The consequences of gathering what amounts to an army of super-powered individuals is explored, and is actually the main theme of the fourth, and likely final, season.
I don’t know that there are plans for a fifth season, or even a related new series, but I really hope so. It’s nice to see some smart animation on the tube.
By the way, it’s worth pointing out that these series’ are the latest in a remarkably consistent and interrelated set of series, starting with Batman: The Animated Series, its two (I think) successors whose titles escape me (but undoubtedly start with “Batman”), Batman Beyond, and Superman: The Animated Series. It also seems to be tied in to Static Shock, which seems to be a much lighter show, but I haven’t really paid much attention to that one so far.
While I really love all that depth of story that’s been (and is being) developed, it’s really not fair—I have a lot of catching up to do. The only other of those series I’ve watched is the original Batman: TAS. Off to the DVDs!
[Update: They did go on to make a fifth season (3rd of JLU), and it was good, though not as good as previous seasons. The final episode though, was awesome. For me, it was worth going through the full 5th season to get to that one episode. Oh, and I've since watched all the Superman: TAS shows. Also very good.]
Tags: batman, cartoons, justice league, Lex Luthor, Reviews, Superman, tvRelated posts
Tags: batman, cartoons, justice league, Lex Luthor, Reviews, Superman, tv
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May 31st, 2006 at 8:37 pm
I’ve seen some of the JL and JLU episodes, but not in order, and I haven’t seen all of them. I agree that it is some of the best animation available today, though. A point of trivia - Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor on Smallville, is the voice for The Flash in JL.
I’ve seen many episodes of Static Shock, and although lighter than JL, still deals with some heavy issues, particularly regarding race. It’s sort of a combination of the old Fat Albert series and the newer superhero series. The show can be a bit preachy at times, but mostly it’s a fun show to watch, and definitely kid-friendly.
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May 31st, 2006 at 9:24 pm
Hey, George… good info on Static. Thanks. I keep meaning to get ahold of those episodes.
Another note of trivia on JL & Rosenbaum: In one of the 5th season episodes, The Flash and Lex Luthor switch bodies, so for that episode, Rosenbaum plays Flash in Lex’s body, which is pretty funny.
Best line from that episode: Lex (in Flash’s body) is at the bathroom mirror and says something to the effect of, “Well at least I can learn the Flash’s secret identity…” He pulls off the mask, stares in the mirror for about 5 seconds and says, “I have no idea who this is.”
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June 21st, 2008 at 1:18 pm
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