KA-POW! The Official "Unofficial" DC/Marvel Animated Movies & Shows Thread

Any fans out there of these DC and Marvel Animated Movies? Guilty pleasures they are for me. I'm a grown man, and I simply can not get enough of them. The DC movies ended up being a lot better than the Marvel ones. I only have three of the latter company's movies (ULTIMATE AVENGERS, HULK VS, PLANET HULK), and about the only ones I don't have of the former's company's flicks are BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT and GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT.

The DC flicks, I think, have much better animation, with only Marvel's HULK VS. WOLVERINE being the pinnacle in this department. To me a successful DC or Marvel animated movie hinges on whether the action animation is smooth and dynamic, and for the most part all DC's flicks have fallen into this category.

I didn't like BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT because they created an anthology tale out of an already too short feature, and just when I was getting into one of the interconnected stories, it was already over and on to the next. GREEN LANTERN; FIRST FLIGHT, I saw on pay-per-view and the only complaint I had was with the story, couldn't get invested in it.

Here's a trailer I found for DC's next animated movie, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. It's supposed to hit DVD this Winter.

I'm even a fan of DC's and Marvel's animated series. BATMAN BEYOND and JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED being my favorites. THE BATMAN isn't bad either. I was seriously into SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, but was more a fan of the first season than the second and final one. Now, my criteria for a perfect animated series, also hinges on it's "action animation." It's all right for the character animation to take a hit, but the action, when it occurs has to be smooth and dynamic. Which is why I never liked WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN. The character animation was excellent, but the action animation was too inconsistant.

I have high hopes for Marvel's new series, AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, which is supposed to debut October 20 on Disney XD. Check out the trailer below.

I have even more high hopes for Marvel's new anime versions of IRON MAN, WOLVERINE, THE X-MEN and BLADE, which are supposed to debut during the course of 2011. IRON MAN and WOLVERINE will debut first with the others to come along as they get done. Check out the trailers below. G4 will be airing them. Check out the IRON MAN and WOLVERINE trailers way below.

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io9.com: The way it worked is that I devised four serials for Marvel Anime – IRON MAN, WOLVERINE, X-MEN and BLADE. Which means that I came up with 12-episode stories for each property. For the most part, I used pre-existing stories as adaptation material - the WOLVERINE story, for instance, takes the Chris Claremont/Frank Miller WOLVERINE miniseries from the early 80s as its basic spine. Weirdly, Matt Fraction and I were working parallel at one point, and it turns out that, without talking to each other about it, I've sort of mirrored "Stark Resilient" in the IRON MAN anime.

Each of the four new anime properties - "Iron Man," "X-MEN," "Wolverine" and "Blade" - will air as standalone series made up of twelve 30-minute episodes. Guided by multiple Eagle award winner Warren Ellis, the four shows will feature a matrix of interlinked storylines and shared guest characters that further enhance this intellectual roller coaster ride for G4 viewers.

 

"Iron Man"

In an effort to make amends for his weapons manufacturing past, Tony Stark has dedicated himself to building the world up rather than tearing it down. Traveling to Japan to build a new arc reactor that will deliver unlimited free energy to the Japanese people, Stark is challenged by the Japanese government and the media when he attempts to import the necessary nuclear priming device. And when the reactor-in-construction is repeatedly attacked by the mysterious Zodiac consortium, Stark must gather his allies to take on Zodiac and its mastermind.

 

"X-MEN"

The X-MEN are reunited following the death of a teammate, and are summoned by Charles Xavier to Japan following the abduction of Hisako Ichiki (Armor). There, they confront the U-MEN, a lunatic cult that steals and transplants mutant organs to further strengthen their own army, and the battle for justice is on.

 

"Wolverine"

Based on the popular graphic novel by Frank Miller, the series begins in Japan, where Logan is challenged by Shingen Yashida, the notorious leader of a powerful mafia clan. When Shingen's employee Yukio, a female assassin, falls out of Shingen's favor, she must kill him or be killed. Teaming up with Logan, the pair seek out the villain to exact their revenge.

 

"Blade"

Eric Brooks — known as Blade — seeks revenge on Deacon Frost, the vampire lord who killed his mother while she was still pregnant with Eric. With all the powers of a vampire and none of their weaknesses, Blade's quest leads him throughout Southeast Asia in search of Frost, and, in Viet Nam, he discovers a vampire plot that threatens to take down the whole world.

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I'm in the middle of watching BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD, fitting in around tonight's episode of GHOST ADVENTURES, but I have to say this is another winner. And, the most violent, and bloody animated movie DC has done thus far. Marvel has its own counterpart in HULK VS. WOLVERINE and, I have to say, that was a rated R flick that squeaked by with a PG-13 rating, which it should have been. I hate seeing Wolverine watered down in his animated incarnations, well, this new Batman flick is the same way.

The animation and the action is extraordinary, and even though, so far, all the deaths have been confined to thugs, goons and Yes Men, they have been no less shocking. 

I can't believe DC was able to get away with this. Very cool, and very shocking. I recommend this feature. Gotta shower and finish the final 30 minutes. Next week I got the latest DC feature coming: SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE. Can't wait!

UPDATE: I finished watching the final 30 minutes and, man, was I blown away by this movie. Added cartoon violence . . . The Joker slahed a henchman's throat with a glass he broke against the table, but they didn't show any blood this time on this killing. The guy just clutched his throat, gurgled horribly and hit the floor deader than a doornail. A certain someone (who must remain nameless for fear of spoiling the plot) shoved his thumbs into the eye sockets of another henchman, with a squish. And, some poor innocent guy got shot in the head and killed. I think he wasn't suppposed to be there. He was a prison guard who had showed up, and his buddies looked surprised he was there, then some men break in and one of them caps him. They show him on the floor with his head in a pool of blood. I'm thinking, did that guy just get killed?! My question was immediately answered when one of his supposed buddies walks up and says to the man who capped him, "You didn't have to kill him."

The story was just as impressive. Without spoiling the plot, I was under the assumption this "certain unamed character" had gotten from point A to point B in a certain way, but then in the final 30 it was revealed that my initial theory was flawed. And, when I say flawed, I mean I was totally off the mark, and his motivations throughout the movie were also a hundred and eighty degrees from what I assumed and what was being hinted at. I know this is gonna sound cryptic but none of the principal characters died, but one of them did. That will make sense once you see the movie.

And it was nice seeing Nghtwing in the movie. This will mark the first time he's been in any animated movie. At least, to my knowledge. And, man, the ultimate fight between Batman and the Red Hood was even wrought with blows that made me wince just a little bit.

I kind of knew this was going to be a very dark and different DC animated movie, and for that fact a much darker and violent Batman, when I noticed the whole flick starts off with the Joker beating the hell out of Robin with a crowbar. The poor hero is bound and laying on the floor as it's happening. That's, like, the entire opening scene, and it's taking place some place in Bulgaria, with Batman racing on his batcycle, hoping to make in time to save the little dude's life.

Jesus!

Gotta watch this one again!

Probably tonight, if SHARTOPUS turns out to be shit.

DC:

SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT

WONDER WOMAN

SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS

BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD

SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (Winter or Spring 2011)

MARVEL:

ULTIMATE AVENGERS

ULTIMATE AVENGERS II

THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN

DOCTOR STRANGE

NEXT AVENGERS: HEROES OF TOMORROW

HULK VS

PLANET HULK

THOR: TALES OF ASGARD (Summer 2011)

The only Marvels I own are ULTIMATE AVENGERS, HULK VS and PLANET HULK.

An excellent interview with Kevin Conroy, from MANIA:

He is vengeance, he is the night, and he is Kevin Conroy. There has been one definitive voice for Batman in the last 19 years and it has been Conroy. Since he first put on the cowl in 1992 Conroy’s voice as been synonymous with the Dark Knight. On the eve of yet another adventure, Superman/ Batman Apocalypse, of the caped crusader Conroy sat down with Mania to discuss his career and journeying to Apocalypse.

Question: Is it easy to fall into the character, considering you have played him for the last 19 years?

Kevin Conroy: Yeah. I love to say its not and that it takes enormous preparation (smiles) but it doesn’t. It is pretty easy.

Question: Is there a subtle difference you bring to each Batman? Is this one different than the one in the animated series?

Kevin Conroy: Andrea [Romano, Voice Director] and I always think, what is similar to be consistent. Because writers always bring differences, so that is a difference. It is my job to find the common thread because the audience knows him as well as I know him. The audience is very tuned into this guy and it’s very loyal. If there is a false note, they’ll pick it up like that. I don’t think that I can deviate too far from that core guy without it seeming unauthentic.

Question: You have often referred to Batman as a Shakespearean type character. Which character do you see him as and why?

Kevin Conroy: Well, it is just because I went through Julliard and I worked with the New York Shakespeare Festival and because that was my background. You always bring what you have to any role that you play. I just thought it was very Hamlet and he is. There are certain archetypes even if you are altering the story and that’s the archetype he fits into, the misunderstood hero, living in the dark, can’t get over the death of his parents. There are similar heroes in Greek tragedies. I just brought what I knew.

Question: You’ve played him for nearly twenty years. How does it feel to know you have influenced a generation of fans?

Kevin Conroy: I’m always amazed that people know what I do. I really am. I am amazed that they have a clue who the voice is. I brought my car into a garage recently and they told me that they needed my name and address. I said it was Kevin Conroy and he said that must be a weird name to have. So I said why? Well that’s that guy from animation, that’s the guy that does Batman. Then I said well that’s me. He said bullshit, prove it. So I started doing some voices standing in this guy’s garage. I asked him how did you know? He said everybody knows that. It is a no brainer. I’m still amazed that anybody knows because to me it is so anonymous. It is a privilege to be apart of something like that.

Question: Batman is clearly out of his element when it comes to Dakseid and Apocalypse. How does he cope with such a villain?

Kevin Conroy: Well it’s a team effort and with Superman he defeats him jointly. With Batman, who is the true hero; I just wanted to make that clear (laughs). I’m kidding. Superman has all these great powers but Batman doesn’t. His power is to rely on his wits. You’ll see as the film evolves he pulls the rabbit out of the hat at the end. That is the fun part about playing the character he is MacGyver like. He really has to think of something and create ideas; he can’t rely on super powers.

Question: In your opinion are there any villains that are too big for Batman?

Kevin Conroy: Are you kidding? Absolutely not (laughs).

Question: What was it like to take the character to Apocalypse?

Kevin Conroy: You have to see the movie to understand what Apocalypse is. It is pretty epic. It is a beautiful film and on a very grand scale. I guess what is unique about this one is that Batman needs to learn to work with others and not be such a loner.

Question: Did Superman/ Batman Apocalypse bring any new challenges to the character that you hadn’t encountered before?

Kevin Conroy: Yeah, because I am sharing the stage with a lot of other people. You will see that Superman has a lot of the film. When you don’t have as much presence in the terms of lines you have to make your presence felt each time that you are on. You got to make it really powerful. So that was a challenge. When I’m doing Batman and Robin, a Batman movie, or anything else I have the story to support me which is Batman’s show. This time, I was sharing it largely with Superman. It has more to do with his back story line than mine. You don’t want to take over, be obnoxious, or pushy but you still want to make a statement. So that was a bit of a challenge.

Question: If you had the chance, would you ever want to play Superman in one of the animated films?

Kevin Conroy: Oh sure. What actor is going to say no to a job? One day Tim [Daly, Superman] didn’t come on time and Andrea asked me to fill for him so we could record the other actors. I thought that would be cool (evil laughs). I did him really well and she said how did you that? I said it was just Batman without the balls (evil laughs).

Okay, I want to touch more upon a few animated series, I mentioned in my opening post. This series below is probably the best animated Spider-Man series out there. The sticking point, I have seen on many a forums with it, however, is the character animation. Many people simply just don't like the simple character designs. If you get the DVD below, there is a feature which explains why this is. Money, to put in bluntly. The creators had to make a decision, either go with excellent character designs, or put the money towards animating the action scenes the way they should be. In my opinion, they wisely chose the latter. Which, as I mentioned before, is a crucial point for me in making a hero based cartoon series watchable.

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, has got the best action scenes I have seen in one of these series. There is only one episode where the action animation got a bit wonky, but it didn't get wonky enough to become a turn-off. Unfortunately, however, that superb action animation didn't quite translate into the second season, at least, not with all the episodes. If I can remember, there's only, maybe, four or five episodes that got animated really well in this department. A shame, too. cause the story telling is really quite good. You can get the second season on DVD, it's just spread out over several volumes. To date, Sony has yet to release an entire season 2 collection.

So, it goes without saying, that I whole heartedly recommend this series to any die hard Spider-Man fans.

This next series below, FANTASTIC FOUR: WORLD'S GREATEST HEROES, was a series that debuted back in 2006, I think. And, at first, I didn't like it. Didn't like the character designs or the action animation and only stayed with the series for a few episodes before I wrote it off. Seems like the Cartoon Network wrote it off, too, at some point, they stopped running the show not too long after it debuted, but ran the rest of the series, six months later during the Spring and Summer, if memory serves. I decided to give the series another try and broke down and bought the entire collection when it came up for pre-order at DVD Empire, and I'm glad I did.

I nowe love everything about this limited series, the designs for the chracters as well as the animation for their action, which isn't as fluid as Spider-Man's series, but, let's say, its fluid enough to make it watchable, well, it's either that or the excellent character designs compensate. My favorite episode here is HARD KNOCKS, and that's because I'm a Hulk fan, and the Hulk certainly shines in this episode. You can tell the creators decided to put their money a bit more on the character designs, for they are fairly detailed. Too bad, though, this series only lasted 26 episodes. Don't know why either. It's never mentioned in any of the commentaries. 

The one series I'm gonna mention yet don't own is WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN. At least, not yet. Then, again, I'm not sure I ever will, because it sort of turned into disappointment for me. This is an excellent example of a show that has excellent character designs and really stunted action animation, but not all the time. I have seen a couple of episodes where inexplicably the action animation suddenly goes for broke and kept me glued into the story. But, as I said, it's too little. And then there are episodes where the action animation will only stand out for one fight scene. Very odd, and very frustrating. The best animation in that whole series is in the opening credits. I understand this was supposed to go into a second season, then Marvel decided to relocate that money to a new series, the pending ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN coming next year. The Wolverine vs. Hulk episode isn't bad actually, which is why I''m constantly debating on whether I want to buy this, or not. I have only seen a handful of episodes.

WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN: THE COMPLETE SERIES hits DVD October 12th.

In a day, or two, I'll be back to talk about two really cool DC animated series.

I heard WONDER WOMAN didn't sell well, which is why the sequel they had in the works was cancelled. I used to be a serious fan of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, but I stopped after Bruce Timm's other series began to show better animation style. I know I'm gonna catch hell for that statement, but it's how I feel. I'll explain more in my next lengthy post.

By the way, I loved WONDER WOMAN, it's just that ending. I mean, a battle on the White House's front lawn?!

Time for another installment of Animation Theater . . . tonight I'd like to touch upon some of Bruce Timm's major accomplishments on the DC animated universe. I know a couple of you have expressed your enthusiasm for Timm's first foray into the DC Universe, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. I used to love that show. I mean LOVE it. I remember it fondly because it came out September of '92, just two months earlier me and my girlfriend had broken up. I had just about every single episode taped on VHS. I was subsequently blind sided by the spin-off shows that came out of that series. THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND ROBIN, and wasn't there another variation on it? It's been so long I can' remember, but if anyone can help, please do. I seem to recall it then became THE BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, or something.

Anyhow, I was out of the show by the time these incarnations started airing. I didn't get pulled back into Timm's world until BATMAN BEYOND. Though, I didn't discover it until the summer of 2000, and I remember that well, too, because I was having a "difficult summer," and the show provided the needed down time. I was immediately floored by the excellent animation, especially in the action scenes and started taping it. By the time the show was over I, again, had a series of VHS tapes stored away. I recently learned BATMAN BEYOND is going to start airing again, this time on that new HUB channel; the one that's replacing Discovery Kids.

I also understand on November 23, BATMAN BEYOND: THE COMPLETE SERIES will be coming out on DVD.

The next DC series that took my brain by storm was 2001's JUSTICE LEAGUE, but it wasn't until it morphed into JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED that I really started to take notice. The episodes were cut down to a half hour and the animation got a whole lot better, not to mention the storylines, and the season arcs. Stunning, absolutely stunning! I still have them on VHS, and like the series above I have yet to own it. Damn things are too expensive, or I'm too broke, either way I don't currently possess them, though I desperately want to. Again, I was going through a "bad time" when I started taping JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, a bad Winter this time. But, I was aware of the show when it started airing back in summer of 2004 and, for some reason, after a couple of episodes, I started to hate it. Don't know why.

Like BATMAN BEYOND you can get the entire JUSTICE LEAGUE series in one sweet-ass set.

I'll be back in a few days to talk about this new AVENGERS series coming out. Be there or be square!

The show is debuting October 20th at 8:30 with a two-part season premiere called, THE BREAKOUT. Before that, however, Marvel has created what they're calling, a micro-series, that introduces the heroes to us. Each episode is roughly five minutes long. You can see some of them on Marvel's website, but I'm gonna wait until the week of October 11th, when Disney XD will air the whole 20 episode micro-series during the course of the week. Every night at 8:30, four episodes in a row.

Disney XD has set up a web page dedicated to the show. The animation doesn't look bad, but I'm gonna wait until that week of October to see how good, or bad, it really is.

I got SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE a few days ago in the mail, and, I think, I'll be ready to watch it tomorrow. Will report back thereafter on how awesome it was. Still going strong, however, on BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD.  

I just finished watching SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE, and, in short, it was another winner! First off, this should have been called, SUPERMAN/BATMAN: SUPERGIRL, for the story, from what I've learned, since I'm not an ardent comic book reader, is based on the graphic novel of the same name, but it was given the APOCALYPSE subtitle, because the studio heads felt the SUPERGIRL one wouldn't make it sell as well. See, WONDER WOMAN didn't sell as well as they had hoped, so, their thinking is based on the fact that a super hero chick isn't good for business.

Ah, those poor uneducated bastards.

Anyhow, despite the obvious presence of Darkseid's home planet subtitle, this is essentially a SUPERGIRL origin movie, and a continuation of SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES, the events of which are mentioned in a newscast voice over. I was wondering how directly, or indirectly, they were going to be connected.  

That last battle is a doozy!

This movie is a complete 180 from BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD. I got used to watching a rather low key animated drama about well trained heroes and villains duking it own in an ever dark city, named, Gotham. This one, however, is more like watching Gods fighting amongst each other. A battle in this movie means massive amounts of property damage are going to occur and huge loads of terrain are going to get tossed around like pebbles.

It's that final battle that's the showstopper in this flick, and it takes place in Superman's home town of all places. When they were, like, in round three, I was thinking, 'Jesus, they are really fucking up Smallville big time here.' Well, maybe, not all of Smallville, just one location. Either way the property looked like a series of F5 tornadoes had touched down on it, then went away, then touched down again, and again, and again, and again, and again . .

The language got a little salty, too. Well, it is PG-13, and I'm used to hearing a certain level it, but this line here made me do a double take: "Surrender now, or the bitch dies!"

Oh, yeah, the animation, like always, was stunning, and that goes for the action animation, too.

The only problem I have with certain origin movies is that you don't get the hero, or heroine, in all her glory until the very end, like, just before the credits roll. This one was no different. Kara doesn't become Supergirl, in costume, that is, until moments before the credits roll.

Another stunner . . . I have never seen Superman use his heat vision is such a way that it spreads out and wipes out an entire battlefield of opponents all at once. And, it wiped him out, too, so-to-speak.

The short that came with it, GREEN ARROW, was equally excellent. BLACK CANARY makes a cameo in it. I was disappointed by the JONAH HEX short that came with BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD. The animation was sweet, the story sucked.

Be back in a few days to talk about one, or, perhaps, all three of the Marvel movies I own.

EDIT: Batman was really out of place, in this flick, when the action kicks in, only because he's the only hero who literally doesn't have a super power, and when you're on Apocalypse you really need to be able to fly and kick ass like Superman. It was interesting watching how he dealt with these "short comings." Also, Superman and Batman's friendship, in this one, is a lot less banter filled and a bit more confrontational. Not by much, just more like Batman wanting Clark to get his head out of ass and look at the situation of Kara's appearance as something more than a family reunion and something, perhaps, a bit more sinister.

I should have explained that explanation I gave came from Lauren Montgomery, I think it was her, in an interview I can't seem to find anymore. I just looked, and it was either on Mania or SyFy. That was her take on why the name changed. If you, or anyone, can find that, let me know. I'll put a link to it.

I forgot to mention a couple of highlights from last night's flick. During the final battle, MINOR SPOILERS COMING . . . Darkseid knocks Superman out with an uppercut that sends him zooming into the sky. When they cut to him moments later, he's floating unconscious towards the sun! Now, that's a helluva of a punch. And when Superman and Wonder Woman show up at this supporting characte's house to enlist her help, she's surprised to see them standing on her porch. After she invites them, you can see Batman standing behind her in the living room. I love when he does that. Sneaks in and out of places. That kills me.

And, I should have mentioned this a few posts back, but this DC animated flick here is coming out November 9th. 

COMICBOOKMOVIE.COM:  DC Showcase animated shorts initially appeared as special bonus content on the 2010 slate of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The 10- to 12-minute films include The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow. All three titles will be presented in extended formats along with the first-ever release of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam.

In Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam, Clark Kent’s latest interview subject is street kid Billy Batson. What Clark doesn’t know is that Billy is more than a feisty kid with a lot of heart – he has been chosen by an ancient wizard to represent the good of man as the World’s Mightiest Mortal just by invoking the name of the wizard, "Shazam!" Billy's powers come none-too-soon, as he also discovers he's being pursued by a centuries' old, murderous villain, Black Adam – a foe so powerful, even Superman can’t stop him alone. The all-star cast of Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam is led by Jerry O’Connell (Crossing Jordan) as Captain Marvel, George Newbern reprising his Justice League role as Superman, Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) as Black Adam and two-time Emmy Award® winner James Garner (8 Simple Rules) as The Wizard.

Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday) is executive producer and Joaquim Dos Santos (Justice League, Avatar: The Last Airbender) is director of the first series of DC Showcase titles. Michael Jelenic (Wonder Woman) wrote the 22-minute script

Other shorts included on the DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection:

The Spectre – A detective story with an ethereal twist featuring an otherworldly character. The short is written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), and the voice cast includes Gary Cole (Entourage) and Alyssa Milano (Charmed).

Jonah Hex – The tough-as-nails bounty hunter always gets his man - until someone else gets to him first - in this case a murderous madam who wants to steal more than just his bounty from Jonah Hex. Based on a story from the award-winning Jonah Hex comic series, and scripted by world-renowned author Joe Lansdale. The voice cast is led by Thomas Jane (Hung), Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Michelle Trachtenberg (Mercy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Michael Rooker (Days of Thunder).

Green Arrow – At the Star City International Airport to pick up his girlfriend, Oliver Queen is forced into action as Green Arrow to protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his old nemesis Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. Greg Weisman (Young Justice) pens this action-packed tale, which features the voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) as the title character and Malcolm McDowell (Entourage) as his foe.

“The DC Showcase allows us to expand the DC Universe with short stories based on intriguing characters – from a 1940s comics sensation like The Spectre to a creation of the 1970s like Jonah Hex – just begging to be presented to a very worthy fan base,” said Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment.

“Whereas DC Universe films have given fans the broad strokes of superhero entertainment, we know devout comics fans will enjoy seeing the characters in the DC Showcase come to animated life – some for the very first time – and we believe this presentation will open a window for new viewers to experience these unique, textured heroes and villains,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing.
 

DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection 1-Disc Special Edition DVD features more than 1 hour of exciting extra content, including:
• Four animation shorts (est. 62 min)
• Four additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm.

DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection Blu-Ray™ features more than 2 1/2 hours of exciting extra content, including:
• Four animation shorts (est. 62 min)
• Commentaries by renowned writers Steve Niles, Joe Lansdale, Greg Weisman and Michael Jelenic
• Four additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
• Digital copy online of the shorts  

Just watched SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE again, and I noticed while Darkseid's uppercut sent Superman into the sky, it was his "omega beams," as he calls them, that was responsible for propelling Superman out of the Earth's atmosphere and towards the sun. I missed that the first time around, and I have to say, this final battle almost rivals the one he and Darkseid had during the final episode of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED. Yes, it was that intense.

I pretty damn sure I'm gonna be picking up ALL-STAR SUPERMAN when that comes out in either the Winter or the Spring, and if what I'm hearing is right, the next release after that is Summer's GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD KNIGHTS, to coincide with the live action Green Lantern flick. That DC animated flick, however, I'm gonna skip. I like Green Lantern when he's part of a team, or a supporting character, but his first stand alone movie, GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, didn't really excite me. Animation was great, just couldn't get into the story.

So, there are more of us grown me out there who can't get enough of those animated shows and movies! I can never say enough good things about those two seasons of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED. I think that's where the show hit its stride, and became the best. Even those two all season story arcs of Brainiac coming back for revenge and the Legion Of Doom were excellent.

I'm not a big fan of Wonder Woman, but her stand alone animated movie, I thought, was pretty damn good. It was just the ending, the forces of evil battling out on the front lawn of the White House that really seemed a rather absurd plot point to throw into the movie. Generally, for me, those tales in the super hero realm that deal with modern technology vs. the supernatural aren't believable to me. That's one reason why I didn't like Marvel's animated Iron Man flick.

It's odd because I have always considered myself more of a Marvel fan than a DC one, but DC just pumps out much more superior animation, movies and series, than Marvel, which is too bad. Doctor Strange I liked in the beginning, it had potential, then he goes to Tibet and it becomes a ripoff of Batman Begins. The Iron Man one, well, as I mentioned before, Tech vs Supernatural Menace is like oil and water and it doesn't work in the context of some of those super hero mythologies. And, I hated that they used CGI for Iron Man's suits and enemies. Next Avengers just had poor animation in the latter half of the movie, and that it was more for the kids than the older populace. Ultimate Avengers II, plot and little bit of the action animation wasn't up to snuff in my book. I'm saving discussion of my favorite Marvel ones for a more in-depth post, which might happen later today, or tomorrow.

I'm not surprised you mentioned that you're tired of The Hulk. Personally, I'm a fan, so it doesn't bother me, the more Hulk I see, the better, but I do understand where you're coming from. He's in a majority of Marvel's animated flicks, and headlines three of them. I hear people are getting sick of seeing Wolverine everywhere, too.

His second live action flick was ten times better than Ang Lee's version, and I do agree that I'd like to see more of a inner battle with Bruce and his alter ego, which they did touch upon in HULK VS. THOR.

Now, mind you if you're well versed in the comic world and how the flicks compare to their animated counterparts, the conversation is going to be real short on my end. What I know of how they compare is solely through interviews with the creators, and whatever research I decided to do at their respective sites. I'm not into comic books, and was only a bit when I was young.

If you haven't yet gotten a hold of BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD, I urge you to try and pick that one up, too. I promise, you will not be disappointed by the latest team-up of Superman and Batman. I'm currently heading back to Batman's latest adventure, and then back to the team-up, got to work them out of my system before I get into an other flick. Which means, THE EVIL/TWICE DEAD I got coming will have to take a backseat until I'm done reveling in DC's animation.

I understand through one of the commentaries it's time and money that limits the flicks. If Marvel or DC ponied up a bit more scratch we'd probably have longer running times and even better animation. I did notice that the shorter the flick the better the animation. Noticed that for the first time when JUSTICE LEAGUE turned into JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED. And, those animated shorts that now come along with the DC movies have animation that most times surpasses the main feature.

I'm not gonna complain too much in this department, the overall product DC puts out pretty much makes up for these perceived detriments.

I'm a Wolverine fan, so, again, I can't complain too much about his over exposure. It's weird nowadays with the glut of live action Marvel and DC movies, I almost look more forward to their animation counterparts. I used to own all the X-Men flicks, then I got sick of them and gave them away. Not sure if I'll be seeing that X-MEN: FIRST CLASS that's in production.  

Okay, now, let's discuss the one and only release, I, personally, think Is Marvel's crowning achievement, in style, bloodshed and animation.

Or, more specifically, the 30-minute masterpiece of carnage, HULK VS. WOLVERINE! My only regret is that it's only a half hour, but it falls into that short and sweet category. Big time. To date, this is the only accurate representation of Wolverine, and that includes the live action movies. Why is that you may ask? Because here they actually got his dimensions right. Wolverine is a 5'3" version of Arnold Schwarzenegger, basically, and even though, Hugh Jackman makes a pretty good Wolverine, he's too tall. And not as mean and ornery as the version you get in HULK VS. But that could be due to the voice talent of Steve Blum, which I think is the perfect kind of voice for this force of adamantium nature.

Here's the DVD menu and some other pictorial highlights of the episode:

Another thing I liked about this episode is that you finally get to see Wolverine put those adamantium claws of his to bloody good use. And, I emphasize the word, 'bloody.' Hulk gets his flesh pierced and slashed, and we actually see the points of penetration and the blood. Not to mention the blood of many other men as Wolverine remembers his inauguration into and his escape from the Weapon X program.

See, Wolverine is a rated R character who is constantly thrust into PG rated combat on TV shows. It's refreshing to see what he can really do with those claws and his raw savage personality.

HULK VS. THOR isn't as bloody as when he went up against Wolverine, but he's no less hardcore. See, the plot here has Loki casting a spell and literally separating the beast from Bruce Banner. The only problem with that, as we learn, is Bruce's human persona was keeping the beast in check. Without him the Hulk is nothing but pure rage, and in that state he's even stronger than he used be, perhaps, to the point of being unstoppable. And. if that's gonna be you concept, it makes sense to put the green rage machine up against someone who might remotely have a chance of stopping him. THOR is about the only person that comes to mind. I like this concept for a HULK tale, because this way you can see just how much carnage he can wreak at his most powerful. And. let me tell ya, he fucks up Asgard pretty damn good.

This shot right below is after the spell has separated the two.

The only problem I had with the flick was Hulk's design, more specifically, ths shape of his damn skull! It was far too reminiscent of Frankenstein, as you can see in the next picture.

The overall animation isn't bad, and the subsequent action animation is pretty damn good. I'm gonna be watching these two in the next couple of days, but with Thor, I seem to think during one of their battles,   

And, the final Hulk battle actually takes place in the Underworld, which is actually quite a spectacle to see. I think this final picture below is from that battle.

Yeah, Marvel's animation, as a whole, even at it's best, looks like it's only a few steps up form Saturday morning animation. You can never be too nitpicky when it comes to animation quality. As I mentioned many times before, I seriously need to have my 'action animation' at a certain level, if it's not there, I just don't watch it.

DC seems to get more, and better, character design into their features. I still think it boils down to them not getting enough money and time from their respective studios. When Marvel started pumping these movies out, I didn't like how they would tout, on their DVD covers, this supposedly incredible animation level, then once you started watching the movie, it was clear it didn't match. That's a way to lure us in and buy the DVD, I suspect. But have you noticed the shorter the feature the better the animation? Those DC shorts are animated on an awesome level. I still have a trailer on ULTIMATE AVENGERS DVD that shows an insane amount of character and action animation for the movie. I thought, now why can't they do that kind of animation for the movie I'm watching?

Even at its best HULK VS. WOLVERINE is not as well animated as those DC flicks. Excellent, at times, good for most of it, but DC has got the edge over Marvel here. And, if Marvel ever reinstates their animated movies, they're gonna have to beef up their animation for sure.

This is the first Halloween that has come around where I have yet to watch any of my annual horror movies. I'm still stuck on my animation kick. All this talk about Hulk, I put on PLANET HULK the other night. Still got about 18 minutes left of it to watch. Then, I'll probbaly go back and revisit the HULK VS DVD all over again.

Yes, the Joker in UNDER THE RED hood was difinitely a standout. And, yes, he was animated in a much mroe sinister way. Loved his voice work, too. Again, I have to agree with you. The PLANET HULK cover is quite awesome. The Iron Man one is a very, very close second.

I know you haven't got it yet, but when you get SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE, there are a couple of moments when they're on a close-up of Superman and his facial design looks almost Asian. Not that it was a turn-off, but I noticed they either inadvertantly, or on purpose, gave him that look. That's what I love about the DC ones, they tweak the animation in just about every movie, and, so far, its been for the good.

Jesus, I love their movies!

I still say that recent BATMAN movie was the best stand alone BATMAN one they've done to date.

Have you noticed even the music in the DC movies is exceptional.

I gotta say PUBLIC ENEMIES is the best. CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS is my second favorite. Love the UNDER THE RED HOOD music, but for the first time I was underwhelmed by the APOCALYPSE one.

I can't recall the GREEN LANTERN once since I don't have the DVD.

UPDATE: I just updated my HULK VS post, still gotta comment on my two remaining Marvel titles: ULTIMATE AVENGERS and PLANET HULK. I'll do that in a separate post, though.