Justice League Unlimited - Season One (DC Comics Classic Collection) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)When the Cartoon Network picked up Seasons Three and Four of "Justice League" after Season Two finished, they did so with the conditions that 1) instead of two-part stories, they wanted half-hour, self-contained stories; and 2) they wanted a fresher version of the show that clearly differentiated Season Three [and up] from Seasons One and Two. The producers obliged. The result was the re-titled "Justice League Unlimited."
The series creators' mandate, according to producer/story editor Dwayne McDuffie, was simply to tell really good stories with very small groups of characters, combining some of the original heroes with the new ones. These half-hour, power-packed stories (most notably, the Stan Berkowitz/Robert Goodman-penned "Fearful Symmetry") ultimately snowballed into the highly-praised, two-season long "Cadmus arc" which involves a government conspiracy formed to combat the ever increasingly powerful Justice League. And don't forget "Epilogue" featuring a startling Batman revelation.
Watching the original founding members of the Justice League joined by an even greater collection of heroes including Supergirl, Green Arrow, Captain Atom, Booster Gold, Vigilante, and the Question is just fun unto itself. During a given episode, I'd be like Hey, Hawk & Dove! Hey, Booster Gold! Hey, The Question! Hey, Red Tornado! So, for me, part of the fun in having so many heroes available for JLU was seeing which hero (obscure or otherwise) would appear on the show (whether on a mission or in the background). A lot of the heroes would probably never get their own show, so JLU was a fun way of introducing these heroes in animated form.
JLU also benefited from more contributions from well-known comic book creators. Not to mention even more inspired voice casting including TV brothers Fred Savage and Jason Hervey (The Wonder Years) in reverse roles as brothers "Hawk (the aggressor) and Dove" (the pacifist), respectively; Dennis Farina (Crime Story, Law & Order) as aging tough guy Wildcat in "The Cat and the Canary"; Tom Everett Scott (Saved) as gloryhound Booster Gold in "The Greatest Story Never Told"; and CCH Pounder (ER, The Shield) as Project Cadmus leader Amanda Waller. JLU's new opening rock theme was provided by Michael McCuistion.
Though the box cover of this set is titled "Justice League Unlimited - Season One," this 4-disc Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) set actually contains both JLU Seasons One and Two (each 13 episodes) for a combined count of 26 episodes. No doubt Amazon and the previous reviewer will make edits in their descriptions of this product given this revelation. Season One title aside, just know that you're getting two seasons worth of JLU episodes in one package! Special features include: "And Justice for all": The process of revamping the series with new characters and a new creative direction; "Themes of Justice": Choose your favorite JLU musical theme audio tracks; Creators' Commentary on "This Little Piggy" and "The Return".
JLU Season One:
1. Initiation
2. For the Man Who Has Everything
3. Kid Stuff
4. Hawk and Dove
5. This Little Piggy
6. Fearful Symmetry
7. The Greatest Story Never Told
8. The Return
9. Ultimatum
10. Dark Heart
11. Wake the Dead
12. The Once and Future Thing: Weird Western Tales
13. The Once and Future Thing: Time, Warped
JLU Season Two:
1. The Cat and the Canary
2. The Ties That Bind
3. The Doomsday Sanction
4. Task Force X
5. The Balance
6. Double Date
7. Clash
8. Hunter's Moon
9. Question Authority
10. Flashpoint
11. Panic in the Sky
12. Divided We Fall
13. Epilogue
Unlimited Heroes. Unlimited Justice. Unlimited Fun!
Highly Recommended!!

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The Zeta Project: Season 1 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This show is fun. Not very original, but fun. It is one of those great shows that are safe for kids, but parents can sit and watch with them.
The series follows Zeta (Nicknamed Zee), a robot trying to find his creator. He is helped by a girl named Ro, who teaches him about humans.
The main draw of the series is the interaction between the witty and sarcastic Ro, and the easily confused Zee. The action is also exciting.
As a fan of the DC animated universe, it is also cool to see the expanded world of Batman Beyond.
This is only the first half of the show, hopefully it will sell enough to warrant a second release. I highly recommend it to fans of cartoons, Batman Beyond, and parents who want a quality series for their kids that won't drive them nuts.

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Justice League Unlimited - Season Two (DC Comics Classic Collection) (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Several SPOILERS here.
Well, the ride had to end sometime. JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON is the culminating season to this excellent animated series and serves to put a capper on the DC Animated Universe, which consists of BATMAN: T.A.S., SUPERMAN: T.A.S., BATMAN BEYOND, STATIC SHOCK, and ZETA PROJECT. While the current THE BATMAN and LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES continue the tradition somewhat, these new shows do not follow the same continuity.
This "second" season is, technically, the third season of JLU (or, even more comprehensively, the fifth season of JUSTICE LEAGUE) as JLU's "first" season dvd set actually contains Seasons 1 and 2. Hopefully, that wasn't too confusing to follow. Anyway, this dvd set offers the final 13 episodes in glorious wide screen and continues to showcase lesser lights from its expanded superhero roster (Hawkman in two episodes, the Warlord, Deadman, Green Arrow, the Huntress, etc.) as they are teamed up with several of the original seven founders.
Several episodes pay homage to CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS by updating the Legion of Doom, a haphazard collection of supervillains put together to combat the JLU, which then becomes the season's major story arc. Yes, there's even a Hall of Doom here. And, when we aren't privy to Gorilla Grodd and Lex Luthor engaging in power plays as they vie for the leadership of the Legion, we get to see highly diverting, self-contained episodes such as "Chaos at the Earth's Core" (I used to collect the Warlord), "Flash and Substance" (featuring a Bats/Flash team-up), "Patriot Act" (which salutes the Seven Soldiers of Victory and, in a way, resuscitates the defunct Cadmus Project), and "Far from Home" (on her 21st birthday, Supergirl, with GL and Green Arrow are transported to the 31st Century and meet the Legion of Super-Heroes).
Meanwhile, the superb "The Great Brain Robbery" (which has Luthor and Wally swapping minds) is a favorite Legion of Doom episode of mine. The Legion of Doom storyline, by the way, climaxes with the last two episodes, "Alive" and "Destroyer," as the writers throw out all the stops and bring back powerhouse villains Brainiac and Darkseid. By the way, the monumental clash between Superman and Darkseid is a must-see.
In my opinion, there isn't a lot of bad moments in this season (or in the entire series, come to think of it). Like a reviewer already mentioned, the disappearance of the Martian Manhunter for a significant portion of the season and the somewhat inconclusive resolution to Shayera and GL's often turbulent relationship are two which fall more in the negative category. And whatever happened with Batman and Wonder Woman's flirtations? Also, I wish the Blue Devil or Blue Beetle had been featured in a show (after all, Ted Kord's best bud, Booster Gold, starred in his own episode). On the positive side, the stories and the animation continue to be amazing. The stellar voice actors maintain their high quality work as they consistently add depth and resonance to their characters. Much as the Batman, as voiced by the iconic Kevin Conroy, and the Joker, by the versatile Mark Hamill, have been firmly embedded in my brain, so, too, now, are Michael Rosenbaum's Flash, Phil LaMarr's Jon Stewart, Maria Canal's Hawkgirl, Carl Lumbly's J'onn J'onzz, Susan Eisenberg's Wonder Woman, and Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor. George Newbern ends up being pretty good as the Man of Steel, but I still prefer Tim Daly. Sorry.
What started out, innocently enough, in 1992's definitive BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES has, over the course of 14 years, expanded into an animated universe in which so many significant DC costumed players have made an appearance. It's been such a sweet ride. I just want to state that never in my wildest dreams did I expect the JUSTICE LEAGUE (UNLIMITED) to be this good and this addictive. Thinking back, I probably was basing my expectations on the fun but ultimately shallow and juvenile Hanna-Barbera's SUPERFRIENDS. This current reincarnation offers so much more in terms of depth, emotion, story, scope, and creativity. The characters in JL and JLU are multi-layered, have inter-personal exchanges and conflicts, and do change and grow like real people (Hawkgirl being a prime example); the writers (Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, etc.) did such a fantastic job of making the viewers care for their product, the sum of 91 sincerely produced episodes. I'll miss the Justice League on television very, very much. Just thank goodness for dvds, huh?


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Plastic Man: The Complete Collection (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is not the Complete Plastic Man Collection, it's only the complete Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show. This is the series that had Plas teamed up with Hula-Hula, not Baby Plas. So calling this "The Complete Collection" is misleading. It's like when Shout! released "Captain N: The Game Master - The Complete Series" when they still had a third of the series to go. Many of the episodes even use the Plastic Man-Baby Plas Super Comedy Show opening. I found that annoying, since Baby Plas never appears in any of the episodes in this set. They should have used the original Comedy/Adventure Show opening for the appropriate episodes. Otherwise, why not just release an actual "Complete" set?
Having said all of that, this is a terrific show! The Comedy/Adventure Show was far superior to the versions with Baby Plas and Plastic Family. Our man Eel O'Brian is the perfect comedic superhero. Hula-Hula was a great sidekick, and Penny and the Chief were solid supporting characters/love interests. Every episode had Plas battling a different supervillain. Evil jerks like Dr. Dome, Dr. Dinosaur, The Weed, Half-Ape, and Ghostfinger were not classic DC villains, but they were great in this funny series.
This is not the weak cartoon other reviewers have made it out to be. This version of the show is more along the lines of a Scooby-Doo, with mysteries to solve and bad guys to beat. The Baby Plas stuff, I will agree, is fairly lame. But this series is GOOD. The combination of early 80s Ruby-Spears production and DC Comics can't be beat if you are into that sort of thing.
The animation is what you would expect, with the constant Superfriends-style transitions. The voice acting is standard for the era, which means it's awesome. Michael Bell, especially, does a fabulous job as the man of the hour, Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, AKA Plastic Man. He's great as the dashing, hilarious, likeable superhero.
I liked the simple packaging for this set, 4 single sided discs, nice sturdy clear plastic case, and retro art.
Plastic Man has always been one of "those" cartoons for me. One of those that I have been pining to add to my collection since I started collecting television on DVD. So there was never a question of buying this, the only concern is that the episodes would be really bad. But they're not, they rock. If you are into the late 70s/early 80s era of Saturday morning cartoons, (and why wouldn't you be) buy this so we can get an eventual Plastic Family set.

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