Justice League Unlimited

[Local Hero]

Reported 26/03/2004
Source ComicsContinuum

The Justice League animated series is going to get bigger very quickly. Before the opening theme of the season opener of Justice League Unlimited, viewers will be treated to more than 60 heroes.

"We've got a heckuva lot more characters, pretty much a full roster of DC heroes," director Joaquim Dos Santos told The Continuum last weekend at Wizard World Los Angeles. "It's pretty much going to be bigger and badder. It's going to be huge. The opening teaser a huge shot of the interior of the Watchtower and it's literally just packed with every character you can imagine. I know it's going to be a pause-fest going on, where people are picking out heroes."



Dos Santos, who shares directing duties with Dan Riba, said he's already worked on five episodes for the upcoming season. While he can't reveal too many details, he did tell The Continuum how the new season will work. "They've done away with the two-part format. It's just 30-minute episodes," he said. "The way it works out there's a core group, and they'll take a team of two or three other heroes on an adventure with them. There's basically a team leader and then the new guys on the team, the rookies. Other than that, there's no real format. It can kind of go anyway in wants."

Dos Santos directed the season opener, "Initiation." He said that Green Arrow figures prominently in the episode and that Supergirl and Captain Atom also play key roles. "From the get-go, there's huge consequences," he said. "People will be taken out of the game. Stuff will matter. When a character's injured, he's injured. He's out for a while."

What was his reaction when he heard about the new approach to the series? "I flipped out," he said. "I didn't think they were able to pull it off. Just logistically for a production coordinator to handle 60 characters from the get-go, it's a huge undertaking. Not only should it be more fun for the viewers, but for us, too. I think it keeps it interesting because we're not just handling the same characters every episode. For us it's fun ... one show will be Captain Atom with Supergirl and Green Atom and another show will be Superman with Hawk or whomever."

Dos Santos said to look for a new Watchtower and Javelin. The director also said all systems are go for an August launch of Justice League Unlimited. "We just got some early footage back and it's looking really nice," he said.

[The Mighty Thor]

I can't wait for this new take on an already great cartoon. The idea of delving deep into DC's character stable to give the show's writers more material is a wonderful idea. It took a few minutes for the idea to sink in, but just think about it for a second. 60 Characters! I would challenge any of you to come up with 60 DC heroes off the top off your head. It would take me more than a few minutes to think of enough heroes to round out that roster. Which only means we will be getting to see some of the more obscure ones. In my book, that is a wonderful thing!

I hope beyond hope that we get a roster at one point that resembles the new JLA team from the Obsidian Age story. That was such a good book, that used some very cool characters. My choice for that team would be Jon Stewart, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Nightwing, Firestorm and Major Disaster.

The only downside to this new format is that we will no longer be getting the major hour long epic style stories. I just hope they can keep the stories as compelling as thy have been in the new half hour format. No matter what, I think it will be fun, but I also hope that it can be great at the same time.

TMT

[Local Hero]

It does sound like it's going to be JLA meets International Rescue (Thunderbirds to those unaware of the reference). I was talking about this to someone earlier and it reminded me of a suggestion I put forward in a discussion regarding how I would handle the Avengers - a core team with the remainder made from the reservists, making for more specialised teams to deal with specific threats. I think this would work equally as well for the JL, as they too have a large member pool to draw from. Perhaps we might not see the hour long epics, but who knows we might see some larger story arcs carry through the entire series.

[Local Hero]

Posted 05/06/2004
Source Comics Continuum

Dennis Farina is providing the voice of Wildcat for Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited animated series.

"We had a good-sized list for Wildcat, and Dennis Farina was at the top," producer Bruce Timm told The Continuum. "And he was the first guy who said, 'Sure, I'd like to come play.'

"And he worked out great. He was awesome, actually."

Farina is among numerous guest-stars in the series.

"We always wind up with really good choices, I think," Timm said.

Look for more on Justice League Unlimited soon

[The Truth]

I say just make it an hour long show. Granted, I'm not sure an hour long cartoon has even been done successfully before...but this is the time I say do it. 60 characters, 60 minutes. Seems like simple math to me.

But yeah....I'm definately looking forward to this. Might be the time we get to see more Animated Nightwing (hopefully without a mullet this time), an animated Huntress, more of Batgirl and Supergirl, Steel and Superboy, Green fricken Arrow...and maybe....just mayyyybeee......Static Shock.

(He was suppose to meet the Teen Titans at some point an the JL already invade his show....twice)

[Local Hero]

Cartoon Network has pushed up the premiere of Justice League Unlimited a week.

For all you American CUers, the first episode of the revamped series, "Initiation," will air on Saturday, July 31, at 8:30 p.m. (ET). You should also look for the "Starcrossed" movie to repeat on Saturday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

[Enchantress]

Ya ya for my JLA!!!!

Sorry..I just love this cartoon. Since X-men evolution has gone the way of the dodo, I've only got Justice League and Teen Titans to get my geek fix on!

[Enchantress]

Ok, did anyone else besides Thor and myself watch this last night?
I loved it! I really like the 30 minute format. It does cram alot into that time frame but it was really enjoyable.
Well, and it did have two of my favorite characters showcased in the first episode... Green Arrow and Supergirl.

[The Truth]

I taped it and watched when I got in from work last night, and while I can't say I was displeased, as with all things I do have a few concerns.

~~~~~
The Good
~~~~~

Storytelling format and quality are still top notch. They had to change the intro a bit, which is understandable, but none of the "feel" of the show has been lost, even with the introduction of these new characters or their personalities. The Justice League really feels like a league now. Much more organized and focused on what it is they should be doing and how they want to go about doing it. Plus with the infusion of so many new characters and dynamics, a great myriad of new stories are now just waiting to be told.


~~~~~
The Bad
~~~~~

The new intro. I know I know....I said I can understand them changing the intro, and I can. And it's not even the opening sequence itself that bothers me. The music and presentation, while altered, is still very good and helps get me excited for the show. The only problem I have with it is the overuse of Captain Atom and Supergirl. I know they'll be two of the heavy hitters to join the team, but some peeks at the likes of Maxima (if she's on the team), Black Carnary, Elongated man, The Atom, and someone like Booster Gold or Blue Beetle would have been nice. Instead it seemed as if Supergirl and Cap Atom were going at it over who'd get the most air-time.


Other than that one thing about the opening, I really really enjoyed this show and can't wait for next weeks eppy. Hopefully this will become a means for me to learn a bit about certain DC heroes I'm not to familiar with, and find out about heroes I've never heard of before.

And does anyone else but me kinda hope Batgirl and Huntress made the cut?

[The Mighty Thor]

I've seen pictures of a purple clad woman who I think is Huntress. Of coarse I can't say that it is for sure, but I can see a resemblance. I sure hope it is, because your Huntress/Batgirl request sounds ok to me.

As for your complaints about the opening, I had the same thoughts. It seemed like the title sequence was comprised entirely of shots from this premier episode. But thats when it hit me. Maybe the opening sequence will change with every episode to reflect who is featured in that weeks show. Or at least I hope that is the explanation. Otherwise, I will have to agree with you whole heartedly.

Other than that, I thought it was an incredibly solid first showing. I can't wait for more.

[GlennWalker]

As for the opening, I thought perhaps they were only featuring heroes from that particular episode. Is that possible? So as not to spoil future episodes? Just a thought.

Glenn

[The Truth]

Thor and GW, those same thoughts occured to me as well, but that in and of itself is a bit disheartening, as now there will be no suspense if what you say is true. Instead of wondering what heroes we'll get to see, all we'll have to do is watch the intro to know exactly who we're getting. If the opening does change every week, it should simply add more characters, replacing a few of the shots of S-Girl and Cap Atom. But I seriously don't want to be sitting around knowing who's going to be doing their thing before I even know the episode's title.

On a different note....I was just sitting here rewatching the debut episode again and it occured to me that once isn't enough. What I mean is, when dealing with a show like this, you can't just watch it one time because you're, or at least I, am to busy focusing on the characters and story to notice any of the background action. What I'm talking about are the Watchtower scenes. Watching the episode the first time I didn't even notice that there were other characters walking around in the back, and this time I'm pretty sure I caught glimpses of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, the two of which were standing side by side which gives me great hope for some Booster/Beetle stories. After all....we all know how much BG loved to take advantage of Blue Beetle, and should Plastic Man show up as well....

Sweeeet.

[The Mighty Thor]

Well, after watching the second episode of the new season, it appears we are right. They are taking clips from each new episode and forging a new credits sequence for each show. For the reasons Truth pointed out, I must say that I don't like this. It does ruin a bit of the episode if you see snippets of it before it even begins. Although, I guess the easy solution would be to simply avert your eyes during the credits. Might look kinda silly, but it is an easy fix if you don't like spoilers.

As for the actual episode that was on tonight, I must say it was possibly one of my favorite episodes of Justice League ever. The final scene between Kal-El and Van-El was utterly heart breaking. And the subsequent pounding that Superman delivered as a result of that scene seemed immensely powerful and almost frightening. If this is the kind of quality that they are pumping in to the new half-hour format shows, I must say that I am hooked all over again. I don't think this show has lost anything over its earlier hour long predecessor.

TMT

[The Truth]

Crap. I'm in Superman Limbo. I'll try not to give to much of the most recent episode away but I will say this, while the beating Supes was dishing out was indeed powerful, as I watched it I couldn't help but think it wasn't powerful enough. Or rather....that he wasn't. Now don't get me wrong, I know that he's already the end all be all of DC heroes, and quite frankly I'm fine with that, but he just seems.....toned down a bit for the show.

One of, if not The most powerful image I've ever seen of Superman in his first encounter with Doomsday. If I recall correctly, Doomsday who would later go on to "kill" Superman, whallops him dead on in the chest with an uppercut to the sternum that would have shattered a mountain, and Superman didn't move an inch. That was a powerful image. To me at least. And when I saw him go on the offensive in this episode, that's sort of the level of power and resolve I was expecting to see. It didn't happen...but a part of me was hoping for it.

Now then...as for the episode itself (as a means to bring my little rant back on topic) I say two thumbs up. Thor may like the scene between Kal-El and Van-El, but to me the opening dialogue between Bats and WW is what stole the show.

(And I keep reading TMT as TMNT. Dunno why.....)

[Enchantress]

umm..because it was like 5:30ish am when you made that post.

I like the whole episode myself. Granted, I'm not a fan of the opening sequence bits, but I'm hooked on the toon again.

[Local Hero]

Posted 19/08/04
Source Link ComicsContinuum

Fred Savage and Jason Hervey are brothers again this week. The two, who starred in the ABC coming-of-age series The Wonder Years, are paired again in Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited as Hawk and Dove. The episode, approriately titled "Hawk and Dove," premieres Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on Cartoon Network. Andrea Romano, voice director for Justice League Unlimited, explained how this unique casting took place.

"I had worked with Fred Savage for many years now," Romano told The Continuum. "I think he's just a terrific talent and a very good voiceover actor. And when we got the casting for this episode, the producers came to me, Bruce Timm, and said, 'Wouldn't it be fun to get Fred Savage and then have Jason Hervey to play his brother?' since they played brothers on The Wonder Years. Since I had a working relationship with Fred Savage, that was not a problem. That was really quite simple to call the agent and book him, and he's quite happy to do the work. Jason Hervey was a bit harder to track down. He doesn't live in Los Angeles anymore, somewhere out of state. We tracked him down and found his agent, who also happens to be his mother we came to find out, and broke it down and explained that it was a Justice League episode with two super-hero brothers, Hawk and Dove, and that we did have Fred Savage on board already. We asked if Jason would be willing to come into town and play the brother. After she spoke with him, she said he would be very enthusiastic to come in and play."

Romano, who prefers to voice record ensemble, was able to get Savage and Hervey in the studio at the same time for 'Hawk and Dove'. "It was such a joy to see them together. I don't know how long it had been since they had physical contact," Romano said. "It was quite a lovely story to see them together." The final voices weren't what you would expect. Savage provided the voice of Hawk, and Hervey did the voice of Dove. "When I initially cast it and I spoke to the producers on how we were going to cast it, our first thought was to have Fred Savage play Don/Dove, the calmer, more peace-loving character, and have Jason play Hank/Hawk, the more aggressive of the two," Romano said. "Simply because that was the way they existed in The Wonder Years series; Jason's character was always the more aggressive, obnoxious character and Fred was the more agreeable guy. Once we did the rehearsal, basically strictly on how their voices printed, it didn't sound quite right. So just for the heck of it, we said, 'You know what, let's rehearse again, switching characters.' So we did. And it worked much better that way."

Click on the link above if you want to see some images from the episode.

[Enchantress]

Not sure how I feel about that...considering Dove is supposed to be a GIRL!
I have no idea why they would change a character around that drastically.
Just irritates me...but then again, missing last weeks episode irritated me too!

[GlennWalker]

Chanty, hate to break it to you but for twenty-odd years, the Hawk and Dove were brothers. The original Dove, Don Hall, was killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The female Dove is the second DC character by that name.

A vast storehouse of useless comic book knowledge,

Glenn

[The Mighty Thor]

I thought it might be a pre-crisis vs. post-crisis contradiction, but I hadn't taken the time to research it yet. Mainly because I knew that Glenn would be around soon to clear it all up for us anyway. Thanks Glenn, you are a valued member of Comics Uncovered. And I think I speak for us all when I say that your vast store house of useless comic book knowledge does not go unnoticed.

I am looking forward to this episode quite a bit. But then again, I look forward to each and every new episode quite a bit.

[Enchantress]

See, and there was a HUGE reason I quit reading DC for so long.
ESH! The pre-crisis vs post-crisis crap always screws up someone along the way, and usually, it's me.

Although, the episode wasn't great. I enjoyed Wonder Woman's part at the very beginning *her day off* and that was pretty much the limit of my enjoyment of that episode.

[The Truth]

Well I have a little brother whom I pick on and talk about constantly so this episode was great to me. Kinda wish I knew exactly what their powers were, but besides that it was very entertaining. Really loved the interaction between the characters and the chemistry between the voice actors.

[The Mighty Thor]

Yes, the voice actors were great this episode. They threw alot of recognizable voices into the mix.

But something struck me about the episode, and let me know if any of you noticed the same thing. Was there more than a passing resemblance between the Annihilator robot and Monarch (the evil overlord character from 1991's Armageddon 2001 crossover?) It would fit this episode very well if that was indeed their intention. Or maybe I was simply looking for something that wasn't really there. Let me know if anybody else had similar thoughts.

[The Mighty Thor]

The Truth Wrote:...and maybe....just mayyyybeee......Static Shock.

(He was suppose to meet the Teen Titans at some point an the JL already invade his show....twice)

It looks as though Truth will be getting his wish. I just read this tidbit on Comics Continuum and thought I would pass it along.

Batman Beyond and Static will both be guest-starring in "The Once and Future Thing, Pt. 2," the season finale of Justice League Unlimited.

Will Friedle is reprising his role of Batman for the episode. There was no voice actor listed for Static, although knowing their track record, I doubt they would use Static without his original voice man. This season of JLU has been impressing me so far, and the few things I've read make it sound as though there is still plenty of goodness to come.

TMT

[The Truth]

~giggles like a lil' school girl~

Shwaaayyy. I miss both Batman: Beyond and Static Shock (not that Static's been canceled. I just can't wake up that early) so seeing them both on JLU is going to be great. I mean....Static has single handedly taken down some of the heaviest hitters of the JL's founding team, and the chemistry he and Bats have is something I've always enjoyed. Not only that....but Batman meeting...well...Batman is undoubtedly going to be something any true fan is going to want to see. Especially given Bruce's wish not to know anything about the future. So I can only image what's going to be running through his head shoul he come face to face with his succesor.

[Enchantress]

I really miss Batman Beyond so it's going to be GREAT to see that!

~giggles like Truth~

Kinda like last weeks episode. I've always loved the Batman/Wonder Woman thing in the comics, so it was nice to see them flirting at the beginning of the show...however, I was on the FLOOR rolling at the end...Seriously, I never expected it.
I mean, who would?
Did you?
Come on, admit it, did you ever in your deepest darkest thoughts think that the Dark Knight would EVER do that?