With the animated Justice League: The New Frontier hitting stores today, you may find yourself hankering for more Justice League action, but not knowing quite where to get it. Now that production of the live action movie (now rumored to be called Justice League: Mortal) has hit another snag, you could find yourself lacking for Justice. So here's a guide to the other Justice League productions you can already watch.
Super Friends: Worried about potential accusations of jingoism, ABC didn't think Justice League of America had the right ring as the title for its 1973 Saturday morning JLA cartoon. But judging by the seven name changes that the series went through in its 13-year run, obviously Super Friends wasn't the right choice either.
Despite character designs by animation giant Alex Toth, this Hanna-Barbera series was limited by some shitty animation and even shittier storylines, even when Jack Kirby's Darth Vader-prototype Darkseid came in to mess with the heroes in later seasons. The show's main drawback, however, may have been the kid sidekicks forced upon the heroes by worried TV executives; Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna may have been annoying, but they were nothing compared to the non-powered Marvin and Wendy. And don't get me started on Wonderdog.
Legends Of The Superheroes: Oh, Adam West, must everything you touch turn to camp? Apparently, if this 1979 two-part live-action special (also starring Burt Ward as a somewhat older than usual Robin, as well as Ed McMahon as himself) is anything to go by. If the laugh track on both shows wasn't enough to let you know that things weren't being taken too seriously, the fact that the second episode of the series was a roast in honor of Batman where brain-dead undead villain Solomon Grundy kept punching Ed McMahon every time he said the word "swamp" might clue you in to the abuse the Justice League endured in their prime-time debut.
Justice League of America: Things, of course, could get worse. This 1997 live-action pilot for a show that thankfully never got produced focused around the successful late-80s version of the comic devoid of big names - that's how we got M*A*S*H's David Ogden Stiers as green-skinned leader J'Onn J'Onzz, fighting Miguel Ferrer's villainous meteorologist, The Weatherman. Not so much camp as just plain bad, this show was unaired in the States, but ended up getting released to unlucky viewers overseas as a TV movie.
Justice League/Justice League Unlimited: Leave it to the animators to finally get it right. The five year run of Justice League — which changed format twice, and name once, during that time — was brought to the Cartoon Network in 2001 by the people who'd created the groundbreaking Batman cartoon in the 1990s, and used stories by animation and comics veterans (including Warren Ellis and Wonder Woman's Gail Simone) to create with a show that was as respectful to the fans as it was friendly to a regular audience. It also featured classic scifi actors (including Mark Hamill, Michael Ironside, Rob Zombie and almost everyone who had ever appeared in a Joss Whedon show. Also, Ed Asner played Granny Goodness, which always amuses me.)
With some of that show's staff behind New Frontier — as well as working on more direct-to-DVD animated features for DC — it's good to know that, even if George Miller does go ahead with casting Seth Cohen as Wally West in the live action movie, there's still potential for some good Justice League movies in our future.













Comments
I was surprised how much I liked the Cartoon Network series. I was skeptical, but I have really fallen for that show.
Oh, I loved Justice League (Unlimited). I was so ticked when they cancelled it.
The Justice League cartoon show was the finest comic book adaptation ever created by mankind.
George Miller is making it?
Now, I'm conflicted. Granted, it's been a long time since Mad Max and a short time since Happy Feet. But it's still Miller.
And yeah, Unlimited is a great show.
I'm still holding out hope that George Miller puts off the live action version... particularly in light of a new rumor that claims he's hired the guy who played Toecutter in the first Mad Max to play J'Onn J'Onzz.
The Justice League cartoon was great. I think DC got it down pat for the cartoons and their "style". Live action? Hard to do and even Marvel doesn't do it right all the time, *cough* Daredevil *cough*.
@sandmanfvr: X3 is a better example of Marvel not getting it right.
What impresses me most is that they managed to establish one continuity (with as much consistency across shows as you'd find across most comic book series) that spanned 15 years and 8 shows (2 Batman, 1 Superman, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Zeta Project, JL, and JLU).
[en.wikipedia.org]
@ReverendLoki: Indeed.
{sigh} I miss Batman Beyond...
Just came back from Best Buy. Picked up New Frontier, plus 3 volumes of animated Supermans and 2 Justice League DVDs. All at reduced prices.
Life am good!
Blah. The problem with everything Justice League is that with Superman and Green Lantern on board, everybody else has to live in the Sidekick's Lounge, except when insanely contrived plots let them do something useful.
Before anyone tries to spin the concept so that it sounds better, I'll just say 'Invisible Yellow Forcefield'.
-Kle.
@sandmanfvr: @Defendant: Outside from the animated movies (which were awful) Marvel never made any movies! Neither does DC for that matter. Movie companies make movies. They merely license properties from the comics. It's a bit more vertically intergrated because DC and Warner Brothers are both under Time Warner, but comic book companies do not make movies. What they want, think or believe means jack shit to the people who actually do. Oh, they may be kind and talk to them for a half-second, but in the end it doesn't matter, I don't care how many time you see Stan Lee's name in the credits.
Wonder Twin Powers, ACTIVATE!!! Form of -- an ice bucket!
Say what you will about their relative lameness, but damn the Wonder Twins have persisted in cultural memory.
@Macloserboy: I think you're really asking for a whuppin' today. Marvel is an actual studio.
[en.wikipedia.org]
I declare the phrase "Miguel Ferrer's villainous meteorologist, The Weatherman" to be The Greatest Phrase Ever Written.
@Defendant: Seriously.
Did you just say that J'Onn J'Onzz isn't a big name?
*gets pitchfork and torch*
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