JL Unlimited

[shadowkat]

My new guilty pleasure is Justice League Unlimited on Sat Night's at 8pm on Cartoon Network (I think). I'd caught the last two episodes of Justice League several months ago, was mildly impressed by those, and now have finally seen the new series, which surprisingly built on the last one instead of repeating itself like the cartoons I grew up with used to do. Not only that, but these episodes were better than the finale of the first series. Amazingly well written cartoon. Also well animated. The four main characters: Superman, Wonderwoman, Batman, and Green Lantern remind me a bit of Angel, Fred, Wes, and Gunn - which is an odd thing to think and I wonder if it's just me. Yes, still comparing stuff to Angel in my head. (Sigh) Usually cartoons are just action oriented - fight the bad-guy, win the day, no character development. But today I saw two episodes with loads of character development, not only that, but they referenced actual stories in the comics, and used the villians as metaphors regarding the characters own conflicts. Very impressed.



The first episode I saw, this morning, - retold the Justice League comic that Mutant Enemy ripped off for Angel Season 5 episode Soul Purpose. I think it may have been an Alan Moore story, not sure. In some respects it's closer in character to the prior season's episode Awakenings. What Justice League does that Angel doesn't is allow more than one character to get his fondest wish. Superman first, then Batman. Superman's is fairly simple - that he never left Krypton, got to know his family and live a full life there, yet there are cracks in his dream vision - fissures. The dream is caused by a parasite that attaches itself to Superman's chest. Batman eventually helps Superman pull it off, only to have it attach itself to Batman's chest. Batman's dream is briefer, it refers to the day he lost his parents, and in the dream his father pummels the mugger - the dream unlike Superman's is interrupted before we get to see much more. So I was left uncertain what Batman's fondest wish was - I assumed it was that his parents survived.
Yet, in tonight's episode, I was proven wrong, when Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Superman are all turned into 8 year olds - to fight a child sorcerer who doesn't want to grow up. (The child sorcerer exiled all adults to another dimension). The focus in this episode is more on Batman, and it is Batman who figures out the child sorcerer's weakness, the child socercer, Mordred, fears growing up, and has always been a child never a man. Yet desperately wants to be a man. To grow up. To not be a child under his mother's thumb forever.
When Batman tricks Mordred into using his power to grow up and become a man, Mordred finds himself exiled to this dimension - and his spell is broken. Batman and the others become adults again. The kicker is the last two scenes: When Wonder Woman mentions to Batman that she enjoyed being a child again, Batman states, "I haven't been a child since I was eight years old" - when he in effect lost his parents. In a nutshell this is the difference between Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman, the other two had a childhood, Batman was robbed of his. He grew up on his own. Which explains why when they become children again, Batman takes the lead and runs the show, when he was eight he had to be an adult, while the others could afford to be children. It also explains why he sees through Mordred, because Mordred fears becoming a man - something Batman had to become. The last scene - is Mordred as a very old man, decrepit, like a baby, with his mother caring for him and in control again - showing how we start as children and in the end become them again. Fascinating Cartoon. Wished I'd taped it. Wish I'd seen the prior season. Damn. Hard cartoon to find. Going to keep an eye out for it from now on.

PS: Never thought I'd say it, but I think I'm a Wonder Woman/Batman - Batman/Superman fan? LOL!

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

First of all, I thought it was supposed to be "Hawk and Dove" this week, not "Kid's Stuff." If Cartoon Network is reordering the episodes, I'm going to be irritated, because I've been looking forward to the fourth episode for several reasons: first, because it will pair DC's most left-leaning hero, Green Arrow, with the Question, the first superhero built to Objectivist specifications; secondly, apparently the fourth episode is the one where the writers discovered that they did indeed have a thematic arc for the season.

Was Kids Stuff a repeat? Where are we in the season? I can never tell with Cartoon Network.
After the finale, there was a period of time in which it wasn't on, then suddenly it reappeared with JL Unlimited and I wasn't able to catch any episodes until this weekend.

In previews for next week's episode they show Green Latern and The Question meeting. So apparently they are doing character stand-a-alones right now with the principals, then shifting into the arc next week? In which case
I'm guessing I'm on episode 3? And just missed one?

But leaving aside my irritation, I'd like to say first of all that baby Etrigan is sooooo kewt. Also, one thing I found particularly interesting was that they spent much of last season harping on John's lack of creativity with the powers of his ring; once he becomes eight he is filled with wild ideas of how to utilize the seemingly unlimited potential therein.

Yes, they didn't leave any character out this week. Green Lantern's creativity is emphasized but also used to show indecisiveness. All those wild ideas slow him down, instead of being able to quickly pick the most effective choice. Creativity doesn't always work in the midst of a battle. Yet it helps him with the Glasses earlier.

Yep Etrigan the demon was cute. And oddly helpful.

[dherblay.livejournal.com]

This is the third week in which they've shown a JLU episode. The first two weeks, Cartoon Network showed the first two episodes, in order. Last night's episode, though, was written as the fifth episode. From what I saw at the CN website last night, next week we're supposed to see the third episode, the week after that the sixth, and then the fourth. However, your description of the previews doesn't match up with that.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

This is the third week in which they've shown a JLU episode. The first two weeks, Cartoon Network showed the first two episodes, in order. Last night's episode, though, was written as the fifth episode. From what I saw at the CN website last night, next week we're supposed to see the third episode, the week after that the sixth, and then the fourth. However, your description of the previews doesn't match up with that.

How odd. But Cartoons for some reason do this. I wonder if it's because the network assumes they aren't serials and just stand-a-lones a la Bugs Bunny? Possibly. Cartoons get such a lousy rap from people. So this wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Ugh. Why can't someone be in charge of programming who truly understands and appreciates the art form? Then again, maybe they are, and this isn't their fault and the writers are just writing the series out of order? I know Minear wrote Wonderfalls out of order, convincing the network after the fact to insert an episode he'd written later after the first two.