SUMMARY: Running Time: 290 min.
Released by Warner Bros. Home Video in 2018, this double-DVD set assembles the first twenty-six episodes from Justice League Action. It’s billed as “Season One, Part One.” Televised in 2016-2017, these approximately eleven-minute episodes are:
DISC 1:
# 1-4. Classic Rock, Power Outage, Night of the Bat, & Abate and Switch.
Premise: This four-part opener starts with a team-up between Batman and the immortal Wizard (aka Shazam) to save an abducted Billy Batson from Black Adam. Escaping from the mystical Rock of Eternity are several demons that the Justice League must round up in the three subsequent episodes.
#5. Follow That Space Cab!
Premise: Space Cabbie takes in an injured Superman and a bottled Mr. Mind as his latest customers during a deep space hot pursuit by two loathsome bounty hunters (including Lobo).
#6. Nuclear Family Values.
Premise: Rookie member Firestorm must battle a peculiar family of androids (representing a spoof of a 1950’s All-American family) from unleashing a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.
#7. Zombie King.
Premise: Swanp Thing needs help from Batman & Zatanna Zatara to stop Solomon Grundy’s growing zombie army from invading New Orleans.
#8. Galaxy Jest.
Premise: Mongul abducts the Joker to entertain his alien troops while the League desperately tries to find the Joker’s hidden gas bomb.
#9. Time Share.
Premise: Accompanying Batman to stop the villainous Chronos, teenage rookie Blue Beetle gets a time-traveling glimpse at the Dark Knight’s first caper.
#10. Under a Red Sun.
Premise: Batman & Big Barda seek to help save a powerless Superman from being hunted by one of Darkseid’s glory-seeking sons on an unknown alien world.
#11. Play Date.
Premise: Toyman brings his video arcade shenanigans to the Watchtower for fun-and-games with the League.
#12. Repulse!
Premise: Lex Luthor’s latest scheme to destroy Superman forces the League to improvise a deep space solution.
#13. Trick or Threat.
Premise: The House of Mystery hosts a ghoulish Halloween Night party for kiddie-sized versions of Batman, Zatanna Zatara, Dr. Fate, and John Constantine to thwart Klarion the Witch Boy.
DISC 2:
# 14. Speed Demon.
Premise: Once the wicked Brother Night transforms the Batmobile into a demonic monster, Batman & Etrigan the Demon race to save an abducted Zatanna Zatara.
# 15. Hat Trick.
Premise: Swiping Zatanna Zatara’s magical hat, Felix Faust unleashes a monstrous insect from another dimension. While Batman & Etrigan the Demon try to contain the monster’s rampage, Zatanna battles Faust.
# 16. Field Trip.
Premise: With Superman accidently trapped in the Phantom Zone, a trio of teenage heroes (Stargirl, Firestorm, & Blue Beetle) try to contain three familiar Kryptonian baddies from escaping the Fortress of Solitude.
# 17. Luthor in Paradise.
Premise: When Lex Luthor and the sorceress Circe team up to acquire the mystical powers of Zeus, it’s up to Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman to hold them at bay.
# 18. Plastic Man Saves the World.
Premise: Rejected by the League to help the team out, Plastic Man takes it upon himself to end Brainiac’s latest Earth invasion scheme.
# 19. Rage of the Red Lanterns.
Premise: Lobo ingeniously sets up the League in a diversion vs. five Red Lanterns to ensure he can make his own ultimate power grab.
# 20. Freezer Burn.
Premise: Batman & Firestorm try to save Gotham City and rescue a kidnapped Killer Frost from Mr. Freeze.
# 21. The Trouble With Truth.
Premise: Accepting an unexpected job offer, Wonder Woman leads the team into battle against H.I.V.E. in what may be her last League mission.
# 22. Inside Job.
Premise: Luthor’s latest scheme has rendered Superman comatose and is slowing killing the Man of Steel. It’s up to Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Atom to go on a microscopic journey to save Superman.
# 23. Double Cross.
Premise: The League plays a dangerous game vs. the sharp-shooting assassin Deadshot by having Plastic Man impersonate a captive Two-Face.
# 24. Battle of the Bottled City.
Premise: With Superman trapped at microscopic size inside the bottled City of Kandor, it’s up to the Atom to face off against Brainiac at the Fortress of Solitude.
# 25. Garden of Evil.
Premise: Poison Ivy’s botanical attack on Gotham City ensnares Swamp Thing to unwillingly do her bidding by battling the League.
# 26. All Aboard the Space Train.
Premise: Space Cabbie returns for a deep space team-up with Jonah Hex to thwart Kanjar Ro’s train hijacking.
REVIEW:
The cheaply simplistic animation is a visual choice meant for kids, but these top-caliber stories exceed Justice League Action’s artistic limitations. Smartly relying on Kevin Conroy’s vocal presence as Batman and Khary Payton’s occasionally-seen Cyborg, these initial episodes are further anchored by Jason J. Lewis’ low-key Superman, sounding virtually identical to his predecessors, Tim Daly and George Newbern. Rachel Kimsey’s Wonder Woman proves a gem working with Conroy and Lewis. Particularly in comedic moments, Kimsey’s spirted voice perfectly synced to Wonder Woman’s animated facial reactions is among the series’ most unique elements.
Yet, these cartoons are energized by the presence of celebrity guest stars Ken Jeong, James Woods, Lacey Chabert, Jerry O’Connell, Christian Slater, Jon Cryer, Mena Suvari, Robert Picardo, Jessica Walter, John De Lancie, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Mark Hamill seamlessly mingling with the other voice actors. The spot-on casting of De Lancie and Woods (as Brainiac and Luthor, respectively) alone is a nod to creative genius by the production team, though Chabert’s Zatanna, Suvari’s Killer Frost, and Slater’s Deadshot are also stellar. However, Hamill’s curiously subdued take on Swamp Thing isn’t close to his best vocal work, unlike his well-played return as the Joker in Galaxy Jest.
Continuing Kin Shriner’s entertaining vocal work as Green Arrow from Justice League Unlimited, Chris Diamantopoulos makes a terrific predecessor. Unfortunately, the character makes too few appearances on this set. Carrying over the same grumbly voice from The Looney Tunes Show, John DiMaggio ensures that his buffoonish Lobo sounds just like Yosemite Sam — in small doses, this raspy gag works well enough. Even if their wacky takes on Plastic Man and Firestorm will likely grate on older viewers fast, at least voice actors Dana Snyder and P.J. Byrne bring a welcome abundance of enthusiasm.
While the animation isn’t close to first-rate (with the exception of a brilliant Trick or Threat), the humor-tinged firepower of these mostly G-rated episodes should resonate well with Justice League fans of any age.
BONUS FEATURES:
Featurettes aren’t included. Unfortunately, the on-line shorts (essentially three-minute episodes) aren’t part of the package, either. Instead, there are trailers for LEGO Ninjago Movie; LEGO Scooby Doo: Blowout Beach Bash; the 2017 Wonder Woman live-action film; and DC Super-Hero Girls: Hero of the Year.
QUALITY CONTROL:
Sporting 5.1 Surround or Dolby Surround (depending upon the language), the episodes are in widescreen with excellent picture quality. The remote control access is easily accessible. Language options include English, Spanish, and Portuguese, while the sub-title options include English and French.
PACKAGING:
The two discs each have sturdy storage pages. The back cover effectively conveys all of the pertinent information.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
Note: Volume 2 (or Season 1, Part 2) is entitled Justice League Action: Battles from Beyond!
