SUMMARY: Running Time: 11 Min.
Directed by Jake Castorena, this episode first aired in the U.S. on February 4, 2017. On a spooky spring night at in Louisiana cemetery, Solomon Grundy retrieves the mystical ‘Star of the Dead’ gem, which unleashes an undead army. Aided by a mystically crimson moon that enhances the gem’s powers, Grundy intends to vastly expand his legion of zombies by invading New Orleans. Further augmenting his undead legion, Grundy raids another Louisiana cemetery. The opposition for this zombie convention are Swamp Thing, Zatanna Zatara, and Batman.
Batman: Kevin Conroy
Zatanna Zatara: Lacey Chabert
Swamp Thing: Mark Hamill
Solomon Grundy: Fred Tatasciore
John Constantine (cameo): Damian O’Hare
Brother Night (cameo): Dan Donohue
Note: For whatever reason, data re: official episode numbers and original air dates for this series vary depending upon its source, so such info should really be taken as a best guess.
REVIEW:
Taking a kid-friendly approach to the macabre, writer Paul Dini delivers an exciting Solomon Grundy caper. Though Batman and Zatanna have great fight scene moments, the Swamp Thing vs. Grundy feud is gritty fun. The vocal cast’s performances prove spot-on. Still, it still takes a few moments acclimating to Mark Hamill’s soft take on Swamp Thing (as compared to actor Dick Durock’s guttural voice as the live-action Swamp Thing).
The episode’s chintzy animation, which gives Justice League Action its distinctive web series-like look, is easy to overlook this time because of the high-caliber script. Since the target audience is the undemanding age 10-and-under crowd, kids won’t likely complain too much about the simplistic visuals or the hardly scary zombies. For children and adults alike, the well-played “Zombie King” should make Justice League fans pretty happy.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
Note: This episode is also on the Justice League Action: Superpowers United! 2-disc DVD set (which collects the first half of the series).
