In the latest iteration of the Justice League, first created by Gardner Fox, series regulars Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman join with a cast of heroes to fight an onslaught of villains through?Justice League Action!?In Season One/Part One available now, audiences can own the first twenty-six episodes (which aired from December 2016 to July 2017) from Warner Bros. and the DC Universe.
Brett Hardin (Beware the Batman, Doom Patrol, Justice League, Son of Batman, JLA Adventures) is responsible for Design and Visual FX Animation. It’s an interesting blend that makes the look available (and not too scary) for young children, without completely wiping it of its nuance and excitement. From a look and feel, it’s fun to see a Justice League where the earthbound Green Arrow can fight next to the explosive Firestorm, while Teen Titan Cyborg can get in the action in the story that will also boast Blue Beetle.
Starting with “Classic Rock” (which is actually the first part of a four-part “Shazam Slam” series), we see Batman mix it up with Shazam, Black Adam, and the Wizard, which will lead him to Green Arrow in the third episode; meanwhile, Wonder Woman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter are on a parallel track in the second episode “Power Outage,” that will bring them all together (along with Booster Gold, Cyborg, John Constantine, Plastic Man, and Swamp Thing) in the fourth episode. It’s a classic joining together of the swath of DC heroes that would make Mark Waid proud.
Whatever you think of the animation and story, the voices are ridiculously talented representations of people you know. Longtime voice actor Kevin Conroy returns as Batman/Bruce Wayne, with Rachel Kimsey as Wonder Woman/Diana and Jason J. Lewis as Superman/Clark Kent … and a ton of other characters (Zod, Desaad, Krypto, Carmine Falcone, Red Tornado, etc.) But adults and kids will recognize voices on several other parts – Sean Astin as Shazam, Diedrich Bader as Booster Gold, Hannibal Buress as Mister Terrific, Gary Cole as Black Adam, Jon Cryer as Felix Faust, Ken Jeong as Toyman, Jon Lovitz as Sid Sharp, Jerry O’Connell as Atom, Andy Richter as Chronos, Peter Stormare as Mr. Freeze, Carl Reiner as the Wizard, and James Woods as Lex Luthor.
This is a superhero show that allows our heroes to be heroic, that will entertain kids and the adults who watch with them. You’ll just have to wait for Part 2 to come out and reveal how the rest of the season plays out! Or watch the new episodes on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on Cartoon Network!
