Justice League: Doom (Tower of Babel)

[Dread]

February 28th release date and as expected, no difference from the Canadian cover...

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/12/12/justice-league-doom-february-28-box-art/

The cover looks nice until you nitpick it a little. On a fast glance, it looks like "JUSTICE LEAGUE: WOOD", which would surprise me aside for the fact that DC once published a comic called JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE, but the font they used made C's look like G's and R's look like A's, so on a glance it looked like JUSTICE LEAGUE: GAY FOR JUSTICE. And, well, the initials for ALL-STAR SUPERMAN are A-SS. Just try to pre-order some A-SS sometime. DC are the kings of unintentional laughs sometimes.

Batman must make his Batarangs of special metal, since unlike normal reflective surfaces, they don't "flip" the image of what they are reflecting. Maybe it's Nth metal. And I am actually not nit-picking that Batman takes up half the cover because this is a loose adaptation of TOWER OF BABEL, which was at heart a Batman story. It may be disconcerting that WB Home Video still relies on Superman and Batman, and to lessor degrees the Justice League and Green Lantern, to sell DTV projects. Out of 3 projects with "JUSTICE LEAGUE" in the title, two have (or will) focus on Batman while the adaptation of "New Frontier" naturally focused on Hal Jordan (while giving additional scenes to Superman and especially Batman that were not in Darwyn Cooke's comic). The only one that involved none of these was "WONDER WOMAN" from 2009. Then again, for equal time, Marvel & Lion's Gate have injected Hulk, Iron Man, and/or Thor into quite literally all 8 of their DTV's aside for one - "DOCTOR STRANGE" (and even that technically had a minor cameo by "Dr. Donald Blake", Thor's alter ego).

Interestingly, Wonder Woman is at the top of that reflective JL image instead of Superman or Green Lantern. On the downside, Flash and Martian Manhunter are not pictured. Perhaps this is payback for the cover of "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS" having Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash on it, but no Green Lantern. J'Onn never gets cover love.

The blu-ray extras confirm that this will be a tribute to McDuffie. A shame WB has decided to keep all their extras to that format and not even offer a 2-disc DVD thing anymore to avoid it. Oh, well. $19.99 bare bones DVD's sell for about $16 at Best Buy anyway, new or not.

Still, good to have a date to check off. I'll naturally be there to nab it.

 

[batlovescatDC]

I find it very interesting if you look at the 3 DCAU films that have/will come out before The Dark Knight Rises.

Batman: Year One had Selina Kyle/Catwoman in it and even featured a Catwoman short film of her own... a prominent character in TDKR.

Justice League: Doom has Bane in it... another prominent character in TDKR.

And last but not least, The Dark Knight Returns is being released the same month as Rises. DKReturns is said to have been an influence for Christopher Nolan on the portrayal of Batman and other elements in Rises.

Definitely seems like WB/DC is trying to get the Rises characters/elements some exposure before the films comes out.

 

[Panthro]

While it's a bit pointless to keep dragging out the voice debates, isn't it possible that George Newbern simply may not be available for some of these DTVs? Tim Daly obviously isn't available for all of them, not with the TV, occasional film and stage work he does.

Random trivia: Daly & Newbern both appeared on "Grey's Anatomy" and later on Newbern played a different character on the spin-off series "Private Practice", which also stars Daly.

Interestingly, Wonder Woman is at the top of that reflective JL image instead of Superman or Green Lantern. On the downside, Flash and Martian Manhunter are not pictured. Perhaps this is payback for the cover of "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS" having Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash on it, but no Green Lantern. J'Onn never gets cover love.

J'Onn/Martian Manhunter appeared on the cover of "Justice League: The New Frontier" next to Green Lantern as they soared up into the sky.

I find it very interesting if you look at the 3 DCAU films that have/will come out before The Dark Knight Rises.

Batman: Year One had Selina Kyle/Catwoman in it and even featured a Catwoman short film of her own... a prominent character in TDKR.

Justice League: Doom has Bane in it... another prominent character in TDKR.

And last but not least, The Dark Knight Returns is being released the same month as Rises. DKReturns is said to have been an influence for Christopher Nolan on the portrayal of Batman and other elements in Rises.

Definitely seems like WB/DC is trying to get the Rises characters/elements some exposure before the films comes out.

If we're not careful we're all gonna end up dying of a Batman overdose.

 

[Dread]

While it's a bit pointless to keep dragging out the voice debates, isn't it possible that George Newbern simply may not be available for some of these DTVs? Tim Daly obviously isn't available for all of them, not with the TV, occasional film and stage work he does.

Random trivia: Daly & Newbern both appeared on "Grey's Anatomy" and later on Newbern played a different character on the spin-off series "Private Practice", which also stars Daly.

I knew that trivia. And you're right, it could all be down to scheduling. Still, it seems in a lot of interviews and whatnot everyone in production focuses on Daly's Superman, but Newbern's seems to not always be as revered. I guess you really can't ever replace your first love.

J'Onn/Martian Manhunter appeared on the cover of "Justice League: The New Frontier" next to Green Lantern as they soared up into the sky.

Fair enough. I admit I did forget about that one.

If we're not careful we're all gonna end up dying of a Batman overdose.

Are you kidding? Batman has been overexposed before Wolverine was overexposed. Think about that for a second.

 

[Panthro]

Are you kidding? Batman has been overexposed before Wolverine was overexposed. Think about that for a second.

I'll include the winking emoticon next time.

 

[Dread]

I'll include the winking emoticon next time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3rhQc666Sg

 

[DrMylesOBoogie]

Vandal Savage being in this instead of Ra's seems like a real wasted opportunity to have him Bane in the same animated film seeing as TDKR is coming out and they clearly have ties there. I'd even have changed Savage to Talia.

Also not big on the idea of the sense of there not being any continuity with these films. how can you have a a reference like "before I broke the bat" when for any of the audience that hasn't read knightfall would be totally clueless. I wish they had some sense of continuity within these features.

 

[Lencho01]

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/1112/21/index.htm

 

[Dread]

It is somewhat difficult to get psyched for still images from this film considering it's from the same character designer who did "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS" as well as "YOUNG JUSTICE". The Royal Flush gang are some new characters we haven't seen him redesign in that style, and while it isn't EXACTLY the same as "JL:CO2E", it is close enough. Still, looks fine. It should move fluidly. I am very interested in the bit where TMS storyboarded the whole thing, as opposed to a Western studio. TMS are old masters of animation, so it should be a treat.

Whatever Wonder Woman has at the other end of that lasso may be gross. While I like the idea of making her tiara seem more "functional" as head gear, the dilemma of making it so large is now I can't fathom how it wraps around under her hairline seamlessly. Unless she just has an oddly shaped head, or a lot of hair. Yeah, I know, superhero costume physics, but smaller tiaras don't have that problem.

Vandal Savage being in this instead of Ra's seems like a real wasted opportunity to have him Bane in the same animated film seeing as TDKR is coming out and they clearly have ties there. I'd even have changed Savage to Talia.

Also not big on the idea of the sense of there not being any continuity with these films. how can you have a a reference like "before I broke the bat" when for any of the audience that hasn't read knightfall would be totally clueless. I wish they had some sense of continuity within these features.

This is a fair point. I can understand why Warner Home Video doesn't want a continuity between DTV's - they want them to remain impulse purchases, to be viewed or potentially aired in any order. That said, WB has long been a fan of done in one stories, even through their TV series. Timm had to basically sneak subplots past the radar of CN on "JLU". I imagine a line like Bane's is made to the fans who of course know Knightfall; however, if no context is given in the film, it will remain an odd bit of fanboy acknowledgement and little else. KNIGHTFALL is already almost 20 years ago; most newer or younger fans may not be aware of it, even if all they've seen of Bane is his appearances on BOOMERANG animation reruns.

That said, it is possible to establish some context in the film if the past history of the Legion Of Doom and in particular their connections to the heroes of the League is referenced - or ideally shown. You don't even need animation; some still "faded out" images set to some narration could do it in a few minutes. I've seen other DTV's and anime do that all the time. It doesn't have to be too complicated, just enough for the bare essentials. Bane is a super-soldier experiment from Santa Prisca who escaped jail and crippled Batman once. Metallo is John Corban who is powered by Kryptonite. This dude is literally J'Onn's evil twin. I'd argue such things may especially be needed for lessor known villains like Cheetah, Mirror Master, or Star Sapphire. I can swallow an exec figuring that the fact that Bane "broke the Bat" is something which is mainstream. I can't swallow an exec figuring anyone outside the geek circle knows much of anything about Star Sapphire or Cheetah beyond a design, unless they are THAT out of touch with reality. Which is probable.

My "Green Goblin Theory of Why the World is Messed Up" is that the further up someone advances within a company or government agency, the more exposure to insanity inducing gas they receive, and the less of a grip on reality they have. That is why a middle manager is only insane enough to be irritating, while a CEO or even a President often acts as if they haven't stepped outside of their office in decades, and make decisions without any actual bearing in real life in the now, yet drastically effect or influence it. This is why Dan DiDio, Jim Lee, Axel Alonso, Joe Quesada, etc., act like they only meet other people who aren't "yes men" at conventions. Why they believe reverting everything back to 1970's continuity is essential, and so on. But, I'm just an internet crank who reads too many comics. I just truck out this theory to bring a chuckle. I know in real life there are social-psychology theories to explain this such as "groupthink", but "Green Goblin Gas Theory" is funnier.

 

[Spider-Kurt!]

Vandal Savage being in this instead of Ra's seems like a real wasted opportunity to have him Bane in the same animated film seeing as TDKR is coming out and they clearly have ties there. I'd even have changed Savage to Talia.

.

I completely understand what you're saying but at the same time I can't help but to wonder if DC might be eyeing Savage as a potential Justice Legue live action movie villain. As great of a character and a threat Ra's is,he's understandably had more exposure than other DC villains.The same can be said for Lex Luthor. On that note,I'd kinda like to have seen a different Superman villain other than Metallo (Any suggestions?) but I won't complain.I always look forward to thse projects.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

ok maybe i'm wrong here but in the trailer why is J'Onn standing with the villains

 

[Spider-Kurt!]

ok maybe i'm wrong here but in the trailer why is J'Onn standing with the villains

It's his evil brother Ma'alefa'ak.

 

[Dread]

I completely understand what you're saying but at the same time I can't help but to wonder if DC might be eyeing Savage as a potential Justice Legue live action movie villain. As great of a character and a threat Ra's is,he's understandably had more exposure than other DC villains.The same can be said for Lex Luthor. On that note,I'd kinda like to have seen a different Superman villain other than Metallo (Any suggestions?) but I won't complain.I always look forward to thse projects.

To be fair, Ra's did show up in "BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD" as well as an episode of "BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD" and naturally in "YOUNG JUSTICE". The powers-that-be for "JLOOM" perhaps figured that since the piece was already very much a Batman story, and that they were already shoving Bane into it, that keeping Ra's as the major villain of the story (as he was in Waid's comic arc) would have been a bit much. Warner Brothers doesn't seem interested in building to a Justice League film as Marvel Studios has done for the Avengers; hell, a Batman/Superman film was kiboshed before Chris Nolan got aboard the franchise. At any rate, Vandal Savage has a similar immortality theme as Ra's, only he's far older and even more physically empowered (as he usually displays peak human if not superhuman might and stamina, so that Batman cannot simply best him in a sword duel). He's also a more general JL baddie. If a JL film did happen, they could do a lot worse for an antagonist than Vandal Savage, even if the audience hasn't heard of him. I do agree that certain figures like Luthor and Joker have been overused.

Ironically, despite the Royal Flush Gang debuting as JLA villains (JLA #43, circa 1966), this could be one of the few times in DC animation they weren't almost exclusively linked to Batman. While they appeared in the final version of SUPERFRIENDS in 1985-1986, their next appearance was in "BATMAN BEYOND". They next showed up in "JUSTICE LEAGUE" Season 2 as metahumans working for the Joker, and this was supposedly the first incarnation of the team (the version in Beyond was the 4th if memory serves). They next popped up in "EPILOGUE" in "JLU", with Batman again being the central cog of that episode. Of course, in the preview, we note that the Flush Gang have some dialogue with Batman, but that could simply be because he was the first to arrive upon their robbery. In fairness, the JLA roster of '66 when the Gang debuted featured the "big three" (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) as well as Flash and Hawkman. The second incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang circa 1982 - with the suit of Spades and with an android Ace - is the version DC animation tends to prefer. Ironically, this second incarnation was organized by Hal Jordan's enemy Hector Hammond.

ok maybe i'm wrong here but in the trailer why is J'Onn standing with the villains

It's his evil brother Ma'alefa'ak.

And this will be his debut appearance in DC animation! It is amazing how rare that has become. He first debuted in MARTIAN MANHUNTER #0, circa 1998 and considering how few villains J'Onn seems to have, it's amazing he didn't show up during "JLU" somewhere. He's perhaps a generic "evil twin" sort of villain, but so is Bizarro who has shown up a few times.

 

[Vaibow]

I would like the idea, that to continue with Batman, we see him in a Superman Sequel. We can introduce Batman to Henry Cavil's Superman, i'd imagine, easier than to Nolan's Batman.

Batman could be introduced like this. Bruce takes an interest to Supes and follows him. Obviously supes is no fool and lets him, in doing this, Supes can find his own info on Bats. Super hearing, x ray vision etc can all be explored whilst looking at bats - a good way to show the equipment Bruce uses - is he aware he cannot see through lead etc.

Bruce also notices a trend, similar to just before the introduction to Supes, of mystery men and women who appear to do great feats.

They form an alliance and track down these characters, to reveal the flash, green lantern and wonder woman.

A government sets out to weaponise space - an obvious response now they know they are not alone - which brings unwanted attention.

In this film - the justice league work together, to defeat the enemy, whether it be using brains, rather than brawn. The Flash could be used as a messenger, a courier of sorts. Martian Manhunter and Green lantern as spoke people. They don't even need to reveal certain characters to the public, such as Wonder woman etc. It can be done.

Only after the event, can they all unite and realise they have something special on their hands.

 

[K'Prime]

totally gonna pre order me a copy.love most dc entertainment animated films granted i felt that year one was kinda short but whatever

 

[Optimus27932]

totally gonna pre order me a copy.love most dc entertainment animated films granted i felt that year one was kinda short but whatever

I feel the same way about Year One, the animation was good but it seemed like a letdown at the end maybe bc i was expecting more action, idk.I also will be getting JLoom.

 

[Optimus27932]

Sorry guys, maybe i missed it but does anyone know the run time?

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Sorry guys, maybe i missed it but does anyone know the run time?

77 mins...

Back cover:

 

[Panthro]

77 mins...

Back cover:

Cool.

 

[Optimus27932]

77 mins...

Back cover:

Thanks DarkKnight90, 77 mins seems to be good for an animated movie, i am just hoping it wasnt a rushed movie leaving out too many details.Looking forward to this one.

 

[Dread]

For the record, 77 minutes is longer than both "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS" and "ALL-STAR SUPERMAN", albeit by 1-2 minutes. On the other hand, a slew of the Marvel/Lion's Gate DTV's such as "THOR: TALES OF ASGARD", "PLANET HULK" and "DOCTOR STRANGE" were all over 80 minutes. Still, it is longer than the last Justice League DTV by 2 minutes.

I do hope there is more attempt to flesh out the villains other than simply treating them as named opponents.

It is annoying how WB seems to be almost forcing people to go blu-ray by including extras exclusively on that which they used to offer on DVD. I mean, let's go back a few years. "SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY" actually had a commentary, and at least 1-2 special features as well as other stuff. So did "WONDER WOMAN" and "BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS". The 2-disc and blu-ray had more but certain stuff was basic. But then as the years went on the normal DVD only had one feature, which was usually an ad for the next thing. You had to shell out for the 2-disc or blu-ray for the sweet stuff. And nowadays it seems that all the good stuff is on blu-ray with little extras for DVD, like those old DVD's from 1997 that considered "interactive menu" a special feature.

Meanwhile, the Marvel/Lion's Gate stuff actually added more extras to their standard DVD offering over time. "THOR: TALES OF ASGARD" has a bonus episode, 2 commentaries, and 1-2 special features and that's not on the blu-ray. Same with "PLANET HULK". So why can they do that and WB considers anything that isn't the movie and 2 trailers/bonus episode can't fit on something besides the blu-ray? Is Lex Luthor running their marketing division?

 

[Hush]

Cyborg: his time has come? What stupid force fed ******** DC.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

Cyborg: His time has come... to get an oil change so his joints stop squeaking.

 

[Dread]

Cyborg: his time has come? What stupid force fed ******** DC.

In corporate speak, it's called "synergy".

I'd have preferred Black Lightning or Vixen, but DC Comics likely planned to start pushing Cyborg a year before the NEW 52, as that was when this would have started to be animated.

 

[JoeyConQueso]

Somebody must have been a big Super Powers fan.