Though marketed as “The Complete Series,” the Justice League complete sets provides fifteen DVD’s that actually boasts two highly different television series’. I say that because the creators eventually reached a limit to what they could do with one version of their show and eventually provided a second series that was obviously an extension of the show but approached the source material with a different tone altogether. So while reviewing the show I had to take in to consideration that I was reviewing two series based on a single idea stuffed in to a very beautiful boxed set that is protected by a dazzling tin display case.
With the plethora of special features we get to see “Justice League,” a show based around the comic books dressed in Bruce Timm’s signature art style and storytelling. Here we follow seven of DC’s flagship heavyweights who take hold of the first series through epic storylines based around two parter episodes that are often more epic than most of the animated series ever made.
“The Wizard of Oz” remained a favorite of mine all through my childhood and after so much advancement in special effects, it’s still a marvel to watch. Fleming and Warner’s partnering was a match made in heaven as Fleming took the L. Frank Baum beloved novel and gave us a fantasy epic that’s been mimicked and beloved since its initial release. Years after wearing down my old VHS copy I’ve managed to view the Victor Fleming masterpiece as one of the weirdest films ever made. Watching it from the view of a child differs from when you see it as an adult and watching it on the restored 70th Anniversary edition has brought to mind some images that seemed normal then that are surprisingly surreal today.
While DC Comics may not have the box office power Marvel has (save “The Dark Knight”), or the volume in straight to DVD features, they have the quality that Marvel lacks whenever they decide to churn out a feature film on the home video circuit. DC has it all over Marvel when it comes to home video releases from “The New Frontier” to “Wonder Woman,” they have it all over their rival company. And just as the movie is being cast and brought to the big screen, we’re given a special glimpse in what could be with “Green Lantern: First Flight”! DC has been mostly hit on the Straight to DVD circuit and “First Flight” is proof that they just can’t be beaten when it comes to animated features.