{"id":21803,"date":"2013-08-14T06:30:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-13T18:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=21803"},"modified":"2013-08-10T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-08-10T06:00:00","slug":"big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-discusses-justice-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2013\/08\/14\/big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-discusses-justice-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Worlds On Small Screens: Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Justice League”"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rebecca Fisher<\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This one is going to take a mighty big introduction. Where do I start? First of all, the Justice League<\/strong> animated series is actually part of a much larger collection of entertainment media. When talking about the DC Animated Universe, we\u2019re actually referring to at least six different TV shows, several feature movies and a variety of web series, which in turn draw their inspiration from various comic books that have been around for decades.<\/p>\n

Diving head first into Justice League<\/strong> is therefore a rather exhilarating experience, for perhaps only the long-running Doctor Who<\/strong> and Star Trek<\/strong> franchises are comparable in terms of the history, continuity and vast array of characters that are incorporated into the show. Most pertinent to the understanding of Justice League<\/strong> is an awareness of Batman: The Animated Series<\/strong> and Superman: The Animated Series<\/strong>, both of which aired in the nineties and which (obviously) recounted the various adventures of those two most famous superheroes.<\/p>\n

Justice League<\/strong> is a direct continuation of these two shows, which begins with Batman and Superman joining forces in order to repel an alien attack and form the Justice League, a group of superheroes with the common goal of protecting humankind and the world from various threats. The other original members comprised Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl, with team headquarters situated in the space-station orbiting the Earth known as the Watchtower.<\/p>\n

Now some of you may remember those bygone days back in the seventies when Hanna-Barbera\u2019s Super Friends<\/strong> aired. Don\u2019t worry, despite the fact that they\u2019re based on the same comic books and feature many of the same characters, Justice League<\/strong> is nothing like that. Seriously, it\u2019s like comparing a tricycle to a convertible, and Justice League<\/strong> goes the extra mile by adding some much much-needed diversity to the cast. Their Green Lantern is (black) John Stewart, replacing the usual (white) Hal Jordan in the role, whilst Hawkgirl replaces Aquaman as a permanent team member. (Aquaman occasionally\u00a0 turns up as a guest star, but let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s not much you can do with a guy who talks to fish when your headquarters are in outerspace.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Big Seven: Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Batman in the centre<\/em><\/p>\n

Premise:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So now that I\u2019ve thoroughly confused any newbies out there, it should be abundantly clear that Justice League<\/strong> is just one small piece of a much larger viewing experience. You don\u2019t need to have any familiarity with the comic books in order to enjoy Justice League<\/strong>, but starting this show cold can be a startling experience considering you\u2019re thrown in the deep end with very little exposition to help you find your feet. With Superman and Batman fresh off their own shows, only Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter are given proper introductions, whilst Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and the Flash appear without any fanfare.<\/p>\n

So there are no origin stories to be found here \u2013 this takes place in a world where superheroes not only exist, but are an established and recognised part of daily life. New characters often appear under the assumption that the viewer already knows who they are, and plenty of them (for example, the Joker or Lois Lane or Darkseid) had their first appearances in one of the earlier shows.<\/p>\n

But wait, there\u2019s more! The first two seasons of Justice League<\/strong> revolved around the seven founding members and their dynamics, with each episode spread out across two parts (sometimes three) so as to manage more complex storylines. But the final three seasons of the show were retooled under the name Justice League Unlimited<\/strong>, not only changing the format to single-episode stories, but introducing dozens upon dozens of new superheroes that joined the League. Not only did this modification enable the telling of an intricate story-arc that had its roots as far back as its predecessors Batman<\/strong> and Superman<\/strong>, but it allowed any given episode to focus on second-tier heroes such as Green Arrow or Black Canary, as well as characters from spin-off series Static Shock<\/strong> and Batman Beyond<\/strong>, and even a few relatively obscure figures from the DC comic books. I can honestly say I\u2019d never heard of B\u2019wana Beast before this show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Some of the extensive cast of Justice League Unlimited <\/em><\/p>\n

Storyline:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Together they fight crime, basically.<\/p>\n

But that is oversimplifying matters. What I really want to talk about is the storyline that came to prominence in season two of Justice League Unlimited<\/strong> and what is widely referred to as the \u201cCadmus Arc.\u201d This was the accumulation of story-threads that had been sown as far back as the show\u2019s first season and<\/em> the original Superman<\/strong> series, with various elements being drawn upon to construct a sophisticated storyline revolving around a dangerous government conspiracy.<\/p>\n

Take a moment to think about this. Even though the creative team readily admit that most of this continuity was serendipitous, it means that components of the Cadmus Arc were connected to episodes that had aired eight years<\/em> before the series in which the climax takes place was even envisaged<\/em>. And it makes for a fantastically complex and thematic story-arc.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The members of Project Cadmus. Good guys or bad guys?<\/em><\/p>\n

By the time the show reaches its mid-point, the Justice League is a forced to be reckoned with. They are comprised of some of the most powerful meta-humans in the galaxy, armed with a variety of advanced technology and dwelling in a weaponized space-station above the Earth. Those who are familiar with Juvenal \u00a0(or Alan Moore\u2019s Watchman<\/strong>) will recognise the Latin proverb: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? <\/em>or Who will guard the guards themselves? <\/em>The writers take that theme and delve into it, establishing the existence of a secret government organisation that exists not to defend the world against super-villains, but against the Justice League itself. As one of its members points out: \u201cIf the Justice League ever went rogue, what do you think would be the result? In every single scenario, you beat us. Badly. We\u2019re the good guys, protecting our country from a very real threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the real clincher is that they\u2019ve got a point<\/em>. In the lead-up to the Cadmus Arc, the Justice League does get up to some rather questionable activities, demonstrating a sense of arrogance, dominance and a \u201cwe know better than you\u201d attitude on more than one occasion.\u00a0 It\u2019s a beautiful deconstruction of what it means to be a superhero and how much power an individual should exercise, one that yields no easy answers and which puts the central characters through a humdinger of a moral crisis.<\/p>\n

Characters: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The thing about having such a massive ensemble cast means that everyone will walk away with a few particular favourites. There need be no explanations for the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but I discovered plenty of new heroes and villains in the show that I had hitherto been unaware of. I loved The Question, the faceless conspiracy theorist who plays a crucial part in the aforementioned Cadmus Arc, and Black Canary, the fishnet-stocking-wearing marital arts expert with a sonic scream that can shatter eardrums. There\u2019s also Amanda Waller, in charge of the Cadmus Project and a formidable force to be reckoned with despite not having any superpowers, and Brainiac, a living computer from Superman\u2019s home planet of Krypton that seeks to absorb all knowledge until it completes its programming and is the only sentient life-form in any of the known universes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cFew think to ask The Question…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s really no shortage of characters to discover, each with their own unique personality and design. And the best thing about the Justice League is that the assorted characters aren\u2019t so much friends as they are work colleagues. Each one has a family or support system that exists elsewhere, whereas the League itself is (almost) strictly business.<\/p>\n

As well as this, they\u2019re all adults<\/em>. It sounds obvious, but you\u2019d be surprised at how rare this is, for it not only means plenty of sly innuendos that the writers manage to slip past the censors, but also an emotional maturity to the characters that you\u2019d certainly\u00a0 never see in most cartoons. The relationships they form and the way they bounce off each other is one of the highpoints of the series, particularly thanks to the \u201crotating cast\u201d technique of featuring only a few of the heroes in any given episode, leading to a higher chance of team-ups that you\u2019d never think possible.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Excuse the pun, but I hope I\u2019ve done Justice League<\/strong> justice. It\u2019s a show of incredible depth, belying its initial appearance of superheroes in colourful costumes in order to explore the themes of the massive power they wield, the potential threat they pose, and the thin line they straddle. The Cadmus arc is masterfully put together, like a jigsaw puzzle that has been pieced together from scattered elements of the entire DC universe. The animation is beautiful, the voice acting is impeccable, and the storylines are cleverer than you could ever expect.<\/p>\n

It can be a challenging experience if you\u2019re new to the world of DC superheroes, but totally worth the effort once the ball gets rolling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>So many heroes, so little time…<\/em><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Next Time<\/strong>:<\/span><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no better way to anticipate the next article than to use the show\u2019s own opening narration to introduce it: \u201cIn a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena<\/strong>, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world…\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rebecca Fisher<\/p><\/div>\n

About The Reviewer:<\/h3>\n

Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com<\/a>, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com<\/a> and her own LiveJournal<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n

To read Rebecca\u2019s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, click on Big Worlds On Small Screens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Previous Big Worlds On Small Screens<\/strong> Reviews: [click on the title to view]<\/p>\n