View Full Version : DC Justice League character help
Hello, DC folks
I have never been a big DC comics fan, but I always watch the Justice League on CartoonNetwork and it kicks butt. My question is, are all the characters that have been on that show from the comics? Specifically, Drega (sp) from the Warworld episode, is he real and if so, will he get a clix cause he rocks. I know the heros are all real, so I am mostly wondering about the villains.
Also, I love almost all of the DC cartoons (although I don't catch Superman very often). I mean the Batman of the early ninties was just classic and JL is great. But I'm wondering if I love them so much because I don't read the comics and therefore am not nitpicking the whole time. As much as the animation in X-Men Evolution is great, it just doesn't feel right. The only Marvel animated series I got into was the Spiderman from the mid-ninties, and even then I was complaining about Hobgoblin existing before Green Goblin, etc... I wonder, do DC fans like the MArvel cartoons and Marvel fans like the DC cartoons because the we don't know each others continuity and therefore are just less picky? Curious what some people think.
Silverlynx35
02/22/2003, 19:34
I think I'm the same way. I love the JLA cartoon. I don't know as much about DC history as Marvel and I've been fairly disappointed by Marvel cartoons although I think its because they seem to lack in a certain creativity. Marvel cartoons really hit the character sterotypes hard. Wolvie growls a lot, Peter Parker is still an Uber-nerd. But again, that comes from me knowing more about Marvel I imagine.
SL35
Hack-n-slash
02/22/2003, 22:08
Hello, DC folks
I have never been a big DC comics fan, but I always watch the Justice League on CartoonNetwork and it kicks butt. My question is, are all the characters that have been on that show from the comics? Specifically, Drega (sp) from the Warworld episode, is he real and if so, will he get a clix cause he rocks. I know the heros are all real, so I am mostly wondering about the villains.
As far as I know, all the characters on the TV series have been in the comics first.
Draaga is the same basic character, with the same basic story as you saw on the 'toon. Details are wildly different, though.
kingbrendarr
02/22/2003, 23:02
Kanjar Ro from the same episode is an old JLA villian as well and I would be interested to see him in a golden age set.
The Red Raider
02/23/2003, 01:46
I agree that the Marvel toons never have come as close as the DC in hitting the nail on the head.
Wolverine is always snarling and spitting, and Rogue's hideous accent makes me change the channel. The advantage of the DC toons is that they take them as serious people, albeit in outlandish situations. They pull out the obvious character traits, but they don't pull them so far as to make them stereotypes (yes, Wally/Flash is a wise-cracker and lighthearted, but he's not silly). And they never give them stupid "Cartoon" voices.
All the characters thus far have been from the comics... Felix Faust, Metamorpho, Deadshot, etc. The big "however" in this is the JSA episode, where they could not get the rights to use the Actual JSA characters of Wildcat and Flash, etc, but instead did "parodies" of them.
Silverlynx35
02/23/2003, 03:16
Amen Red Raider. Those cartoon voices are enough to make me turn it off. And that accent...Ouch. I think you got it right by saying they aren't cartoony (to paraphrase).
SL35
EVIL CAP
02/23/2003, 03:35
Well the problem with the marvel cartoons was that they were SO limited in what they were being allowed to do.In X-Men the team was never allowed to change and could never have been anywhere near as dynamic as the comic.In Spiderman he wasent allowed to actually punch anyone so all his action scenes revolved around tackling webbing people up and [usually] getting beat-up and getting saved by somebody else[watch it again sometime and be appauled at how little offense he actually has].This combined with the fact that at the time power rangers had forced virtually everything FOX had off the line-up and often was the ONLY show on all morning and you could see where they would have trouble staying on the air and getting backed
The DC JLA show is great and the problems with the show itself has been kept to a minimum.The only things close to wrong arte the fairly low number of episodes and the characters not being as strong as their comic counter-parts
Yes, near as i have been able to tell all the JLA cartoon guest stars were in the comics somewhere first. There's only one slight exception i've noticed, and it's not much at all. The Justice Guild of America was originally the Justice Society and the characters that were golden age versions of modern characters had their names and some attributes changed. IE Green Lantern with an inability to affect objects made of wood became Green Guardsman with an inability to affect aluminium. And i don't think that the creature at the end who had created that world was real, but believe it or not those four rediculous villians in that episode were all taken directly from golden age DC comics.
I'm done now. Should not start rambling at three in the morning, no.
Dry
Batman: The Animated Series is probably the best adaptation to TV (or movie) of any comic. While some characters were changed (like Bane), most everyone still retain their basic origins, personalities, etc. The writing is good, the art incredible.
Justice League is good too, and while not quite as loyal to the original source material is not nearly as far afield as the Marvel cartoons were. As others have said, most all of the characters come from the comics, even if their stories do not.
Veggiehater
02/23/2003, 14:26
Originally posted by Grinner
[BWhile some characters were changed (like Bane), most everyone still retain their basic origins, personalities, etc. The writing is good, the art incredible.
[/B]
Actually I prefer the way Bane was handled in the Animated Series over his comic version. He just comes accross a whole lot nastier with that spiked collar! :D
Also the casting done on the voice actors range from good to absolutely spectacular. I can't imagine a better Joker than Mark Hamill's (sp?) and Kevin Conroy (sp?) does a great Batman/Bruce Wayne. Other stand outs are the voices of J'onn, Harley, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. The voice acting behind these characters sure bring them to life.
As for the marvel cartoons I always felt that one of their bigger weaknesses was the art. The way they blended in the cg was very poor. Most of the time it didn't look like they were using more than 8 frames per second plus they were repeating a lot of animations, this gave the shows a very undynamic feel (esp Spider-Man). :(
VH
I firmly believe Kevin Conroy is the best Batman actor to date.
The Red Raider
02/23/2003, 15:16
I will admit however, to having a few problems with Justice League... they might seem picky, but here ya go:
Flash is constantly knocked out... so much for Fastest Man Alive when anybody can shoot him.
Superman is portrayed incredibly weak, for Superman. Granted, this can affect stories, but really.... It's every week!
Green Lantern has not only become the central character, but he's portrayed as very much an a$$.... I don't mind him having an attitude, but he takes over storylines and suddenly becomes the star. And the fact that he makes nothing with his ring is to me a waste of material.
That's my major gripes. But regardless, it's still far above it's competition!
Superman is pretty weak, by Supe standards. Wonder Woman makes up for that, though, because she just kicks it in the cartoon. Truly an Amazon.
As for GL, he's not real an a$$, so much as he is just very assertive. The two most dominant personalities are he and Batman and you'll notice that they are not often in the same place at the same time.
I personally like Superman being toned down a bit. And I loved the scene in Injustice for All pt 1 when Solomon Grundy just started to wail on him, that was great. I mean, Grundy ripped Superman a new one. Superman got right back up, though.
I really liked the voices from Sups the Animated Series. Tim Daley (sp?) was a great Clark/Sups and the guy who did Darkseids Voice (he was the guy who played the main bad dude in "Total Recall") was awsome. I hope Darkseid shows up in the Justice animated series and the same guy does his voice.
Jervis_Tetch
03/10/2003, 04:07
If ya watched the early SuperFriends series, you'll probly notice that the Wonder Twins were also not from the comic books if I'm not mistaken. The only comics I've ever found them in were the ones that were based on the cartoons. I think they were just thrown in for a little spice, along with Gleek their annoying as hell monkey, who provided some "Scooby-Dooish" comic relief.
I think there's a Wonder Twins movie coming out though...I'm gonna post a thread about that :D
TheFreak
03/10/2003, 04:30
I actually saw Zan and Jayna in a recent Young Justice comic. Bout two months ago i think. they were gettin threatened...alot...by Slobo/Lil Lobo. Great interaction!!!
I agree about GL being a horse's butt. The first show, he called Wonder Woman a rookie! Wonder Woman has been around for DECADES before this third-string token came along. He talks to Flash like he is a kid, but Flash (Wally West) was a superhero years before Stewart. The Corps referred to him as the best GL, which is a slap in the face of Hal Jordan fans (or any other GL- fans, for that matter).
Originally posted by JayThor
I agree about GL being a horse's butt. The first show, he called Wonder Woman a rookie! Wonder Woman has been around for DECADES before this third-string token came along. He talks to Flash like he is a kid, but Flash (Wally West) was a superhero years before Stewart. The Corps referred to him as the best GL, which is a slap in the face of Hal Jordan fans (or any other GL- fans, for that matter).
Not that I really care for John's character on JL (he does come across as an arrogant schmuck), but in his defense...
1) While the character of Wonder Woman has existed in comics for 60+ years, in terms of the DC Cartoon Universe that was her first appearance. Someone on their first mission is a rookie.
2) Again, I don't think that the DC Cartoon Universe directly parallels the regular DCU. There may not have been a Barry Allen, so there may not have been a Kid Flash. And even if we ignore all of that - you say he talks to Wally like he's a kid. Guess what - the cartoon Wally acts like he's a kid. Okay, a teenager, but still...
3) As with my previous answers, I'm guessing that there wasn't a Hal Jordan in the DCCU. Can't really be a slap in the face to call John the best if the true best never was there.
All of that being true, I just feel that the makers of the show are trying too hard to show Stewart as the Green Lantern to beat all GL's. As a product of comics, not cartoons (though I watched Superfriends in all its incarnations every Saturday morning as a kid) I just can't see him the way they portray him as accurate. That said, I don't stop my son from watching the show, as it has great action, and he likes Superman, Flash, and Batman very much. He knows about Kyle Rayner (he has the figure), so I told him about the first stringers, and explained about Stewart.
starr226
04/15/2003, 02:09
speaking of the Justice League...what's the current roster? i flipped through a recent issue and didn't recognize at least two members. I've been out of the loop, though...i quit reading during the grant morrison run...
Current roster:
Superman
Wonder Woman
The Flash
John Stewart (in the animated costume, no less. Kyle is currently flying around in space doing missions for Ganthet.)
The Atom
Firestorm
Faith (new character, seems to have telekinetic powers?)
Major Disaster (hey, he was a Justice Leaguer once before . . . if you count Justice League Antarctica! BWAHAHA!)
Manito Raven (based vaguely on Apache Chief from the Superfriends.)
Hmm . . . I think that's everybody . . . J'onn is off trying to get over his fear of fire (again!) but is still "in the book" and will probably be back shortly.
~LM~
Fat Ninja
05/09/2003, 17:03
Wow. When did the roster change like that? I've been out of the loop for a while. So does this mean no Batman in the league? And wasn't Major Disaster a villain (he sure sounds like one :) ) or am I thinking of someone else - Major Force maybe? And where did Plastic Man go?
So the 'big 7' idea has been officially s####ped I guess. Man, I'm gonna have to invest in some JLA back issues.
D'oh, I forgot to list Batman. He's still in and is currently arranging a date with Wonder Woman. Yes. A date. With Wonder Woman. He he!
Major Disaster is a villain (but not quite as bad as Major Force--he was the jerk who stuffed GL's dead girlfriend in his fridge.) He used to lead the Injustice League back when they were incompetant. And then for one brief, glorious mission, Maxwell Lord took the Injustice League (who were trying to "go straight") and transformed them into . . . JUSTICE LEAGUE ANTARCTICA! That JL Annual (or maybe it was a JL Quarterly) was worth every penny, let me tell you. ;)
Anyway, these days he's trying to be a good guy again. He's still a little rough around the edges . . . sort of the new Guy Gardner of the group.
Getting back to the roster change . . . I don't know if you followed the Obsidian Age story arc, but basically the Big Seven JLA all went back in time to rescue Aquaman when he and Atlantis got stuck 5000 years in the past. When they didn't come back for months, Batman's computer program assumed they were dead and went out and recruited a new JLA, consisting of:
Nightwing
Jason Blood
Major Disaster
Faith
The Atom
Firestorm
Hawkgirl
Green Arrow (Ollie)
Meanwhile, in the past, a group of powerful ancient metahumans (including Manito Raven) was killing the old JLA off one by one. The last to go was poor Green Lantern, who had been distracted trying to fight and protect civilians at the same time. Manito finally figured out the JLA were the "good guys", so he devised a plan to save them . . . by ripping out Green Lantern's heart.
This was required for a spell to save the spirits of the old JLA. But Plastic Man wasn't dead--he was simply split up into thousands of tiny pieces. And that's how he stayed until Firestorm finally managed to gather him up, bit by bit, in the present. In the meantime, GL's spirit (encased in a ring construct) and Manito Raven sat around in a cave for 5000 years, discussing how to defeat a villain left over from Manito's time, which of course they managed with help from the new League. And they resurrected the old League.
Anyway, Plas left partly because he was traumatized, partly so he could be a better father to his kid instead of being a full time superhero. Meanwhile Kyle was facing a lot of angst in his own book after his friend got gay-bashed, so he flew off too. J'onn felt guilty because he thought he could have saved all his friends if he hadn't been incapacitated by fire, so he went off to face down his fear. Most of the new League left as well, which is too bad because I would have LOVED to see Jason Blood stay on.
~LM~
clixhunter
05/09/2003, 23:19
and thats how it happened. whew sounds wierd when read like that. the part in the obsidian age when they ripped flash's legs off was brutal.
major disaster was a long time villain who recently was helping in the suicide squad. he also helped superman in the worlds at war mini series.
Tom Reed
05/10/2003, 01:12
animated series. Anybody ever see X-men Evolution? While it is a far cry from the original X-Men it is an interesting take on them, and now that I think about it, the show is probably a bit closer to being like the movie in some respects.
Oh, by the way, i just read somewhere that when we get new JLA animated stuff there will be a major storyline with Apokolips, and they will be running the awesome Darkseid episode from the Superman animated series as a set up to this show!!
Tom Reed
Gargantua
05/10/2003, 01:45
I love the DC shows. Spiderman in the 90s was okay, but I can't watch the early 90s X-Men without cringing. The worst part was the horrible dialogue. I could deal with recycled plots and bad characterizations, but it sounded like the dialogue was written by 8 year-olds.
I like what I've seen of the JLA, but the Batman series is I think the best adaption of a comic book for large or small screen, period. It was intelligently written, true to it's source, and the animation style was so original and eye catching. But I think I must agree that what really made it so successful was that the voice actors were so perfect for the characters. Kevin Conroy is great as Batman, Mark Hamill's Joker is definitive.
My personal favorite was Roddy McDowall's Mad Hatter. I can still hear his, "Twinkle, twinkle, liitle bat."
What really surprised me though was reading the novelization of No Man's Land recently, and realizing that in my head, the Penguin's dialogue was not being spoken by Burgess Meredith, but rather by Paul Williams.
s2h131985
05/18/2003, 15:31
Hey, does anyone else remember the Superman episode w/ Kyle Rainer and Sinestro. I think the JL show bring him back.
metzgarob
05/18/2003, 15:51
sinestro or kyle? or both?
The Wonder Twins joined real DC continuity in Extreme Justice. An awesome book where Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, and Booster Gold went after being dropped from the League.
s2h131985
05/22/2003, 22:08
Both of them should. Sinestro would be an awesome villain for the JL.
Originally posted by metzgarob
sinestro or kyle? or both?
Both. They gave him Hal's origin for simplicity's sake with a twist that the ring sought him out rather than having anyone hand it to him. So he was washing his hands in the men's room when a ring flew in and smacked him in the side of the head. "Ow!"
And then Sinestro showed up.
~LM~
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