Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the latest release direct to DVD from DC Comics and Warner Brothers came out last week. Interviews with the cast and creators have been featured at numerous web sites leading up to the release. Here are a few that covered the event:
Newsarama
ComicBookResources
ComicsContinuum
There was even a premiere which was attended by our own Cesar "Masked Avenger" Zamora. See his blog about the premiere here!.
The story is basically the main JLA dealing with their evil counterparts. This story was first told in the Silver Age of Comics, in JLA issues 29 and 30, which introduced readers to Earth 3 and the Crime Syndicate. The story has been revised and updated a number of times, most recently in the Morrison/Quiety JLA:Earth 2 graphic novel. In that retelling, a good Lex travels to ‘our’ earth to find help fighting the Syndicate. Since he came from his earth to a second one, he calls ‘our’ earth, "Earth 2". For why JL/JLU fans should care, read on …
But first, some background. For some reason, the Crime Syndicate usually only has 5 members, evil verisons of
Superman – Ultra Man,
Batman – Owl Man,
Wonder Woman – Super Woman,
Green Lantern – Power Ring,
Flash – Johnny Quick
For the movie/DVD version, they added an evil Martian Manhunter. The good Joker also makes an appearance. A cool device the writer uses is that other groups of DC Heroes work as underlings for the main team. The evil Outsiders work for evil Batman, the evil Detroit JLA members work for the evil Martian Manhunter, the evil Shazam Family works for evil Wonder Woman. My only gripe is that almost none of the secondary villains or heroes get named during the movie. For names, the only source we have is the Facebook collectable card game for the movie.
FaceBook Justice League Card Collecting
(Note: all pictures with numbers in this blog credited to that application)
I promised in the title there was a reason JL/JLU fans would want to see this. According to interviews with both writer Dwayne McDuffie and producer Bruce Timm, this movie was originally intended to be part of the DC Animated continuity along with Batman TAS, Superman TAS, Justice League, and JLU. This movie was to be the bridging story between JL and Justice League Unlimited. They were working on developing this movie along with the JLU series at the same time. Eventually, the series took over and the movie got shelved. Until now.
Sure, they changed some things to make it work as a stand alone movie, and they changed the voice actors, but as you watch it, the tones of JL are there and you can feel the movement from a team of 6 to a team of 60 as the story progresses. It really feels like a JL movie.
Toys? The line that makes sense, as some of us have discussed in the Mattel forum, is the JLU line. The animation is very similar to that of JL and JLU. Who are the new key players? Which characters would now "be" part of the continuity which many collectors say is key to them? For me, it would be the main Crime Syndicate, Luthor, and the new JL members. I just did not find most of the rest of the evil versions of the heroes did enough to make me want them as toys.
Owlman
Ultra Man (on his way)
Super Woman (already made)
Lex Luthor
Aquaman in his Superman TAS style (on his way)
Black Lightning in his JLA comic costume
Firestorm, the Jason Rusch version.
So, Mattel, if you are listening, I’d gladly take a C2E Batman, C2E Luthor, and C2E Owlman JLU 3 pack!
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The discussion about C2E toys in the JLU line has already started. Join in HERE if a member or leave you comments below.
No, SuperFriend, they’re not listening.
Thing is, the Super Woman we have and the Ultraman that is (hopefully) still on the way match the Frank Quietly designs and not those of the movie. As much as I like the new designs at the snail’s pace that toy development and approvals move at, how many collectors/consumers will still care about getting them a year from now?
The big thing is, do JLU toy people embrace this movie as part of the DC Animated Universe? If they do, then demand will be there as it is for characters from JL such as Despero who was just announced. If not, I doubt we will ever see them.
And I would be fine with Mattel continuing the Crime Syndicate in the Frank Quietly inspired style. They are similar.
as long as the crime syndicate is made and completes since good lex and ultra man were done as a two pack . even though always thought the crime sydicate was only five. but still since Mattel did not get to make them in time for the film. hope they use what may be another chance and make them.even though i would rather see them done in dc classics as the original version.
I haven’t watched this, largely because the DCAU movies sort of lost my interest once they stopped being part of the larger DCAU that was already established. I know Bruce Timm wants to do new things, but it’s still him and all his crew doing the new movies, so I’m more annoyed than anything that it’s never a continuation of JLU. I was down for a couple of them, but now I’m tired of them. As for embracing it as JLU? No. If you don’t have the principle characters playing the parts, nor are you attempting to say it’s part of the JLU DCAU, then it’s not.
Actually, the points I’m trying to make are that
A) It was originally going to be part of JL/JLU, so if you liked the series you might like it.
B) If Mattel was to make toys for it, that the JLU line would be the logical place for it.
I would pay for the movie versions of these characters, but will they be made? Will enough kids/moms/grandparents DEMAND they be made?? Will Target “distribute” them???
Shoot me now.
Yeah. Considering how few of the offerings from last year I actually had the opportunity to purchase, I see your point.
Cool blog, that other blog you mentioned was pretty cool too!
Yes it was!
i thought superwoman was supposed to be the evil version of mary marvel as her underlings were captain marvel,marvel jr and uncle marvel. Wonderwoman’s evil ‘twin’ was the one encountered at the lab/warehouse with ‘evil’ GL watching from afar..
Well, traditionally, going back to the original story from 1960? (JLofA 29 and 30), and in the updated version from Grant Morrison a few years back, the CSA are the evil counterparts of the 5 core Justice League members, which Dan Didio now call the 5 cornerstones of the DC Universe. Changing that for this version would be weird and ruin the symmetry.
I just thought it was a cool idea to give evil Wonder Woman the Marvel family as they both have ties to the Greek/Roman gods.
As for the woman at the lab/warehouse, I figured she was Hippolyta, Artemis, or Donna Troy.
That’s a cool idea for an article. I just rewatched it with that perspective in mind, and it does fit neatly into the continuity with most respects. Just makes me miss JLU even more though.
I also thought that it was Donna troy as the jr wonder woman…