Today sees the release of the next DC Animated movie, Justice League: Doom.
A couple of quick things.
1. This is Dwayne McDuffie’s last movie, the last thing he wrote before he died. I hope his family gets something out of this. Knowing he is gone makes me more sad that we never got Static Shock the series on DVD and never got toys of that show. Dwayne, know that you are missed by even those who knew you only through your writing and producing of animated shows like Justice League Unlimited and Ben 10.
2. Where is the publicity for this? I know there was a premiere on both coasts. I read about that and saw some interviews at Newsarama.com , but where is the advertising? The facebook page barely exists. It has a clip or two, the trailer, and the game for the facebook page only showed up a day or two ago. I’ve seen zero TV adds. Is WB really trying to sell this DVD?
3. Like prior releases, this DVD is on sale for its opening week. I paid 12.99 (13.90 with tax) at Best Buy for my copy. The price was the same at Target, which I had been in less than 5 minutes earlier. The one I bought had a price tag or 14.99, so I expect the price to go up to that next week. Unlike prior releases, there was no big display at Best Buy. There was no featured sale of prior DC animated items (on a prior release day I bought the complete Superman Animated series at $30, on sale from $45). Best Buy also usually gets a special packaging with a small figurine. I went to Best Buy specifically to see if they had one this time, but there was none to be found. My copy did come with a sticker that indicated you could redeem it for an “instant streaming digital copy”. This sticker was on all the copies I saw. [EDIT - Based upon the responses below, apparently it was only my local Best Buy that did not have the display or figure included sets.]
4. The story this is based on is NOT my favorite JL story. It is a good story, with a lot of cool stuff in it, but the premise bothers me. I prefer a Justice League that trusts each other. They have to. Sometimes their lives depend on it. In this case, well, I’ll let the back of the DVD speak for itself:
“The Justice League consists of Earth’s finest super heroes (note – this version removes both Aquaman and Plastic Man from the team – two trikes against it and adds Cyborg to the team – one strike for it.) and protectors of humanity. But in the mind of the Dark Knight, it contains potentially the most dangerous people on the planet. Over time, Batman has compiled (hey, I compile programs all the time, I must be just like Batman 
) top-secret contingency plans should any of them go rogue (like Green Lantern turning into Parallax? Do you think Batman saw that coming?). When these files are stolen (Did you know there is a big sign for “the Bat Cave” right on route 95 in Connecticut – the location of that is supposed to be top secret too.) by a rising group of super villains, the Justice League embarks on a collision course that will test the very fabric of its alliance. This thrilling adventure will challenge what you know about the Justice League as well as redefine what heroes are made of.”
After 30 plus years of reading comics, I pretty much know what I want my Justice League – and the heroes and heroines that comprise it – to be made of. After the past 10 years of DC, I am pretty sure I do not want it “redefined” any more. But I bought the movie and will be watching it the first chance we get to sit down together for a little over an hour. Why? Because if there is one thing I do know after all these years of comic reading, it is that I am a Justice League fan.
have to wait to get my copy . but just like bane as one of the bad guys due to warners trying to drum up support for dark knight rises. odds are the powers that be told dc animators to include cyborg since he is part of the current jl. though will still watch it since it is the final piece of animated treasure to come from the mind of Dwayne mcduff
I went to my Target to pick it up today, there were only two copies left. A good sign!
While there wasn’t a DC display like in the past…my Best Buy did have the copies with the figure. It was a Flash and came with the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo set for $19.99.
I bought this primarily just for the Dwayne McDuffie tribute, as he is one of my heroes and was a great person, he created many awesome characters I look up to. Plus he of course also wrote some fantastic stories, I still am heartbroken that I never got to me him in person. This movie was great BTW, one of the best DTVs made IMO, Mr. McDuffie did a wonderful job as did all those who were involved in the making of it.
Dusty.
DMcD was one of the great contributors to the DC universe and will be missed tremendously in the DCAU! Many thanks for mentioning him.
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Hmm…
My Best Buy DID have the huge display, with a few copies of other DC based movies, animation, and TV. Not the overstuffed all encompassing thing of the past, but a solid 3 sided cube display with the Combo pack facing the front entrance. It literally couldn’t be missed as you walked into the store.
Overall, I “like” it. It isn’t the best translation, and there are some moments that just felt too much changed (like some of the character designs), but it wasn’t terrible either.
Just so you know, Best Buy did have an exclusive figurine with the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. It’s the Flash. I bought it yesterday at lunch — it was the last one at my closest Best Buy. Which also is annoying — why was that not publicized? I did finally get a Best Buy e-mail late yesterday with that information, but if I’d waited that long, I’d have missed the figure.
I hit 3 best buys after work– every single one was sold out of the combo pack with flash- and none of them had any blu rays left at all.. Just about 3 dvds per store– target was still stocked with them–
Although I was able to find the Catwoman figure set from the Year One release for some reason..
Yes I was at Best Buy when it opened yesterday and they just had 3 sets with the figure.
Studios are no longer interested in promoting DVD sales (and even less interested in rentals). Warner Bros. has a site where you can order made-to-order DVDs — which is how old school video collectors will have to get their shows. The industry would rather use streaming video that viewers can place in their “cloud” since it is cheaper and less likely to spark bootlegging. (Warner Bros. — I believe — begins their one-month moratorium on rentals like RedBox and NetFlix in March — the first step in eliminating rentals.) BTW: FYE and Suncoast had the DVD for $13.49 for their Back Stage Pass customers and offered a poster of the DVD cover with a reservation.
It’snot available to rent from Blockbuster online or my local BB brick and mortor store. Netflix is a no go either. I want the Bluray one but I’m not convinced I want to commit $20 to it.
Bought it. Watched it. Enjoyed it. It’s interesting that I just re-read the Tower of Babel storyline a week ago (what it’s based on). I enjoyed the movie quite a bit.
I went to 2 Best Buy stores in my area and none of them had the combo pack with the Flash figure. They said that they only received the regular DVD and the Blu-Ray versions.