The Animated DC Universe

[shades of eternity]

I finally have seen the mainstay of what I consider one of the best things dc has ever done: their animated universe. In particular the Timmverse.

I can say that those involved should be commended for their take on this universe has become truely something special.

Now that that's been said, I would like to throw out the following.

1. Favorite series from the Timverse.

2. Favorite episode - stand alone.

3. Favorite episode - multi-part

4. Favorite repackaging of a character.

5. Best repackaging of a character. Slightly different then the above because what character did you hate till it was retweaked in the animated universe and made you love them.

6. best new character: some of the characters that were created from this series have become a mainstay in this environment.

7. best voice actor involved. Who did a simply excellent job becoming their character.

8. best story arc.

any other questions you wanna throw up here, go for it :).

[fred10]

I absolutely agree with you, and I dare say that DC would be in a world of hurt right now if not for the work of Bruce Timm over the last couple decades.

1. Favorite series: Justice League Unlimited

2. Favorite stand alone episode: I'll go with "Growing Pains" or "Legends of the Dark Knight"

3. Favorite Multipart: "Heart of Steel" -- I know these are all from BTAS, but I really did find JLAU more entertaining over all.

4. Favorite repackaging of a character: um.... the Wally/Barry hybrid Flash was great. But I gotta say I never found Wonder Woman more entertaining than the way she is portrayed in the DCAU. (If Final Frontier counts, I love WW and Flash in that, too). Martian Manhunter was also great. Honorable mention goes to Hawkwoman and Aquaman.

5. Best repackaging: Ok, Wonder Woman.

6. Best New Character: Harley Quinn, for sure!

7. Best Voice actor: Mad props to Kevin Conroy (Batman), Mark Hamil (Joker), Tim Daly (Superman) and Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor). The vocal stylings of those four dudes are part of the foundation of the DCAU. But I gotta say, the voice actor who I found most entertaining was Michael Rosenbaum as the Flash.

8. Best Story Arc: "Flashpoint", "Divided We Fall", "Panic in the Sky" -- The whole Lex/Braniac dynamic was sweet!

[shades of eternity]

Realize that these choices are diamonds amongst saphires.

1. Favorite series: I'd have to say jlu. It showed that the timverse wasn't dependent on the big 3 and their villians to have awesome stories.

2. Favorite stand alone episode: oddly enough, I think it was Harley's day off. I really felt for her as she kept getting into deeper and deeper trouble.

3. Favorite Multipart: I'd have to go with worlds finest. It's hard to beat a harley/mercy death match. :D

4. Favorite repackaging of a character: While a difficult choice, I would have to say the ultrahumanite. Even though he only appeared in two episodes I really liked his personality and how he was a throwback to an earlier age in many ways.

They managed to play the semi-reformed villian pretty well and I still believe he's at least partially responsible for many of batman's toys in the justice league. :)

5. Best repackaging of a character: For me it is the clock king. This guy was a joke character at best and not only did they make him well mannered and precise, his use in the suicide squad was simply brilliant.

They made him a credible threat and that alone is bloody amazing.

Another nod include the question. I probably wouldn't have liked the character till Jlu and he was simply amazing what he managed to figure out.

Plus he got the huntress as a babe, and that's no small feat. :)

6. best new character. While I can very easily say that it is harley, and be right, I am going to go for another character.

I was really impressed with livewire and saw some serious potential in her as a character.

Also have to be nothing less then impressed by Mercy Graves. She's an awesome lackey for luthor.

7. I'm going to go with Mark Hamil: Quite simply after being typecasted and injured, it was good to see him become a legend again, abet in a different manner. However, as always, this is a difficult choice.

8. I would have to say the darkseid story arc of the superman animated was brilliant. Beside the death of that cop, it set the backdrop for both the cademus story arc (basically doing the arc with the whole justice league that they wanted to do with superman) and the final 3 episodes of jlu.

It truely is the shoulders in which other storylines stand on.

9. Adding a new category: best movie : toss up between mask of the phantasm and revenge of the joker.

[BoosterBronze]

1. Favorite series from the Timverse: I loved them all, but gotta say 'JLU'

2. Favorite episode - Where Wonder Woman is a pig and Batman sings. LOVE IT.

3. Favorite episode - Justice Guild

4. Favorite repackaging of a character- Mr. Freeze. That stuff was EPIC.

5. Best repackaging of a character- The Question. I finally understood how he was cool, so they killed him in the comics.

6. best new character- Harley Quinn.

7. best voice actor involved. Kevin FREAKING Conroy. That's the voice I hear in my head when I read.

8. best story arc.

[Spidey-kid1]

1. Favorite series: Justice League Unlimited

2. Favorite episode - Throw up between Fearful Symmetry, The Greatest Story Never Told, Divided We Fall, Flash and Substance, and The Great Brain Robbery.

3. Favorite episode (multipart)- The Lex/Braniac Arc

4. Favorite repackaging of a character- The Question I think. Or Wally/Flash

5. Best repackaging of a character. Slightly different then the above because what character did you hate till it was retweaked in the animated universe and made you love them- Never cared much for Hawkgirl before I saw her develop in this show.

6. best new character: I'm not sure here.

7. best voice actor involved. The Flash hands down.

8. best story arc- The Lex/Braniac Arc

9. Favorite Character in the Series -The Flash

10. Favorite Second String Hero: Either Question, or the Green Arrow

Theres mine.

[Wenatchee the Hatchet]

1. Favorite series: the whole run taken as a whole. It's all one big continuous thing to me.

2. Favorite episode (single) - Heart of Ice, Riddler's Reform, MadLove, Legacy, Peace on Earth, This Little Piggy, Meltdown

3. Favorite episode (multipart)-Hmm, probably the Justice Lords one if I have to pick a multipart episode.

4. Favorite repackaging of a character- The Flash. As in I went from not caring who he was to actually giving a damn about him.

5. Best repackaging of a character. Slightly different then the above because what character did you hate till it was retweaked in the animated universe and made you love them- Mr. Freeze. Sucked donkey balls until Paul Dini revamped him and there's not one. single. sucky. story they did for him. That's pretty amazing.

6. best new character: Harley Quinn

7. best voice actor involved. Tough call because there were so many great people but since I don't like Lois Lane and Dana Delaney played her so that I loved her character I'd say I give her the win for getting me to like a character I never liked before.

8. best story arc- the whole thread of Darkseid arc, Justice Lords, converging on the Cadmus arc.

9. Favorite Character in the Series -Batman

10. Favorite Second String Hero: Question, easily

[Admiral Smiley]

1. Favorite series: Grew up with Batman TAS. Had my much needed fix for mature, classic super hero stories and quality animation in College from JLU. It's hard to choose between these two. I'll go with Batman. It's what defined the character for me. Still incredibly close.

2. Favorite episode (single) - I'm gonna cheat and do my favourite from each show.
Batman: Heart of Ice. Flawless masterpiece. I still rewatch it and get giddy from it every now and then.
Superman: In Brightest Day. Supes and newbie Kyle Rayner vs. Sinestro. Can't go wrong with that.
Batman Beyond: The one when Terry's friend dates a robot. I don't know why. I just thought it was really fun.
Justice League: Comfort and Joy. 'Cause that's probably the only one.
JLU: Tie between The Return and Initiation. The Return had a perfect kind of rythym to it and a very no holds barred Infinity Gauntlet feel. (Complete with Superhero deaths and a Starlinesque cosmic mouth-off at the end). Initiation is great for the sheer perfection of the giant robot battle leading up to Green Arrow alone and carrying all the cards. These two episodes are what super hero team stories are all about.

3. Favorite episode (multipart)
Same thing. All series'.
Batman: Feet of Clay. For the animation and the development of clayface. I'm a sucker for the tragic villain episodes apparently...
Superman: Legacy. I think that one's a no brainer.
Batman Beyond: The pilot, Rebirth. Very cool origin story. Good job at setting the moon. Terry almost running over, and then fighting alongside aged Bruce is priceless.
Honourable mention to JLU's Epilogue. I love how they slip in the little tidbit about Bruce naming his dog after the dying Ace. Probably the most touching detail in the whole series, and the writers chose not to beat us over the head with it.
Justice League: A Better World. Hands down. Great examination of all the major characters nicely tied in to an epic story. I mean come on. Evil Supes vs. Doomsday? Batman vs. Batman over opposing ideals? Flash using his super speed to kick Superman's butt? What more can you ask for in one episode?
JLU: I'll do the predictable thing and say the entire Cadmus thing. Those episodes are the greatest part of the whole thing. 'Nuff said.

4. Favorite repackaging of a character- Amazo. Intimidating, cool looking, and wonderfully voiced.

5. Best repackaging of a character. The Condiment King.
What?
Seriously though uh... tie between Mr. Freeze and Rorsh...Question.

6. best new character: I'm gonna jump on the Harley bandwagon.

7. best voice actor involved. This one is impossible for me to answer. I'm going to go with Michael Ironside. Chilling, gravelly confidence which just the right ammount of snark. If I were him, I'd spell my name Ironseid. Because it'd be cool.
I'm a dork.

8. best story arc- Cadmus.

9. Favorite Character in the Series - Joker.

10. Favorite Second String Hero: Booster. Effing. Gold.

[Nefarius]

1. Favorite series: B:TAS,where it all begins.In fact,it's a difficult choice.Every DCAU show was great but a good start always helps to start a whole new continuity.

2. Favorite episode:Mad as Hatter.I felt sorry for Mad Hatter,especialy during the end of the episode.He was broken,defeated and all alone.

3. Favorite episode(multipart):Twilight.JLA vs Brainiac and a great battle between Darkseid and Superman.

4. Favorite repackaging of a character-Amazo

5. Best repackaging of a character. Mr Freeze.From a silly gimmick villain to a tragic villain.

6. best new character: Harley Quinn

7. best voice actor involved.Every actor was amazing in this show(Conroy as Batman,Clancy as Luthor and of course Ironside as Darkseid) but Mark Hamill for me was the best.It's funny that Luke Skywalker was the voice of the Joker and there was no hint about it(Hamil's voice was completely different).When i see the credits and learn that Joker was Hamil,it was WTF momment.Cudos to Mark proving that he has lot of talent.

8. best story arc- Darkseid feud with Superman.It was a great rivalry.

[TMM Writes Lego]

they should make an animated movie all about superman young, mostly based off events in SMALLVILLE. That would be tight

[arp2008]

The DCAU most certianly overdue for some much needed appreciation, epecially now that it's presumably come to an unsatifying end with the JLU finale. I wish something was in production like a GL or Flash animated series. Having had JLU feature the characters for a few years, a stand alone series wouldn't be a bad idea, and woud in fact be prudent since these characters may be seen on the big screen in the near future. I'd even settle for a Nightwing series. Just something from the masteriminds that gave us the gems we loved from the 90's. Something to bring the more unseen corners of the DCU to life. If theres any way this can happen, please, let it be.

[vazel]

The DCAU is certainly a unique gem. We won't see anything like it again for a long time I'm sure. Things are done too differently in cartoons these days due to cheaper feeling productions and more fast paced stories with thinner plots to better appeal to all the kids with short attention spans. One thing I especially appreciate about Batman and Superman is Shirley Walker's live orchestra music compositions.

And btw for those that don't already have the series this new Batman:TAS collection is about to come out. It has a new bonus disc documentary to make double dipping easier for those that already have the old boxsets.
http://i33.tinypic.com/2cffb5d.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Complete-Animated-Kevin-Conroy/dp/B001CTXUTQ/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2YGCRCPAL4AJH&colid=1S9G2BY5Y2LT4

Edit: Woah old thread.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

1. Probably B:TAS, with a close second to JLU. Could even be a tie.
2. Heart Of Ice.
3. S:TAS's "Legacy."
4. Shayera Hol.
5. Darkseid. I mean, in the actual books... Goddamn, is he ever boring.
6. Harley Quinn (the majority of her DCU showings seem to miss the point so often).
7. Conroy.
8. JLU's Cadmus Saga.

[BeastieRunner]

1. Justice League Unlimited

2. For the Man Who Has Everything

3. World's Finest

4. Flash

5. Green Arrow

6. The Clock King

7. Kevin Conroy is the Batman

8. The Cadmus arc

[Jared]

I still haven't seen JLU. Is it in reruns anywhere?

[Damiean Dark]

I still haven't seen JLU. Is it in reruns anywhere?

:eek: Where have you been for the last 5 years or so?:eek:

You can get the series on DVD.

I am firmly amore Marvel guy but JLU and BTAS are the best cartoons based on comic book characters around period with a very close second being the spidey and XMEN cartoons of the 90s.

[Jared]

:eek: Where have you been for the last 5 years or so?:eek:

You can get the series on DVD.

I am firmly amore Marvel guy but JLU and BTAS are the best cartoons based on comic book characters around period with a very close second being the spidey and XMEN cartoons of the 90s.

It was on at a time when I was seldom home to catch it. I'm not even precisely clear on when it became JLU. Was the Justice League episode where Superman left Darkseid in Braniac's base before it exploded the last episode before the change? I think I saw most of the regular JL series. It was mostly just OK.

I think the only JLU episode I saw in its entirety was the flash-forward to Batman Beyond. It was good, though I hate that it again solidified that future as the definitive one...kinda depressing in that regard.

[JamesJesse]

1. Favorite series from the Timverse. - Easily JLU

2. Favorite episode - There are a lot of great ones. But a personal favorite would be the Flash And Substance episode because I simply loved seeing all my favorite Flash characters animated. There are better episodes, I'll admit, but this was a favorite. It barely beats out Great Brain Robbery (which is a better story)

3. Favorite episode - (Multi Part) was the episode where the team almost broke up. (Secret Society?)

4. Favorite repackaging of a character- Flash.

5. Best repackaging of a character- Some good ones I find, like Hawkgirl, John Stewart, Clock King, Firefly, Amanda Waller, Wonder Woman and even villains like Grundy, Grodd and Luthor. But the best from all the series remains Mr. Freeze.

6. best new character: Montoya. As I understand it, she was created for the Batman Animated series.

7. best voice actor involved. Michael Rosenbaum

8. best story arc.- The JLU Cadmus Arc was awesome

[Hiromi]

1. Favorite series from the Timverse.
Batman TAS, the first, and it was absolutely incredible when it came out

2. Favorite episode - stand alone.
Not even going to try

3. Favorite episode - multi-part
original Darkseid arc in Superman TAS, the culmination was heart wrenching and completely out of the blue.

4. Favorite repackaging of a character.
Mr. Freeze

5. Best repackaging of a character.
see above, from his beginning in BTAS to his end in Batman Beyond his entire character was given INCREDIBLE depth.

6. best new character:
Harley Quinn, Mercy gets runner up

7. best voice actor involved.
Tie between Conroy and Hamil, both have defined how their character should sound, pretty much forever.

8. best story arc.
The entire alternate JL arc that culimated with Luthor running for Presidency and merging with Brainiac.

any other questions you wanna throw up here, go for it :).[/QUOTE]

[Toku King]

1. Favorite series from the Timverse.
"Justice League Unlimited" by far.

2. Favorite episode - stand alone.
How can anyone do that? Though I will say some favorites(though there are more): Patriot Act, Flash and Substance, Heart of Ice, Wake the Dead, Cat and the Canary, Double Date, Night of the Ninja, Joker's Wild, and so on.

3. Favorite episode - multi-part
Again, can't do it. But a few of my favorites is Darkseid's debut, Two Face, the Ultimen arch, and so on.

4. Favorite repackaging of a character.
Flash

5. Best repackaging of a character. Slightly different then the above because what character did you hate till it was retweaked in the animated universe and made you love them.
Hawkgirl.

6. best new character: some of the characters that were created from this series have become a mainstay in this environment.
Harley Quinn

7. best voice actor involved. Who did a simply excellent job becoming their character.
Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Michael Rosebaum, and so on.

8. best story arc.
God, I dunno. Cadmus, possibly.

ADD

9. Favorite Movie
"Mask Of The Phantasm" was technically the best, but my favorite was "Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker".