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Shatner, Carter, Weir Headline Smithsonian SF Festival

William_ShatnerWashington, D.C. —  Fanboy favorites from Star Trek star William Shatner and The X-Files creator Chris Carter to Syfy’s hit series 12 Monkeys and Deadpool director Tim Miller are squarely in the spotlight for Smithsonian magazine’s fourth annual The Future Is Here Festival™, a three-day event highlighting the most advanced thinking in science, technology, space, art and engineering from a dazzling array of experts, visionaries and noted science-lovers.

The Festival kicks off on Friday, April 22nd at the Shakespeare Theatre’s Sidney Harman Hall with an exclusive ticketed evening event featuring Shatner, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek; a conversation with Carter, fresh off the triumphant return of The X-Files to television; and an exclusive glimpse into the thrilling second season of Syfy’s hit series 12 Monkeys (premieres April 18) with special advance footage presented by stars Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull and executive producer Terry Matalas.

USA TODAY entertainment writer Brian Truitt will conduct the conversation with Carter, and renowned astronomer/author Phil Plait will moderate the 12 Monkeys panel.

Tickets for this exclusive Friday night event can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/smithsonian-magazines-2016-the-future-is-here-festivaltm-registration-21495104436.

Programming for Saturday and Sunday includes appearances by Deadpool director Tim Miller, The Martian author Andy Weir, explorers Céline & Alexandra Cousteau, noted science fiction author Bruce Sterling, leading NASA scientists and a profound list of visionary speakers and presenters, offering the audience an eye-opening look into the future. Among the entertaining events on the weekend slate is an electrifying concert by Tesla Coils band Arc Attack, and a performance of mind-bending techno tricks by Marco Tempest, the world’s leading cyber illusionist.

The Future Is Here Festival™ convenes the world’s leading experts in science and technology, including:

  • Vint Cerf – Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, one of the “fathers of the internet”
  • Alexandra Cousteau – Explorer, storyteller, environmental advocate
  • Céline S. Cousteau – Explorer, Founder & Executive Director, CauseCentric Productions
  • Frans de Waal – Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University & Author, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
  • Anthony Fauci – America’s point man on epidemics, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health
  • Kirk Johnson – Director of the National Museum of Natural History
  • Nicholas Negroponte – Co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, Founder of One Laptop Per Child Project
  • Rebecca Newberger Goldstein – Philosopher & Author, Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away
  • Dava Newman –Deputy Administrator of NASA
  • Fiona Raby, Professor of Design and Emerging Technology at Parsons
  • Martine Rothblatt – Transhumanist and Founder of Sirius Radio, Geostar and United Therapeutics
  • Sara Seager – Planetary Scientist and Astrophysicist
  • Seth Shostak – Director of Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
  • Adam Steltzner – NASA Engineer/Mars Rover, Author, The Right Kind of Crazy
  • Bruce Sterling – Science Fiction Author
  • Marco Tempest — Cyber Illusionist
  • Andy Weir – Author of The Martian (via Skype)

Additional speakers/programming will be announced as confirmed.

The Future Is Here Festival™, an exciting and mind-expanding live event taking place April 22-24 in Washington, D.C., is accompanied by Smithsonian’s May “Future” issue, which hits newsstands April 26th, bringing the excitement of The Future Is Here Festival™ to 6.8 million readers and 5 million digital viewers across the country and around the world.

 

Tweeks: Wynonna Earp Cast & Crew at WonderCon 2016 Part 1

At WonderCon, Anya got the chance to sit down with the cast and crew of the SyFy channel’s newest show, Wynonna Earp. Based on the Wynonna Earp comics by Beau Smith, the show follows Wyatt Earp’s great great granddaughter as she carries on the burden family curse…and also gets to kill evil things.

The show is a bit different from the comics as Wynonna is younger and just gaining her powers. There is also a sister dynamic that has been explained as a little like Frozen meets Buffy The Vampire Slayer meets X-Files.

In this first set of interviews, Anya talks to Michael Eklund (who plays the show’s baddie), Tim Rozon (Doc Holliday), and Dominique Provost-Chalkley (Wynonna’s little sister, Waverly).

One of the coolest things about this interview just might be how much of a comic nerd Tim Rozon turns out to be!

In parts 2 & 3 of the interview Anya will be talking to show runner Emily Andras, comic creator Beau Smith, and stars Melanie Scrofano and Shamier Anderson….so make sure to come back to watch those.

Wynonna Earp airs on SyFy on Fridays at 10pm. It’s also on CHCH in Canada. The show started on April 1st, so quickly….go catch up. It’s a 13 episode series, so you have time!

Dennis O’Neil: Superheroes in Three Dimensions

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Back when days were yore and the sun was yet in the sky and I had a shining splendor of a job – could any job be better than editing Batman? – I didn’t always go film versions of comic books. Not sure why. Fear? Of disappointment? Of being shown that others were better than I was? Of just needing to get away from my day job and watching actors portray the characters who lay on my desk was not exactly getting away from them. All of he above? None of the above?

Not that I missed all the superhero flicks, but I still haven’t seen the last Christopher Reeve Superman and I caught only a few minutes, on television, of the Ben Affleck Daredevil. There may be others I’m forgetting.

Now, though, I catch ‘em all, even the ones that reflect my comic book labors, and I tend to like them, even those that are darker/grimmer than they might need to be. The most recent Daredevil – the unAffleckian version – and the quite similar Jessica Jones are not exactly jolly entertainments. In a few minutes, when I leave this computer and get in the car, I’ll be off to see the much discussed and maligned Batman vs Superman and tonight I’ll probably tune into FOX’s Gotham while recording what is, I think, the lightest and brightest of the teevee superdoers, and of course we’re talking about the lovely Kara Danvers – Supergirl.

I accused Ms. Danvers of lightness and brightness and that’s true only if you can ignore the Maid of Might’s backstory which, like her cousin Superman’s bio, involves the destruction of an entire planet, including friends and relatives. Many of the other costumed heroes have grim pasts too. Batman, of course, seeing his parents killed in front of him and Spider-Man, responsible for his beloved uncle’s death, and Daredevil whose father was killed and who owes his powers to a nasty accident and the Thing, changed into a monster by radioactivity and Iron Man and Nightwing and and and…

Are we dealing, here, with modern fairy tales? Well, there’s Bruno Bettelheim, of the renowned psychologist Bettelheims, who said said that scary fairy tales, with all those dark woods and evil witches, are developmentally healthy because they allow youngsters to face and acknowledge fears, and then reassure the kids that they will survive. And I’ve read very few, if any, comics that did not end with the good guys triumphant.

Batman vs Superman, currently playing at a theater near me, has a happyish ending. I know this because somewhere/when in the last bunch of words I went to a theater near me and saw the movie. Then I came home and checked the email and

had dinner. Oh, and did I like the movie? Well, that might be a topic for another time. Or not.

Mix March Madness 2016 Webcomics Tournament Sweet 16!

  • News
  • April 14, 2016

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Well, that was annoying.

Due to a bunch of fires all happening at the same time, the start of the Sweet 16 round of the April Armageddon was delayed… but now we are down to the best of the best battling to see who will be the winner and bring home the bragging rights for 2016.

Here are the updated brackets. To make it easier, from this point forward the Anderson, Obadiah, Ryan, and Trimpe divisions are being condensed into the final bracket, shown here. To see how we got to this point, look here.

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Erfword
Game 1 Details
Misfile
Girl Genius
Game 5 Details
Grrl Power
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Winner of 1
Game 9 Details
Winner of 2
Winner of 5
Game 11 Details
Winner of 6
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Winner of 9
Game 13 Details
Winner of 10
Winner of 13
Game 15 Details
Winner of 14
Winner of 11
Game 14 Details
Winner of 12
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Power Nap
Game 2 Details
Stand Still. Stay Silent
Something Positive
Game 6 Details
Paranatural
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Order of the Stick
Game 3 Details
Lackadaisy
Gunnerkrigg Court
Game 7 Details
PVP
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Winner of 3
Game 10 Details
Winner of 4
Winner of 7
Game 12 Details
Winner of 8
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White Board
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Unsounded
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Dead Winter
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And to manage the polls, we’re doing it directly via Twitter! Here are the polls… vote now and then share and retweet them!

hero_initiative1-7676311As usual, we’re letting you support your favorite strips by paying for additional votes, with your money going to charity. Simply click on the Donate button below, and during checkout, click on “Which comic are you donating for?” and tell us who you’re voting for. The price is 20¢ a vote, with a minimum of five votes purchased at a time, split any way you want. All proceeds from paid votes will go to the Hero Initiative, an organization that helps comic book creators in need. At the close of the round, we’ll add the paid votes to the totals and announce the winners who move on to the brackets. (And yes, your donations to Hero are tax deductible.)



Remember, voting ends at midnight Eastern Time on Saturday night, April 16th! Good luck to everyone!

Shrek Celebrates his Golden Anniversary in May with new Editions

Shrek 25thLOS ANGELES, CA (April 12, 2016) – You’ve never met a hero quite like SHREK, winner of the first Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. The endearing ogre sparked a motion picture phenomenon and captured the world’s imagination with…the Greatest Fairy Tale Never Told! This irreverent animated masterpiece arrives on Digital HD on May 16, 2016 and Blu-ray™ and DVD on June 7 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Critics have called SHREK “not just a brilliant animated feature, but a superb film on any level” (Larry King, USA Today). Relive every moment of Shrek’s (Mike Myers) daring quest to rescue feisty Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), with the help of his lovable loudmouthed Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and win back the deed to his beloved swamp from scheming Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Enchantingly irreverent and “monstrously clever” (Leah Rozen, People Magazine), SHREK is an ogre-sized adventure you’ll want to see again and again.

DreamWorks Animation SHREK 4-Movie Collection
The DreamWorks Animation SHREK 4-Movie Collection contains the Academy Award® winning feature film plus SHREK 2, SHREK THE THIRD and SHREK FOREVER AFTER. In SHREK 2 with the help of his faithful steed Donkey, Shrek takes on a potion-brewing Fairy Godmother, the pompous Prince Charming, and the famed ogre-killer, Puss In Boots, a ferocious feline foe who’s really just a pussycat at heart!

When his frog-in-law suddenly croaks in SHREK THE THIRD, Shrek embarks on another whirlwind adventure with Donkey and Puss In Boots to find the rightful heir to the throne.

Shrek longs for the days when he was a “real ogre” in SHREK FOEVER AFTER. Shrek signs a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to get his roar back…but turns his world upside down in the process.

X-Files -The Event and the Complete Series Blu-ray Coming June 14

x-files-the-event-e1460482949379-8368681 The X-Files – The Event Series
Almost 14 years after the original series run, the next mind-bending chapter of The X-Files™ is a thrilling, six-episode event series from creator/executive producer Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reinhabiting their roles as iconic FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Mitch Pileggi also returns as FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Mulder and Scully’s boss, who walks a fine line between loyalty to these investigators and accountability to his superiors. This marks the momentous return of the Emmy®- and Golden Globe® Award-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history.

The X-Files – The Complete Series Blu-ray Boxset
Now for the first time on Blu-ray™, The X-Files – The Event Series and the original nine seasons of this electrifying show can be yours to own!   Assigned the FBI’s most challenging cases, special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (Golden Globe® Winners David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) face terrifying danger and bizarre phenomena as they struggle to unravel deadly conspiracies and solve paranormal mysteries. While Mulder grapples to comprehend the paranormal in every case, Scully seeks to solve their mysteries through science alone. As the series progresses, secrets about a vast and horrifying conspiracy unfold, culminating in shocking revelations about aliens, the U.S. government, and humanity itself in the exhilarating The X-Files: The Event Series. Featuring over 25 hours of thrilling extras, including documentaries and commentary by creator Chris Carter and the production team — as well as special effects sequences, deleted scenes and an in-depth look behind the scenes of The Event Series — this collection is a must-have for any fan of the truth!

The X-Files – The Event Series Blu-ray & DVD Special Features

  • Deleted & Extended Scenes
  • Gag Reel
  • The Makings of a Struggle
  • Season X: An In-Depth Behind-the-Scenes Look at “The Event Series”
  • Monsters of the Week: A Recap from the Wildest and Scariest from the Original Series
  • “The X-Files” – Green Production PSA
  • Short Film – Grace by Karen Nielsen
  • Commentary on “Founder’s Mutation” with Chris Carter and James Wong
  • Commentary on “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster” with David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Kumail Nanjiani and Darin Morgan
  • Commentary on “My Struggle II” with Chris Carter and Gabe Rotter

X-Files SetThe X-Files – The Event Series Blu-ray

Street Date: June 14, 2016
Prebook Date: May 11, 2016
Screen Format: 16:9 (1.78:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA / Spanish 5.1 DD / French 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
U.S. Rating: TV-14

The X-Files – The Event Series DVD

Street Date: June 14, 2016
Prebook Date: May 11, 2016
Screen Format: 16:9 (1.78:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DD / Spanish 5.1 DD / French 2.0 Surround DD
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
U.S. Rating: TV-14

The X-Files – The Complete Series Blu-ray Boxset
Street Date: June 14, 2016
Prebook Date: May 11, 2016
Screen Format: 16:9 (1.78:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA / Spanish 2.0 Surround DD / French 2.0 Surround DTS
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
U.S. Rating: TV-14

Mike Gold: Do Comics Belong In Comics?

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I am not a sociologist, although I’ve known a few. But let’s assume the fact that “superheroes” (in the broadest sense) fill a need in our lives. They started out in folk lore, they appear in most if not all bibles, they were popularized in the “penny dreadfuls” which evolved into pulp magazines which evolved into comic books.

blackhawk-movie-8237355Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, Zorro and others helped populate the movie theaters going back to its earliest days back to the silent era. When talkies came around, superheroes became the backbone of the short movie serials that were geared to bring patrons back week after week. Flash Gordon, Captain Marvel, Superman, Batman, Blackhawk, Captain America, Spy Smasher and others joined Zorro and Tarzan in this venue. When network radio came along, comics characters from older media (Superman, The Shadow) joined original creations (The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet) and flourished in the just-home-from-school time slots.

And television – well, television saved the superheroes’ collective ass. The Adventures of Superman, produced by what is now DC Comics, hit the boob tube before most families had teevee sets. At that very time, comic books were branded by the media as a source – perhaps the source – of juvenile delinquency. Comics outlets were disappearing, either from clerks no longer handling the product or from being squeezed out by chain stores and shopping strips and malls.

captain-marvel-movie-2594998But Superman was right there in our living rooms every week using his cape as a placeholder for 75 years of tradition. Over a decade later, as comic book sales were at a comparative low, the Batman teevee series kept the print medium alive. In 1978 Superman led the way into high-budget motion pictures, not only proving a man can fly, but an old man can extend his life by deploying whatever “new media” is burgeoning at the time. Radio, television, motion pictures – Supes was there first.

Today we have more superhero movies and television series than the average person can absorb. Even the average comics fan: most of us do triage. Their popularity is massive, perhaps 20 times bigger than the comic book audience. This has been going on for about a decade and there’s no sign of it slowing down. It will, of course, but history tells us the cinematic comics universes will never go away. Not completely.

(Probably. There haven’t been a lot of successful westerns in the past several decades.)

So I think it is reasonable for me to infer that for most people the superhero story fills a need, probably an emotional, cathartic need.

But there is no washback onto the mothership. Average comic book sales have never been lower, even with the supplemental release of trade paperbacks and hardcovers. The latter has helped, but, you know, Borders went blooie and it’s not as easy to find good general bookstores anymore. It’s even harder to find a well-stocked magazine rack. And harder still to find one that carries more than a handful of comics, if that many.

Back in the day, that day being an hour before the release of the first Star Wars movie, we in the comics business could produce stories where, for example, we can destroy an entire universe on one page, do the Greek chorus bit on the next page, run a full-page cosmic ex Machina on the third, and restore that destroyed universe on the fourth page. Movies simply could not do that.

Well, not only can they do so today, but computers and artistic technicians have brought their gifts to the television screen in a cost-effective manner. And to home computers.  And tablets. And smartphones.

So I humbly ask this question: has the comic book outlived its usefulness?

As you consider this, keep in mind that since the turn of the century Warner Bros. and Disney, two of the largest media empires, took control over DC Comics and Marvel Comics, respectively. They are best known for making movies and television shows. They are not known to have a major presence in the lumberjack game.

Will there always be a comic book publishing industry? Of course not. There won’t always be anything. But will comic books live another ten or twenty years?

Ask me after Warner Bros. and Marvel each release a couple of big-budget superhero bombs.

Box Office Democracy: Midnight Special

Midnight Special

At the theater I see most of my movies at, they sometimes run interviews with filmmakers after the credits. These are never particularly hard-hitting affairs, usually filled with variations on the question “just how is it you came to do such brilliant work on this movie” and so on. After Midnight Special, they ran an interview with writer/director Jeff Nichols where they asked him what it was like to be a writer who only wrote films he was going to direct and a director who only directed films he wrote. Putting aside that this isn’t nearly as uncommon as this interviewer seems to think, it kind of brought in to focus the nagging problem I had during the film; it’s a wonderfully directed movie and only an okay script. There are fantastic, compelling acting performances holding up a script that thinks it’s too clever for context, and a third act that feels utterly without consequence. A movie can go a long way on gritty atmosphere, tension, and a pervasive sense of intrigue, but it can’t quite get all the way to the finish line— and so Midnight Special is a frustrating good instead of a dizzying great.

Midnight Special is about a boy, Alton, with some kind of powers. They’re never made particularly clear, which becomes awfully convenient when they need him to do just about everything to make the story come together in the end. It’s also about his parents who love Alton so much that they’ll give up their lives and endanger innocent people to rescue him from a cult that might not have his interests at heart, but when it becomes clear they might not see their child again they never once tell him they love him or that they’ll miss him. It’s all tight-lipped stoicism and meaningful glances. It’s also about a manhunt to find him both by the government and by two agents of this cult, but the methods of the pursuers are vague and the cultists seem to give up very easily considering they think the boy will bring about biblical judgment. Midnight Special is a movie where nothing feels particularly weighty because nothing makes all that much sense.

There’s a pleasing depth to the world of Midnight Special, and while they drop us right in to the middle of the action it all feels lived in and real. The problem comes in because, while I don’t want more exposition per se, I can’t help but wonder if some of the stories we don’t see on screen aren’t more interesting than the one we’re seeing. The story of an established rural Texas cult refocusing itself around a precocious young boy and rewriting their scriptures, or the story of the NSA discovering that said precocious cult child is spilling national secrets, or even a 20-minute short about how the world would react to whatever the hell happened at the end of that movie. A movie should always try to leave the audience wanting more but Midnight Special left me wanting something completely different and something I’ll never be offered, and that’s slightly less pleasant.

Michael Shannon was seemingly created to be in movies like Midnight Special. He’s quiet, he’s intense, and he can convey an incredible amount of information with his expressions. He’s needed in this movie because while the information might seem thin or a little nonsensical, he can instantly ground it by wordlessly conveying to the audience what it means to his character and how we’re supposed to feel in the audience. He isn’t angry at Alton when the crashed satellite destroys the gas station, he’s afraid— stuff like that. Joel Edgerton and Kirsten Dunst are also very good and they’re acting against the type I have for them in my head, which is nice. They both feel like such substantial presences on the screen and while that might seem like damning with faint praise, it isn’t— their tiniest reaction or mannerism feels gigantic in this film.

I’m unhappy to admit that I was probably wrong about Adam Driver. I didn’t like him for a long time and it seems like he’s a real actor. I didn’t like him in Girls, I still don’t understand why people think he’s so incredibly good-looking, but he was good in The Force Awakens and he’s great here in Midnight Special. He’s firmly in my McConaughey Zone for actors that are going to take me a while to get past their so-so starts to appreciate their good work, but at least the newest inductee has a name I don’t have to look up every time I need to write it down.

It’s great for science fiction that Midnight Special exists. It’s a nice, slower, less special effects intensive kind of sci-fi that has a really good vibe (Alton reading 1980s Superman and Teen Titans comics in the back of the car was an especially nice touch). It’s an emotional film and its an effectively tense film but it never feels particularly clever; it’s a well-decorated house that’s collapsing into a sinkhole. It’s the kind of movie I would stick with if I ran across it on cable but would be not paying attention at all by the end.

Game of Thrones Seasons 3 & $ get the Steelcase Treatment in June

GoT 3-4 Collectors SetsNew York, N.Y., April 11, 2016 – Game of Thrones, the most-watched HBO® original series and best-selling TV on DVD title for the past five years, is now releasing in collectible Steelbook packaging. Following the release of Steelbook Seasons 1 and 2 this past fall, the collection continues, with seasons 3 and 4 releasing in a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ set with the revolutionary new audio technology Dolby Atmos.  Game of Thrones Steelbook Seasons 3 and 4 will be available on June 7, 2016 for the SRP of $79.98.

The Steelbook sets feature art designed by Elastic, the agency responsible for the series’ Emmy® Award-winning opening credits. Each Steelbook showcases a specific location that is significant to that season and includes usable magnets on packaging featuring Game of Thrones sigils and symbols. Season 1 packaging featured Winterfell and Season 2 the Lannisters in King’s Landing. Season 3 will feature the magnet sigil of House Frey and their ancestral seat of the Twins – the location of Season 3’s infamous Red Wedding. The icy landscape of Castle Black and the Wall–where the brothers of the Night’s Watch fend off an army of wildlings from the far north–will grace the packaging of season 4 including a crow and Jon Snow’s sword, Longclaw as the featured magnet.

In addition to all of the bonus content from the previous Blu-ray™ sets, the Game of Thrones Steelbook is the first TV on Blu-ray™ title to be released with the revolutionary new audio technology Dolby Atmos, which delivers sounds and music to specific areas in the room, including overhead, creating a captivating experience that puts the audience right in the middle of the action on screen. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, Dolby Atmos-enabled AV receivers and additional speakers are required; however, Dolby Atmos soundtracks are fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

REVIEW: Justice League vs Teen Titans

jlvtt2Now that the DC Animated Universe has solidified its characters and reality, it makes sense to go exploring. After all, if there’s a Robin, surely there must be other teen heroes. We meet some of them in the newly released Justice League vs Teen Titans.

Robin (Stewart Allen) is the focal point as his go-it-alone and I-know-better-than-everyone-else attitude actually gets him into trouble on a case that foreshadows the arrival of the demon Trigon (Jon Bernthal). A frustrated Batman (Jason O’Mara) arranges for Damian to spend time with Starfire (Kari Wahlgren) and the Teen Titans. Interestingly, this interpretation of the Tamaranean princess positions her a caring, mentor figure as opposed to the current fish-out-of-water incarnation or the innocent warrior she was originally seen as. She is training the next generation composed of the Jamie Reyes Blue Beetle (Jake T. Austin), Beast Boy (Brandon Soo Hoo), and Raven (Taissa Farmiga).

As you would expect, Robin does not fit in and upsets the nascent team chemistry. Starfire eventually hits on the idea of a fun outing, a team bonding trip to the carnival where icy exteriors soften amid the friendly competition.

Meanwhile, Trigon’s forces have been seeping into the world and Superman (Jerry O’Connell) has been possessed and has fled, leaving a depleted League to figure out what’s happening. Why Shazam and Green Lantern are absent is never properly covered which is shame but Cyborg (Shemar Moore), Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson), Flash (Christopher Gorham), and Batman get to work.

Once the connection between Trigon and Raven is established, the inevitable conflict between teams is brought forward and the battle is mercifully brief. While Sam Lu’s direction is solid, it’s a shame that, I gather, budget concerns limited the fight to showing any two opponents at one time as opposed to nearly multiple figures making for a richer battle. The only two rule grew annoying throughout the entire production.

JLvTitansThe DC Universe Animated Original Movie benefits from Bryan Q. Miller and Alan Burnett co-writing the screenplay since it treats all the characters with respect and allows time for characterization. There’s some nice byplay between Starfire and Nightwing (Sean Maher) and Superman and Wonder Woman that strengthens the overall production.

The generation gap between the teams is no longer as wide as it once seemed in the comics and the bickering between sides is kept to a minimum, in favor of the teen’s sticking up for one of their own. While this might be about the obvious Robin learns the obvious teamwork theme, it’s also about a young girl confronting her destiny and dealing with the world’s worst parent.

trigon_tt_jlDC clearly intends on doing more with the Titans in the animated world given the final scene just before the credits roll.

The 79-minute animated film comes in a Combo Pack with Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD in addition to a collector’s edition complete with Robin figurine. It looks and sound just fine, as one would expect.

There are a smattering of extras including Growing Up Titan (23:46) wherein Marv Wolfman, Mike Carlin, co-publisher Dan DiDio, and producer James Tucker explore the nature of sidekicks and why the Teen Titans has remained one of DC’s most enduring titles for five decades. The same gang reunited for Heroes and Villains: Raven (6:05) and Heroes and Villains: Trigon (5:17) does much the same for this satanic arch-villain. Rounding out the collection is A Sneak Peek at DC Universe’s Next Movie: Batman: The Killing Joke (10:15) and Batman: The Brave and the Bold: “Sidekicks Assemble!” (22:52) and Teen Titans: “The Prophecy“(23:02).

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