Batman: The Complete Animated Series (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)In 1992, Bruce Timm and Paul Dini revolutionized animation and redefined what a "kids cartoon" could be by bringing their vision of Batman alive on the small screen. Though based on the foundation of the 1989 "Batman" film and it's sequel "Batman Returns" which came out the same year, the series was not an adaptation of that concept, characters, or world. It stood independent of everything that had come before or would come later. It combined only the best elements of the other incarnations, and become something else: a legend in it's own right.
It did not pander down to it's target audiences youth, but instead walked a very fine line between remaining acceptable for all ages and embracing the true mythos of the dark knight. It featured forensic science at a time before such was common place, it showcased the often overlooked detective skills and intelligence of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and did something that no other incarnation of the Batman universe has ever been able to do - before or in it's wake - it pleased everyone without compromise.
If you ask 1,000 Batman fans what the greatest incarnation of "Batman" is to them, including the comics, about 980 of them will tell you "Batman: The Animated Series" as their answer. It offered everything everyone loved about each version that had come before or has come since in perfect balance. It did things no one thought possible, either for Batman or for a "kids show". It truly changed things, and no other animated series has ever lived up to the bar it set.
Nothing before it had been ever so mature without getting into 'adult' themes. By comparison, today's "kids cartoons" are true to the definition; cartoons and caricatures of their sources and of reality. "Batman: the Animated Series" was a truly realistic show that anyone from any age from 2 to 82 could sit down and enjoy. If you are a Batman fan and you have not seen this series, or if you had but do not yet own it... this is worth every penny.

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Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 11/04/2008Rating: Nr

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Spider-Man - The Return of the Green Goblin (Animated Series) (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)Buena Vista has released another DVD that compiles the 90's animated Spider-Man series, this time to coincide with the DVD of the theaterical feature. While there are many negatives to this release, the overall package is one that fans will want to snag along with the movie.
I'm still baffled as to why the episodes are being packaged this way. The series consisted of many story arcs that ran through multiple seasons, and should not be chopped up and grouped like this. In fact, one episode here doesn't feature the Goblins as prominent villains, and another omits them entirely. Their inclusion on this disc is to help tie up the loose ends of the story, but since the title of this disc is "The Return of the Green Goblin", they seem out of place.
However, it's nice to see that even if Buena Vista is releasing compilations, the episodes are all in sequence. This ensures a bit of continuity should the rest of the series be eventually released. There are also some pretty cool extras, including a fifth episode (even though it's out of order), another episode of the classic 1967 series, interviews with Stan Lee, and a mini game that's actually fun to play; my friend and I learned some things from the mini game about Spider-Man that we never knew before. Plus, unlike the "Ultimate Villain Showdown", the episodes on this disc are some of the high-points of the series and should not be missed.
Plans have already been made to release another DVD featuring the Spider-Man/Daredevil team-up episodes to coincide with the movie when it arrives next year. This is good reassurance that more episodes will be released, and an incentive to buy this DVD. While the compilation format is dubious, the overall quality of the episodes along with the good extras and cheap price means that no Spidey fan should pass this disc up.

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It's double the action, double the thrills and double the Goblins as Spider-Man is unmasked and tangled in a web of treachery in Spider-Man: The Return Of The Green Goblin.The Webslinger faces the ultimate challenge when his arch-nemesis discovers his identity and kidnaps his one true love, Mary Jane Watson.The stakes have never been higher as the dreaded Green Goblin tries to take control of the city and bring Spider-Man to his knees. The action gets even hotter when Kingpin and the Hobgoblin join forces in an all-out war with America's greatest crime fighter.It's a world of high-flying excitement you won't want to miss.

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The Tick Vs. Season One (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)You've been waiting over 10 years for the Tick to come out on DVD. You've eyed Amazon feverishly. You follow up every rumor. You even bought the live action disks.
And then, in seeming answer to your decade of diligent prayers and blue votive candles, it's finally here, and the package looks fan-freaking-tastic.
You call in sick to work, plunk yourself onto your sofa with a box of Lucky Charms, a gallon of milk, a cereal bowl, and your favorite SPOON! and prepare for a six hour TV-watching orgy.
You pop Disk 1 in the DVD player, and (once you get past all the ads) are nearly drowned by a wave of nostalgia. The main screen is full of animated eye candy, and you watch it at least a half dozen times. Finally you grab the remote and flip through the options.
That's odd... no special features. Must be on the other disk. I mean surely no one would release The Tick on DVD without acknowledging its origin as a comic book or its rabid cult following.
Hmm... now that's REALLY odd. There don't seem to be any commentary tracks either. You KNOW Edlund has things to say about the series. You've been scouring the Internet for Tick info since Mosaic was the only graphical web browser.
Well, you reason, all that other stuff is just parsley. The main course is the shows themselves.
So you push play on episode one, and you chuckle through the opening interview sequence, but something is niggling at you. Something doesn't look quite right, and yet the show looks exactly as you remember. It's not until the title sequence that it hits you so hard that you stop singing along in mid "Dum-dwee".
You pause to confirm your horror:
The reason this looks exactly like you remember from 10 years ago is because it's an analog-to-digital recording! Instead of recording from the original cells, the manufacturer recorded from video.
You sit there for a bit, stunned. They had 10 years to make this DVD, and this is the best they could do? Heck, it's not much better than the bootlegs you made with your first DVD-R. You don't really want to push play again. Your cereal has gone warm and mushy. After a bit you pick up the phone. "Yeah... it was just my sinuses. I'll be into the office in 30 minutes."

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Attention evil-doers! The Tick is here, and he's wearing the blue tights of justice! Together with his trusty moth-costumed sidekick Arthur, The Tick keeps the streets of The City safe from a rogue's gallery of hilariously malevolent villains. So grab a snack, put your feet up, and get ready to laugh and cheer as everyone's favorite brawny hero swats evil on the snout with the rolled-up newspaper of goodness!

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X-Men: Volume Four (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection) Review

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(More customer reviews)After the release of Volumes 1 & 2 most fans were ecstatic to be able to own the first three and a half seasons of this classic animated series on studio released DVD. The problem with Disney is you can never tell if they will finish releasing a series or cancel it because of poor sales or God knows why. Luckily fans of this series will be able to collect more episodes this September 22nd with the further release of X-men: The Animated Series with Volumes 3 & 4. Volume four is confirmed to contain the following fourteen episodes from the fourth season of the show spread across two discs:
Disc 1
49 Proteus (1)
50 Proteus (2)
51 Sanctuary (1)
52 Sanctuary (2)
53 Beyond Good and Evil (1)
54 Beyond Good and Evil (2)
55 Beyond Good and Evil (3)
56 Beyond Good and Evil (4)
Disc 2
57 Have Yourself A Morlock Little Christmas
58 The Lotus and the Steel
59 Love in Vain
60 Secrets, Not Long Buried
61 Xavier Remembers
62 Family Ties
Really every episode from this series can be considered a fan favorite but more noticable in this collection is the four part Beyond Good and Evil saga as well as The Phalanx Covenant, Sanctuary and Family Ties.
The audio & video quality we can expect will be the same as that of the first two volumes. Episodes tended to be in the same quality they aired with minor compression issues that go unnoticed by most and didn't impede on my personal viewing enjoyment. Also the further we go into the series we should notice a slow steady improvement on the actual animation quality of the show.
There are no special features on these volumes but given the fact we're dealing with Disney that's to be expected. Television was better in the nineties. Thanks for your time.
* Rather than clutter up the review page I have included a list of episode summaries in my comments section for those interested.

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The action reaches all new heights in Volume 4 of the landmark X-Men animated series. With adventures adapted directly from the original marvel comic books, this colletion is a rich piece of the X-Men legacy and a must have for every X-Man fan.X-Men must join forces with the heroes of the future whan Apocalypse, a mighty mutant, is driven completely mad by his powers. Discuver the stunning conclusion to the 4-part epic Beyond Good and Evil in this sensational 14-episode set.

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