Batman: Assault on Arkham and Young Justice: Season One on Blu-ray

It’s a great week for Batman fans as both Batman: Assault on Arkham and Young Justice: Season One are hitting the shelves on Blu-ray. Assault on Arkham is a new animated film spinning out of the Batman Arkham video game universe. Young Justice is the long-awaited release of the fantastic animated series’ entire first season.

Both are worth a look.

Official press release below:

“Batman: Assault on Arkham” arrives Tuesday, August 12 — on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD.

Gotham is in great danger when the government assembles a group of villains — code named the Suicide Squad — and forces them to break into Arkham Asylum to retrieve top secret information stolen by the Riddler. Things take a turn for the worse when one of the Squad members (Harley Quinn) frees the Joker, who is intent on blowing up Arkham Asylum and Gotham City. Batman must use his super hero wits and strength to thwart the wicked plans of the Joker and the Suicide Squad. Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) voices Batman, and joins forces with several Hollywood greats to bring the legendary characters to life. Adding to the celebrity-laden cast is Neal McDonough (Justified, Desperate Housewives) as Deadshot, Troy Baker (Batman: Arkham Origins, The Last of Us) as Joker, Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds) as Riddler, CCH Pounder (The Shield, Warehouse 13) as Amanda Waller, Greg Ellis (24) as Captain Boomerang, and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Revolution) as Black Spider. Renowned voice actors Hynden Walch and Jennifer Hale bring an added level of danger to the Suicide Squad as the voices of Harley Quinn and Killer Frost, respectively.

Warner Archive Collection continues to bring fan-favorite television series to glorious 1080p high definition presentation with the Tuesday, August 12 release of “Young Justice: Season One” on Blu-ray.The two-disc, 26-episode “Young Justice: Season One” features Greg Weisman (Gargoyles) and Brandon Vietti’s (Batman: The Brave and The Bold) critically acclaimed and fan-approved tale of titanic teen heroes. Strap in and get ready for this dashing and daring new take onRobin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis as theysplash across the 16×9 widescreen. In this first season, a ‘junior’ Justice League bands together for purposes both light and dark – to honor the legacies they will one day inherit, and to be the Justice League’s secret weapon. From within their HQ The Cave, they embark on covert missions that would be impossible for the high profile Justice League. Batman (naturally) is their mission handler, Red Tornado supervises and Black Canary trains them. But the lads and ladies of Young Justice push their mission envelope and discover the dark secrets hidden behind the scenes of this alternate DC universe. “Young Justice: Season One” is available at wbshop.com and many of your favorite online retailers.

Young Justice and Green Lantern the Animated Series end

This weekend, both Young Justice and Green Lantern the Animated Series are both airing their final episodes. I know that the Bruce Timm-helmed CGi Green Lantern series has had its detractors, but I am sad to see it go. In contrast, the Young Justice series remains one of my all time favorite toons. Utilizing every bit of inspiration and mythology from the comic books, Young Justice very quickly developed its own universe. A third season would be very welcome, but I have to say that I am happy with what was achieved in two short years.

Via Newsarama:

They were taken too soon. No, this time we’re not talking about one of the many kids DC Comics has killed off throughout the years; this time we’re talking about two of the best superhero animated series we’ve ever seen, both of which end on Saturday March 16, 2013.

Young Justice lasted two (albeit disjointed) seasons, finding its voice, taking huge risks, and presenting a DC Universe that included Wally West, Tim Drake as Robin, & even a cameo by Stephanie Brown.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series only got one season, but somehow fit in Anti-Monitor, a tease to Sinestro’s turn to fear, Red & Blue & Violet Lanterns, the rogue Guardian Scar, & so much more amazing mythos.

Here are your final preview images for both series. In blackest night, indeed.

Young Justice – Darkest

Darkest

Story 2.09
Written by Jon Weisman, directed by Mel Zwyer
Transmitted October 6, 2012

There has been a schism in the teenage superheroes as Kaldur has betrayed the team and has sided with his father, the evil Black Manta. As the team struggles to maintain order, the mysterious evil organization known only as The Light steadily grows in power.

When Batman The Animated Series arrived in 1992, everything changed. Before the Batman Animated Series, superheroes were mainly recognized in TV in Super Friends. The new cartoons featured fully developed characters, gripping intense plots and ideas that drew from a large body of work dating back to the earliest days of the DC Comics universe. It marked the beginning of something very new and set the bar for all superhero cartoons that followed. That challenge was met by the Justice League series and subsequent animated feature films.

However, there are few comic book cartoons out there as good as Young Justice which is a shame as its constant rescheduling and delays has cost it many viewers. The quality of the writing and animation is so high that this should be the most talked about program on the air for comic book fans. Yet… it is all but invisible to most. If you enjoyed Justice League, you need to be watching Young Justice.

The story of Young Justice delves into the legacy of the DC Universe and the relationships that make it function. When the Teen Titans were formed in comics, it recognized that Batman, Aquaman, Green Arrow and Wonder Woman all had proteges that hid in their shadows. It opened the door to any number of stories that explored what it could mean to be the sidekick. The family of crime fighters that makes up the heroes of the DCU is unique and is used so well in this program. The frustration that Speedy, Kaldur (Aqualad), Kid Flash and Robin feel are made all the more complicated in this second series that follows a five-year jump into the future where the team has become broken by mistrust and deceit. Don’t get me started on Superboy and Miss Martian, two characters who are entangled in the capes of their mentors.

Blue Beetle and Nightwing

While Robin has graduated to Nightwing and the team has been bolstered by Rocket, Blue Beetle, Lagood Boy and Mal, there are many casualties for the team. Wally West has left his superheroing behind him and his girlfriend Artemis has rejoined the team only to be killed in an attack by Kaldur who has become associated with Black Manta. Kaldur is perhaps the most tragic loss. Seemingly devoted to destroying his former teammates and delivering them to his masters, Kaldur is a force to be reckoned with.

The latest episode is another chapter in a series of failures as Kaldur kidnaps most of the team then destroys Mount Justice, leaving the survivors in disarray. Wally confronts Nightwing only to learn that this has all been a ruse to get someone inside The Light’s inner circle. But the only catch is that Kaldur may in fact be a traitor after all. And if so, what next?

I have been following Young Justice since its debut, often hunting down episodes online when necessary (even the assistance of a DVR service was useless when the program changed its name to Young Justice: Invasion) and I have been regularly impressed by the sophistication in storytelling, the crisp character design and the outstanding voice work make this a cartoon that should be on your weekly watch list if you are a comic book fanatic like myself.

Kaldur and Black Manta

Recommended:

Young Justice: Season One Part One

Young Justice: Season One Part Two

Young Justice: The Complete First Season Streaming

Young Justice: The Complete Second Season Streaming

Young Justice returns January 7th

I’m a Marvel Zombie at heart, but the new Young Justice series hits all the right cylinders for me. Tight scripting, fluid animation and a cast of characters that is just immense (in addition to the Young Justice team is the biggest JLA line-up I have ever seen in animated form, including two Green Lanterns!).

The two part premiere ‘Independence Day’ screened the day after Thanksgiving was a blast, leaving many wondering when the program would begin its regular run. Finally, a start date is here along with with the answer to the anxiously asked question ‘is Speedy really not in this series?’

If you missed out on the two parter, you may be able to catch it here.

New DC animated series: Young Justice

I’m still heartbroken that the excellent Spectacular Spider-Man series will not be coming back, but series producer Greg Weissman is already hard at work on another comic book cartoon, this time based on the Teen Titans. Weissman has teamed up with a top-notch crew of animation veterans to create what looks to be a fantastic series. A far cry from the kid-friendly anime-influenced Teen Titans cartoon, this looks like a more sophisticated action series, but we’ll have to wait to find out.

In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over—to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—will found out, whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero. This all-new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon characters from DC Comics. Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H.) are the producers.