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Legion of Super Heroes Volume 2
Warner Bros. // Unrated // February 5, 2008
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Note: Instead of reprinting my thoughts on the first season of the Kids WB! cartoon "Legion of Super Heroes" here, I'll merely point you to my review of that show's first DVD release. The following review discusses four more episodes from the same season; my thoughts on the overall show so far have not changed, and there's not much else regarding the history of the show worth discussing, so I'll instead focus more in-depth on the individual episodes themselves.
The DVD
Warner Bros. continues its slow roll-out of the first season of "Legion of Super Heroes" with a single-disc "Volume 2" release. (There remains no word of a full season release.) As with Volume 1, this new disc features four episodes of the Saturday morning adventure series, presented in their original broadcast order.
"Champions." As Lightning Lad takes part in the Intergalactic Games - a sort of Space Olympics - Superman and Phantom Girl discover the Fatal Five is up to no good. The story becomes a family affair, with Lightning Lad going head-to-head with his brother and Phantom Girl struggling to rescue her mother, the Galactic President.
This is a curious episode, as it almost toys with Saturday morning cliché, only to tiptoe around it in surprising ways. Lightning Lad's brother spends most of the games cheating, and we expect a lengthy epilogue in which he learns the errors of his ways. And while he admits to making mistakes, he never apologizes, nor does he change his attitude. To put this in a cartoon is a risky move, what with all the forced moralizing one normally expects from such a show. It's a welcome touch - the idea that life's problems might not get cleaned up in a mere half hour. The brother will return later in the season, suggesting a broader story arc, and for the show's producers to have so much faith in young viewers to be able to keep up is a reminder that Warner/DC remains our go-to studio for intelligent children's adventures.
(As for the rest of the episode, it deftly balances action and light humor, making this exactly the sort of breezy fun superhero cartoon it's supposed to be.)
"Fear Factory." The Legion investigates a stranded spaceship in the middle of a cosmic storm, only to discover a creepy host with a knack for haunted house imagery - a host who doesn't want the heroes to leave.
Originally airing in November 2006, this one was just a few weeks too late to act as the Halloween episode it wants to be. From the bookend segments featuring Bouncing Boy's fondness for "ancient classic" horror flicks to guest voice actor Dan Castellaneta's kooky Peter Lorre impression, "Fear Factory" is a delightful scream, with its scares tempered with just enough comic book action to keep things from getting too overwhelming for the youngest viewers.
"Brain Drain." A kind of computer-telepathic ritual leaves Brainiac in a state of mental havoc. The only hope is a rare element found on a distant, dangerous planet, a place where Timber Wolf grew up and where Superman's powers don't work.
This episode is another of the series' action-comedy balancing acts, with the story dividing itself in two: on the action side, we get Superman and Timber Wolf battling evil gangs and wicked robots while struggling to reach the planet core; on the comedy side, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad are left behind to baby-sit Brainiac's headless body. It's plenty fun, even if the script's attempt to build on past episodes by having Superman discover more about how his powers work don't quite flesh out the ongoing story arc.
"Lightning Storm." While Bouncing Boy deals with the hordes of hero-wannabes auditioning for the Legion, Lightning Lad is seduced by another, "grown-up" hero group, although they're not quite what they seem.
Again, the series dances around familiar storylines - in this case, Lightning Lad turns his back on his friends in his search for fame and glory. There's nothing here that surprises, really, and the script wades more deeply into "lessons learned" territory than usual for the show. But we don't mind, since this furthers the story arc involving Lightning Lad and his estranged brother, which supplies some solid superhero drama. The auditions, meanwhile, add plenty of comic relief (poking fun at the goofier aspects of the Legion's comic book history), and it's impossible not to smile at the superhero who can hold his breath for, like, a long time!
Video & Audio
As with the previous release, the episodes here look sparkling, with bold colors and sharp detail. The occasional blurriness I mentioned in the previous review seems to be absent here. Presented in the original 1.33:1 broadcast format.
The Dolby stereo soundtrack is once again deep and vibrant. A French 2.0 dub is included, as are optional English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles.
Extras
Sadly, no bonus material is included this time around, unless you count the batch of trailers and commercials for other Warner releases. (Not listed among the trailers, the ad for the current season of "Legion" plays as the disc loads.) I'm guessing that the studio is holding off on any additional bonus material until the full season set comes out.
Final Thoughts
Once again, we get a terrific show with a less than optimal release. These four episodes will tide you over until the inevitable complete set is released, but there's no reason to throw your money away. Rent It.
The DVD
Warner Bros. continues its slow roll-out of the first season of "Legion of Super Heroes" with a single-disc "Volume 2" release. (There remains no word of a full season release.) As with Volume 1, this new disc features four episodes of the Saturday morning adventure series, presented in their original broadcast order.
"Champions." As Lightning Lad takes part in the Intergalactic Games - a sort of Space Olympics - Superman and Phantom Girl discover the Fatal Five is up to no good. The story becomes a family affair, with Lightning Lad going head-to-head with his brother and Phantom Girl struggling to rescue her mother, the Galactic President.
This is a curious episode, as it almost toys with Saturday morning cliché, only to tiptoe around it in surprising ways. Lightning Lad's brother spends most of the games cheating, and we expect a lengthy epilogue in which he learns the errors of his ways. And while he admits to making mistakes, he never apologizes, nor does he change his attitude. To put this in a cartoon is a risky move, what with all the forced moralizing one normally expects from such a show. It's a welcome touch - the idea that life's problems might not get cleaned up in a mere half hour. The brother will return later in the season, suggesting a broader story arc, and for the show's producers to have so much faith in young viewers to be able to keep up is a reminder that Warner/DC remains our go-to studio for intelligent children's adventures.
(As for the rest of the episode, it deftly balances action and light humor, making this exactly the sort of breezy fun superhero cartoon it's supposed to be.)
"Fear Factory." The Legion investigates a stranded spaceship in the middle of a cosmic storm, only to discover a creepy host with a knack for haunted house imagery - a host who doesn't want the heroes to leave.
Originally airing in November 2006, this one was just a few weeks too late to act as the Halloween episode it wants to be. From the bookend segments featuring Bouncing Boy's fondness for "ancient classic" horror flicks to guest voice actor Dan Castellaneta's kooky Peter Lorre impression, "Fear Factory" is a delightful scream, with its scares tempered with just enough comic book action to keep things from getting too overwhelming for the youngest viewers.
"Brain Drain." A kind of computer-telepathic ritual leaves Brainiac in a state of mental havoc. The only hope is a rare element found on a distant, dangerous planet, a place where Timber Wolf grew up and where Superman's powers don't work.
This episode is another of the series' action-comedy balancing acts, with the story dividing itself in two: on the action side, we get Superman and Timber Wolf battling evil gangs and wicked robots while struggling to reach the planet core; on the comedy side, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad are left behind to baby-sit Brainiac's headless body. It's plenty fun, even if the script's attempt to build on past episodes by having Superman discover more about how his powers work don't quite flesh out the ongoing story arc.
"Lightning Storm." While Bouncing Boy deals with the hordes of hero-wannabes auditioning for the Legion, Lightning Lad is seduced by another, "grown-up" hero group, although they're not quite what they seem.
Again, the series dances around familiar storylines - in this case, Lightning Lad turns his back on his friends in his search for fame and glory. There's nothing here that surprises, really, and the script wades more deeply into "lessons learned" territory than usual for the show. But we don't mind, since this furthers the story arc involving Lightning Lad and his estranged brother, which supplies some solid superhero drama. The auditions, meanwhile, add plenty of comic relief (poking fun at the goofier aspects of the Legion's comic book history), and it's impossible not to smile at the superhero who can hold his breath for, like, a long time!
Video & Audio
As with the previous release, the episodes here look sparkling, with bold colors and sharp detail. The occasional blurriness I mentioned in the previous review seems to be absent here. Presented in the original 1.33:1 broadcast format.
The Dolby stereo soundtrack is once again deep and vibrant. A French 2.0 dub is included, as are optional English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles.
Extras
Sadly, no bonus material is included this time around, unless you count the batch of trailers and commercials for other Warner releases. (Not listed among the trailers, the ad for the current season of "Legion" plays as the disc loads.) I'm guessing that the studio is holding off on any additional bonus material until the full season set comes out.
Final Thoughts
Once again, we get a terrific show with a less than optimal release. These four episodes will tide you over until the inevitable complete set is released, but there's no reason to throw your money away. Rent It.
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