Wednesday, February 28, 2018

'Justice League Action' "Rated G"-izes the DC Universe Perfectly

Late in 2016, Justice League Action debuted and immediately ended up as one of my most favorite TV shows of that year.  Almost two years later, it has just finished its 52-episode first season.  And during that span, it has constantly been charming, funny, and entertaining – one of the best current kid’s cartoons.

Justice League Action is packaged in bite-sized, stand-alone episodes.  Thus, there’s no proper order in watching episodes.  One can just pick to watch any episode at random, and it’ll be coherent and delightful as it is.  This gives the show a light, breezy, no-hassle-to-watch nature.  But despite its simplicity, it’ll please DC fans of all ages.
It’s primarily a humor-oriented, kid-friendly show through and through.  It basically gives a “kid’s-sized” look into, not only DC’s premier superhero team, but the DC Universe itself.  Though Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman – DC’s most well-known characters – are understandably prominently featured, it doesn’t neglect to also explore and put the spotlight on a variety of DC characters, even those who are obscure (e.g. Space Cabbie) or dark (e.g. John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Etrigan the Demon).  Thus, it’s a perfect way to introduce children to what DC is all about.

However, its elements and references are amply clever that mature viewers will tend to appreciate the kid-friendly presentation of DC lore.  In addition, it can get surprisingly profound at times (e.g. “Time Out”, “System Error”).
Justice League/Justice League Unlimited remains – and will probably forever remain – the greatest Justice League TV show ever.  But Justice League Action, for what it intends to be – a “Rated G” Justice League show – succeeds in being a lot of fun.

There’s no announcement yet, as far as I’m aware, of a season 2.  To be honest, I won’t really be mad if they decide to leave it at 52 episodes.  Young Justice season 3 is on the way anyway.  But more of it is nevertheless much welcome.

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