Retrospective 2011 - Part 4

Batman: Year One 

I have already said a lot about Batman: Year One, so to sum it up, it was pretty good. Great actually, right up there with Batman: Under the Red Hood. I feel it did the source material, one of my favorite graphic novels, justice. Its just a shame that the story goes by so fast... Hopefully The Long Halloween is in the pipeline as it would make an amazing follow-up. As far as the DC releases in 2011, they were overall pretty impressive. Both Year One and All Star Superman were top tier quality releases and along with Emerald Knights, all three 2011 releases were solid - perhaps the best year of the batch so far.

Catwoman

With amped up violence and somewhat gratuitous sexuality, Catwoman was not for kids, but it was a really well done and entertaining short which justified the characters popularity. Its a shame the line of shorts came to an end, but at least it ended on a high note. 

Green Lantern: The Animated Series - Premier

Much like a sneak peak of Young Justice was aired in the previous November, Beware My Power, the 1-hour premier of the Green Lantern Animated Series aired in November of 2011. The CG animation did look a little plasticy, but it actually worked well in motion. The bigger issue was that the CG environments felt a little barren. But the look of the show was really a minor criticism of what looks to be a great new addition to the DC library which enters into previously uncharted territory (both literally and figuratively). The Red Lanterns were quickly built up as a legitimate threat and I can't wait to see the GL mythology unfold on screen.

DC Nation

Also during the Green Lantern episode, Cartoon Network premiered its first taste of the planned DC Nation block including two shorts ( viewable HERE) for and Aardman animation Clay Batman and a Teen Titans revival. I am really excited about the potential for DC Nation to try new concepts and characters, even if the Clay Batman sounded better in concept than in execution.

AND, before finishing out the year, I just wanted to mention a couple of other highlights. Sadly, 2011 marked the end of  Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which felt as if it was still just getting going. The series finale was one of the best TV finales I have ever seen and even if not every episode of the show was an instant classic, plenty of the episodes, including the finale, will join the ranks of the best onscreen Batman tales for years to come.

2011 also marked the end for Smallville. Oh Smallville, I stuck with you until the end and there were some great moments along the way including the final seasons masterful episode Homecoming which introduced Clark to his older, established as Superman counterpart. Unfortunately, I felt that episode was a more fitting finale than the actual one that aired which did finally put Clark in the Superman suit, though all too briefly. Nevertheless, the show lasted for 10 seasons introducing a whole new generation to Superman. Its end has left a hole in my TV viewing schedule that will hopefully be filled by one of the many project that DC and Marvel currently have in development.

2012 looks to be another mammoth year for superhero shows. Look for a preview of whats to come in the weeks ahead.