June, 2014 | Luis' Illustrated Blog

DC Animated Superhero Movies You Should Watch or Avoid.

June 26, 2014 in ANIMATION, SUPERHEROES

ANIMATION/SUPERHEROES – DC Animated Superhero Movies You Should Watch or Avoid

Not all the DC superhero animated movies are worth watching. I’ve put the best of them on my Top Ten Animated Superhero Animated Movies list.

If you want the best of the best, read that post. I won’t be writing about any of those movies in this list. Instead I’ll be writing about all the other movies that didn’t make that list.

I think I’ve watched every DC animated movie. Except perhaps the Target Exclusive JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time movie.

Here I’ll write some very short thoughts about each movie and whether or not they’re worth watching.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

The first of the DC animated movies. This one still holds up. It’s a great story, although it’s a tad predictable and Bruce Wayne seem a little out of character.

The character designs look a bit dated compared to the much more sleek designs in later movies.

Is it worth watching?

I say yes.

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

The second of the DC animated Movies. This is yet another movie that hold up. Although I think it’s a bit weaker than Phantasm.

Well drawn and well animated.

Is it worth watching?

Yes, I think it is. But you’re not missing anything mind blowing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7yHdSyCqxE

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

The uncut version of this is pretty darn awesome. By far one of the best of the animated superhero movies. Sleek designs, a cool story with an incredible dramatic twist.

The portrayal of the Joker in this movie is one of the darkest. It’s a very intense movie and the hand drawn special effect are worth studying.

Is it worth watching?

Absolutely!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_2FSnybRRI

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

This is almost a remake of Mask of the Phatasm. It feels the same only not as good.

The story is a bit dull, the designs are not as good and the quality of animation isn’t as good as it could be.

There’s a twist in this movie that’s…okay and unexpected but it doesn’t really save this movie from being kinda lame.

Is it worth watching?

You can pass on this one.

Superman: Doomsday

Alright, so this movie is really bad. It just isn’t very good. It’s the story of how Doomsday kills Superman.

The problem is that this story was done so much better in the Superman Animated Series. It had so much more resonance and pathos than this movie had and it was produced by the same people.

All that said, it’s a guilty pleasure because it’s got some of the best superhero fighting in an animated superhero movie.

People who think that the destruction of Metropolis in the live action Man of Steel was excessive, obviously haven’t seen this movie.

The movie looks great, and there’s some really good acting moments in it. Especially in the character of Lois Lane.

Is it worth watching?

Only if you watch it to see some great fights. Otherwise, pass.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Based on the comic by Darwin Cooke that, I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t read yet. It made me curious about how much better the comic might be.

I thought this movie was okay but it wasn’t as good I heard the comic was. Thing is, I think the movie spoiled the comic for me and I didn’t much like the story here.

Batman’s voice was weird and the story was a bit upsetting somehow.

I loved the designs and the era this movie took place in. It’s visually a fantastic movie.

Is it worth watching?

Sort of. It’s not the best thing out there but it’s neat.

Batman: Gotham Knight

Batman goes anime in this anthology. This is basically a Japanese retelling of the Batman Animated Series episode Legends of the Dark Knight.

It’s also following in the footsteps of the Animatrix animated anthology. It allows Japanese animation directors to tell their version of a Batman story.

I like anime but I wasn’t very impressed with this movie. I don’t even own a copy. I though it was interesting but I’d rather watch the animated series version. It was much more fun.

Is it worth watching?

I think so, if your a Batman fan and want to see interesting takes on the character.

Wonder Woman

I REALLY wanted to like this. I think the movie is beautiful. And Nathan Fillion perfectly voices Wonder Woman’s love interest Steve Trevor.

There’s a lot fun moments in this, but overall I just didn’t like it much. I didn’t like Wonder Woman in this. I don’t know why.

I loved her design, I liked the action, and the animation but the story was, meh.

Also, I don’t think it makes Wonder Woman a good role model either. She’s a killer in this movie.

Is it worth watching?

If you like Wonder Woman, this movie is worth a shot. It’s the only game in town when it comes to stand alone Wonder Woman movies.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

I love Ed McGinnis’ artwork, however, I don’t think it translates very well into animation. At least, not in the way it was translated in this movie.

I find a lot of the characters designs in this movie not to my taste. Especially Powergirl.

All that said, this is one of the more entertaining superhero animated movies DC has put out. It’s adapted from a Superman/Batman comic written by Jeph Loeb that’s just as fun to read.

Is it worth watching?

Yes, this one is fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKN2AToJ84g

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Yet another adaptation of a story from the Superman/Batman comics written by Jeph Loeb.

This time the art style was an adaptation of the late Micheal Turner’s. Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of his style.

For some reason, the first time I watched it, it really left a bad impression. I had a difficult time liking it.

However, I’ve changed my mind about it now. I really enjoy it. Especially because is has some of the best Wonder Woman fighting scenes in any animated DC product out there.

Is it worth watching?

Yes, I think it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynp3VvhEAog

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

This is a Green Lantern animated anthology. It’s actually quite fun.

Nathan Fillion voices Hall Jordan and fits the part perfectly.

The character designs are fantastic, the animation is great, and the short stories are fun. However, if you’re not much of a fan of Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corp, you might not like this.

Is it worth watching?

I think so. It’s fun.

Justice League: Doom

This one is an adaptation of Mark Waid’s Tower of Babel, Justice League story line. It’s one of my all time favorite Justice League stories.

When I heard they were going to do an animated version, I was thrilled. The movie even has the same character designs as my favorite animated superhero TV show, Young Justice.

However, when I actually watched the movie, it simply wasn’t the same as the comic. They changed it just enough to make the story too different from it’s comic book counterpart, for me.

Is it worth watching?

Only if you’re a completest like me. Otherwise, pass.

Superman: Unbound

I borrowed this from friend who basically decided he didn’t want it back. It’s that good.

I don’t much like the character designs in this movie. Especially on Superman. He just looks wrong. The action and animation is very cool though.

This is a story adapted from a Geoff Johns comic book story line. I haven’t read the comic this was adapted from but I sure didn’t like this story.

Is it worth watching?

I say pass.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

This movie has cured me from ever wanting to draw gigantically buff superheroes ever again. The dudes in this movie are HUGE.

It’s an interesting story. It’s a lot of fun to watch. I read the comics this movie was adapted from and they did a great job of capturing the essence of the comics.

It has, hands down, one of the most badass versions of Aquaman in any animated anything. He’s awesome and super scary.

After watching this movie, you’ll never see Aquaman the same way again. Respect the Aquaman.

This movie is a Flash movie however. And he’s a great character to watch.

Is it worth watching?

Yeah. It basically ushers in the New 52 era of animated superhero movies.

Justice League: War

The very different designs continues with this adaptation of the New 52 Justice League comic, written by Geoff Johns.

I was disappointed with this movie.

This is also one of the worst depictions of Wonder Woman in any of the animated movies or series. She comes across a bit dopey and her costume looks awful.

This is also the movie that introduced the Batman chin piece, that just looks weird.

There where a few laughs but…this movie just didn’t do it for me.

Is it worth watching?

Pass on this one.

EDIT 01/01/2015:

I’ve recently re-watched this movie. I also had the chance to read the comic is was based on. My thoughts have changed.

I still don’t like the designs as much, and Wonder Woman still comes across dopey. Turns out that bit is actually straight out of the comics. Yet, the second time around, I ended up enjoying this movie.

For starters, compared to the comic version, this movie is fantastic.

But, the reason I ended up changing my mind after I watched it the second time, it’s a fun beat ’em up. That’s all it really is, the Justice League fighting each other and fighting bad guys. It’s mindless and fun. If you go into it wanting more, you’ll be disappointed like I was initially.

Is it worth watching?

Now a days, I would say, sure, give it a try.

Son of Batman

Chin piece Batman is at it again. This time with his son Damian.

Ra’s Al Ghul and his daughter Talia show up in this movie. This is the same designer who designed the beautiful looking Young Justice characters.

He’s obviously experimenting, and is going through a Peter Chung phase.

This movie is actually a decent movie.

No where near as good as Batman: Under the Red Hood, but it’s cool.

Is it worth watching?

Yes.

Batman: Assault on Arkham

This movie should really be called “Suicide Squad” the animated movie, but no one would have bought that, so they use Batman’s name on the title.

This is basically a Oceans 11 with DC super villains.

The Suicide Squad is a group of super villains assembled by the government to do suicide mission in exchange for pardons. Bombs are implanted in their heads so they stay in line and follow orders during the mission.

The team has made an appearance in the Smallville TV show and on the Arrow TV show. Warners is also planning a live action movie.

This particular movie takes place in the “Batman: Arkham” video game universe.

I have to say, I didn’t expect much when I put it in to watch the movie but I ended up loving it. It’s a great story. A lot of fun. Very violent, so it’s not for kids.

I like the designs on most of the characters. The take on each character is great.

The protagonist of the movie is not Batman but Deadshot. He’s the lead and he’s very cool. Batman is secondary character. This is a good thing. It makes him even more mysterious.

This is definitely one of the best animated superhero movies Warners has produced in a while.

Is it worth watching?

Absolutely

Thought?

What do you think? Which movies do you like most?

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on some of these movies.

If You Liked This, You Will Also Like

Top Ten Animated Superhero Animated Movies

Top Ten Animated Superhero TV Shows

6 Reasons Why Watching Justice League Animated is a Great Way to Learn About the DC Universe.

8 Reasons Why AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES Animated Cartoon is the Funnest, Easiest Way to Learn About the Marvel Universe.

My Thoughts on Young Justice Animated.

Thoughts on the Legion of Superheroes Animated Cartoon.

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3 Reasons to Read MEANWHILE an Interactive, Print Comic Book.

June 19, 2014 in COMIC BOOKS

COMIC BOOKS – 3 Reasons to Read MEANWHILE an Interactive Print Comic Book

Want to try reading an interactive “Choose Your Own Adventure type comic books? Meanwhile is the book for you.

Today I’ll tell you my experience with it.

As a comic creator I, like many other artists, have contemplated making a “Choose your own Adventure” like interactive comic. I know the reason I haven’t done it is because it’s WAY too much work. At least, that’s what I thought. More on that later.

That didn’t stop Jason Shiga from creating one.

I became aware of the comic and Jason Shiga when listening to an episode of the Comics Are Great podcast. I don’t remember exactly which episode it was where I first heard about it, but that was where I was made aware of it.

I went to Jason Shiga‘s site and found some other of his experiments (which are no longer there) as well as his bio.

I was intrigued by the concept of the book and put it on my Amazon Wish List until it was the right time to purchase it.

Well, I bought the book recently and loved it. Here’s the three reasons why I think you will too:

It’s a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Type Comic

This it THE reason to get the book. It’s so clever. You start with a basic choice between vanilla and chocolate ice cream and next thing you know you’re traveling through time or causing the end of the world.

It’s so much fun to read. The clever way the story branches around using “tubes” is ingenious.

The story splits and splints. And when you think you’re just going around in circles you find that you’re really not.

Which bring me to…

It’s Deep

The comic is much deeper than it appears at first. There’s codes in the game that allow you to access “secret pages.” The trick is to go through the branches of the story and MEMORIZE them once you come across them.

Once you get to the the right page that allows you use the code, you can follow the tube to the correct story path.

It’s pretty cool. I haven’t been able to do it yet.

It’s a Great for Kids

Even though the book is a bit deeper than they can understand, my kids LOVE it. They think it’s hilarious. It’s also good for their vocabulary.

They love the decisions and the branching paths.

The art is cartoony and accessible. It’s also fun and funny. The story can be a little dark sometimes but generally it’s lighthearted.

Get It

I absolutely love this book. It blows my mind that it even exists and that it’s as cool as it is.

Go get Meanwhile.

Creating Interactive Comics with Jason Shiga

As I’ve stated before, I’ve thought about making interactive print comics before but I thought it would be WAY too complicated.

Well, I was wrong. It CAN be complicated, but it can also be very simple.

While doing research for links to Jason Shiga’s comics, not only did I find examples of much simpler interactive comics he’d made like this one:

But I also found a video where Jason Shiga shows you how to make a very cool one.He’re the videos:

I so want to make some now.

Interview with Jason Shiga

And here’s an interview with Jason Shiga if you’re curious about him.

And this last video is Jason Shiga showing you the different kinds of interactive comics he’s come up with.

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Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game Review – Playing With Little Kids.

June 12, 2014 in BOARD GAMES

BOARD GAMES- Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game Review – Playing With Little Kids.

I managed to play the Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game with my kids. As of the time of this writing my eldest kid is seven years old. Today I’m writing a review of the game,and whether it plays well with little kids.

I managed to score a used copy of this game at half price a while back. I’ve been wanting to pick up the game and the others like it for a while.

I have to say, ever since that first game, the game has been on my mind ever since. I kinda want to get back to playing another session. At the same time, I kinda want to NOT play the game again and just start a regular tabletop fantasy role playing game instead.

As I said above, I played this game with my kids. The age range on the box says: AGE 12+. My kids, whom I played this game with are, from oldest to youngest: seven, five and three.

So the question is, what are the pros and cons of playing this game with kids that are so under the age range of this game?

That’s what I will write about below. I’ll explain the type of game this is below as well, but if you want a full overview of the game, there will be a video at the end that will explain it all.

(The links in this post are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.)

Quick Game Overview

Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game is a cooperative board game where you play as one of five character adventurers who make their way through Castle Ravenloft.

Basically you go through a randomly created castle, fight monsters to get to an objective. The objective varies depending on the scenario you choose to play from the adventure book.

The characters you play as are typical Dungeons & Dragons characters, and you can even customize them to an extent.

You move your character and fight, explore the castle, when a new part of the castle is revealed monsters appear, they fight you, rinse and repeat until you reach your objective. That’s the game in a nutshell.

My kids and I had a lot of fun playing the game. Here’s the Pros and Cons when playing this game with little kids.

Pros

Cooperative

The game is a cooperative game which is the biggest benefit the game has when playing with little kids. It means you’re not in competition with them and you are suppose to help out.

The game box says the game can be played by ONE to five players. The fact that it allows you to play solo, should give you a clue about the kind of help you can give your kids.

Especially if they’re really little like maybe three. You simply tell the little one what his best move is and then you can simply help him do it.

“Move to this spot. Do this thing. Roll this die. You did it! Good job,” the little kids feels like he did something great and you can move the game forward. It’s great.

Great Miniatures

The toy factor is great. The game comes with some really fantatic Miniatures. The kids LOVE moving the monsters and heroes around the board. It’s eye candy.

It really gets their imagination going.

Easy to Explain

It’s really very simple to explain to them. You just tell them what it is they need to do each turn and they just do it. The game isn’t complicated.

It’s involved. There’s things to keep track of, but I found, my kids could keep up with what was going on.

They new what they needed to roll, and if they didn’t, you just tell them and move on.

Cons

Requires Reading and Reading Comprehension

Ideally you want to play this game with kids that can read. It will save you a lot of time if the kids can read their cards themselves. Otherwise you’re going to be doing all the reading.

On other hand, this con can be a plus if your kids are decent enough at reading that they can use the cards as practice.

Requires Math

Similar to the reading, this game is better if you’re kids are good at adding their own die rolls.

It’s no big deal if you have to do it for them. They have just as much fun.

Just like the reading above, this con can be a pro if your kids are at an age where they can practice their addition skills as they play the game.

A Bit Burdensome

The reading, the math, keeping track of what’s going on where. Who has what monsters, who has what powers or items…it can become a bit much.

Keep in mind, this game can be played solo, that said, it really helps if don’t HAVE to keep track of everything and your kids can help out.

It helps if you set up the table so that you can give maximum help to the youngest kid.

Is it Worth Getting

My kids and I had a ton of fun playing this game. Granted, we’ve only played it once and we got some rules wrong, but it was fun none the less.

My five year old was ready to play it again right away and has been bugging me to play it again since. I must admit, I feel the same.

This game and it’s companion games are VERY expensive but having played this one, I think they’re well worth it. I’m absolutely going to be picking up the other ones.

And since they’re board games, their “operating system” doesn’t become obsolete. Although, they do run the danger of going out of print.

Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game

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Gene Yang’s THE SHADOW HERO Comic Book Review.

June 5, 2014 in COMIC BOOKS

COMIC BOOKS – “The Shadow Hero” Comic Book Review

Who was the first Asian American Superhero? Well the unconfirmed rumor is that it was a golden age character called The Green Turtle.

The origin of this hero can be found and read in Gene Yang and Sonny Liew’s book “The Shadow Hero” published by First Second books.

It’s a comic book/graphic novel and it’s a little over 160 pages long.

I received a copy of this book in the mail from First Second at Gene Yang’s request. For which I’m very grateful. I wasn’t expecting it.

This week I’ll be reviewing the book. Before I do though, I’d like you to watch this video of Gene, explaining the origins of the comic.

http://youtu.be/GATaVz9rg0w

The links below are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

The Story

I’m not going to say too much about what the story is about. That’s kinda the point of reading the comic. I will repeat what Gene Yang said in the video above, it’s the origin story of The Green Turtle.

I will write about the feel and the execution of the story and whether or not I liked it.

I did like the story. It was very fun. There was a lot more comedy than I expected. This is absolutely not a bad thing.

I think it helps going in that it will be a bit of a comedy. But it’s not completely comedic. People die in the story. The stakes can be high.

There is one particular character, the protagonist’s mother, who’s there to make you laugh. It’s odd because she’s introduced so seriously only to be portrayed so comically. She’s fun to read.

She reminded me, so much, of a lot of my Asian friend’s mothers.

There are elements of fantasy in the story that I liked as well. Although I kinda wished that they came into the story sooner. The story starts off with them and they then get placed aside for quite a while before they appear again.

I found myself becoming impatient for them to show up. They where the elements that fascinated me the most.

My favorite part of the whole story was the final confrontation with “the big bad.” It was so good, I almost wished the set up to becoming the hero took less time so we could have more of the kind of stuff that was happening in the later part of the book.

The Art

Sonny Liew’s art is simply fantastic. It’s just eye candy.

He’s go this really rough looking ink brush line that has so much life and energy.

His characters designs are fantastic and his acting is hilarious. I love the way he layout pages too.

I can stare at the art all day long. It’s so good. It’s very unique.

The colors in the book and the way it compliments that line work is simply amazing.

I can’t say enough great things. It’s great to see an Asian person draw Asian people and not have it look like Anime.

Last Thoughts

If you’re a fan of Gene Yang, this won’t disappoint. It’s a fun read.

I wish there where a few more modern one shot stories of The Turtle’s adventures so we could see him in action. That said, the book does provides a reprint of one of The Turtle’s golden age adventures.

I found the idea of an Asian superhero from the 1940s fascinating.

It’s a universal story that anyone can relate to. The human struggles the characters are going through are very relate-able, but I think it might be a bit more poignant and true to life if you’re Asian.

That said, I’m not, and I really enjoyed the story. Can’t wait to see more from Gene and I have to look more into Sonny Liew’s work.

Check out “The Shadow Hero”

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ANIMATION/SUPERHEROES – DC Animated Superhero Movies You Should Watch or Avoid

Thought?

If You Liked This, You Will Also Like

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Like this:

COMIC BOOKS – 3 Reasons to Read MEANWHILE an Interactive Print Comic Book

It’s a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Type Comic

It’s Deep

It’s a Great for Kids

Get It

Creating Interactive Comics with Jason Shiga

Interview with Jason Shiga

Share this:

Like this:

BOARD GAMES- Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft Board Game Review – Playing With Little Kids.

Quick Game Overview

Pros

Cons

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Like this:

COMIC BOOKS – “The Shadow Hero” Comic Book Review

The Story

The Art

Last Thoughts

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