The Justice League cartoon goes back in time (1953 – 1960) where some heroes are established in the public eye (eg Superman) while others are about to make their first appearance (eg Green Lantern) in this adaptation of the “DC The New Frontier” comic. It’s McCarthy era America and the hunt is on for communists. The Flash comes under suspicion because he wears red. The Martian Manhunter comes under suspicion because he is Martian. And Batman lurks around in the dark doing his own thing. Hal Jordan’s story is one of the links between all that is happening, including his preparations to fly to Mars and his discovery of a wounded member of the Green Lantern Corp. The squabbling and paranoia of America is questioned when a common and very powerful enemy, The Center (aka Dinosaur Island), appears and threatens life as we know it.
It’s a cute spin on the Justice League and is reminiscent of the Watchmen at times. There are clever references (my favourite being the 2001 A Space Odyssey line involving bomb doors and Hal Jordan), variations on characters (including the reason Batman has Robin), the appearance of many superheroes in support roles (eg Blackhawk Squadron), and some great voices for the characters (David Boreanz, Neil Patrick Harris, Lucy Lawless, etc). The DC animated series delivers yet again, even if the very end is a little bit too much like pro-American propaganda for my tastes.
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