The thing I like about the shows geared toward kids these days is many of them also try to appeal to adults. While not specifically geared toward adults, these cartoons are not dumbed down so adults won’t want to watch them. Sure, there are moments of cheese (most self-described action-comedy cartoonsrely on cheese for humor), but nearly every “funny” comic I watched as a kid relied on the cheese to make us laugh. It’s one of those things that never seems to change about cartoons, so I’m pretty much willing to overlook the cheese factor unless it actually ends up ruining the cartoon.
The Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 3 Plot
There are five episodes from the first season of Legion of Super-Heroes. The episodes are displayed on a single disc. The DVD comes in a standard plastic DVD case. All of these episodes were fun to watch. The best, in my opinion, is the two part episode “Sundown”. This episode was actually the Season One finale episode for the show.
Here is a list of the episodes, with a description of each:
“The Substitutes” – There are auditions being held in order to find new members of the Legions team. The majority of those trying out have weird powers that won’t exactly help the Legion. Still, some of the members encourage those not asked to join to keep trying because there is always next year. To prove they are good enough, a group of those rejected form into a team, to try and battle evil, but this is easier said than done.
“Child’s Play” – When a sorcerer child travels to Earth to wreak havoc, the Legion must find out if the child has a weakness, and if so, what it is. While Superman works to discover his weakness, Phantom Girl travels to the child’s home planet, to try and get them to intercede, but this might just have disastrous results for her and her own home.
“Chain of Command” -The planet of Winath, which is the home of Lightning Lad, is hit with a series of storms that could overwhelm the weather controlling station. The Legion goes to help, but Lightening Lad’s plan to help is overshadowed by the return of Cosmic Boy, previous leader of the Legion, who has brought a mysterious, new, masked superhero to help, Ferro Lad.
“Sundown Part 1″ – When the Legion gets a distress call from an arms depot, they discover an ancient, organic weapon, the Sun-Eater. While Brainiac 5 tells them it cannot get out into space, it blasts through the ceiling of its own volition. Once out, the Legion tries to defeat it, but its too powerful as it heads towards Earth’s Sun.
“Sundown Part 2″ – With the Sun-Eater heading towards the Sun, the Legion teams up with their enemies to stop the Sun’s destruction. As they battle the Sun-Eater, Superman takes on the alien controlling the Sun-Eater. In the end, no matter who wins or loses, the Legion pay a heavy price when one of their own does something drastic.
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Acting:
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Audio/Visual:
Sure, Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 3 features a 1.33:1 aspect ratio and the episodes are available in standard full frames, but this series is relatively new. That means the animation looks good. There aren’t any visual errors that older cartoons tend to exhibit, such as noise or dirt. The color palette used is quite vibrant. Everything looks, pretty much, shiny and new. You won’t notice any glow, color fading or compression errors. Things are looking good and Warner Home Video manages to maintain near perfection with this release.
The audio for the episodes on the Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 3 DVD is also decent. It’s not as dynamic as I like for cartoons, but then most cartoons don’t feature an overly dynamic soundtrack. This is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. The dialogue is crisp, and even the music and sound effects sound good. It gets the job done with consistent sound, and no need to volume toggle. There is a second track in French Dolby Stereo and the option for English subtitles.
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Bonus Features:
The most disappointing thing about this DVD has to be the fact that there are absolutely no bonus features. You’ll see trailers for other Warner DVD releases prior to the main menu screen and there is also that “ever so helpful” public service announcement on DVD pirating. This features Dorothy and other characters from The Wizard of Oz mixed with cheesy elevator music. Oooh Ah!
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Bottom Line:
Legion of Super-Heroes isn’t my favorite Superhero group to premiere on the Kids WB. I think I’m more into Teen Titans. This group isn’t even my favorite not on the WB. I like the Justice League, X-Men and even the Superfriends are decent. Buttt..this show isn’t horrible. It’s actually quite entertaining. If you’re dad (or mom) like me, who is looking for shows to watch with your child, then this is definitely a show to look into owning on DVD. Most kids like Legion of Super-Heroes and it’s also pretty decent for adults! If you’re new to the show though, start with volume one.
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Technorati Tags: Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 3, DVD Review, TV show, Warner Home Video, Superman, Comic Book, Superhero
Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
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