Dave Betancourt | Sports Section Manager

1/24/02

When the Cartoon Network started doing promo's for its newest cartoon, the commercials were simple.  You just got two letters, J and L.  The first thing that came to my mind is, "Why is Jennifer Lopez getting a cartoon?"  Then the promos started having pictures and I realized it had nothing to do with J-Lo and everything to do with the greatest team of super- heroes ever assembled.  That's right, move over Super Friends, the Justice League is coming to town.   

Already hailed as the best cartoon around by some pretty prestigious magazines, Justice League has been everything a fan could possibly hope it to be.  Brought to you by the same geniuses who gave us the most recent Superman and Batman cartoons, JL can captivate the youngest of fans and have an adult on the edge of their seat as well.  The cast is pretty much a carbon copy of the comic book.   

You've got the strongest guy the DC Comics universe, goody-goody Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman, leading the way.  Then there's the one person who can put the smack down on Superman: Diana, Princess of the Amazons, but that's Wonder Woman to you.  For comic relief there's Wally West, the Flash, the fastest man alive.  You've got J'Onn J'Onzz the telepathic shape shifting Martian Manhunter, John Stewart the Green Lantern, Shayera Hol, the hot tempered Hawkgirl, and how can we forget everyone's favorite demented yet lovable orphaned billionaire Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman.   

Of course everyone knows about Superman and Batman, but what's cool about Justice League is that it gives you a chance to get familiar with some of DC Comic's best characters that sometimes get overlooked.  For example, not many people know that Wonder Woman is second in strength only to Superman, but in part one of the story arc "Paradise Lost," you get to see her go blow for blow with the man of steel when a spell has both thinking that the other is a monster.   

And Hawkgirl.  Now I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to weak characters, but even I thought putting Hawkgirl in the group was pushing it, mainly because I just wasn't that familiar with her.  However, in an episode where the Green Lantern is put on trial for the supposed destruction of a planet, you get to see how tough she is when she single-handedly takes on a group of Green Lanterns who have lost faith in John Stewart when it seems that he is guilty (which of course he wasn't at the end of the episode) and beats the living crap out of them.   

Then there's Stewart, the Green Lantern himself.  I was shocked to see him as a part of the cast.  He is a Green Lantern but he's not the only GL. The GL currently in the pages of the Green Lantern comic book is a guy by the name of Kyle Rayner.  He would have been the obvious choice, put give the people at DC/Warner Bros. some credit for making an effort to include an African-American amongst the world's greatest super heroes.  They definitely get the thumbs up from me.  Stewart's character is very deep and moody but can also be very funny without even trying to be.  Imagine Shaft with a power ring.  Can't you just see Sam Jackson playing the Green Lantern?

Sam Jackson as GL:  "In brightest day, in darkest nightŠ.aw screw it, ya'll mutha fu#*ers better start runnin!!"   

Having the Flash in any cartoon is justice well served.  Wally West has always been one of the funniest and most well written characters in all of comics, but seeing him in cartoon form is a real treat for anyone who is a fan of the Flash comic book.  Whether he's asking the Martian Manhunter if he ever gets lonely, asking Hawkgirl if there's a Hawkboy, or impersonating Jonnie Cochran when he's forced to play lawyer in the aforementioned Green Lantern trial, the Flash is always there to provide comic relief no matter what the situation.  Oh yeah, did I mention he's the fastest man alive, that's right, he'd even smoke Superman himself.   

But as strong as the supporting cast is there's just something about seeing Superman and Batman together.  The worlds strongest man and the world's greatest detective together in any situation is enough to make you want to pop in a tape and press record.  Justice League does a great job of portraying the relationship between these two icons.  They like each other sometimes, and sometimes they don't.  They are comrades not only as Superman and Batman, but as Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne as well.  The cartoon does a great job of giving the audience a first hand look at not only the sheer strength and compassion for life of Superman, but also the fear that Batman strikes into everybody and the mystery that surrounds him.   

To make a long story short, this is the best cartoon on television right now.  The characters have depth, it's well written, and it's wholesome entertainment for the whole family no matter what the age.  You can catch JL Sundays at 8:30 and Monday's at 9:30.  You can also go to cartoonnetwork.com to check for other days when JL will be shown.