Pads & Panels

Title: Justice League: Doom

Format: Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy

MPAA: PG-13

Directed by: Lauren Mongomery

Written by: Dwayne McDuffie (Based on a story by Mark Waid)

Starring: Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Michael Rosenbaum, Nathan Fillion,

Produced by: Lauren Montgomery, Bruce Timm

Studio: Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment, Warner Home Video

Film Rating:

Bluray Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

Next in a long line of DC Comics direct-to-DVD movies is Justice League: Doom. Based on the “Tower of Babel” storyline featured in DC’s JLA revival from the late 90’s, the movie itself was interpreted by the late Dwayne McDuffie. Originally penned by Mark Waid, “Tower of Babel” tells the tale of a Justice League destroyed using very specific tactics for each member which could only be executed by one of their own. McDuffie was a legend in the DC animated world, and most of the original voice cast is back for JL: Doom. Unfortunately, even the perfect ingredients don’t always bear the best results. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Green Lantern

Format: Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Written by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldenberg

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong

Studio: Warner Bros.

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

For the original review of the theatrical release of Green Lantern, click padsandpanels.com/?p=13877

The Blu-ray

Green Lantern has landed among the lower echelon of superhero films in recent years, reverting back to cheesy humor, overreliance on special effects and so forth. And the additional Blu-ray content does very little to add substance to the formula. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

Format: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Directed by: Chris Berkeley, Lauren Montgomery, Jay Oliva

Written by: Alan Burnett, Michael Green, Eddie Berganza, Todd Casey, Dave Gibbons, Marc Guggenheim, Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Jason Isaacs, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Rollins, Kelly Hu, Roddy Piper, Arnold Vosloo

Studio: Warner Bros.

Feature Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Feature

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Green Lantern character or comics, but I’ve got to admire what DC Comics and Warner Bros. have done with the latest stellar home video animated feature they’ve released, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. It adds to the already fantastic lineup of animated home videos the companies have released together, and does a great job of using a format similar to that of television recap episodes to tell a bunch of tales in one. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Green Lantern

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Written by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldenberg

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong

Studio: Warner Bros.

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

In a summer movie season that already saw the surprisingly good debut of Thor, and the unexpected resurgence of X-Men in First Class — both coming out of the Marvel camp — Green Lantern, DC Comics and Warner Bros. had their work cut out for them. But even if it were not for the high standards set by its summer predecessors, Green Lantern would be a letdown, whether the viewer is coming in as just a casual moviegoer or hardcore fan of the comics.

Green Lantern tells the tale of Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a test pilot who is granted the power to physically manifest anything he can see in his mind with the power of a green ring that chooses him after an alien crash lands on Earth. The ring gets its power from a titular green lantern, which derives its power from will, which is depicted in the color green. (more…)

 Print This Post

2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the DC Comics Fan…

By P&P Staff

.

Absolute All-Star Superman

Despite his prominent role as one of DC’s two top characters, Superman has a rather bad rap among much of the comics community. He’s generally a dull, one-dimensional character who can do very little wrong, the proverbial Boy Scout. But Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman uses the All-Star license to its fullest, telling a fantastic 12-issue tale that reminds us naysayers why we should care about the Kal El, and that what makes him special isn’t just his powers. DC made the Absolute Edition, an oversized slipcase book with plenty of extras, available just in time for the holidays. (more…)

 Print This Post

Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender

Interview with: Onrie Kompan

Interview by: Chris Park

West Coast correspondent Chris Park found himself interested in the subject matter of Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender, with Issue #1 of Onrie Kompan’s new comic series, which tells the tale of the Korean admiral in his first bombastic naval battle. He was a little hesitant, though, about the introduction of the character, and had questions about what directions the historical fiction series would take. So Park exchanged emails with Kompan last week to discuss his new series. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns

Publisher: DC

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artists: Ivan Reis, Mike McKone and Shane Davis

Rating:

Review by: John Gustafson

There is, without a doubt, no writer that that has come along with a better understanding and voice for the Green Lantern stories than Geoff Johns. The absolutely amazing Sinestro Corps War is evidence enough of what Johns can do with the intergalactic police force and Hal Jordan. Further cementing himself as the ultimate Green Lantern writer, the beginning of Rage of the Red Lanterns is equally fantastic in both its storytelling and cinematic artwork. There has never been a time when it was so clear what story comic fans should be paying attention to and picking up. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Green Lantern: First Flight

Edition: DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Director: Lauren Montgomery

Writer: Alan Burnett

Producers: DC, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Premiere

Film Rating:

Review by: John Gustafson

The Film

As DC‘s fifth direct-to-DVD film, Green Lantern: First Flight continues to keep the pedigree of their motion pictures high with a smart origin story and excellent animation.

First Flight hits at just the right time with DC’s summer event Blackest Night at a full roar. There is plenty for longtime fans to salivate over and a streamlined adaptation of Hal Jordan’s induction to the Green Lantern Corps, serving as a great introduction to newcomers. (more…)

 Print This Post

Title: Final Crisis

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artists: J.G. Jones, Marco Rudy, Carlos Pacheco, Doug Mahnke

Publisher: DC

Rating:

Review by: John Gustafson

Final Crisis, last summer’s massive DC event helmed by Grant Morrison, is as much an experimentation in storytelling as it is a comic book extravaganza. With the DC Multiverse squarely facing the apocalyptic conquest and submission to Darkseid and his evil New Gods of Apokolips, the grandest of battles takes place in an attempt to ensure independence and the survival of the Multiverse.

For readers eagerly awaiting the trade release of Final Crisis, a barebones summary of the story will be provided in the interest of remaining as spoiler free as possible, but be warned that a number of details must be discussed to explain the story and the resulting ramifications this event has on the present state of the DC Universe and what is to come later on.

—–Spoilers Begin—– (more…)

 Print This Post