DC Animated Universe
 

I guess we can use this as a discussion for Batman: TAS and it's spin-offs, Superman: TAS, Justice League and so forth.

I loved all of these shows as a kid and now that I'm caught up with most of my TMNT I'm starting to collect these. I already got Batman vol. 1, any one know where I can get the rest of the DVD's for a low price? Most of them are $40 at FYE and around $30 at amazon.com. I know they're worth that, but I'm a tightwad :D

Well, of course, can try Best Buy. They might be a little less than Amazon.

I'm not sutre how much it cost to pick up all 5 series (BM:TAS, SM:TAS, BM:B, JL, and JLU.) There's also, to a lesser extent, so much so they haven't been released, Zata Project (Spin-off of Batman:Beyond) and Static Shock.

Your best bet is to hit up DVD/record store/comic/specialty shops, like Bullmoose Music, Newbury Comics, and SoundGarden (these are all Eastern based things, but I'm sure there's some similar shops). They usually sell DVDs less than other stores, and also have a wide variety of used DVDs that also sell for less.

Bullmoose specifically...I snagged seasons of Samurai Jack for 19 bucks.

I know for a fact that Bullmoose has a website, and you can order through them, and their prices are pretty ****ing good. All new releases are two dollars less than the lowest price of that DVD in the area. IE, Wal Mart sells the Mist for 20, and they sell it for as low as 16.88

Also, don't be terribly afraid of snagging dvds from the 'New & used' section of Amazon. You can get most of those DVD sets for around 20 or less.

Man, I was there a couple summers back, and saw the Electric Company Volume 1 at the cheapest price I have ever seen it. Even better than newburry. Of course, since it's in new hampshire, I don't go there too often.

Best Buy may have it for a decent price, but some of their box sets cost more than certain other stores.

i'm wondering if these are still available myself. The Batman TAS boxes that is.

Like To The Nines said, I recall seeing them at FYE recently too. Not sure about Best Buy, but would think so.


* Edit: Just remember -- If have a BJ's Wholesale around, I have seen the Batman TAS Sets there on-and-off in recent months too.

Thanks for all the advice. Deep Discounts (even though I hate them for slow shipping and customer service) is having a 20 percent off sale from 6-6 to 6-20 (enter: DDAF as a promo code) so I'll probably get the rest of Batman + Mask of the Phantasm and mabey a Beyond season.

Question: I remember watching Justice League a bit as a kid but I can't seem to remember how much Conroy changed his bat-voice in the series. I know he did atleast a tad, any one care to explain further?

One thing that I noticed in JL/JLU is that Conroy sounded a little raspier (in some eps you'd think he has a cold). His voice doesn't have the same deep tone that you can detect in Batman: TAS. It sounds a little closer to his eighty or so year old self in Batman Beyond, but also different. In the episode "The Once and Future Thing" Part 2, young Bruce meets his older self and there are differences in pitch, tone, etc. that are evident.

I often wondered about that too, but it makes sense since the Justice League is later in the timeline...

Cool, I thought so.

Another question to anyone who's seen most of the DCAU shows in whole: What order would you recommend watching them in? Right now I'm thinking Batman, Superman, Justice League, Batman Beyond then Justice League Unlimited.

You pretty much have it right. For me as a viewer, that's the order that I watched them in. Also don't forget the awesome "New Batman Superman Adventures" show between Superman and JL. Here's the intro, which gave me chills of excitement when I was eight because it was so full of awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQ_spwuH_o

That order is important due to timeline issues. JL, for exmple makes a lot more sense if you watched both the Batman and Superman shows, and JLU only makes sense if you watched Batman Beyond (especially "Epilogue", the season 2 finale), etc., etc. Also, don't skip out on any of the direct to video/TV films if you can find them, especially Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman and Mr. Freeze:SubZero, and Batman Beyond:Return of the Joker, because they all matter to the continuity.

I thought that was just Volume 4 of Batman and Volume 3 of Superman played back to back. If not, I can't seem to find it on DVD.

I've seen all of those, they're great (only own BB: ROTJ). But what about Mystery of the Batwoman? I heard it sucks, is it even worth my money?

It sucks pretty hard, yeah. It doesn't have much repercussions on the DCAU other than being the final canonical appearances of the Penguin and Rupert Thorn. Bane appears and provides a pretty good fight at the finale, but that's really it.

The movie was made several years after the New Batman Adventures had wrapped up, so a few voice actors had been changed (Penguin and Robin). They also for whatever reason decide to go with a jazz soundtrack over the traditional gothic score and it sounds awful (particularly the "music video" segment in the middle of the movie at the Iceburg Lounge).

It can easily be skipped.

The short Paul Dini wrote for the DVD, the all jazz-score "Chase Me", is only five minutes long and is a better movie than "Mystery of the Batwoman"

Yeah, and it's You-Know-Where. I'd highly recommend it. My mom saw it on the DVD after the movie (which she rather hated), and she liked it too.

Mystery of the Batwoman was a huge let down, it really wasent up to par with the rest of the series. It had a plot that was quite interesting but the excution of it was horrible, like DrSpengler said they put in jazz scores which destroy the mood of the film all together.

On the other hand I have been watching the Return of Joker almost every week, I still get shills from the flash back scene. Espically when Joker is playing the little film of what they did to Tim Drake, just the line
"Behind all the sturm and bat-o-rangs, you're just a little boy in a playsuit, crying for mommy and daddy! It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

Yeah, I'll prolly buy it used for completions sake.

One thing that annoys me alot about Batman vol. 1 but ain't a big deal: Penguin is on the spine! Firstly, I don't really even like him... plus he has one damn episode on the set, in which he gets beat by some little nerd. You'd think it would have been Joker, since he had 4 episodes (plus cameos) and he's The Joker. If not him, they should have used Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman or Scarecrow ahead of the Penguin, or even an ally. I mean Aflred is way cooler than Cobblepot!

Batman Beyond and its style....
 

Did any of you guys think that Batman Beyond had a sort of futuristic 80s vibe, sort of like Back to the Future Part II's version of the year 2015? I say say this because of the design of the city, their clothes (i.e. Derek Powers' mullet), and the music (especially the stuff that plays when Terry and Dana go dancing, etc.).

Any thoughts on that?

Yeah that was really neat considering how Batman TAS took place in the 90's but the style was like the 40's.

Just thought I'd let everyone know, Batman DVD's are on sale big time at amazon (under $20) and Justice Leauge is $20 a season.

And about Mystery of the Batwoman. I still haven't seen it, but does the fact that I loved The New Batman Adventures make it likely that I'll enjoy it alot?

That movie is an eyesore.

Seriously, it has some of the most irritable characters ever conceived for the animated series. Burnett half-assed it, it's far too light-hearted, it's got some abysmal latin number in the middle and ending of the film...generally it's a disgrace to the New Batman Adventures and finished off the film run on a poor note. The sole highlights are a battle with Bane, a scene that essentially screams phone sex between Barbera and Bruce, the plot twist about Batwoman, David Ogden Stires as Penguin and a five minute jazz score short written by Paul Dini that's seperate from the movie.