NEW Vol. 2 (DVD)

I understand the marketing aspect and trying to rake in as much cash as they can, though I may not agree with it, but WB is just terrible at these volume releases. They had better release a full season set in HD with special features when the first season finishes airing. If until that time they want to send out these standard definition 4 episode volumes with no extras whatsoever to try and snag up more profit from unknowing parents or younger purchasers who may not know better, or know of the ability to now watch these shows online, then I can't stop them, obviously.

However, they could really learn a lesson from Nickelodeon. The Last Airbender series is a key example, they broke those seasons up and released them with only 4 (and later 5 episodes per disc), but at least they included some basic extras. Those basic extras, 4-5 minute behind the scenes interviews and such, became much more in depth as the show gained popularity, including complete animatics, full episode commentaries, etc. Then in an effort to force fans to double dip later they would package all those releases together, extras included, and add even more new features (on one occassion four all new commentaries on the finale) while charging a much more reasonable price.

WB, with many of its animted series, seems to think this market is purely for children and just tosses out standard definition episodes as if they still cannot be attained any other way. This isn't the nineties or even the early 2000's, there is no justifiable reason to purchase episodes alone in low quality. With todays digital age these episodes can be bought digitally much cheaper or even found online for free in the same quality they broadcast.

Come on WB get your act together and put in at least a minimal amount of effort. Add some clips of Weisman talking about the show, throw on a rough animatic, even a featurette talking about the creation or the materials the show is based on. This is a great show but these releases are insulting, I can only hope we get a proper release when the season finishes but even then I fear WB may shove out the episodes without any extras and may not even put them in high definition. What happened to the days of releases like Batman: TAS or Justice League? Let's have a welcome return to releases like that or better yet releases like The Last Airbender Complete Collections.

For those who haven't seen the show, it is FANtastic! The action is excellently choreographed and maintains a reality that surpasses most current blockbusters, and I'm not just hyping it, the fights are unique and have a weight and reality to them while feeling fresh and like we haven't seen them done this way before. The character's are each well defined and unique and the character development is well balanced, giving us a bit of new insight each episode as well as having some building love interests just to keep things fun. The stories are drawn right from the comics but are given a dimension of reality that finds them feeling adult. The animation is top notch and overall this show breathes new life into the DC Universe, which has been feeling a bit stale for most since Justice League Unlimited ended.

Give this show a try but don't bother with these idiotic DVD's, maybe if no one buys them they will finally change their methods.

This DVD contains only four 23-minute episodes, which, as far as I'm concerned, means it's not worth the money. If you buy these DVDs individually, rather than wait for the release of the full season, you'll end up paying nearly double the overall cost. What the studio is doing, as they've done with their other animated shows, is unconscionable and unjustifiable, and I strongly recommend that you not give them your money until they release the full season.

If I were to rate the content rather than the studio greed, I would give this release four stars. The team is starting to gel and it feels as though the writers are getting a bit more comfortable with the characters, the personalities, and the interactions. There is still a bit of clumsiness here and there, and Kid Flash is still a bit too unlikeable for my taste, but you can definitely see some possibilities.

If you want to view the content now rather than wait, do what I did and rent it or stream it.

After seeing Young Justice Season One Volume One, I was looking forward to catching more of this show. Some of the characterization was off, but I liked the mix of the young superheroes with the Justice League, and this looked like a good chance to explore some corners of the DC Universe that I hadn't seen done in an animated series. (Although where is Wonder Woman? Seriously, why is she not on this show?)

Unfortunately, in Season One Volume Two the show takes a downturn. I don't know how old the writers are, but they can't seem to see teenagers as anything other than petulant brats. For all the mentoring they have received at the hands of older, wiser heroes, the Young Justice group causes more problems than they solve just by their constant whining and temper tantrums.

Kid Flash in particular is poorly handled. Not only can do the writers not seem to understand his powers--he can run really fast but he can't dodge a punch? Since when can a Flash not dodge a punch? --but he is continually stuck in immature, girl-chaser mode. The Kon-El/Superman dynamic is a little more interesting, as Superman doesn't want to take responsibility for this illegal clone struck from his DNA. The two female characters, Miss Martian and Artemis, get to be the least of the "petulant brat syndrome," but they seem to really only be concerned about which boy on the team they are going to hook up with. I thought they were doing something interesting with the last DVD by taking Robin out of the leadership role, but I see know they were just taking turns.

The writers seriously need to change the way they are handling these characters. The rest of the series is so cool. Dr Fate's Tower! Klarion the Witch Boy! Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent going out to a cheap diner for pie! The Red Arrow/Artemis/Green Arrow dynamic! Everything about this series is a lot of fun except for the main characters, and even then only when they are in the spotlight.

Just like Season One Volume One, there are four episodes on this DVD. Each episode seems to be a showcase for a particular character being a spoiled brat. Here is a rundown:

Schooled
Superboy is a big baby. First he refuses Black Canary's training because someone as powerful as he is doesn't need to know how to fight. Then he takes off by himself to battle the escaped Amazo android, putting his friends in jeopardy and generally being a jerk. He learns an important lesson about limits and teamwork.

Infiltrator
Artemis and Red Arrow are a big babies. Green Arrow introduces Artemis as his new protégé. Red Arrow tries to fight off an evil cloud by himself. Artemis tries to take on the assassin Cheshire by herself. Red Arrow and Artemis learn and important lesson about working together, and the dangers of rivalry.

Denial
Kid Flash is a big baby. There is a break in at Dr. Fate's tower, but Kid Flash doesn't believe in magic. He pretends to believe in magic because Miss Martian does, but that causes all sorts of trouble. Kid Flash leans an important lesson about the power of believing.

Downtime
Aqualad is a big baby. Even though he is hand-picked to be Aquaman's protégé, he would rather stay behind in Atlantis and moon over Tula. Tula (as anyone who reads comics knows) loves Garth. Aqualad fights some fish monsters, and learns an important lesson about letting go and being happy for your friends instead of being selfish.

The DVD.

Again, four freaking episodes. No bonus features. Total runtime - 90 minutes. Also, there are twenty six episodes in the series and they have released eight so far on two DVDs. That is a lot of DVDs to buy to get the first season.

This is a terrible, terrible DVD that you should never buy, and you should refuse to support these kinds of cheap business practices from the WB. Vote with your dollar. Wait for the eventual Season One collection.