Justice League (2001-2004) - Episodes 27-38 Reviews

Now for the first half of the second season, we've got the likes of Darkseid, Lex Luthor, Doctor Destiny and Despero causing all manners of trouble for the gang.

Episodes 27-28: Twilight 

Last time we saw Darkseid, he was being a right menace on Superman: The Animated Series. This time, instead of trying to brainwash the Man of Steel, he needed the latter's help, along with the Justice League. Now, why would Darkseid need their help? Well, he had a problem in the shape of Brainiac but even with that knowledge, Superman rightfully didn't trust him. Of course Darkseid would betray the Justice League but it did lead to another great fight scene between him and Superman. This two parter also brought in New Gods such as Highfather, Orion and Lightray. 8/10

Episodes 29-30: Tabula Rasa 

And he's back. Yes, you're never too far away from Lex Luthor and while his schemes to kill Superman continue to be a bust, he had other plans. One of them was reminding Mercy that even though he left her LexCorp while in prison, it's still his company. Then there was Amazo. Lex manipulated the android into seeing him as a father figure. Eventually, Amazon saw through Lex and departed Earth. There's a good subplot with Martian Manhunter's powers amplifying as he dealt with having to hear so many thoughts. 7/10

Episodes 31-32: Only A Dream

An early contender for one of the strongest stories in this second season. You have got John Dee awaiting parole from prison. He's not happy that his ex-girlfriend moved on quickly from him with a new guy. John Dee decided to overdose on an experimental treatment and transform himself into Doctor Destiny. In this guise, Doctor Destiny went out of his way to terrorise all of the Justice League until the same methods of terror would bd eventually turned on him. There's some supporting roles for the likes of Solomon Grundy, Firefly, Volcana, Luminus and Copperhead. One of the creepier stories and a brilliant one too. 9/10

Episodes 33-34: Maid Of Honor

This two parter brought up something interesting. While Batman and Superman know each others identities, to my surprise, Wonder Woman was unaware that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person. I find it interesting between there was some Batman/Wonder Woman and Bruce/Diana scenes that bordered on the flirtatious. There was also the return of Vandal Savage, who was engaged to Diana's new friend, Audrey, the princess of Kasnia. Savage was up to no good and Wonder Woman had a battle on her hands trying to convince Audrey how bad her future husband really was. It's an okay second outing for Vandal Savage as a villain. 6/10

Episodes 35-36: Hearts And Minds

As much as I like John Stewart on this show, so far, I'll admit that the Green Lantern focused stories have been a bit average at best. This one was no different as John reunited with former lover, Karma Tui along with other Lanterns such as Kilowog. The latter in particular didn't have the greatest of patience for The Flash but John Stewart and the Justice League were needed to rescue the Green Lantern Corps from Despero. The latter's used pretty decently in this story and there's some nice moments between John Stewart and Hawkgirl but it's rather weak for me. 6/10

Episodes 37-38: A Better World

This show really does love delving into alternative realities and this was another look into that. Imagine a world with the Justice Lords. They're like our Justice League but their Flash died and they're more willing to kill in order to maintain order. Their Batman was also clever enough to create a method of dimensional travel and intended to replace the Justice League. Because of this, the Justice League had to team up with Lex Luthor in order to send the Justice Lords back to their own dimension. It's a very strong two parter, though previous alternative reality ones have been stronger. 8/10

Next blog I'll conclude the series by covering Eclipsed, The Terror Beyond, Secret Society, Hereafter, Wild Cards, Comfort And Joy and Starcrossed.