“Birds Of Prey” is loosely based on the comic book of the same name. The show followed the adventures of Oracle, formerly Batgirl. She’s been crippled, and confined to a wheelchair. She teams up with Huntress. Huntress is the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, Helena. She is a “metahuman”, getting her powers from her mother (i.e. the Burton Catwoman). To round out the trio is Dinah Redmond, the daughter of “The Black Canary” (played in one episode by Markie Post). She is also a ‘metahuman’, and joins Oracle and Huntress fighting crime in a Batman-less Gotham city.

Yes, this was a poorly written show, but it had so much potential. The concept was a winner, but it just wasn’t given enough freedom to explore the mythos. Because of various Batman projects that were in the works, BoP was limited on what it could explore. Had WB just let it be in a separate universe (as they did for “Smallville”), it could have had a much richer story. Although Joker appears in the pilot, it is in voice only and voiced most excellently by Mark Hamill (who voiced Joker for years in animated series).

I plan on picking up these DVDs even though I found many flaws in the series. I really liked the attempt and wish they would revisit the premise again (minus the meta-humans). BoP holds up better than some current episodes of “Smallville”. Also, when “Smallville” had the opportunity to bring in Black Canary, they completely blew it.

“Birds of Prey” is currently available for pre-order.

New Frontier is set in the late 1950s early 1960s and is based on the comic “The New Frontier“. This is pre-JLA, and the government is fresh off McCarthyism where superheroes are outlawed. I don’t want to get into spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that. The film accomplishes getting you into the era. Constant references are made to real historical events (even if they are not accurate), and the look and feel is consistent with the comics of the day.

One of the best tools used to accomplish this are the voices, especially Batman and Superman. Batman sounds like the gruff detective you’d expect from the 40 and 50s, and Superman has a similar ‘feel’ to his voice. Each and every hero conveys there period via tone of voice, and it is absolutely immersing.

The story is excellent, and heartfelt. It chokes you up in a way that almost no live-action movie ever has been able to do. Yes, there are definite cartoon moments, but it is a cartoon. With not much script massaging, this movie could be the best superhero movie ever to grace the screen. This should be the new Justice League movie.

I give “Justice League: The New Frontier” a I have to see it again.