JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: DARK HEART: The Warren Ellis episode. This post adapted from comments made by me here. Yes, I'm recycling DVDVR messageboard content on my blog.

This episode erred on the side of waaaaaay too many guest stars with little for most of them to do--though I'm sure our collective geek erectile tissue become blood-gorged when Shining Knight rescued Vigilante. (His motorcycle WHINNIED LIKE A HORSE. I swear that happened.) At least in the Amazo attacks episode everybody got a little bit. Sticking that many people out there leads to hopelessly niggling but valid questions like: why didn't Dr. Fate just stuff the whole thing in his ankh? Why did Bats ice the aliens when Ice was right there? Why do superhero bullets work but not soldier bullets? Etc.

So, I mean, it was good but not necessarily compelling like some of the episodes have been--I'm thinking of the Wonderpig, Amazo Attacks and Booster episodes in particular. The Booster episode also had a logjam of guest stars but it didn't detract from the story the way this whole superhero army did in Dark Heart. There the focus was on Booster and he was removed from the fight and saving the world in his own unique fashion. This episode was just one big battle, which it makes it more like the Amazo episode which also had a bunch of guest stars but at least that episode gave everybody a little something to do. People had neat bits in this episode too (like the Vigilante/Shining Knight Seven Soldiers of Victory reference above) but they were really compressed bits. This episode needed a bit of focus, is what I guess I am saying.

Where is Flash, by the way? Either they're planning something for him or the voice actor quit. There's no other reason to keep leaving him out.