More Info On Superman/Batman:Apocalypse

For about half a day, Supergirl dominated the comic internet with the announcement that Superman/Batman:Apocalypse was going to be released in September and that Summer Glau was going to be doing her voice.

It seemed like the perfect confluence of multimedia attention to get Supergirl some national press.

And then Wonder Woman decided to wear pants ....

Suddenly Supergirl and Glau didn't seem as important.

Anyways, more information about the DVD was released and it may have been lost amongst the trouser talk so I thought I would post it here.

Fan favorites Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Kevin Conroy (China Beach) return to their seminal roles as Superman and Batman, respectively. The celebrity-laden guest cast is headed by Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) as the daunting Darkseid. Sci-Fi heroine Summer Glau (Serenity/Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) provides the voice of Supergirl, and seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up) reprises his Superman: The Animated Series/Justice League role as Granny Goodness.

I am thrilled that Daly and Conroy are back as Superman and Batman. They capture the characters so well, especially Conroy. But it also gives a feeling of continuity to the DCU films.


So I have been a big fan of Braugher since his work as Detective Pemberton way back in Homicide:Life on the Streets. I think he definitely has the gravitas to pull of Darkseid. Pemberton always seemed to be seething under the surface, full of righteous anger. So I think he is an excellent choice as the Lord of Apokolips.



And I absolutely love Ed Asner as Granny Goodness. In fact, when I read Granny Goodness in comics, I hear Asner's voice in my head. So I am glad he is back on board.

After a spaceship splashes down in Gotham City Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as those of the Man of Steel. The Kryptonian is soon revealed to be Kara, cousin of Superman, who takes her under his wing to educate her about the ways of Earth. However, the villainous Darkseid has other plans. Seeing an opportunity to finally defeat Superman, Darkseid abducts and gains control of Kara, utilizing the powerful Kryptonian to do his bidding. It’s up to Batman and Superman to save Kara, but they’ll have to take the fight to Darkseid within his hostile world – where unknown, deadly threats lurk around every corner, including a brainwashed Kryptonian able to match Superman blow-for-blow.

This is probably the text on the back of the DVD, although they don't say the word Supergirl specifically.

I have some questions about what will be in and out of this rendition of the story in comparison to the actually comic story but I think that will be another post here. Overall it sounds like they aren't necessarily deviating from the story that much.

In addition to the feature film, the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD include the third DC Showcase animated short, Green Arrow. Screenwriter Greg Weisman’s story finds Oliver Queen at the Star City International Airport to pick up his girlfriend, only to be forced into action as Green Arrow to protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his old nemesis Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. The short features the voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) and Malcolm McDowell (Entourage). Bruce Timm is executive producer.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse 2-Disc Special Edition DVD features more than 1 1/2 hours of exciting extra content, including:
• Feature film (est. 75 min)
• DC Showcase: Green Arrow (10 min)
• Sneak Peak at the Next DC Universe Animated Original Movie (10 min)
• Featurette: Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton - A comprehensive look at The Maiden of Might from her introduction in the classic age of comics to her death in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event to her appearance on Smallville and beyond.
• 2 bonus episodes from animated television series handpicked by Bruce Timm

It sort of bugs me that these movies seem to be under a '75 minute length' edict. I just think some of these stories could be easily stretched to 90 minutes without sacrificing the attention span of the casual viewer.

I am not a huge Green Arrow guy but I like the idea of the 10 minute shorts that are being added to these releases. Neil McDonough is another great casting choice.

My guess is the Supergirl featurette is the same one that was on the Smallville Season 7 DVD collection, maybe with a minute added to cover this film. Still, a nice addition.

And then those bonus Bruce Timm episodes. I wonder which ones they will be. Will they be from Superman:The Animated Series? Or from Justice League Unlimited?

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ will include more than 2 1/2 hours of intriguing bonus features, starting with all of the content available on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD and adding:
• All-New Featurette: The New Gods - This documentary covers Darkseid’s story, particularly in reference to the adaptation of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. A primer on the wealth of material and stories contained in the New Gods series, along with a deeper understanding of why these characters – and especially Darkseid – are so memorable and important to the DC pantheon.
• All-New Featurette Pods
• Orion - The mightiest warrior on either New Genesis or Apokolips, Orion follows an almost Shakespearean arc culminating in the slaying of his father, Darkseid. This mini-featurette shines a light on this classically tragic character.
Mister Miracle - This mini-featurette focuses on the greatest escape artist the universe has ever known and how he was traded in a peace effort to be raised by Darkseid, the enemy of all New Genesis.
• 2 additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
• Digital copy on disc of the feature film

I know many people will cringe when I say this but I don't have Blu-Ray.

But this also looks very intriguing with all the New Gods stuff on it. Maybe this will spur me to finally upgrade to blu-ray.

September cannot come fast enough.