I recently rented two of the Justice League DVDs. So far I’ve gotten through the opening 3-parter, “Secret Origins,” and the 2-part “Paradise Lost.” I have no idea how far into the series the second disc is.

A scene that stuck in my mind was the newly-formed League looking around their headquarters. As the heroes are deciding whether to join, the Flash remarks on its well-stocked kitchen and offers, “Iced mocha?” Wonder Woman tastes one and says, “Mmm, they don’t have anything like this on Themyscira. I’ll stay.” Aha! The way to an Amazon’s heart is through iced mochas!

So it was even more funny in “Paradise Lost” when the Flash started fantasizing about Paradise Island: “The beach, hundreds of women, and me, the first man they’ve seen in, well, ever. And what do I have with me? Iced mochas for everyone!”

Anyway, on to the review: It’s certainly better than I remember Superfriends being. It does still have a significant cheese factor at times, more than I remember being in Batman: The Animated Series (hey, it’s been a while since I’ve watched much in the way of cartoons). And the opening sequence — amazingly pompous, and the movements just don’t look right on the 3D models. It also takes some getting used to the different characterizations, as well.

One thing I found interesting about the opening episode(s) was who they decided to introduce and who just showed up. Superman and Batman, of course, are well-known, and besides, had their own cartoons from this same group of people. The entire 3-part opening served as an introduction/origin for the Martian Manhunter, and included Wonder Woman’s debut. (It was odd to hear her referred to as a “rookie”). Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were treated as if everyone knew them already, and the Flash’s intro consisted of “Hey, I’m the fastest man alive(tm)!” From what I’ve read, they do eventually get into the other heroes’ backstories.