Any DC Comic Animated fans here able to help with an epic undertaking?

[MasterChief3624]

Okay, I have searched up and down and can not find a better place to post this than this forum right here. If it belongs in the DVD forum, I'm sorry... if it belongs in the Newbie forum, I'm also sorry

Anyways, ever since I started playing Injustice, I have gotten hooked on trying to learn about all these DC superheroes/superheroines. I have picked up a lot of the trade paperbacks, I've read a ton of information online, I changed my text tone to "SHAZAM!" from Injustice, and I have also been picking up the animated films one by one.

But the thing is, I bought the majority of my DC Animated Films when I didn't know they had Blu-ray counterparts... I bought them all on DVD I wouldn't normally care too much, but after reading the Blu-ray review for Green Lantern: First Flight, I'm wondering if I should go ahead and pick up the Blu-rays for these movies I have on DVD, even though they are much more expensive.

So, can someone tell me which of these films I have on DVD would be worth upgrading to Blu-ray for?

Wonder Woman
Green Lantern: First Flight
Batman/Superman: Public Enemies
Batman/Superman: Apocalypse
Superman: Doomsday
Batman Beyond: Return Of the Joker

Like, are there any standouts in this list that have exceptionally better picture quality on the Blu-ray version?

The hardest thing to find out is which of the above, if any, have exclusive features on the Blu-ray as opposed to the DVD... So I'm also interested in that as a reason, but mostly the video quality.

I hope to eventually pick up ALL the DC Animated Movies, too, so should I opt for the Blu-ray version for all of them in the future?

Here is a list of other DVDs I have/want to get, but have not seen anything on Blu-ray releases for them:

Batman: Mask Of the Phantasm
Batman vs. Dracula
Scooby-Doo Meets Batman
Batman: Mystery Of the Batwoman
Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero.

Aaaaand... finally, I was wondering about the Justice League Animated Series... Should I opt for the more expensive option of picking up the Blu-ray of Seasons One and Two? Or should I go ahead and pick up the DVD version, which Amazon has for a little over $70, that also includes the entirety of Justice League Unlimited?

...okay, and finally, any word on Batman: The Animated Series making it to Blu-ray? Or will I be safe picking that up on DVD for now?

So sorry for this ridiculous request, but there is so much information in this that I can't possibly take care of it on my own So I thought I'd ask you lovely people on here that know more about the transfers and special features than I ever could!

Bonus round: Here are the DC Animated Films I have picked up on Blu-ray:

Justice League: Doom
The Flashpoint Paradox

...I think that's it

[Batmon77]

Batman: Mask Of the Phantasm
Batman vs. Dracula
Scooby-Doo Meets Batman
Batman: Mystery Of the Batwoman
Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero.

u dont need these at all...

[Mandalorian]

Mystery of the Batwoman is on BD, but there are some issues. PQ is still decent though.

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

u dont need these at all...

Wherefore art thou speaketh thine treachery?

Mask of the Phantasm is supposed to be amazing, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman looked fun, and the rest sounded neat to me!

Originally Posted by RJ Smoove

Mystery of the Batwoman is on BD, but there are some issues. PQ is still decent though.

Interesting, I will look into that, then!

[Mandalorian]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

Wherefore art thou speaketh thine treachery?

Mask of the Phantasm is supposed to be amazing, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman looked fun, and the rest sounded neat to me!


Interesting, I will look into that, then!

Mask of the Phantasm is great. Not sure why a DC/Batman fan wouldn't like it, unless he just means you don't need it because it isn't on BD.

[KnoxVolJJ]

Here is an upcoming 4 film release but I have yet to see which 4 movies are included: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/4-Fil...Blu-ray/78310/

The price point will likely be $20 ($5 per movie) at release, with a sale around Christmas.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

Wherefore art thou speaketh thine treachery?

Mask of the Phantasm is supposed to be amazing

Scooby Doo is a Rental.

Mask is a Classic and is not yet on BluRay. But I saw it in the theatre and im not anticipating its release at all. Im in the minority as a non-fan.

I would really examine why one needs all the DC stuff especially if your not familiar with the universe. Searching on here you see what the cream of the crop are that have very good re-watchability. There's a "best of DC" Animated thread here if u search. That would narrow down your choices.

Injustice which I do have is closest to Flashpoint and Crisis on Infinye Earths which are great stories using the DC alternative universes. The New Frontier is a good take on what was DC's Earth 2 universe, which was the original DC universe before it merged w/ the last remaining Earth after the DC multiverse's destruction. Superboy Prime became Prime which is similar to the Prisoned Superman of the Injustice Regime Superman.

[grassmonk]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

Okay, I have searched up and down and can not find a better place to post this than this forum right here. If it belongs in the DVD forum, I'm sorry... if it belongs in the Newbie forum, I'm also sorry

...

But the thing is, I bought the majority of my DC Animated Films when I didn't know they had Blu-ray counterparts... I bought them all on DVD I wouldn't normally care too much, but after reading the Blu-ray review for Green Lantern: First Flight, I'm wondering if I should go ahead and pick up the Blu-rays for these movies I have on DVD, even though they are much more expensive.

I initially bought a bunch of the DC Universe movies on DVD also (up through Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, I think). A couple years ago WBShop had a Black Friday sale where I was able to pick up the BD versions for about $6 each. (Except for Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. For some reason that one has always stayed expensive, and I eventually found it used from Hastings for about $9 or so.) I sold my DVDs for around $4 or $5 each on eBay.

Granted, that was a lucky deal, but I've seen several times since that the BDs have dropped to around $10 on Amazon, and some have even coincided with Best Buy's Upgrade and Save sales.

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

So, can someone tell me which of these films I have on DVD would be worth upgrading to Blu-ray for?

Wonder Woman
Green Lantern: First Flight
Batman/Superman: Public Enemies
Batman/Superman: Apocalypse
Superman: Doomsday
Batman Beyond: Return Of the Joker

Like, are there any standouts in this list that have exceptionally better picture quality on the Blu-ray version?

Personally, I have enjoyed all of the films except the Green Lantern ones, because I'm just not a Green Lantern fan. Superman: Doomsday is probably the weakest of the list above, but I still liked it.

IIRC Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker has a much better presentation on BD. The DVD is non-anamorphic widescreen and the BD is open-matte 4:3. I'm not really sure about how much of a PQ increase there is on the other films though.

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

The hardest thing to find out is which of the above, if any, have exclusive features on the Blu-ray as opposed to the DVD... So I'm also interested in that as a reason, but mostly the video quality.

I'm pretty sure that they all have exclusive BD features, too--documentaries and (extra) episodes of the TV shows (Batman: TAS, Justice League, etc.)

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

I hope to eventually pick up ALL the DC Animated Movies, too, so should I opt for the Blu-ray version for all of them in the future?

I'd say so. The last two releases especially have been cheap. I got Superman: Unbound for $9.99 from Best Buy on release day (with Upgrade & Save), and Justice League: Flashpoint was, I think, $13.99 (from Amazon). At some point they all drop below $10.

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

Here is a list of other DVDs I have/want to get, but have not seen anything on Blu-ray releases for them:

Batman: Mask Of the Phantasm
Batman vs. Dracula
Scooby-Doo Meets Batman
Batman: Mystery Of the Batwoman
Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero.

Mystery of the Batwoman is on BD. It's not the greatest, but it's enjoyable enough. Mask of the Phantasm is awesome, and Sub-Zero isn't bad, but they're not on BD as you say. If you're interested I'd at least pick up the DVD for Phantasm.

I've seen The Batman vs. Dracula once, because I picked it up for $3 at Big Lots a few years back. I don't remember hating it, but it definitely didn't leave a lasting impression on me. It's from the same continuity as The Batman series from a couple of years ago, which I watched but feel is inferior to Batman: TAS.

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

Aaaaand... finally, I was wondering about the Justice League Animated Series... Should I opt for the more expensive option of picking up the Blu-ray of Seasons One and Two? Or should I go ahead and pick up the DVD version, which Amazon has for a little over $70, that also includes the entirety of Justice League Unlimited?

Unfortunately, you missed out on Amazon's sale about a month (two months?) ago. Justice League seasons 1 and 2 were $16 each on BD. I bought both, but IMO season 2 is the one that is really worth getting on BD over DVD if for no other reason than the BD is anamorphic widescreen (the DVD is non-anamorphic). I also liked season 2 a lot more than season 1, particularly the season 2 finale. If you want the whole series now, I would personally get the DVD set of the whole series and the season 2 BD separately, assuming price isn't an issue.

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

...okay, and finally, any word on Batman: The Animated Series making it to Blu-ray? Or will I be safe picking that up on DVD for now?

I'd pick up the DVDs. They've been pretty cheap lately. Volumes 2-4 are currently ~$19 each on Amazon. Volume 1 is pretty steep at $30, but I think I've seen it at Walmart for $20.

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by KnoxVolJJ

Here is an upcoming 4 film release but I have yet to see which 4 movies are included: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/4-Fil...Blu-ray/78310/

The price point will likely be $20 ($5 per movie) at release, with a sale around Christmas.

Very interesting. Thank you for that I'll keep my eye on that release.

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Scooby Doo is a Rental.

Mask is a Classic and is not yet on BluRay. But I saw it in the theatre and im not anticipating its release at all. Im in the minority as a non-fan.

I would really examine why one needs all the DC stuff especially if your not familiar with the universe. Searching on here you see what the cream of the crop are that have very good re-watchability. There's a "best of DC" Animated thread here if u search. That would narrow down your choices.

Injustice which I do have is closest to Flashpoint and Crisis on Infinye Earths which are great stories using the DC alternative universes. The New Frontier is a good take on what was DC's Earth 2 universe, which was the original DC universe before it merged w/ the last remaining Earth after the DC multiverse's destruction. Superboy Prime became Prime which is similar to the Prisoned Superman of the Injustice Regime Superman.

I like Scooby-Doo, I like Batman, I wanted Scooby-Doo Meets Batman! It was only $5 at Target, anyways

I looked at that thread just now, thank you for bumping it. It appears I already posted in it, but had yet to receive a response I'll admit I forgot that I posted in that thread, but apparently it didn't matter anyways, since no one responded

Thank you for your informative take on which storylines to focus on since I love Injustice! So is Flashpoint and Flashpoint Paradox a part of the same storyline? Or are they separate? I'm pretty sure I know that

[Show spoiler]Flashpoint Paradox is supposed to dial back the entire DC Universe back to The New 52

, but that's all I know. I hope that isn't too big of a spoiler, though, since I haven't yet seen the movie but will do so very soon

As for why I want to get all of them, well, if the price is right, I would just enjoy having them all, that's all When I get into something, I dive in deep.

Originally Posted by grassmonk

I initially bought a bunch of the DC Universe movies on DVD also (up through Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, I think). A couple years ago WBShop had a Black Friday sale where I was able to pick up the BD versions for about $6 each. (Except for Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. For some reason that one has always stayed expensive, and I eventually found it used from Hastings for about $9 or so.) I sold my DVDs for around $4 or $5 each on eBay.

Granted, that was a lucky deal, but I've seen several times since that the BDs have dropped to around $10 on Amazon, and some have even coincided with Best Buy's Upgrade and Save sales.

Personally, I have enjoyed all of the films except the Green Lantern ones, because I'm just not a Green Lantern fan. Superman: Doomsday is probably the weakest of the list above, but I still liked it.

IIRC Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker has a much better presentation on BD. The DVD is non-anamorphic widescreen and the BD is open-matte 4:3. I'm not really sure about how much of a PQ increase there is on the other films though.

I'm pretty sure that they all have exclusive BD features, too--documentaries and (extra) episodes of the TV shows (Batman: TAS, Justice League, etc.)

I'd say so. The last two releases especially have been cheap. I got Superman: Unbound for $9.99 from Best Buy on release day (with Upgrade & Save), and Justice League: Flashpoint was, I think, $13.99 (from Amazon). At some point they all drop below $10.

Mystery of the Batwoman is on BD. It's not the greatest, but it's enjoyable enough. Mask of the Phantasm is awesome, and Sub-Zero isn't bad, but they're not on BD as you say. If you're interested I'd at least pick up the DVD for Phantasm.

I've seen The Batman vs. Dracula once, because I picked it up for $3 at Big Lots a few years back. I don't remember hating it, but it definitely didn't leave a lasting impression on me. It's from the same continuity as The Batman series from a couple of years ago, which I watched but feel is inferior to Batman: TAS.

Unfortunately, you missed out on Amazon's sale about a month (two months?) ago. Justice League seasons 1 and 2 were $16 each on BD. I bought both, but IMO season 2 is the one that is really worth getting on BD over DVD if for no other reason than the BD is anamorphic widescreen (the DVD is non-anamorphic). I also liked season 2 a lot more than season 1, particularly the season 2 finale. If you want the whole series now, I would personally get the DVD set of the whole series and the season 2 BD separately, assuming price isn't an issue.

I'd pick up the DVDs. They've been pretty cheap lately. Volumes 2-4 are currently ~$19 each on Amazon. Volume 1 is pretty steep at $30, but I think I've seen it at Walmart for $20.

Dang, I have missed so many sales, haha! Maybe I should wait just a tad longer before I go through getting the Blu-rays. If they all have exclusive features and significantly better picture quality, then I'll definitely go for the Blu-ray Blitz on all these!

Interesting to hear that some of them have episodes from the series... I've never seen Batman: The Animated Series, so that would be awesome to get an episode for free with my Blu-ray!

I've seen that there is the issue of non-anamorphic, matted widescreen on the Justice League Season 2 DVD and the Return of the Joker DVD. What is the difference between the two? Is that when the widescreen will show up letterboxed on my 16:9 TV, and stretch out the image? If so, that is insanely frustrating and I will look into those Blu-rays solely for that!

How is Superman: Unbound? I'm really shocked because lately I've been reading impressions of Superman: Doomsday claiming it's one of the weaker animated features, and Superman: Unbound is also weak, but... they both sound really great to me. What are your thoughts?

For that Upgrade & Save program, is there anything stopping me from bringing in my DC Animated DVDs and using those as my upgrade and save thingies? Or are they too cheap to do that?

[Batmon77]

The Injustice Universe is the Netherworlds' take on DC. Its not Canon.
The same way Batman Arkham Asylum and City are not part of the comic books universe.
Flashpoint the animated movie is a condensed version of the book which is a book and various crossover stories in other books.

[grassmonk]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

I've seen that there is the issue of non-anamorphic, matted widescreen on the Justice League Season 2 DVD and the Return of the Joker DVD. What is the difference between the two? Is that when the widescreen will show up letterboxed on my 16:9 TV, and stretch out the image? If so, that is insanely frustrating and I will look into those Blu-rays solely for that!

Basically non-anamorphic widescreen is a widescreen image inside a 4:3 frame, so if I understand you correctly, yes, it shows up letterboxed and stretched on a 16:9 TV. (Depending on your TV settings that is. Mine is set to show everything in its aspect ratio on the disc, so a non-anamorphic widescreen image shows up letterboxed and pillarboxed. It's ugly.)

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

How is Superman: Unbound? I'm really shocked because lately I've been reading impressions of Superman: Doomsday claiming it's one of the weaker animated features, and Superman: Unbound is also weak, but... they both sound really great to me. What are your thoughts?

Honestly, my absolute favorite of the Superman movies is Superman vs. The Elite. Unbound was pretty good, too, I thought. The only Superman one that I remember not enjoying as much (not that I didn't like it, it just wasn't as good as the others for me) was All-Star Superman.

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

For that Upgrade & Save program, is there anything stopping me from bringing in my DC Animated DVDs and using those as my upgrade and save thingies? Or are they too cheap to do that?

I used my old Superman/Batman: Apocalypse DVD when I bought Superman: Unbound. As I understand it, any commerically produced DVD (except adult titles) will work fine.

[KnoxVolJJ]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

For that Upgrade & Save program, is there anything stopping me from bringing in my DC Animated DVDs and using those as my upgrade and save thingies? Or are they too cheap to do that?

There is a local used cd/book/movie store that I go to prior to upgrade and save sales to buy the thin dvds. I keep about 10 stocked on my shelf in preparation, cost=25 cents per. I suggest checking if you have a local used store. You probably are better off trading in your old animated at a used store, taking the store credit and buying several used garbage dvds.

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

The Injustice Universe is the Netherworlds' take on DC. Its not Canon.
The same way Batman Arkham Asylum and City are not part of the comic books universe.
Flashpoint the animated movie is a condensed version of the book which is a book and various crossover stories in other books.

I see. I don't care too much about canon, honestly... I just want some good stories and tales and origins and bears, oh my! Like, are The Killing Joke, Battle for the Cowl, The Long Halloween, Knightfall, The Dark Knight Returns, Gotham by Gaslight all considered canon? I'm so scared if they are That's a lot of intricate plot threads, if I'm not wrong?

But Arkham Asylum is based on a graphic novel of the same name, right?

And when you say the animated movie, you are talking about Flashpoint Paradox? Or is there another Flashpoint movie I am not aware of?

Originally Posted by grassmonk

Basically non-anamorphic widescreen is a widescreen image inside a 4:3 frame, so if I understand you correctly, yes, it shows up letterboxed and stretched on a 16:9 TV. (Depending on your TV settings that is. Mine is set to show everything in its aspect ratio on the disc, so a non-anamorphic widescreen image shows up letterboxed and pillarboxed. It's ugly.)

Honestly, my absolute favorite of the Superman movies is Superman vs. The Elite. Unbound was pretty good, too, I thought. The only Superman one that I remember not enjoying as much (not that I didn't like it, it just wasn't as good as the others for me) was All-Star Superman.

I used my old Superman/Batman: Apocalypse DVD when I bought Superman: Unbound. As I understand it, any commerically produced DVD (except adult titles) will work fine.

I see... Yuck. Yeah, I'll definitely look into buying the Blu-rays for those, then. I might still get that Complete Justice League Animated Series DVD set, as it still sounds like a great deal since it comes with both Justice League and Unlimited for $70 or something, but I'll definitely buy the second season of the first series in Blu-ray!

Hm, I don't think I've even heard of that one! My friend is mostly raving about Superman and Shazam, and All-Star Superman. But you said that one wasn't too great compared to the other ones. Hm.

I see. Well, then! It just came to my attention that the Upgrade & Save promotion is hitting its deadline, so I may have just missed out on some awesome stuff But that's all right.

Originally Posted by KnoxVolJJ

There is a local used cd/book/movie store that I go to prior to upgrade and save sales to buy the thin dvds. I keep about 10 stocked on my shelf in preparation, cost=25 cents per. I suggest checking if you have a local used store. You probably are better off trading in your old animated at a used store, taking the store credit and buying several used garbage dvds.

That sounds just crazy enough to work! I'll look into it! Thank you

So as an update, I decided to pick up Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman in Blu-ray today! First Flight sounded like an amazing visual presentation, and Wonder Woman is probably a better judge of what I can expect from the other DC Animated Movies in terms of video quality... so I think it's a good buy.

The Green Lantern one had the awesome slipcover, too!

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

So, can someone tell me which of these films I have on DVD would be worth upgrading to Blu-ray for?

Wonder Woman
Green Lantern: First Flight
Batman/Superman: Public Enemies
Batman/Superman: Apocalypse
Superman: Doomsday
Batman Beyond: Return Of the Joker

Like, are there any standouts in this list that have exceptionally better picture quality on the Blu-ray version?

All of them look much, much better on Blu-ray. All of these features were animated in HD and really shine on a HD display. Some of them include more extras than the DVD versions. Even Batman Beyond, made a decade ago, looks very good.

The ones you really need to see are All-Star Superman and Batman: Under the Red Hood.

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

All of them look much, much better on Blu-ray. All of these features were animated in HD and really shine on a HD display. Some of them include more extras than the DVD versions. Even Batman Beyond, made a decade ago, looks very good.

The ones you really need to see are All-Star Superman and Batman: Under the Red Hood.

Thank you for your input

Yes, Under the Red Hood! That's another one I keep hearing I need to see, haha

I actually just got done watching Superman vs. The Elite on Netflix, thanks to grassmonk's recommendation. Wow! That was a great movie... has some surprisingly deep messages regarding who we view as heroes and whether or not death is justified in a tragedy. The animation was stellar, and I got a little choked up in the finale! That was an amazing start to my DC Animated Movie phase!

[Pulp Hero]

Depending on how patient you want to be, you might want to wait and see what will be available this November on Black Friday (well that weekend really).

Last year I noticed several stores selling various DC animated movies in Blu-Ray for $6-$8; I wouldn't be surprised to see the movies turn up again this year. If nothing else all you will have spent is some time waiting, and in any case WBShop will have their usual Christmas shopping sales starting Black Friday and the DC stuff is bound to be included again.

I rather like Green Lantern: First Flight (picked up the blu-ray last year but haven't had a chance to watch it in hi-def yet) I think it does a good job as an origin story and we get to see more of Oa, the Corps, and outer space. And if you like the Green Lantern be sure to get Green Lantern: Emerald Knights -- it's fantastic in my opinion and unfortunately it sold rather poorly because of the live action film.

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by Pulp Hero

Depending on how patient you want to be, you might want to wait and see what will be available this November on Black Friday (well that weekend really).

Last year I noticed several stores selling various DC animated movies in Blu-Ray for $6-$8; I wouldn't be surprised to see the movies turn up again this year. If nothing else all you will have spent is some time waiting, and in any case WBShop will have their usual Christmas shopping sales starting Black Friday and the DC stuff is bound to be included again.

I rather like Green Lantern: First Flight (picked up the blu-ray last year but haven't had a chance to watch it in hi-def yet) I think it does a good job as an origin story and we get to see more of Oa, the Corps, and outer space. And if you like the Green Lantern be sure to get Green Lantern: Emerald Knights -- it's fantastic in my opinion and unfortunately it sold rather poorly because of the live action film.

If I am in a crazy passion phase like I am with the DC stuff right now, the only thing that will stop me from buying things is if I don't have the necessary finances... so I probably won't be patient enough to wait that long, honestly But thank you for the tip!

I always forget that the DC Animated stuff is Warner Bros.... they do enjoy putting on sales a lot, so here's to hoping they put on a big "Hey, MasterChief3624! Over here! Grumpy Cat will love you if you buy these!" sale at some random point before Black Friday

I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of Green Lantern yet, but I'm certainly more interested in it than Swamp Thing, haha I liked the live-action film, though, so I'm expecting to enjoy the animated one at least that much

Emerald Knights...That's an awesome name, and I'll definitely look for it! Thank you for the recommendation

[Nez]

WB is having a sale right now.I pre-ordered it for $20.39 with Academy nominated cartoons for $4.89 and you get $5 or if you spend $25 and also free shipping.I also use Ebates to get another 3.5% off.So total came to $21.70.Batman the dark knight returns comes out Sept. 10th and Its both movies together with new interviews with the writer and actors and more.

[blu-ray_girl_fan]

As others have said, check WBShop.com in addition to Amazon for the best prices.

I would keep the DVDs for some of the earlier releases since Warner hadn't started releasing BD/DVD combos yet.

Also, check out the threads in my signature for exclusives. Both Best Buy and Target have sold exclusives for these movies.

[grassmonk]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

I actually just got done watching Superman vs. The Elite on Netflix, thanks to grassmonk's recommendation. Wow! That was a great movie... has some surprisingly deep messages regarding who we view as heroes and whether or not death is justified in a tragedy. The animation was stellar, and I got a little choked up in the finale! That was an amazing start to my DC Animated Movie phase!

Those messages were a big part of why I didn't like Man of Steel. I'm glad you enjoyed the The Elite. I think I'll watch it again tonight.