TV: Justice League Unlimited

Last night's season finale* of Justice League Unlimited was phenomenal. It's right up there with my all-time favorite episodes of this WB animation universe, primarily due to its handling of the Flash. I love it when they allow the Flash to go beyond his comic relief function, when he's allowed to demonstrate what a tremendously powerful hero he can be.

My favorite use of Flash in this series goes back to the classic "A Better World" episodes, in which the Justice League clashes with their dark counterparts, the Justice Lords. Flash outthinks and overpowers the alternate-version Batman, then fights the alternate Superman to a brief -- but incredibly impressive -- standstill. It gives me great satisfaction when Flash is allowed to be more than just kind of fast; in these episodes, he shows that even Superman is slow compared to him. I dig that!

And in last night's episode, "Divided We Fall" -- now that is fast. The entire team has been defeated by the Brainiac/Lex Luthor combination, all but Flash. "Are you going to fight me alone, boy?" Brainiac/Luthor taunts Flash -- and Flash turns tail and runs away. Brainiac/Luthor clearly expected no more from him, and he goes about rebuilding his HQ -- when Flash returns from the opposite direction at mind-numbing speed, and slams into him with titanic force, partially destroying his armor. Before Brainiac/Luthor can recover, here comes the Flash again -- WHAM!! -- delivering another devastating blow. Flash accelerates even more, tapping into the previously undiscovered Speed Force -- and suddenly he's circling the world in the blink of an eye, striking Brainiac/Luthor again and again. Imagine the force behind a running punch -- when the run leading up to it spans the entire Earth. And the visuals here are breathtaking. This is top-notch superhero animation, as exciting as anything done in The Incredibles.

And then when Brainiac/Luthor has been knocked to the ground, Flash is on him like lightning, and with both hands blurring, he disassembles Brainiac, quite possibly molecule by molecule. The smartest and mightiest creatures on the planet have been laid low by this villain, and Flash takes him apart with his bare hands. I don't mind telling you, I was cheering my fool head off. The Flash kicks ass, and don't you forget it!

I thought Flash's triumph, and the coda, in which the Justice League decides to return to Earth, was a fitting conclusion to the series, and to the WB/DC animation universe. I had heard a while ago that this was to be the end of it all, that the series was coming to an end with this episode, and that there were no plans for any other series beyond that. Well, Montykins has reported from the San Diego Comic Con, and others have since confirmed, that this was not the end after all. Monty attended a WB animation panel at the Con, and wrote: "[Saturday's] episode looks great (it's basically the season finale), and the preview of next season was amazing. Three words: Legion. Of. Doom. Yes, with a giant Manta-headed building rising out of a swamp. Oh boy!"

Oh boy, indeed! These cartoons, from the first Batman incarnation through last night's episode, collectively have been the best superhero animation ever shown on television. I'm glad to know the run isn't yet at an end!

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*Jeff Wood points out in the comments that this wasn't the season finale; next week's is.