DC Universe App

The DC Universe app came out a while back and I will admit it took me a bit of time to sign up. I wanted to wait for the first Titans episode to drop before downloading it. With the show pilot dropped, I decided the time was right.

I'll only give a bullet review of the Titans show. In three words, it's Snyder-level dark.

Maybe that is the point. Maybe this is a Titans show in *that* universe.

Dick Grayson is a police officer in Detroit involved with cases involving children. At night he becomes an ultra-violent Robin, bashing, stabbing, and maiming criminals. Yes, he utters the famous 'F Batman' line and we learn he felt he was becoming too much like his mentor. But this is a brooding Dick, willing to pulverize a fallen foe.

Starfire seems to have memory issues, lives as a mistress/courtesan to a Russian mob boss, and also has no problems killing people. Her powers erupt unexpectedly (maybe she forgot she has powers) and she incinerates some hitmen. But she also snaps the neck of a fallen foe.

We only see Beast Boy briefly. A green tiger in live action is awesome. A Gar who is a petty thief using his powers to lift video games from a department store is not.

At the very least Raven, effectively portrayed by Teagan Croft, is a fascinating character. Trying to bury something evil within her, barely hanging on, and  trying to find Grayson for help, she is fascinating.

The acting is good. The effects are good. And if I place this as a dark 'Elseworlds', I suppose the tone is fine. I can always rinse the ashes from my mouth by switching over to Teen Titans Go! I suppose I'll be watching. After all, Hawk and Dove show up next week. Hear me talk about them over here.

What about the rest of the app?

I am impressed by the movie selection available.

That includes the 1984 Supergirl movie. Looks like I can finally rewatch and do a review here!

And the comic section has been labeled as a 'curated' list. My guess is the company will put comics on the site which help cross-promote other stuff that is out there. For example, the Superman stuff seems to concentrate on the 'Death of' and 'Reign of the Supermen' time period, probably because of the recent/upcoming animated films. Other comics seem to tie into recent films or televisions shows - so lots of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Suicide Squad.

As for Supergirl, she is represented with a smattering of issues. They have almost all of her 1972 solo series (just missing the Prez issue). There is also a handful of New 52 and Rebirth issues. My guess is the existing television show prompted the inclusion of these books and the Slater film. I also think the Legion tales there are probably because of Brainiac 5's presence on her show.

As a lifelong DC fan, I have to say I love what I see. But since I don't have similar apps - Marvel, Hulu, etc - I wonder how this compares.

I'll probably drop a Hawk and Dove mini-review after that episode. I love Hawk and Dove.

Posted in: Reviews