Susan Eisenberg, the voice of Wonder Woman in the popular “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” television series, reprises her role for the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie, “Justice League: Doom.”

Eisenberg will join several of her voicecast colleagues for the West Coast Premiere of Justice League: Doom at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills on February 16.

The all-new, PG-13 rated Justice League: Doom will be available February 28 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and for Download. Both the Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViiolet Digital Copy.

Eisenberg has focused her career in voiceovers for animation, video games and commercial use. In addition to her work for the past 12-plus as Wonder Woman for Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series and the DCU films Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and Justice League: Doom, Eisenberg can also be heard in a variety of animates series, including Jackie Chan Adventures, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and The Super Hero Squad Show, as well as video games like Star Wars: The Ford Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition and Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. She is one of nine actors returning to the booth to record their original Justice League roles for the film, Justice League: Doom.

In anticipation of the West Coast Premiere, Eisenberg gladly offered some recollections and thoughts regarding her years of voicing Wonder Woman, including flirtations with Batman, her personal memorabilia collection, and the real reason Wonder Woman flies an invisible plane. Take a read …

QUESTION: What do you recall of earning the role of Wonder Woman some 13 years ago?

SUSAN EISENBERG: I can remember it vividly – because it was a big deal. It felt like a real life-changer, so it’s a huge memory for me. It was 1999, and I remember going to the call back and being with Andrea (Romano) and Bruce (Timm). Even the dialogue is still clear in my memory. And when I got the call that I got the role, it really had an impact on me.

Most jobs in voiceover don’t make you feel like they’re going to change your life, but this one did. And in many ways, it really did. I got to work for six years on a series, and I’d never done something that long term. And I was chosen to voice this wonderful, iconic character … and through these movies, I get to continue that role. It’s been fun and kind of surprising – people obviously know Wonder Woman, but it’s wonderful when they care that much that they actually recognize and acknowledge your work as the character. I walk into other jobs and people still say, “You’re Wonder Woman, right?” That’s really a kick.

QUESTION: What’s special to you about playing Wonder Woman?

SE: Wonder Woman is truly iconic. Everyone knows her. There’s something wonderful about playing a character who is recognized throughout the world. And I love her strength. I love that she stands for something and that she believes in what she believes. She’s very, very loyal and faithful and, in the beginning, I got to play her more vulnerable, and now I get to play her more adult and stronger. She’s a wonderful character.

QUESTION: You don’t have the benefit of weekly recording sessions to keep the voice fresh in your mind. How do you jump back into this role without a hitch?

SE: Working with Andrea and Bruce is a great because they were there at the start – Andrea has always directed me in this role, so she knows what she’s looking for. Listening to her direction is the first trick. Reading the script a few times also helps, especially to find the attitude and the voice. And as a refresher, I like to go online, check out YouTube, and play some old clips, or watch some of my DVDs. That helps to get me back in that space – and then Wonder Woman is right there in my head. But honestly, it’s not a huge leap for me – she’s pretty much in there all the time, anyway.

QUESTION: How much of what you do with Wonder Woman is through a change in your voice, and how much is really acting and attitude?

SE: A lot of it’s attitude. That’s why, if I’m speaking just normally, it’s not as if somebody next to me would ask, “Do you play Wonder Woman?” But then when I do the attitude and lower the register slightly, you will see this smile of recognition on the face of a little kid … or a true fan. And that’s always fun.

QUESTION: Who recognizes you more – kids who watch cartoon, or the adult devotees of the genre?

SE: Kind of both, and the reactions are different, but similar. It’s really nice to have people who are so passionate about these characters. So you get the 6-year-old child who has watched the cartoon and their eyes get big when they recognize that you’re this person behind the voice. But then you get the 40-something-year-old who has been watching, and loves this world, and loves this universe, and reads the comic books, and cares deeply about the genre. That’s fabulous, too. Just to have fans is a very cool thing. No one can complain about that. It’s good.

QUESTION: Wonder Woman has some very long battles in Justice League: Doom with a lot of physicality required in the vocal performance. How’d you handle that?

SE: The initial recording session is pretty straight-forward – we save most of the impacts and grunts and physical action for the ADR session. But as I was reading the script, I just kept thinking of Dwayne (McDuffie) and thinking, “You really layered it on me, didn’t you!” I’m going to have to be electrocuted and hit over the head and punched over and over and punch back over and over. You often have to be physical to sound physical. So – that’s a truly exhausting day.

QUESTION: What’s it like to have the gang back together again?

SE: You know, it’s thrilling because it’s a grand reunion. I get to be reunited with Michael Rosenbaum and Kevin Conroy and Carl Lumbly and that’s like having the League back together, if you will. I didn’t that expect that to happen, and I could not be more thrilled. Driving to the recording session, I was just so excited that we’d be in a room together. It is just so comfortable coming back into this. It’s the best gig in town. And anyone who does voiceovers would say that.

QUESTION: What are the scenes that appeal most to you in this film?

SE: I always like the quieter moments. So I like my scenes with J’onn, because those two characters really can relate to each other in so many ways, and I also liked my scenes with Batman. In both cases, those were some of the quieter moments with some emotional content. I enjoy the scenes where I have to kick some butt, too. But I truly enjoy the interplay with the other characters and the actors that play them.

I’ve never been shy about my feelings with Batman and Wonder Woman because, first of all, I love Kevin and I love working with Kevin. I think he’s amazing as Batman. And I love Batman and Wonder Woman together, and I think the fans do, too. You can go on YouTube and find all these wonderful videos of the two of them – showing their romance, put to music – so you know the fans love them together.

Playing Diana gives you a lot of different angles and emotions to play. Diana is very serious – she’s not like Flash where she’s funny and throwing out the one-liners. When she’s funny, it’s not necessarily intentional that she’s funny. And so I love the other aspects of her, when she gets to be flirty with Batman or when she gets to be funny with Flash or more earnest with J’onn. I especially like to play the flirty and hint at that romance between the characters. That’s a lot of fun.

QUESTION: How much equity to you take in this character?

SE: I’m enormously proud that I get to play her – it truly is a privilege and an honor. People have definite, strong opinions of Wonder Woman, and she’s known everywhere. She is this embodiment of female empowerment, and that’s a thrill, too, because there are little girls and little boys and they’re watching this and seeing that she’s so strong and so tough and righteous. It’s great to be able to provide that example of heroics through this character. I’m a guardian of that, and I don’t take it lightly. And every time I get asked to voice the role, I feel grateful – each and every time. I hope I keep getting to do it.

QUESTION: Has playing Wonder Woman changed you?

SE: In several ways. I think I’ve grown up with this part. I got this role 10 years ago, and just working alongside my fellow Justice League actors and with Andrea and Bruce has changed the way I work. And learning about this universe has changed me. You can’t have a part like this and not feel changed by it, because it’s enviable to have this job and play this character. There’s humility attached to that. You know you’re lucky. And that changes you, also.

QUESTION: What’s your attraction to voiceover work?

SE: I grew up doing radio commercials for my father’s business in Woonsocket, R.I., and I loved it. My father and my sister worked together – they would write the copy for me, and I would do the commercials for them. There’s something just so freeing about being behind a microphone as opposed to in front of a camera. There’s no worry about your hair or lipstick – on camera you get so self-conscious. Sure, there’s a self-consciousness in a room recording with other actors, because you want to be good. That’s just performance anxiety. I’ll take that any day over that camera and all those people staring at me. Some people are so natural with the camera – the can just pretend it’s not there. I am so aware it’s there.

QUESTION: What Wonder Woman memorabilia do you have at home?

SE: I have a lot of pictures and some beautiful cels – all gifts from the Justice League and Justice League, Unlimited. And some small things that people have sent me – mugs and little toys and notebooks with her on the cover. When we first started, we all ran out and bought our own action figures, so that’s right at the forefront of my bookshelf.

Best of all, I have all the scripts from the series. I keep them in a big bookshelf in my closet. I’m nostalgic about that stuff. It’s very sentimental to me to. It was a big deal this job – it really does mean the world to me. So I kept all the scripts.

QUESTION: Wonder Woman can fly. Why does she need an invisible plane?

SE: Because she likes to go in style. And why should she always be flying when there is a plane that can do it for her? I mean, why not have the private jet if you can have the private jet? Right? You’re going to begrudge her a private jet? I don’t think so.

Warner Home Video will present the world premiere of “Catwoman,” the latest addition to the DC Showcase Animated Shorts series, as part of its DC Universe Animated panel on Friday 3-4 p.m. in the IGN Theater at New York Comic Con.

Catwoman is included in the October 18 Blu-ray/DVD release of “Batman: Year One,” the next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

The panel includes animation legend Bruce Timm, nine-time Emmy Award-winning dialogue director Andrea Romano, and the fan favorite voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy. The panelists will discuss the Catwoman short, the upcoming release of Batman: Year One, and next spring’s release of Justice League: Doom.

The world premiere of the Justice League: Doom trailer is another New York Comic Con exclusive to be unveiled during the panel.

Catwoman/Selina Kyle is voiced by Eliza Dushku, well known for her television roles in Buffy the “Vampire Slayer,” “Tru Calling” and “Dollhouse.” The 15-minute short is penned by respected comics/animation writer Paul Dini.

The short finds Catwoman posing as an “entertainer” in a strip club to get close to black market diamond smuggler Rough Cut — who doesn’t take kindly to Catwoman’s interference in his business, leading to an all-out battle through the streets of Gotham City.

“When Alan Burnett and I first started discussing the idea of a Catwoman short, we both agreed that we wanted to make the story and the settings as adult as we could,” Dini explains. “The world of burlesque has returned in a big way to the contemporary consciousness, and that proved to be a very natural setting for this Catwoman story. At the time I wrote the initial screenplay, I didn’t know the short would be paired up with Batman: Year One, but the steamy setting that Selina inhabits in that book also proved to be ideal for the short.”

For the short, Dini created the character Rough Cut, a villain whose smuggling interests beyond diamonds catches Catwoman’s attention.

“I liked the idea of a villain who was obsessed with diamonds, but as this story takes place in the down and dirty side of Gotham, I felt the bad guy couldn’t be too glamorous,” Dini said. “I came up with the name Rough Cut both to describe the man and the kinds of crude, unfinished diamonds he pedals. There’s always a market for industrial diamonds, but lately Rough Cut has been feeling the economic pinch, so he’s smuggling more precious cargo. That’s what brings Catwoman into the picture.”

Dushku was very happy to return to her Batman: Year One role, having already taken equity in the part of Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Dushku has definitely found a clear understanding of her character’s emotional make-up.

“A lot of people are familiar with the characters I’ve played – these strong and vicious women who are, very deep down inside, really wounded women with an entirely unexpected side, so there’s nothing black and white about them,” Dushku said. “I think people identify with the characters I play because even though they do terrible things, there’s a humanity there. They’ve got lots of layers. They’re not just good or evil. Selina is a prostitute, and she’s abrasive and in your face, but she also has this maternal, protective, loyal quality to her. Her relationship with Holly is a perfect example – it shows a side you might not expect.”

Christina Hendricks is truly enjoying the best of both worlds.

While the “Mad Men” star is grabbing the spotlight for more mature mainstream opportunities as a judge on Bravo’s upcoming season of “Top Chef” and as the new face of designer Vivienne Westwood’s “Get a Life” Palladium jewelry collection, Hendricks is also currently living her childhood dreams as the voice of Lois Lane in the all-new animated film “All-Star Superman.”

Hendricks stars alongside “Desperate Housewives’” James Denton (Superman) and “Without A Trace’s” Anthony LaPaglia (Lex Luthor) in the critically-acclaimed, hot-selling DC Universe Animated Original Movie that poignantly captures Grant Morrison’s beloved, Eisner Award-winning vision of Superman’s heroic final days on Earth.

Along with husband Geoffrey Arend (“500 Days of Summer”), Hendricks was the featured attraction at the world premiere of All-Star Superman in New York’s Paley Center for Media. The press corps and fans flocked to the event, lauding praise and adoration on the actress for her roles in everything from Mad Men to Firefly. Following the screening, the crowd gave Hendricks a resounding ovation for her performance as Lois Lane.

Hendricks is at the forefront of a All-Star Superman cast that includes Denton, LaPaglia, seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up), Golden Globe winner Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under), Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds) and Linda Cardellini (ER) as Nasty.

Hendricks sat for a few questions after her initial recording session for All-Star Superman, revealing her childhood adoration for the Superman characters, the trick to understanding the Lois Lane mindset, a penchant for playing Dungeons And Dragons, and the new street cred she’s earned inside her own home. Here’s what Christina Hendricks had to say …

QUESTION: Did playing Lois Lane have a greater resonance for you than most characters?

CHRISTINA HENDRICKS: It’s incredibly special for me to get to play Lois Lane because when I was growing up in Oregon, the first movie I ever went to see at a drive-in movie theater – and I think second overall — was Superman II. I can remember thinking, “This is amazing.” That was my first impression of what movies were – the adventure and action –and so this is me coming full circle. Now, I get to be Lois Lane. (laugh)

And I have been talking about playing Lois Lane for weeks now. I’ve been telling everyone that I get to be Lois Lane. It’s a big deal. There’s a few characters throughout your life that everyone knows and you’ve known your whole life. This is one of them. So to play Lois was really exciting.

QUESTION: Did you have any preconceptions about this role before entering the recording booth?

CH: I think I probably had preconceived ideas about the role because I grew up watching Margot Kidder. She’s my Lois Lane. So I wanted to make sure that I did some research to know as much as I could about the character and where she originated. I grew up on Superman and Lois Lane, so a lot of the questions were already answered in my head. But I just wanted to get a little bit more background, and think about the original Lois Lane, and the intention behind the character. I didn’t want to be copying someone.

QUESTION: Did you have any favorite scenes or lines?

CH: I love the scene where they’re flying. I mean, everyone loves a Superman scene when they’re flying, and Lois Lane gets to fly. It was really fun to do something like this because anything can happen in animation. You can dance underwater or fly over Metropolis. And as the actress, you just are along for the ride. So that was exciting.

QUESTION: What it is about Christina Hendricks that made you the right choice for Lois?

CH: I think I’m a good Lois Lane because I think I’m tough, and I think I’m up for adventure and curious and spontaneous. And I’d like to think that Lois Lane is all those things.

QUESTION: There’s a lot of Lois in this film – she’s the emotional barometer of this film, and she gets to do a lot of things she’d never done before on film. How did you approach visualizing those emotional and surreal aspects of playing Lois?

CH: I think in order to play the emotions of Lois Lane in a situation where all sorts of fantastical things are happening, you really have to know that this is a world this woman already lives in. For Christina, these things are crazy – flying and going under water and seeing the Titanic sitting there are foreign to me. But Lois Lane already lives in this world. So you have to be true to her and know that this isn’t her first time seeing all these things. And you have to keep reminding yourself of that.

QUESTION: When you were performing the role and going through these fantastical scenes and images, what are you envisioning to authentically act the role?

CH: The script is so descriptive – it’s so beautifully written and the images are so perfect that it’s very easy to jump in and imagine. It’s like being a child and just going along with the flow. It’s very fun. And it’s all spelled out for you, so as long as you’re open to taking the trip, it’s quite easy.

I closed my eyes several times while I was doing the lines because I thought, “Oh, I can’t think about these people looking in here at me. Let me imagine what this really would feel like.” And you just have to feel the wind on your face. (laugh)

QUESTION: How does Lois Lane compare with other characters you’ve played?

CH: I identify with Lois Lane in other characters that I’ve played and, of course, in my own self. She is strong and determined, but she also has a vulnerable side. She’s a woman, so she can take care of herself, but every once in a while, you know, Superman’s got to come and save her. I currently play Joan on Mad Men, who some might say is an incredibly strong character, which is what’s so fun about her. But like Lois Lane, you see moments of vulnerability and a softness to her. She’s still a woman, but she’s a strong woman.

QUESTION: You didn’t record with Anthony LaPaglia, but you have played opposite our Lex Luthor previously. How was that experience?

CH: I worked with Anthony LaPaglia some years back. I don’t know if he would remember me, but I did and episode of Without A Trace where I played an agoraphobic lesbian. Check it out. (she laughs) One of my better roles (laughs harder). I had scenes with Anthony LaPaglia where my character was stuck in a bowling alley. But not just stuck in the bowling alley, stuck underneath where they lift the pins. I had to lay under the machinery and Anthony’s character had to talk me out of it. Hopefully he’ll watch this and go, “That was that girl?” (laughs)

QUESTION: This was your maiden voyage in voiceovers for animation. Did it meet your expectations?

CH: It was kind of what I expected, and it was really fun. One thing you don’t get to do (in live-action) is say the line a couple different times with different ideas behind it. So it’s fun to actually get to experiment with all those choices all at once. I think it’s incredibly liberating to be able to go in and make three choices instead of one. And give them all equal time, and then let the director choose what they decide best suits the animation.

I think the enticement for voiceover is that you get to become a different person entirely. No one’s looking at your physicality, so you’re much more aware of your voice, and the power that your voice has. And it’s really learning to act in a very different way. If you love acting, which I do, it’s just another venue, another way to tell stories. And that’s exciting. I want to do more. This was fun. This was really fun.

QUESTION: Did you grow up with comic books or any of the current fanboy fascinations?

CH: I grew up with my brother being a huge fan of comic books fan and sci-fi and fantasy. So even though I wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, it was always on the peripheral, just around the corner (laughs). I don’t know that I did sneak a look at my brother’s comic books. I don’t know that he would have let me. He was very protective of those.

But we played everything. My brother wants to be a director, and I’m an actress. So we played “Dungeons And Dragons” and “Top Secret” and all those things. We would get up and act everything out. We were oftentimes spies. There was a lot of James Bond spy stuff going on, and a lot of “Dungeons And Dragons” fantasy. To this day, I’m surrounded by the people who watch these things. My husband watches films like this. (laughs) You kidding me? This is my life. (laughs)

QUESTION: What is your impression of comic books?

CH: I think not only are comic books incredible entertainment, but they’re great art. I got some comic books for my husband for Christmas during the first year we were together, and when you open the page you really have to retrain your mind to read a story in that format. It took me a few pages to sort of be able to look at the grand picture, and see this story and read in that style, and in the order that you’re supposed to read it. You’ve got to really train your mind to see everything. And it’s amazing, beautiful art.

QUESTION: With your days as Saffron on Firefly, you are obviously no stranger to the fanboys. What’s your best anecdote dealing with the fans?

CH: I have been to many, many Cons over the years, and it really has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Firefly opened up this world to me and it’s been absolutely amazing. Not only have I been able to travel to all these incredible places, but I’ve met people who are just so devoted and so excited about these projects, and really unite together. I like the Cons because they’re places where everyone is into the same thing – it’s this family of people who completely understand one another, and a lot of them know each other because they’ll go from one Con to the other. I’ve been amazed that I’ll see someone in Scotland, and then I’ll see them in Texas. These people are passionate about it, and you don’t see that very many places. It’s really nice.

I’ve had a lot of weird questions (laughs), but for the most part everyone’s just incredibly respectful and really nice. I had someone make a Barbie of me from Firefly, and dressed it up and sent it to me. The most fun was a contest to see who could write the best song about Saffron — and they asked me to be one of the judges. You could not believe how talented these people were. It was really fun to listen to – I still have the CD at home. Every once in a while I’ll put it in and be amazed. That was really cool.

QUESTION: You’re impressed with playing Lois Lane. How are those fanboy friends of yours reacting to you playing the role?

CH: During the recording session, my husband was sending me text messages all afternoon saying, “I love you, Lois Lane.” It’s so fun. My father, my brother, my husband, so many of my friends are gamers and into animation and comic books. So I’m going to be the most popular kid in town for at least a week. (laughs)

QUESTION: We’ve got you as Lois Lane. What do you think of casting Jon Hamm as Superman and John Slattery as Lex Luthor?

CH: Awesome. Fantastic. Jon Hamm would be good as any superhero. He’s kind of a superhero now, right? Everyone wants to be Jon Hamm right now. (laughs) Don Draper is like a superhero gone bad. (laughs) And John Slattery would be a great Lex Luthor. He’s just an incredible actor – that guy can do anything. And he’s got a great voice. He’d be wonderful.

Award-winning actor Anthony LaPaglia returns to his villainous roots as the voice of Lex Luthor in “All-Star Superman,” the highly anticipated 10th entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies coming February 22.

LaPaglia is best-known for his Golden Globe-winning lead role in the CBS drama “Without a Trace” and won an Emmy for his role as Simon on “Frasier.”

LaPaglia takes the villainous lead in an “All-Star Superman” cast that includes James Denton (Desperate Housewives) as Superman, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) as Lois Lane, seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up) as Perry White, Golden Globe winner Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) as Ma Kent, Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds) as Jimmy Olsen and Linda Cardellini (ER) as Nasty.

In the feature, the Man of Steel rescues an ill-fated mission to the Sun (sabotaged by Lex Luthor) and, in the process, is oversaturated by radiation – which accelerates his cell degeneration. Sensing even he will be unable to cheat death, Superman ventures into new realms – finally revealing his secret to Lois, confronting Lex Luthor’s perspective of humanity, and attempting to ensure Earth’s safety before his own impending end with one final, selfless act.

QUESTION: What were the challenges of creating Lex Luthor as an animated voice?

AP: You have to understand the medium that you’re in. As opposed to (on-camera) acting with another individual where it requires listening in order for you to respond, here you’re having to create the question the other person would ask you in your head and then respond to it. It’s a much more difficult process because there’s a line between it being real and it being animated. There’s a slightly different tonal quality to the way you say things, or in the way you have to make it bigger sometimes than you would naturally do in order to sell it. But not having the visual in front of you – you’re kind of shooting in the dark a lot.

QUESTION: Did you enjoy this incarnation of Lex Luthor?

ANTHONY LAPAGLIA: Yeah, I did actually. I found it surprising that Lex Luthor was getting a bit spiritual (laugh). I guess it’s kind of like a sign of the times where he’s trying to get in touch with the inner Lex. (laugh)

QUESTION: Can you talk about the journey Lex goes through in All-Star Superman?

AP: The journey Lex Luthor takes in this film – in the beginning it’s what you’d expect: he’s interested in power and world domination and Superman is the bane of his existence. And then as it progresses, there’s a slight injection of humanity, which is surprising to Lex Luthor that he’s even experiencing feelings that are remotely human. So it kind of gives him an unusual arc. He definitely has more dimension to him in this film.

QUESTION: What do you bring to Lex Luthor?

AP: As a kid, I loved comic books. It’s basically how I learned to read as a kid because my mother would buy them for me to keep me quiet, I think. I remember one time particularly – I was 4 or 5 years old, and I was sick and I had to stay in bed for three weeks, and so she would buy me comic books every second or third day. And I just created my own world, sitting under the covers reading Superman, Batman, Silver Surfer, a lot of the great comics.

QUESTION: What is it about Lex Luthor that most appeals to you?

AP: There’s a kind of sarcastic streak in Lex Luthor that comes from that extreme confidence in his ability to do what he does. I like the attitude of him. I like that nothing really fazes him, that he feels like he has complete control over everything, therefore, he can be relaxed enough to be a smartass. A good Lex Luthor makes or breaks it for me, I think.

QUESTION: As you’ve played so many villains, do you prefer being the bad guy?

AP: I’ve always liked playing the baddy. Some people have a problem with getting typecast. I’m quite happy with being typecast. I don’t care, as long as you’re working. The truth is you could play every bad guy in a one dimensional fashion, but it’s like everything else in life – everything’s different and everyone’s unique, so you have to find the uniqueness in the character to bring it to life.

QUESTION: You’ve obviously performed in every medium available, but voiceover is relatively new for you. Does voiceover work offer you challenges or joys of acting that you don’t get elsewhere?

AP: I like the isolation part of it. I like that there’s a certain amount of freedom, and that you’re not waiting for somebody else to find their motivation. It’s more challenging to come up with a believable character doing animation work than it is (in live-action). Acting is relatively easy because you have a personal one-on-one interaction with someone, therefore whatever you’re doing is a lot smoother. This requires a bit more patience and you have to suspend the fact that you’re in a sound stage and really commit to the material.

QUESTION: You had a moment where you weren’t understanding Andrea Romano’s direction on a particular emotion, and Bruce Timm was able to draw Lex Luthor with an expression that depicted that emotion. Have you ever gotten direction via artwork before?

AP: That made me laugh. We were trying to get that particular passage done right and I didn’t quite know how to get it. It’s not an uncommon issue where you have three or four people that have three or four different takes on what it should be – it gets a little confusing sometimes if you’re doing it and you’re taking in all the different stuff. You want to deliver what they want but sometimes you’re not sure how to quite get there. And I thought that was ingenious, actually, showing me the picture through the glass of the expression on Lex Luthor’s face. It made perfect sense – Bruce is an animator. That’s what he does – so he was able to show me visually what he was looking for in my voice. I could actually see Lex’s mental state of anguish. It actually made me think of doing it a different way and that ended up working.

QUESTION: You’ve earned a Tony Award, an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe — does one of those honors mean more to you than the others?

AP: To be honest, after a certain period of time they’re just kind of like objects in your closet. I think that, of all of them, the one that kind of means (more) was the Tony Award because doing theater is way, way, harder than doing anything you’ll ever do on film or television. It’s about real discipline. You have to go in and do eight shows a week whether you feel like it or not and, in the case where I won the Tony, it was in one of those shows where you could never phone it in. It just didn’t work if you phoned it in. So, come hell or high water, I did it for a year – which is a long time to do eight shows a week. I think I missed about five in a year. Also, I think (the Tony Award) meant probably the most because it’s where I started. It’s kind of what I admire the most. Theatre is what I find the most challenging. So I would say that the Tony kind of meant more. But the others are nice, too, you know (laughs).

QUESTION: How much does a background in the theatre help in the voiceover booth?

AP: The theatrical background helps you in doing (voiceover) because you’ve already been through a hundred different acting classes where you’ve had to sit on a black box and pretend that you were a lemon or an imaginary cup of coffee or whatever. There’s always a part of that program that requires you to strip yourself bare and be an idiot. And if you’re not prepared to do that, then you have no place being there.

QUESTION: You had quite a lengthy list of unglamorous jobs before becoming an actor. Pro soccer player, teacher, shoe salesman, furniture restorer, sprinkler installer. And now you’re an award-winning star voicing a super villain for an animated film. How does it all tie together?

AP: Well, that’s glorification. I used to dig the trenches for the guy who actually installed the sprinklers. I just did the digging (laughs). I had no idea that I would be doing what I’m doing now when I was a kid. When I was a kid you could’ve said that I was going to be an astronaut and that would have been more realistic than doing this. So I think it ties together in that I don’t really have any expectations or feelings of how things should go anymore. They go how they go and you’ve just got to roll with it. And I think it’s your ability to roll with it that keeps you in the game. It’s also your ability to recognize when it’s changing and how you need to change with it if you want to. And I’ll tell you that from the minute I decided what I wanted to do, it’s all been gravy from there. It’s what I want to do. Whether I’m successful or not at it, it’s what I chose to do. It wasn’t what somebody told me to do, so everything that comes out of it is just a bonus.

QUESTION: OK. But if you could do it all over again, what would you choose – acting or soccer?

AP: That’s a tough one. What level of football? (laugh) Well, if I could play in Italy for a five-year career, I’d swap it. Absolutely. People don’t realize how huge football players are in other parts of the world – compared to them, actors and musicians are nothing. They’re doormats. You walk through Rome with Francesco Totti and I don’t care who you are – nobody’s going to notice you because Francesco Totti is God. It’s hard for people to conceive in this country just how important the game of football is culturally in Europe and South America, and even Asia. It’s religion; it’s life; it’s everything.

A meteor just crashed in Fawcett City causing a fiery explosion to interrupt a teen make-out session. Out of the flaming wreckage steps a villain with mythic power that springs straight from the gods, Black Adam.

This Tuesday “Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam” hits shelves on Blu-ray and DVD.

Comic fans know the face of the villain, but uninitiated have no idea the powerful forces at command of the black-clad powerhouse. Voiced by Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy), the newcomer lets the viewer in by clapping to create a sonic concussion and level a diner where the unsuspecting reporter Clark Kent interviews the poor orphan Billy Batson.

After being slapped through a series of buildings Kent reveals his identity to the newcomer. Reprising his role as Supeman, George Newbern (Justice League) announces that he has no intention of letting the rampaging sociopath kill the boy.

The titanic battle that ensues highlights that what animators can accomplish these days is limited only by their own imaginative powers.

Just as Black Adam capitalizes on his realization that Superman is weak against magic, Billy Batson goes through a Harry Potter-like train sequence where he meets the wizard Shazam.

When the wizard grants him powers similar to those of Black Adam, Billy jumps at the chance to save The Man of Steel.

As he first attempts to return the favor, it becomes very clear, very quickly that Black Adam is quite comfortable in his own powers. In the ensuing throw-down Black Adam demonstrates the battle prowess of a 5,000-year-old warrior. Needless to say, it’s awesome.

This animation presents the master-crafted jewel for the crown of animated shorts from Warner’s DC showcase. The Blu-ray retails for $29.99, and the DVD for $19.99, featuring The Spectre, The Green Arrow, and Jonah Hex. Even though these are 10-12 minutes each, the 22 minute title feature makes it worth the cash. Checking out producer Bruce Timm’s favorite picks from previous Warner Bros. shows adds nostalgia value, for fans of Justice League Unlimited, or Batman: The Animated Series.

Green Lantern is the latest comic book superhero to make the jump to the big screen, starting June 17, 2011, starring Ryan Reynolds. The film’s official synopsis is below:

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

Warner Brother’s has released the following concept art of Oa, the headquarters for the Green Lantern’s, and the center of the universe.

Bruce Greenwood and Andrea Romano

Romano has been instrumental in orchestrating the vocal tones behind the character’s non-live appearances for more than two decades. From Kevin Conroy and Rino Romano to Jeremy Sisto and William Baldwin, Romano knows precisely what voice will best fit the tones of a particular story or series.

Enter “Batman: Under the Red Hood” and all of its deep, emotional undertones. Romano has outdone herself once again, balancing the veteran acting chops of Bruce Greenwood as Batman with the youthful, pained intonations of Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and tossing in Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing for humorous resonance.

All in a days work for Romano, who recruits the best in the business — winners of Oscars, Emmys and Tonys alike — to provide the voices behind some of the world’s best known super heroes for the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

“Batman: Under the Red Hood” is the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on July 27 as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Romano took a few minutes to offer her perspective:

QUESTION: Let’s take the cast one member at a time. What made Bruce Greenwood right for the role of Batman in this particular film?

ANDREA ROMANO: One of the coolest finds of this past year for me was Bruce. I’ve seen so much of his work over the years, and he can do so many things so convincingly. I knew I’d have to offer him a big role. Something with meat. And I knew he would really sink his teeth into the material and make it his own. I don’t need to tell you what a wonderful actor he is — but for this film, he gives a terrific, sensitive performance. This is the most tortured we’ve ever seen of Batman and, without overplaying it, Bruce really showed us a lot of the guilt and issues Batman has in his luggage. It’s an exhaustive, emotional piece, and he carried it perfectly.

QUESTION: How did Jensen Ackles perform in his maiden voyage in animation?

AR: When you get a first-timer in the booth, there are often risks involved, particularly in understanding the techniques involved in working with the microphone. Jensen picked it up so quickly and was so effective in this very difficult role. Red Hood is written as such an embittered, angry, verging-on-insane character, and it can so easily be overplayed. But Jensen found just the right level of energy and flair. I loved his acting. His quality was dead-on, and he really offers a perfect balance with Bruce (Greenwood).

As a director, you live the emotions with the actor. There’s one scene where Jensen has to let his emotions completely bubble to the surface. I had to work really hard to see my script through the tears that I was crying with him as he let his emotions come through.

QUESTION: Who better than Neil Patrick Harris to break up all the emotional drama of this film?

AR: Who doesn’t love Neil Patrick Harris? He’s charming, talented, friendly, and remembers everyone he works with. He can sing and dance, not that I need that talent for Red Hood (she laughs). And in this instance, he did the unthinkable — he came to record for us on his way to the airport as he was going to New York to host the Tony Awards. Nightwing really does give a comic balance to this intense story, and Neil brought that spunky, funny instinct to the character with his usual effortless performance. He’s completely believable whether he’s doing drama or comedy, and he really added to this film. If I could, I would use Neil on every single project I do.

QUESTION: Jason Isaacs is such a nice guy. Why’d you have to make him play a villain again?

AR: Jason Isaacs is a delight. And you’re right (she laughs) — nice guys sometimes make the best villains. I’ve worked with Jason several times, and he’s absolutely fantastic. For Ra’s, I needed something slightly exotic. He’s a great, unusual character, but we had to fight against him getting too cartoony — and I knew Jason had the chops. He’s also a wonderfully intelligent actor — during the recording session, he had so many ideas, and would so respectfully suggest them to Bruce (Timm) and I — and I honestly don’t know that there was one we didn’t use. He helped edit the copy, he added beats where we didn’t even see them, and really nuanced the performance.

QUESTION: The Joker has had some very memorable live-action and animated performances from some notable performers. How did John DiMaggio fit into that legacy?

AR: If I weren’t in love with my husband, it would be John. He’s such a versatile, talented voiceover actor. The Joker is such an intense character, and I knew I needed somebody with great range — and John was delighted to come in and play, and he gave it some beautiful new twists. Because he has such a deep gravely voice, and he’s good at comedy, and he’s a good actor, I knew John already had covered most of the points of the Joker. But I didn’t want a light, thin reedy voice, I wanted a voice with some mass to it. That’s John.

QUESTION: You’ve placed Vincent and Alex Martella as the Young and Younger Robin voices. Had you ever cast brothers in the same film?

AR: This is the first time I’ve ever cast brothers in the same film. I was familiar with Vincent’s work and had been looking for something for him, and this was a great, interesting opportunity because I needed to cast the younger version of this character at two different ages. Vincent has a younger brother named Alex, who has only just begun in the industry, but because siblings tend to have very similar qualities to their voices, it was kind of a no-brainer to cast his younger brother as his younger self. And they were terrific — Vincent was pure dynamite in his performance, and I actually think Alex learned from watching his older brother record before him.

What really surprised me was in their attention to detail. They had to set up this character’s life for another actor that they weren’t even going to act in the same room with, and I thought the transitions were seamless.

QUESTION: What set this cast apart from the first seven DC Universe films?

AR: Each one of these actors had something to bring to the party above and beyond what was required of them. They had questions, they had input, they had ideas and, because the piece is so adult, complex, intense and dark, they knew they weren’t coming in to play The Smurfs. In order to make sure they were in the right head space and had the right tone, they asked a lot of questions. And that’s always a good sign. When the actors are that involved with their characters and the story, that challenges Bruce (Timm) and I to truly think through everything even more thoroughly, and then it becomes a much more collaborative effort. I’m not above telling an actor how to read a line. But I’d prefer that the actor comes up with the idea himself and I’m able to just tweak things here and there. We all need a challenge, something that keeps us on our toes, and recording this film was one of those experiences. A very, very positive experience.

For more information, visit the film’s official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

Gina Torres mixes equal parts evil, sexy and powerful of conjure the hypnotic voice of Superwoman in “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” an all-new DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie arriving today from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation.

In “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” a "good" Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and puts the balance of all existence in peril. Torres plays Superwoman, the evil doppelganger to Wonder Woman and one of the leaders of the powerful Crime Syndicate.

Torres had an unanticipated assist in bringing about the powerful, yet sultry voice of Superwoman, coming into the booth in the final days of a bad flu that slightly lowered her vocal range and added a smoky sexiness to the outstanding performance. Even more impressive is her perfect match with the voice of Owlman, James Woods — considering the two actors recorded on opposite coasts, weeks apart, and have never met each other.

She is well known throughout the fanboy realm for her standout roles in Joss Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity and Angel, her performance at Cas in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as 28 episodes in Cleopatra 2525. Torres has since been a mainstay across primetime television with recurring roles on 24, Alias and Standoff, in addition to guest appearances in CSI, Without a Trace, Boston Legal, Bones, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, Criminal Minds, Dirty Sexy Money, The Unit, FlashForward, Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, to name just a few.

Torres has also spent some time in the animated world, working with Warner Bros. Animation as Vixen on Justice League.

Torres spent a few minutes after her recording session — and last week during the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Paley Center for Media — to chat about her performance as Superwoman, the importance of strong female role models, the acting strengths of Whedon alums, her childhood obsession with Wonder Woman, and the fun of allowing her evil side to come out and play. Listen up … or else.

QUESTION: As you stepped into the sound booth to voice Superwoman, were you actually feeling wickedly sexy, delightfully cruel and ultimately powerful … or was that all just acting?

GINA TORRES: I’m so glad they called me to do Superwoman, (she laughs) because I was in the mood to get back in there and be a badass. Superwoman is one of those super heroes that knows her power, and is very comfortable in her power. And it’s all cat — it’s no mouse with her. She likes to bat around her prey and she really enjoys what she’s doing.

In the booth, you sort of have to become this person. When you’re not on stage with other actors and you’re not on camera, you really get to free up your body and do all kinds of things that maybe aren’t as pretty on camera. You get to have a good time getting your whole body involved in the interpretation.

QUESTION: Have you ever had a relationship with comic books?

GT: Do the Archies count? (laughs) I was a big Archie fan. I love Veronica — I want to look like Veronica. Betty was great, but Veronica was the girl. And that whole "Sugar, Sugar" (singing) thing was great. I’m telling my age — I’m really only 28. My sister is older (laughs). I was listening to her 45s.

I don’t want to disappoint any comic book fans out there, but I’m a girl so I really wasn’t reading the super hero comic books much. But it’s done great things for my marriage. The husband loved the idea of me playing Superwoman. And my girlfriends said, "Well, that’s just kind of you every day, isn’t it?" So I’m happy.

QUESTION: So there was no super hero role playing games when you were a kid?

GT: I absolutely played Wonder Woman when I was a kid. I had the lasso, the whole bracelet thing, I even had my twirl down. I just knew that I was going to be taken back to Paradise Island, because that’s really where I belonged. I was this small little Amazon just waiting to express myself, waiting for my true mother to come and get me. (laughs)

QUESTION: Can you give us an idea of what Superwoman’s motivations are in this film?

GT: Let’s see. Superwoman is motivated by power and money and sex, and sex and money and power. Who can’t relate to that?

QUESTION: Good answer. Not that Superwoman is a role model, but do you feel like women have enough super hero representation these days?

GT: What do you mean Superwoman is not a role model? Isn’t she a role model? She rules the world (laughs). She’s Superwoman! (laughs). What I love about super heroes, and Superwoman in particular, is that in that comics world they’re all curvaceous. There aren’t really any skinny bitches in the world of comic books. They’ve got muscle. I like that. I appreciate that. They’re strong. And it’s important to have strong images of women out there, women who aren’t afraid of expressing themselves, women who aren’t afraid of taking chances, women who aren’t afraid of their own power. Unfortunately, being a woman in society means that sometimes you have to sort of quell what is instinctually broad and magnificent and magical about you. I think a lot of people feel that way. I don’t know if that’s necessarily relegated to being a woman, because we’re all so worried about fitting in and not sticking out. So what’s great about this whole genre is that it’s all about sticking out. It’s all about being magnificent to the highest power.

QUESTION: You’re a terribly nice person by everyone’s perception. What’s your trick for turning on the villainy in a performance?

GT: Oh, there is no trick to capturing villainy. (laughs) The rumor is that I’m a nice person. I love that rumor. Everybody has different sides to them. Everybody has that inner villain that you want to break out and express. It’s a good time going out there and letting her come out. Lock good Gina in the closet … and have evil Gina come out and play.

QUESTION: You’ve been in this universe before, most notably as Vixen for Justice League. Do you have an attraction to the medium or just when the situation presents itself?

GT: I love voiceover work. It’s wonderful, it’s expressive. It’s a way of using a part of my instrument that I’m comfortable and familiar with. The voice is such a vital part of crafting a character. I’m so pleased that I have the kind of voice that prints well and that people want to hear. I’ve had friends actually say, "You know, I was in the kitchen, and the television was on and I heard you." I love hearing that there’s something familiar about my sound, and that to some people it’s soothing.

QUESTION: The DC Universe animated original movies have been blessed with numerous members of the Joss Whedon alumni association — from Adam Baldwin and Nathan Fillion to David Boreanaz and James Marsters, to name just a few. Is there something about the Joss experience that lends itself to this universe?

GT: Joss has an attraction to a certain kind of actor. Obviously, we’re all so very different in our own way. But when he’s choosing a world, he really does inhabit it quite completely. I mean, it is an entire universe. It is a Whedonverse, which is why I believe he’s so successful when he creates these worlds that one can get lost in. All the inhabitants in it require, without sounding self-serving, a kind of intellectual whimsy. You have to understand where you are and be true to it and at the same time let it go and let it fly and enjoy it for what it is — for the maniacal, for the fantasy, for the tragedy of it. I think all of these actors have lent themselves to these kinds of projects because we’ve been in that place. And so we can come here and say, "Yeah let’s have fun. I know where we are and let’s just go and have a good time."

QUESTION: You’ve got significant sci-fi fantasy experience. Is that by choice or happenstance?

GT: I would say that I was dragged into the sci-fi genre. (laughs) I wouldn’t say kicking and screaming. I actually went willingly. But it wasn’t something that I sought out. I grew up in New York, born and raised, and cut my teeth in the theatre. I did a lot of off-Broadway, and some Broadway. Sci-fi was certainly not where I thought I’d be making my bread and butter for this period of time. It’s been a pleasant surprise, certainly. I find that it’s a niche that I’m comfortable with. What else are you going to do with a strong, almost six-foot girl? Give her a gun. Give her superpowers. (laughs) And you give her a hefty belt with things attached to it. Yeah!

QUESTION: Can you quantify the passion of the fanboys out there?

GT: That passion of the fanboy is immeasurable. And it is priceless. And it is necessary when you’re doing these things because you don’t quite realize while you’re doing the work that you’re in a bubble. And it’s not until you’re released into the world that you realize that you’re making an impact and that you’re making somebody’s day brighter and someone’s universe broader. It is great fun to be confronted with these guys and gals.

The new Justice League DVD deals with two worlds, and it took two directors to make it happen. “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” is an all new PG-13 movie from Warner and DC.

Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, the animation directors of the past three DC Universe films, have combined their talents to bring “Crisis on Two Earths” to the screen as a blockbuster tale of super heroes and super villains engaged in the ultimate battle of parallel worlds and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

The film will be released by Warner Home Video on February 23 as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and digital download.

QUESTION: How did you two go about co-directing Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: We kind of just went over the whole film together and it was really good to get two different points of view as a check and balance for each other. If we disagreed, we found compromises that would work. If one of us felt strongly about something, we just traded off — Sam would take a sequence he felt strongly about, then I’d take one I wanted. But for the most part, we agreed. We both work in such different ways, it was interesting to see how someone else works and learn from it.

SAM LIU: We went through the film front to back, and if we ran into a problem or an area where either of us had an issue, usually where we thought it could be stronger or could be playing better, we usually solved it right on the spot. If we got to a section that was requiring a lot more revisions, one of us would jump on it and the other would move the rest of the film forward until we hit another rough spot. So that was our process.

QUESTION: What have you learned from each other?

LM: Sam breaks things down a lot, he’s very analytical. I tend not to. He spends a lot of time thinking about the story and getting into all the nooks and crannies of it, and I like to work with the general story. He’ll read the whole book, I’ll read the back of the book. I try to get the emotional points down so people can understand them, but Sam will go even deeper to use shots and set-ups to drive the point home, sometimes metaphorically. He thinks harder than I do.

SL: Our processes are very different. I like getting into a script and breaking things down. Maybe I don’t have the best ideas, but I’m pretty good at recognizing where things are needed. I really liked the back and forth process (with Lauren), talking about ideas and batting it back and forth to find a good solution. Lauren is more instinctual, she works more from the gut. And I think she works off reaction rather than an intellectual breakdown. I’m the other way by process. But I do feel like sometimes I over-analyze things, when sometimes it’s almost like the emotional flow of the movie is good enough. Lauren gets that. Sometimes logic can be bypassed if the scene is engaging enough, or interesting enough. It’ll bridge gaps and you don’t need to analytically fix all those gaps.

QUESTION: What do you think you might have taught each other?

LM: I think Sam stresses out slightly less when I’m around. He stresses and I don’t. I think I calm him down a little bit. But when he’s alone, he stresses out just as much. Hopefully I helped with that.

SL: I don’t think I taught her anything (he laughs). She’s a free-flowing, shoot-from-the-hip kind of person, and I’m kind of an angster — I nitpick things. I like getting into the story, and from there some things do need working out — things related to the emotional journey of a character that need to be highlighted or punctuated to set something up for later. I’m a stickler for things like that. And I think she saw those things.

I do stress, though — and there are times when I’m freaking out about something and she puts me at total ease. And then there’s times when I’m freaking out and she’s fighting me on it, and it makes it worse. I think we’re both control freaks in our own way, it’s just a difference in approach. I fixate on a lot of things, and she thinks things are just good enough, so let’s move on. We have an innate concept about the overall picture, but she focuses more on the acting and poses and timing and movement, and I think more on structure. I guess there’s a good balance.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite scene in “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths?”

LM: There’s a fight between Wonder Woman and Olympia that I thought was really beautifully animated. That’s always fun to watch. It was boarded well, but the overseas animators took the drawings from the boards and really plussed it out. I think they just enjoy animating girl fights overseas because those scenes always come back looking good.

SL: More than one scene, I like the overall relatability of the Justice League characters. There was great character interaction. When I watch movies, I like something that has an emotional connection, and this film definitely does.

Specifically, I think the spectacle of these evenly matched supers fighting was really cool. Superman versus Ultraman. Flash fighting someone equally as fast. Strengths against strengths. Jay Oliva boarded the last fight sequence and the Superwoman-Wonder Woman fight is great. They’re both strong, super powerful women and I think it was brutal enough as is, but the way Jay made Wonder Woman use the lasso to slam Superwoman to the ground is pretty amazing.

The battle between Owlman and Batman is awesome, too, because it’s sort of this weird intellectual standoff. Owlman is so far into his psychosis as to how the universe operates, it’s very existential. His concept is crazy, but the way he reasons out the technology of how things work and the way he thinks, it gave us great room to improvise Batman’s reaction. And then when they actually fight, it’s brutal. They do these gadget fights, sort of a modern ninja battle. The sound effects on the planet, the colors, the way it’s animated, it all works really well. And James Woods’ voice is perfect — most of the Crime Syndicate is very thuggish, they’re all about stealing money. But Owlman has created the ultimate plan to annihilate everybody, and James Woods does this great build-up. It’s great acting. He plays Owlman as a little bit off and kind of creepy, but not sinister creepy. His cadence is great, and his voice is almost charming in a way. It was a good mix of all the things I thought we’d have a problem with if we went too far one way or the other. It’s a great, tight sequence and I’m very happy the way it all came together.

QUESTION: What were the challenges of directing this film?

LM: It was a challenge because we had a really large cast of characters — lots of main characters — and they all needed a decent amount of screen time. Both the good guys and the bad. We had to make sure the audience got to know each of those characters and make sure they had a presence in the film that was important, and that was a challenge.

SL: Definitely the size of the cast and how to give enough screen time to everyone. At one point, Green Lantern was a little light on having enough important things to do. We needed to add a bit for Lex Luthor, too, and I still don’t think we did enough. We added a fight to show that Lex can fight, too, and tried to beef him up a bit. But there just wasn’t enough screen time to accommodate everyone.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite character?

LM: Superwoman … just because she’s so wrong. She’s a bully, but she’s got the muscle to back it up. She’s everything you shouldn’t be, but is fun to work with.

QUESTION: What skills you learned or developed on past projects were you able to apply to this film?

LM: We had the same animation studio that did Wonder Woman, so we were able to draw from the work done on Wonder Woman and improve on that. Overall, the animation was good in Wonder Woman, but there was some poor stuff, too. I think they really improved — they saw what we responded to in Wonder Woman and they tried to do what they knew we liked, and it was good.

SL: I think, this whole process was better for me this time, especially working with Bruce (Timm) and Lauren. I was able to let go a little bit and not have to over-think things, and still know that things would work out. I generally stress over everything until the very last minute. With Lauren, I sort of learned that you can say "that’s enough" and move on to the next thing. I appreciate Lauren and her patience, and that we’re still friends. In the end, you take care of the important things and everything will work out.

The economy is at an all-time low, violence has led to martial law, and with the death toll rising the desperate American public turns to the one man who can save them, Lex Luthor. In a world where the bad-guy has control of the White House, what happens to the good-guys?

This Tuesday Warner Brothers Animation released “Superman Batman: Public Enemies” on DVD.

For those not familiar with the graphic novel created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, this is the story that pits the “world’s finest” against the full force of the United States government.

But animations like Justice League Unlimited have done similar stories, so what’s new?

Most noticeably, the visual feel is different from many other Warner Brothers comic book based cartoons. The animation, based on the art Ed McGuinness drew for the graphic novel, is charged with excitement.

The mainstays of the animation are the same, however. Kevin Conroy’s iconic voice breathes life into the caped crusader as it has from Batman the Animated Series, in 1992, all the way through Batman: Gotham Knight- the 2008 DVD animated companion to the films starring Christian Bale.

Two of the major voices from JLU are also back. Tim Daly reprises as Superman, and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor.

The story is a bit more politically charged than any previous animated features about the titanic team-up. First of all, Luthor is president. It begs the question; if things got really bad, how far would the American public be willing to go to make things right?

In this world we elect a man with the savvy to do whatever is necessary to keep the citizenry safe. When a country-sized asteroid comes hurtling from space the president’s resolve is tested.

And that asteroid is pure kryptonite.

In a live televised address, President Luthor calls for a meeting with Superman. When the man-of-steel meets the Commander In Chief, a new addition to the Secret Service lends a super-powered hand putting the hurt on the Last Son of Krypton. The confrontation quickly turns south for Superman, and the results lead to a perfect opportunity for a set-up. President Luthor issues a bounty for one billion dollars. Maybe he should put a pinky to his lip? But instead he unleashes all kinds of super-powered heavyweights, to slug it out with the man of tomorrow and the dark knight, who stands by his buddy through thick and thin.

The pair find themselves in deep trouble when Mongul and Solomon Grundy show up in the first wave of stringers looking to cash in on the bounty. Shit hits the fan when the bounty hunters are finished and the President plays his ace card, some top-tier members of The Justice League. These are probably best left a surprise, but suffice it to say there are two heroes whose name begin with “Captain” who slug it out with the big “S.”

The battles can be summed up in one word, for anyone who is into superhero cartoons, nerdgasm.

One key difference from the comic book is noticeable. The climax. In Loeb and McGuinness’s version Batman and Superman confront Lex in the Oval Office. Batman tells Superman that they can “make it look like an accident.” Direct threats on the chief executives life, in the land’s highest office, might not be politically prudent right now. The cartoon opts for a more discreet location and no consideration by the teamed-up superheroes to kill the president, but it does leave room for a question. If a sitting president ever took truth and justice too far, would the world have any way to check the might of the only real super-power?

Back in the Good Old Days, pretending to be a super hero required going to the store to buy costumes, training hard with your local Kung-Fu sensei and, of course, walking to the Justice League headquarters (AKA your friend’s DC-decorated basement) barefoot in the snow uphill both ways.

Soon all you’ll need is a PS3 or PC and a copy of DC Universe Online.

Yes, the age of sewing your own costumes and jumping off tall structures is over now that Sony Online Entertainment will be their new super hero MMORPG based in the DC comic book universe.‚  I was lucky enough to sit with Wes Yanagi, Senior Producer at SOE, as he showed me all the cool features in the upcoming game.

Yanagi chose to describe DC Universe Online in an interesting way.‚  He decided to call it an “Action MMO” making it clear that this game was unique when compared to the numerous Massively Multiplayer Online games available today.‚  What makes DC Universe Online an Action MMO is that none of the combat sequences need to be scripted and waited on.‚  Instead of planning out attack sequences, players can improvise with the control their super hero by rattling off seamless punching, kicking or power attack combos instantaneously.

The features in the RPG portion of the game are exciting as well.‚  Upon creating a character (using the character creator as described a few paragraphs below), players will be able to decide if they would like to become a villain or hero in the DC Universe.‚  This choice will determine how characters will approach quests and which famous super hero NPCs (Batman, Bizarro and Wonder Woman, just to name a few) they will interact with.‚  As characters level up, players will be able to “build their own legacy” as they game namesake within the super hero/villain communities.‚  Eventually, players get their characters invited to join the Justice League or Legion of Doom, depend on which moral route they take.‚  Also, with the in-game stories and quests being written by some of DC’s most famous writers, the RPG aspect of DC Universe Online is an exciting prospect for even the most casual of comic book fans.

No DC Universe-based game would be complete without the ability to visit some famous landmarks.‚  The folks with Sony Online Entertainment recognized this need and developed their upcoming game accordingly.‚  Players will be able to take their characters to such places as Metropolis, Gotham City, Justice League and Legion of Doom headquarters, STAR Labs and many others.‚  Though I wasn’t able to get a look at places like Gotham or Metropolis (the concept art of these places is available in our gallery below), I was able to look at some in-game action inside STAR Labs and the Justice League HQ.‚  The environments seemed authentic, clean and rendered well, which is no surprise given that many of the game’s locations were created and designed by legendary comic book artist Jim Lee.‚  I especially enjoyed the intricate and brightly colored designs in STAR labs.‚  I can’t wait to see more in-game renders as they are unveiled.

Sony also stepped up and created a legitimate character creator for DC Universe Online.‚  The creator is based on three basic concepts of customization: the super power of the character, the power source of that super power and the movement style of the character.‚  The super powers include options such as fire, ice or mental abilities while the power sources can be anything from a simple ring on your character’s finger to something as complex as your character’s eyes.‚  Finally, the movement style of your character can be walking, flying or possibly something in-between.‚  The character creator also allows players to completely customize their character’s costume, color scheme and accessories, making it nearly impossible to find someone else who has the exact same super hero as yourself.

Once a color scheme and costume is established, all items that are picked up and equipped on a player (such as a helmet or body armor) will automatically adjust to your character’s design.‚  For instance, say you find a green item but your scheme is red.‚  DC Universe Online’s developers have found a way to change the item’s color to match your scheme when it is equipped.‚  Also, lets say you’ve found a helmet that looks good on your character, but you’ve also acquired a less-fashionable helmet that has better stats.‚  Instead of having to choose between the two, players can now just take the statistically better helmet and make it look exactly the same as the better looking one.‚  These two features allow players to avoid that multicolored “hobo” look that many gamers encounter in MMORPGs.

There’s very little to not like about how DC Universe Online is coming together.‚  It’s a game that is clearly staying true to its roots and addressing many issues that MMO fans have grown to hate.‚  Unless there is some fatal flaw in the gameplay or gaming engine, there wont be much that could hold DC Universe Online back from becoming a very popular and entertaining RPG when it drops sometime late 2009 / early 2010.

SAN DIEGO — Electronic Arts Inc.’s DICE studio announced Thursday that it would team with DC Comics to create a limited run comic book adaptation of their upcoming Mirror’s Edge action adventure game.

“The characters have really come alive in the game, and we are pleased that we will be able to add to the canon of the Mirror’s Edge universe with this project,” said Hank Kanalz, vice president/general manager for WildStorm, the DC division that’s making the comic.

Mirror’s Edge is a gutsy first person game involving a heroine messenger in a world where information is tightly controlled by the government.

Blast is liveblogging the Sony E3 press conference, so don’t go anywhere!

The Sony setup at the Shrine Auditorium is very impressive. They have more than 60 big widescreen displays set up. They decided to run their operation from a few miles away from the conference center.

12:00: Resistance 2 looks very good. They showed a trailer and demoed gameplay. The trailer was all from actual gameplay — very good detail and a hell of a story.

12:04: Madden, Tiger Woods, bunch of other games still being made for PS2.

12:08: Sony seemed to have accepting that PS2 and PS3 both exist. They’re adopting a “we have three successful platforms” model.

Buzz quiz game coming to PSP and PS3. Singstar has sold 15 million units, plus 1.9 million songs download.

Nine years into the PlayStation 2 lifecycle, they’re unveiling a new Lego Batman bundle for $149, including the game and a Justice League animated DVD.

12:10: A new Ratchet & Clank game is coming to the PlayStation network. Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty will be available this summer for $14.99

12:20: Sony is pushing Gran Turismo TV, coming to the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue game on the PlayStation Network August 1 — promosing to bring full HD automotive and racing events and programming from all over the world. Not sure how successful this will be.

12:22: Sony, like Microsoft, like Nintendo, like EA, is pushing the social component of games — playing multiplayer, getting new gaming trophies and showing off your high scores. PlayStation Home, in a wicked short video, is Sony’s entrance into the age of the “video game console avatar.”

12:23: Rental and electronic download of movies and shows from Lionsgate, Fox, Sony Pictures, MGM, Paramount, Funimation, etc. The line between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is blurring. One advantage: Sony owners can port their downloaded content from PS3 to PSP and take it with you.

This video service will start TODAY.

12:30: Time to talk about PSP.

Thirteen million units sold in North America. New entertainment packs coming, Madden and family-friendly Ratchet & Clank with a silver PSP and National Treasure 2 on UMD for $199.

12:35: New PSP title coming, Resistance: Retribution, takes the alien battle to Europe.

Also, look for Patapon 2 and Midnight Club Remix

12:40: Finally talking about PS3.

“Life with PlayStation” will be a news, live webcam, and weather channel available at the end of July. This is pretty cool.

12:41: Sony Online Entertainment is involved in the fold now — Jim lee, executive creative director of the upcoming DC Universe Online is talking about the game, showing a brand new trailer abut the game.

12:50: M.A.G. — The Massive Action Game will pit up to 256 players against each other at once online in eight man squads led by a player who has proved himself as a good leader. Even Sony admits this will push PS3 to its limits.

A slight whimper was heard the world over when Microsoft officially canned the highly anticipated Marvel Comics MMORPG. Luckily, fan boys the world over will still have a chance to realize their spandex clad dreams – just in another universe entirely.

This week, Sony Online Entertainment released details on its upcoming DC Universe Online in the newest issue of Edge magazine. While the PS3 and PC game was officially announced earlier this year, little was known about it besides the fact that it would be the first online title to be set in the fabled universe home to Batman and Superman, even though players will not be able to directly control the legendary heroes.

Much like long running action title City of Heroes; gamers will create their own hero or villain from scratch, setting everything from your character’s look to his superpowers. Much like any other RPG, players will level up as they progress through the game but unique to DC Online – leveling up will give players access to new moves and abilities based on their original choices. Choosing flight as your ability will give you immediate access to the skies, but only through leveling up will you be able to pull off unique acrobatic maneuvers mid-air.

Although you won’t get to actually control any of the DC heroes or villains, they will show up – and play a major role in the game’s events. Wannabe heroes could end up teaming up alongside one World’s Finest, while a villain looking to make a name for himself may be able to force a showdown with big blue by causing enough carnage.

With an ever expanding and changing universe, DC Comics is well aware of the marketing potential it has on its hands. “We can tie-in future DC tent-pole events and translate the stories for the gaming world, and have them occur simultaneously,” said executive creative director Jim Lee. “The possibilities are numerous and very exciting.”

While no release date has been set for the superhero sim, it’s widely believed that gamers will have take to Metropolis, Star City and Gotham sometime in 2009. DC Universe Online is expected to be on display at this year’s E3.

It sounds like a late April Fool’s joke, but later this year gamers will be able to pit Sub-Zero against Batman, Rayden against Superman and even Martian Manhunter against Aquaman.

Yes, its official, the much teased, and rumored eighth Mortal Kombat game will feature the superheroes from the DC Comics universe.

Midway officially announced MK VS DC at it’s Gamer’s Day press event, with new art and the first official in game movie. While only Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Batman were the only characters officially announced, it’s largely expected that many of the major (along with a few obscure) characters from each universe will be playable.

While crowds at the press event reacted to the video with cheers and excitement, the reaction on the internet has been less enthusiastic.

“Mortal Kombat is something I have taken with me from my childhood since I grew playing (Mortal Combat 1) at the arcade. I didn’t enjoy deadly alliance or the following games and was hoping this could be MK’s rebirth, since Boon was talking about it being very dark and gritty,” said one fan on the game’s official message board.

“Well, goodbye Mortal Kombat. At least the trailer made me laugh. Batman flying through the air in his tights fighting Sub-Zero? Yeah, that’s the rebirth the series needed. Congrats, my MK faith is officially gone!” said another.

“Every console generation we like to wipe the slate clean with Mortal Kombat,” said Ed Boon, one of the creators of the game series. “With this generation we’re starting new with both the new fighting engine, and as you can see, the story mode. We’re very excited about the new fighting mechanic that marries the intense brutality of Mortal Kombat with the signature moves from DC characters like Batman and Superman.”

Perhaps what is getting gamers more angry than anything else is the fact that DC Comics management will not allow the game to include fatalities — the gory and over the top finishing moves that made the Mortal Kombat series famous. I guess there’s something about seeing Batman ripped limb from limb, or the Green Lantern with his skull ripped off the doesn’t sit well with their plans.