SDCC 10: DC Shorts Showcase - IGN (original) (raw)

The DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection panel at Comic-Con today focused on the direct-to-DVD line of exciting short (duh) animations featuring second-string characters from the venerable universe that Superman built. Jonah Hex, Green Arrow, The Spectre and Shazam have all received the treatment -- or are about to.
The panel featured the world premiere of "Jonah Hex" as well as a clip from "Green Arrow" and news on the upcoming compilation Blu-ray/DVD that will feature all the shorts -- including exclusively the 22-minute "Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam." The disc will be available on November 9.

Present for the panel were Jonah Hex voice actor Thomas Jane, executive producer Bruce Timm, "Jonah Hex" writer Joe Lansdale, "Green Arrow" writer Greg Weisman, DC animation guru Alan Burnett, and for a brief appearance, Jerry O'Connell, the voice of Captain Marvel.

"The Spectre" is already available on Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, "Green Arrow" will be out in September on Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and "Jonah Hex" is on the new Batman: Under the Red Hood release (read our full review here). "Hex" was screened in its entirety for the crowd who attended the panel (after some minor technical difficulties), including a guy dressed as Green Arrow, but alas nobody dressed as Jonah Hex.

As the short begins, we see a no-good, dog-shooting bad guy called Red riding into an Old West town. Immediately, the nature of the film feels more adult than most animations of this genre, as the drunken Red ties up his horse and walks into the town saloon to declare that he'll whip any man willing to face him, or "ride any filly" in the place who dares. The comely madam of the saloon (voiced by Linda Hamilton) approaches him and challenges the villain to partake of her services. He does, and it proves to be his undoing as she shoots him dead when he's at his most vulnerable. She's takes his money and disposes of the body.

Next we meet Hex, who as he arrives in town is challenged by a young gunfighter with a chip on his shoulder. Hex responds by bitch-slapping the kid and then enters the saloon, in search of Red (who had a bounty on his head, we learn). Soon Hex -- full set of teeth exposed from the side of his mouth aside from a string of skin hanging over them -- realizes the madam's methods and decides to beat her at her own game…

Telling any more would be spoiling this cool little short, but suffice to say that this is the Hex that we didn't get in the live-action movie. And Jane, who once campaigned for that ill-fated film, knows it. "I was dying to play this guy in the film, and God smiled and made sure I didn't," he deadpanned. Another upshot -- as a result of his very public interest in the part, DC had him in mind when they decided to make the animated short.

"As scarred up as Jonah's become, he's a real person to me," the actor added. "I like stories where we've been dropped off on this planet without a magic sword or a magic potion. There're no lightning bolts coming out of our palms. We can't fly. I like stories about guys … who survive through our guts and our brains. Personally, Superman is great for some people. But he's from another planet. We're from Earth."

Lansdale said he was very happy with the finished film, though he did complain that there were two times in it that characters got off of their horses on the wrong side. (There's a right side?)

Neal McDonough, who will voice Green Arrow in that famed archer's short, called in to the panel to express his enthusiasm for the character. A clip from that film was also unveiled, featuring GA rescuing a young princess and not just shooting his typical exploding arrows and arrows that have cables connected to them and so on, but also actual pointy arrows -- like the kind that impale you.

Regarding "Shazam," it will be about 12 minutes longer than the other shorts. In addition to O'Connell, George Newbern will be back as the voice of Superman, The Mummy's Arnold Vosloo will play Black Adam, and James Garner will provide the voice of Shazam.

And as for future shorts beyond "Shazam," the team hinted that they might give a villain his own shot at the big time soon…

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