Mergers Collide in Justice League x RWBY

The acquisition of Rooster Teeth by Warner Brothers Discovery is showing some of its first efforts both in comics and comics-related animation. Over on the publishing side of the house, we are getting a miniseries that teams up the Justice League with the team from RWBY, as the girls chase their monsters over into our world. But on the animation side, it appears to be the opposite -- but with a surprise twist.

Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen is the first part of an adventure that finds different members of the Justice League waking up in different regions of Remnant. Their memories are muddled, and they've become transformed not into just teenagers but, in some cases, into faunus -- half-human, half animal. Superman (Chandler Riggs) is the first to awaken, right in the middle of a fight between Ruby (Lindsay Jones) and Blake (Arryn Zech) and some nasty Grimm who are not playing by the usual rules of engagement. In an attempt to help, he discovers his powers have been greatly diminished.

The same holds true for Wonder Woman (Natalie Alyn Lind) who allows herself to be captured and brought to Yang (Barbara Dunkelman), and to Batman (Nat Wolff) who infiltrates a party for the rich and powerful to enlist the help of Weiss (Kara Eberly). The rest of the Justice League -- Vixen (Ozioma Akagha), Flash (David Errigo Jr.), Cyborg (Tru Valentino) and Green Lantern (Jeannie Tirado) -- find themselves students at the academy where they are being retaught how to access their "semblance" -- what we would otherwise call a superpower.

Oh, and Batman has bat wings now. And other bat powers. That may sound weird, but it's a unique plot point. Batman has never needed powers before, and he finds that having them may be a difficult thing to give up.

The mystery at hand is how and why the Justice League ended up in Remnant. But as the story progresses, we find out that there's a much bigger mystery at play, one that will impact our RWBY heroines beyond them just meeting our DC heroes. The revelations will be something that carries the plot forward into the second part of this adventure, yet to be released.

The animation here is well done, following in the same thick-lined style reminiscent of Archer that we saw in Superman: Man of Tomorrow. The plot drags on quite a bit, as the majority of what we see is one fight after another against Grimm creatures that exhibit abilities beyond the normal -- including absorbing dust (if you know, you know). We do get some nice character studies, however, with Batman experiencing super powers and Green Lantern working through her anxieties. The writers pair League members with RWBY world members in a way that allows them to learn from each other, with perhaps the most important being Superman and Ruby learning something about leadership from each other.

The film is probably more enjoyable if you are already familiar with RWBY, but the story is presented in such a way that you don't get lost in the lore.