Friday at WonderCon 2012, Warner Bros debuted their newest DC Animated Universe Original Movie: Superman vs The Elite. Based on the 2001 Action Comics story “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?”, this new project pits the Man of Steel against a team of heroes that doesn’t maintain the same righteous moral convictions as his own. This new team poses the question: does a post 9/11 world really need Superman? Or do we need heroes ready to take more immediate action against the threats that plague this new world?

Superman vs The Elite features the voice talents of George Newbern (Justice League) who returns to animation as the Man of Steel, Pauley Perrette (NCIS) as Lois Lane, and Robin Atkin Downes (Batman: Year One) as Manchester Black. Newbern steps back into the role of Superman with ease, bringing the needed strength and conviction that this specific story demanded. Perrette’s Lois Lane is a different take on our favorite reporter, giving us a very spunky, yet level-headed characterization. Downes uses his extraordinary vocal talents to make Manchester Black a force to be reckoned with.

This is a story of anti-heroes (that are relatively unknown to the general public) and it required the creative team to not only make viewers understand their back story, but have the audience genuinely care about their success or failure. While viewers (and comic readers) would typically side with Superman, there are moments when the characters (and the audience) must actually debate the moral implications of sticking with a justice system that might be outdated in a world where terrorists will do unspeakable acts of violence. In a world where social media runs rampant, and information can be distributed in the blink of an eye, it is easy for public opinion to trend towards the quick and easy solution. What it really boils down to: would YOU want your heroes to kill?

This new DC Animated Universe release continues the trend of mixing up animation styles, moving away from the typical “Bruce Timm” designs. The visuals for this story are heavily influenced by the comic’s art, but with more of a minimalist approach to make the animation possible. The only odd choice was giving Superman a giant (and disproportionate) chin, making him look more like Stan Smith from American Dad. This look was odd because it wasn’t a choice based on the original comic design. While it’s not a deal breaker, it makes it hard not to think of a Seth MacFarlane cartoon every time Superman speaks.

So where does this Superman story rank in terms of past DC Animated Universe projects? Superman vs The Elite definitely fits in right between Batman: Under The Red Hood and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. It seems that whenever a specific comic book story is directly adapted, the overall quality of the film is much stronger and overly consistent. As much as I enjoyed Justice League: Doom (which was influenced by the JLA story “Tower of Babel” and with a screenplay by Dwayne McDuffie), the full adaptations with input from the original comic book writers seem to bring out the best responses from fans and newcomers alike.

WonderCon fans were also treated to a sneak preview of the much anticipated animated epic: The Dark Knight Returns. This classic Batman tale will be released as a two-part release over the next six months, and based on what was shown at this convention, it is clear that viewers will definitely be in for an animated PG-13 spectacle.

ComicsOnline gives Superman vs The Elite 4.5 sexy anti-villains out of 5.

Superman vs The Elite hits home on June 12th.

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline.com for more WonderCon 2012 coverage and for everything geek pop culture!