YOUNG JUSTICE: SEASON 1, VOLUME 2...Special guest review by LEON

It’s annoying when seasons of cartoon series are doled out in truncated volumes rather than all 13- 22 episodes in one box because you know that’s how it’ll be released eventually anyway, and more than likely you’ll buy that one instead…or as well. It’s especially irritating when it’s a new series like "Young Justice" - the best DCU animated series since "Justice League Unlimited" that has fans excitedly waiting for new episodes - and they stingily only give you only FOUR episodes per disc. This Volume Two of Season one consists of “Schooled”, “Infiltrator”, “Denial” and “Downtime”. With such simple titles it’s surprising how much happens in these four little shows: Green Arrow’s new protégée Artemis joins the group; a conspiracy with the League of Shadows is revealed; guest appearances from Superman, Black Canary and Dr. Fate; and Aqualad returns to his home city of Atlantis to an uncomfortable reunion with his best friend Garth, whom we comic book fans know as the original Aqualad. "Young Justice" is great at giving each character distinct personalities and every episode feels like it’s working toward a yet-to-be-stated goal. It makes these mere four shows included here all the more of a tease. And if you’re thinking you might buy this just in case there’s maybe there’s some preview of upcoming episodes (because they are taking sooooo long to air), let me stop you right there. THERE ARE NO EXTRA FEATURES!

--CLICK HERE TO BUY Young Justice: Season One V. 2

LUTHER 2 (DVD)

Different strokes, I guess, because the British press didn't really take to this BBC 6-episode cop show, "Luther", starring Idris Elba as the genius-intellect detective whose own inner darkness at points mirrored that of the murderers he hunted down. Once it finally made its way to DVD in America though, we new(ish) worlders ate it up. I know I did, loving Elba's haunted, morally conflicted, rationalist cop, especially when he was juxtaposed with Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), a murderous match for his intimidating intellect. Alice became the 'one that got away', as Luther never could manage to pin the murders on her (of her own parents) that they both knew she committed. As the series went on, it became a sort of Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling relationship between the two, Alice even helping a reluctant Luther catch other killers because of the peculiarities of her obsession with him. Season one ended on a cliffhanger, but season two (which wasn't even going to happen until it was clear that the across-the-ponders were digging it) practically ignores the events and the impact from season one. Only Alice seems to have returned, and only briefly at that, which was certainly the biggest disappointment of the short, four episode, second season. Luther's inner turmoil isn't a major player this season either, as side plots about his life, relationships, and his regular (and often quite heinous) breaking of the rules, take a back seat for the actual cases he's investigating. Lucky then that the cases in question are bizarre, with violence from the hands of the sort of villains you'd expect to pop up in Gotham. The less said about them the better, as half the thrill in season 2 is watching the details about its serial killers unfold. Somehow the show seemed lessened to me by deviating from the intimate examination of Luther's belief systems and moral code, but he sets some stuff in motion this time around that almost certainly is going to have major repercussions on him in Season 3 (announced). Can't happen soon enough for me. Bring on more "Luther", please.

--CLICK HERE TO BUY Luther: Season 2