The Jurassic League is a DC Comics six-issues miniseries co-written by Daniel Warren Johnson (Wonder Woman: Dead Earth) and Juan Gedon, the latter also doing interior art while the former provides the covers.
You know the story: an infant escapes the destruction of its home planet and is deposited on Earth to be raised by human parents. A goddess from a lost city defends truth. An Allosaurus dons the visage of a bat to strike fear into evildoers’ hearts. Wait...what? Okay, maybe you don’t know the story.
The elevator pitch of the series being reimagining of the heroes and villains of the DC Universe as Dinosaur-themed Animal Superheroes. In this prehistoric world, a heroic trinity of Supersaur, Wonderdon, and Batwalker, alongside a league of other super-powered prehistoric animals, join forces to save a prehistoric Earth from the sinister machinations of Darkseid.
An animated film adaptation
is reportedly in the works, with Brian Lynch (Minions) writing and DC Films head James Gunn producing.
This series provides examples of:
- Animal Stereotypes: Beyond just Rule of Cool, the team wanted each dinosaur and character's personality to match up;
- Superman is a Supersaurus due to Sauropods being seen as Gentle Giants.
- Wonder Woman is a Triceratops as they're herbivores but also capable of taking down large carnivores.
- Batman is an Allosaurus due being seen as more of a Lightning Bruiser in comparison to other Theropods like Tyrannosaurus Rex. And the horns on the brow of an Allosaurus resembling Batman's cowl's ears.
- Aquaman is a Baryonyx, a dinosaur that lived on land but hunted in the water, similar to Aquaman's half-Atlantean/half human heritage.
- The Flash is a Jurassic Park-style Velociraptor, a dinosaur associated with speed.
- Animal Superheroes: The main premise of the series, every character who appears are reimagined as Dinosaurs or other prehistoric animals.
- Superman is a Supersaurus.
- Wonder Woman, the Amazons, and Ares are all Triceratops.
- Batman is an Allosaurus.
- Joker is a Dilophosaurus.
- Aquaman is a Baryonyx.
- Green Lantern is a Parasaurolophus.
- Giganta is, likely, a Giganotosaurus.
- Bizarro is a Brontosaurus
- Black Manta isn't a dinosaur, but an anthropomorphic manta ray.
- Atrocitus is a Carnotaurus.
- Reverse-Flash is some kind of prehistoric turtle.
- The Flash is a Velociraptor
- Darkseid is an Ankylosaurus.
- Artistic License – Paleontology: Unsurprisingly, given the premise that the series is about as scientifically accurate as The Flintstones.
- Bad Boss: Darkseid, unsurprisingly. He devours his own minions to regain his strength.
- Breath Weapon: Jokerzard can spit his own equivalent of Joker Venom, which almost kills Bat Walker.
- Carnivore Confusion:
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Word of God is that Bat-Walker, an Allosaurus, is a vegetarian. - Flashraptor, a Velociraptor, is introduced eating grapes with Green Torch.
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- Composite Character: Reverse-Slash, appearance-wise is a combination of Reverse-Flash and of The Turtle, due to being a super-fast armored dinosaur that resembles a tortoise.
- Dead Guy on Display: The Amazons keep the remains of a dead Triceratops!Ares and his armor on display in their armory.
- Four-Fingered Hands: Atrocitaurus only has four fingers, which is fitting since Carnotaurus did have four small fingers on each hand. Giganta also has four fingers.
- Furry Confusion: Non-anthropomorphic Dinosaurs can be seen throughout the comic.
- Gentle Giant Sauropod: Supersaur's characterization. He's shown being rather friendly with the children of Metraaaaghpolis. Averted with Brontozarro, who is very much unfriendly and brutish.
- Hollywood Prehistory: Very much homages this type of setting with the early humans and dinosaurs living together, and woolly mammoths can also be seen in the background of some panels.
- Herbivores Are Friendly: Played straight for the most part. Supersaur and Wonderdon are herbivores but Bat-Walker is a carnivore (Word of God is that he's vegetarian though).
- Interspecies Adoption:
- True to form, a version of Batman finds himself adopting an orphan, in this case Bat-Walker adopts a human child after dealing with Jokerzard, who had killed the boy's family.
- Supersaur is adopted by and part of a community of proto-humans.
- Interspecies Friendship: Just like their human counterparts, Green Torch and Flashraptor are best friends despite one being a predator and the other prey.
- Portmanteau: Most of the names of the character are portmanteaus; ex. Supersaur, Wonderdon, Brontozarro etc.
- Language Barrier: Dinosaurs do not speak human language and vice-versa, which makes communication difficult between Bat-Walker and the human orphan. Luckily Supersaur can speak both languages and serve as an interpreter.
- Mythology Gag:
- This isn't the first Joker to kill a Batman's parents.
- Thunder-Beak, Wonderdon's pet Pterosaur, is able to turn invisible.
- Predators Are Mean: Played straight and averted depending on the character. So far all the villains, save for Bizarro, are carnivores but on the other hand Bat-Walker and Flashraptor are predators.
- Savage Spinosaurs: Aquanyx, a Baryonyx, is still a hero but is characterized as more ruthless in comparison to the other dino-heroes.
- Saying Too Much: Giganta fatally injures Brontozarro for revealing the existence of Dark Embryo to the heroes.
- Shout-Out: May be also a case of Artistic License – Paleontology but Joker being a Dilophosaurus who is able to spit acidic venom is one to the portrayal of the animal from Jurassic Park.
- Spikes of Villainy: Both Atrocitaurus and Reverse-Slash are covered in spikes and are villains at the service of Dark Embryo.
- Temper-Ceratops: The reasoning for imagining Wonder Woman as a Trike. A largely peaceful herbivore but also capable of taking down larger carnivores if provoked or angered.
- Tough Armored Dinosaur: Darkseid is an Ankylosaur.
- Unusual Animal Alliance: The titular Jurassic League. Composed of a Supersaurus, a Triceratops, an Allosaurus, a Velociraptor, a Baryonyx, and a Parasaurolophus.
- Vegetarian Carnivore: Word of God says Bat-Walker, despite being an Allosaurus, is a vegetarian.
- You Killed My Father: Jokerzard killed Bat-Walker's parents when he was only a chick.
