From the moment it was announced, fans knew that Justice League: Gods and Monsters would be different. Taking place in an alternate version of the DC Universe that fans grew up with, everything is turned on its head: Superman is the son of General Zod, Wonder Woman is the wife of Orion and Batman is a vampire. Not only that, but they're basically the villains, with the governments of the world questioning whether or not the Justice League is worth toleration.

As part of a massive deal with Machinia, DC Entertainment is releasing a series of prequel episodes titled Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles. While it's easy to assume that the full-length film will focus on the global side of the story, the Chronicles episodes are meant to be more intimate looks at these new versions of classic characters.

The first episode, released earlier today, focuses on Batman and Harley Quinn...and, while fans are used to seeing Quinn do some truly terrible things, this new version of Batman definitely isn't what fans are used to.

First off, it's a surprisingly dark short...in fact, at times, Chronicles tries far too hard to be edgy. Harley Quinn's costume is an easy example, and a far cry from the elegant simplicity of her first outfit. There's also quite a bit of blood and gore, and at times, it can feel out of place - there's a scene later on in the short that almost feels like it's slapstick comedy with corpses.

That being said, the short is far from bad: the writing, animation and artwork are classic DC Entertainment, and having the famous Bruce Timm aboard certainly doesn't hurt. It's a short episode, to be sure, but its storytelling is concise enough to work as a brief introduction to this new DC Universe.

All in all, Chronicles is off to a decent start: while the character designs and violence might not be for everyone, if effectively establishes a DC Universe that's basically the opposite of what fans are used to. With any luck, the remaining Chronicles episodes will be just as effective.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters is set for a July 28 release, with episodes of Gods and Monsters Chronicles releasing weekly until then.