Composer Kevin Manthei has done music for video games featuring Nancy Drew and Spider-Man, Nickelodeon's late, lamented whack-job cartoon Invader Zim and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Manthei had his work cut out for him with such an array of dynamic characters, who could be on screen at any time in any one of a huge number of combinations as well as solo. "The biggest challenge of the score was keeping a cohesive feel while still addressing all the different characters and thematic elements," Manthei says. "I chose to write major themes for the Centre, the Flash, Hal (Jordan), Green Lantern & J'onn 'Martian Manhunter' J'onzz while letting the other superhero characters be supported by scene-specific underscore." Overall he's done quite a good job. Let's check out some highlights.

Bernard Herrmann unmasked

Manthei wanted to produce a score that was rooted in the movie's era. To help him do that he turned to one of his influences, Bernard Herrmann, for some inspiration. Herrmann's spirit does inform the proceedings to some extent. The CD's first cue, "Main Titles," successfully evokes a Herrmann feel. The third cut, "Hal Shot Down," has some nice bluesy riffs; its moodiness fits nicely with the somber nature of the subject matter. Cue 4 fits the scene in which J'onn J'onzz arrives on Earth and transmogrifies himself into a human being.

The first real action cue, though, is number 5, a thrilling piece of music titled "The Flash Saves Las Vegas," which ramps up the tension. Cue 6 is another investigation of the Martian Manhunter's theme, with a muted trumpet lending a '50s "noir" jazz vibe to the music. There's some nice work here on the double bass as well. A very short cue, "Hal and Carole Banter," number 7, is straight out of a Doris Day movie—lightweight, cute, very appealing.

After a couple of satisfying orchestral crescendos, Cue 16, "Island Revealed," suddenly opens out into quiet little section of strings and flute. Then, after a brief reprise of Superman's theme and some nice piano figures, it shifts into a percussive movement. This is probably the most complex cue on the album, and it really requires repeated listening to grasp its scope and nuance. It was around this time that I started to gain new respect for Manthei's work here.

"Plan to Action," Cue 17, opens with a piano figure on the lower keys, accompanied by bongos and some trumpet. It moves forward in a quasi-march as the trumpets spread out over the whole thing. Cue 18, "Thick of Battle," is tied up in a restatement of the main theme done in a minor key, though it's primarily an action cue. Then we've got a couple of rousing fanfare-type cues to wrap things up, and we're done. Nice one!