Full disclosure: I’ve been a comic book fan pretty much since the moment I started reading. I’ve also been a fan of TV and movies since the moment my eyes started seeing stuff in color. So the new DC Universe streaming service, which mixes the publisher’s graphic offerings with animated and live action shows and movies based on its library of characters seems like it would be tailor made for me.

And the good news is, I can confidently say after playing around with both the desktop and mobile versions of the service (currently in Beta): yes, the service is exactly what a hardcore DC fan is looking for… Which is both the platform’s strength, and its current weakness.

First, the basics. DC Universe will launch on September 15 with a library of movies, including all four Christopher Reeve Superman flicks, and a bevy of animated offerings. Those range from theatrical releases like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, to the surprisingly strong direct to video films DC has been releasing for the past few years. On the TV side of things, initially DC Universe will focus on older content, including the original 1990 Flash series starring John Wesley Shipp, the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series, and again a ton of animated series. That includes the much loved Teen Titans series (not the GO! version that recently went to the movies, but a slightly more teen take), and semi-forgotten series like an animated Green Lantern. But it also includes the complete runs of Batman: The Animated Series and the companion Superman animated series, arguably (along with Justice League Unlimited, which doesn’t appear on the service) some of the best animated series ever created.

There are also some weird gems you can sift through, including the notorious Legends of the Superheroes, a two-part special involving the cast of the Adam West Batman series that essentially functions as an extended roast. And some documentaries, as well, including looks at the psychology of Batman and science of Superman.

The key function for comic book fans, though, is the integration of classic series that tee up their big (and small) screen counterparts. The curated collection ties into what you see on screen. So, for example, if you want to find out more about Wonder Woman? Good news, DC’s “Wonder Woman #1” is online for you to read, free with your subscription to DC Universe. The offerings are relatively finite on some titles, and will rotate as the streaming collection sifts through content, as well. But there are full runs of some lesser known comics, meaning this is a great place for comic book fans to catch up on books they may have previously missed.

That said, the integration between the two sides of the service is… Limited. It’s not as simple as clicking from the premiere of Constantine to the first issue of “Hellblazer,” the book the series is based on. Instead, you have to click over to “comic books” and then search that page — or use the ubiquitous search function on the site.

Far more powerful is the Encyclopedia feature, which breaks down the DC universe (lower-case) by character. Click on to Batman, for example, and you get a robust Wikipedia style entry about the character (did you know his parents died???), as well as easy to browse links to both the comics and movie/TV offerings. Unfortunately, this is buried in a sub-menu, meaning it won’t be top of mind when fans visit the site. And it does need a good deal more fleshing out… Once you move on from the main characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, there’s not a great deal of related content, even if the characters do appear in a given episode or movie.

In fact, this points to DC Universe’s biggest weakness: its current lack of content.

Mind you, there’s more than enough to keep you busy for weeks on end, and for fans the $7.99/month charge ($74.99 for a yearly subscription) seems well worth it. But there are some serious holes in the library right now. For the film buff, the Superman films are, of course, a must watch. But where are the Nolan Batman films, or the recent Snyder-verse (a.k.a. the DCEU) movies? The animated tie-in to Snyder’s Watchmen appears, but the live-action version is nowhere to be found.

Similarly on the TV end, other than Legends of the Superheroes, there’s no Adam West Batman. And on a more modern bent, none of DC’s many, many current TV shows are available. That means the CW’s Arrow-verse (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), but also Gotham, Lucifer, iZombie and Krypton. Most, if not all of these, are most likely tied up with contracts for other streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) — but if you’re not intimately familiar with what is available where, it might seem like an oversight.

A bigger hole in the catalog, though, is content for kids. Sure, there’s legacy content like Super Friends and the more modern Batman: Brave and the Bold. But there’s also no Teen Titans GO! on the service other than the DC Nation shorts that inspired the show (it’s currently running on Cartoon Network, which explains that). And possibly even more worrying, no DC Super Hero Girls, the blockbuster franchise that’s managed to create bestselling books and toys, and bring in a whole new audience for the company’s characters.

The reason I point this out is because of the original content, which won’t be available at launch date. The first live-action series is Titans (premiering October 12, and then broadcasting weekly), a gritty take on the classic “teen” characters that features blood, gore, and Robin growling, “fuck Batman.” Subsequent series include the bizarro superheroes of Doom Patrol starring Brendan Fraser and Timothy Dalton; the third season of Young Justice, another adult(esque) take on DC’s teen heroes; Swamp Thing, a horror inflected series; and an animated take on the Joker’s sometimes beau Harley Quinn.

All of these, to varying degrees, seem to be targeted to DC’s adult or late teen fanbase. That ties nicely into the shop function of DC Universe (which isn’t currently active in the Beta), since kids probably shouldn’t be purchasing deluxe statues of Poison Ivy as a ’50s bombshell without their parent’s permission. But it doesn’t help introduce new fans to the great content DC produces.

That’s an issue, particularly for a subscription based service. While the CW shows bring in millions of viewers every week, comics decidedly do not. Though comics sales aren’t publicly reported, the estimate for the top selling comic every month hovers around 100,000 copies. With most of those Arrow-verse shows (plus Black Lightning and more) available to Netflix’s 100 million subscribers, that’s a drop in the bucket, if you’re just aiming for the current comic book audience.

There is more coming, mind you. A daily live show will hawk wares and provide insider access to DC’s comic book artists and writers. And the interface itself is slick and easy to use… Of note: though I experienced the occasional lag on desktop, the mobile experience was seamless, and easier to navigate with a small, clickable menu on the bottom of the screen allowing you to jump between content with ease. And once licenses expire, the content mentioned above may (and most likely will) migrate to DC Universe.

(Also of note: a Community bulletin board is well intentioned, and currently pleasant enough; though hard to navigate, and as with most community bulletin boards will most likely ultimately fall into anarchy faster than Gotham City on any given Tuesday.)

As we rapidly approach the launch date, though, it’s clear that if you are a DC fan already looking to dive further into the tremendous back catalog DC Entertainment has, both from the comic book and TV/movie perspective, DC Universe is a great start; though not the be all, end all. If you’re just getting started, though, or only have a casual interest in DC content, you might want to wait until the kinks get worked out and more content gets added. Either way, DC Universe is an admirable experiment. And as for me, I’ll be busy rewatching Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman while reading old issues of “Teen Titans.”

Guess which side of the fan spectrum I fall on?