Once Upon a Geek

Presenting comic book advertisements for the 1980 Saturday morning cartoons!  Here we have ads from ABC, NBC, and CBS.

If I had to declare a winner for me personally in 1980, I guess it would have been ABC.  I was a big fan of Super Friends and Thundarr the Barbarian, and a moderate fan of Plastic Man and Happy Days Gang.  Conversely, Scooby-Doo had pretty much buried itself with Scrappy-Doo and no longer held any interest for me.  I’d say NBC was close on the heels of ABC in 1980 with winners like Godzilla/Dinomutt Hour, Space Ghost and Herculoids.  About the only time I’d switch over to watch CBS in 1980 was for Drak Pack and the Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour. Interesting that NBC had Daffy Duck and CBS had the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show.  I didn’t realize they split the Looney Toons characters up for these purposes.

I have fond memories as a child watching shows like Looney Toons, Scooby-Doo, Popeye, and Tom & Jerry.  Yet I watched them on weekday afternoons rather than Saturday mornings.  For me, Saturday morning cartoons were reserved for new and exciting adventures, not cartoons I could watch any day after school.  I guess I was a bit of a Saturday morning snob.

If you enjoy these, check out the Saturday morning cartoon ads I’ve run previously from 1983 and 1985.  The 1985 post also includes some of my general commentary about Saturday morning cartoons and what the current generation of kids are missing.

I stumbled across a few more Saturday Morning Cartoon advertisements in some old comics.  Below are ads that ran in DC comics in the fall of 1983.  At the time, they were promoting the upcoming fall line-up of Saturday morning cartoons on ABC and NBC.  Oddly enough I didn’t see an ad for CBS.   Click the NBC  image for a larger view.

Dude… for me personally, NBC rocked in comparison to ABC in 1983.  Thundarr the Barbarian, Spider-Man & his Amazing Friends, Incredible Hulk, Mr. T, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Shirt Tales… NBC had some good stuff!  I do recall enjoying ABC’s Puppy’s Further Adventures and the Littles, but no matter how much I tried I couldn’t get excited about Pac-Man or Rubik the Amazing Cube.

Click here for a previous post about NBC’s 1985 Saturday Morning Cartoon line-up.  For that post I included some general commentary about Saturday Morning Cartoons and what the current generation of kids are missing.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (BBB) has come under fire from hard-core Batman fans.  They feel the lighthearted representation of Batman in this cartoon takes away from the “Dark Knight Crusader” version they consider to be the “real” Batman.  The BBB version of Batman certainly is a departure from the one depicted in: Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, The Batman, and Batman Beyond.  However, does that make it any less valid?

Here is how Batman: The Brave and the Bold addresses the issue. Scenes taken from the episode “Legends of the Dark Mite!” which originally aired back in March.

I loved this! By the way, did you notice the Joker at the convention looked remarkably like someone?

I love me some Back to the Future.  Being a time travel nut, I can’t help but love these movies!  While I was cleaning out my step-son’s room this past weekend, I stumbled across the toys below.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea where the DeLorean on the left came from.  I suspect it was some fast-food giveaway in 2005 when the DVDs of the films were released.  The DeLorean in the middle came from a 1989 Back to the Future Texaco Havoline Gas Station Micro-Machine playset (the set also came with a future Police car). The DeLorean on the right came from McDonald’s in 1991 promoting the Back to the Future animated series.

I guess I’d seen all of these at one time or another, but seeing all three together surprised me. I didn’t think there were a lot of toys for the movies.  Then I decided to Google “Back to the Future toys“.  Holy crud!  I had no idea there were so many toys associated with these films.

The DeLorean on the right got me thinking about the animated series.  I never saw the cartoon, but was always curious about it.  Then I checked out YouTube for the “Back to the Future” cartoon.  First up are the opening credits to Season 1 of the Back to the Future animated series.

Second up are the opening credits to Season 2 of the Back to the Future animated series.

Well… that cured me of my interest in seeing the animated series.

In case you hadn’t heard, Toy Story 3 is scheduled for release June 18, 2010.  Below is the description from Disney and the trailer.  I think this plot line is especially relevant to us geeks, because we are often known for hanging onto our childhood toys.

The creators of the beloved Toy Story films re-open the toy box and bring moviegoers back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz and our favorite gang of toy characters in TOY STORY 3. Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives?

In the third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. Lee Unkrich (co-director of Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo) directs this highly anticipated film, and Michael Arndt, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine, brings his unique talents and comedic sensibilities to the proceedings.

If you can’t view the embedded image, please click here.  To visit Disney’s official Toy Story website, click here.

I just finished watching the animated movie Superman/Batman: Pubic Enemies.  I liked the film, but I don’t think I have it in me to write a full-on review of the movie right now.  Bottom line, it was enjoyable.  Give it a try.

What did catch my eye was the sneak peek for an upcoming DC animated film entitled Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths due in Spring 2010.  This looks to be a great story featuring the Justice League’s evil counterparts from a parallel Earth, the Crime Syndicate.  I’ve always been a fan of the Crime Syndicate, so this is something I’m really looking forward to.  More importantly, looks like Justice League Detroit have cameos in the film!  Or to be more specific, Crime Syndicate versions of the Justice League Detroit.  Hooray!  That will make Frank and I happy.  Not sure if anyone else cares.

Here are some screen shots I took from the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths featurette on the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD.

Below is a shot of the Crime Syndicate Vixen with Crime Syndicate Elongated Man in the background.  In this shot she looks a little like Kraven the Hunter.

Below is another shot with Crime Syndicate Elongated Man, but this time he’s joined by two other women.  I believe the woman in the center is the Crime Syndicate Halo, but I can’t be sure.  If so, I’m not entirely sure how Halo fits into the Justice League Detroit scene.  The woman on the right is the Crime Syndicate Gypsy.

During the scene with the Justice League Detroit, the person below walked across the room.  We didn’t see anything other than their legs.  I’m hoping this is the Crime Syndicate Zatanna.

Below is the Crime Syndicate Vibe along with Superwoman (Wonder Woman of the Crime Syndicate).

Below are a couple shots of Crime Syndicate Vibe in action.  I love how they modernized his look.  The only thing missing is a hoodie, then he’d look just right for nowadays.

The footage we’ve seen shows the Martian Manhunter quite a bit.  Hopefully there will be a Crime Syndicate version of him.  Additionally, it’d be nice if we saw Crime Syndicate versions of Aquaman and Steel too.  If we’re really dreaming big, how about Dale Gunn?

Below is a sneak peek of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.  It’s not exactly the same as the featurette on the DVD, but quite similar. Be sure to watch for the Justice League Detroit appearances.

If you’re a fan of Justice League Detroit, be sure to check out Frank’s blog dedicated to that team.  Oh yeah, the casting of Mark Harmon as the voice of Superman was brilliant.

See what Hollywood does to a person…

If you can’t see the embedded video above, please click here.

X-Men the Animated Series is one of the more beloved cartoons to come out of the 1990s.  This series ran on Fox from 1992-1997 for five seasons with a total of 76 episodes. Last week volumes 3 and 4 were released on DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (no doubt in order to capitalize on the same-date released X-Men Origins: Wolverine).  It’s sort of ironic when you think about Buena Vista releasing these cartoons in light of Disney’s recent purchase of Marvel Comics.  It’s a small world afterall (pun intended).  I would have reviewed volumes 3 & 4 before now, but there is simply so much content on these DVDs that I’ve been busy watching them.  Seriously, there is over 11 hours of X-Men across these two collections!

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X-Men the Animated Series volumes 1 & 2 came out this past April.  To read my review of those volumes, please click here.  This time out, volumes 3 & 4 cover episodes from the third and fourth season of the show.  Volume 3 contains 15 episodes, including: an adaptation of “The Dark Phoenix Saga”; an exploration of Wolverine’s past in the Weapon X project; and an alternate timeline in which the X-Men never existed due to the murder of Professor Xavier.  Volume 4 contains 14 episodes, including: Magneto’s offer of sanctuary to all mutants aboard his Asteroid M fortress; and Apocalypse’s daring plan to kidnap all telepaths using Cable’s time platform.

I used to be a major X-Men junkie. We’re talking MAJOR junkie. I’d read every single Uncanny X-Men story from Giant-Sized X-Men #1 (1975) through Uncanny X-Men #320 (January 1995), and all the various franchise books. Shortly after the “Phalanx Covenant”, I’d had enough and just walked away from 20 years of continuity and over 400 comics.  So I was really surprised when the storyline in these cartoons truly grabbed me.  Essentially these are adaptations of Chris Claremont’s best work.  While these cartoons aren’t perfect, they did a much better job adapting “The Dark Phoenix Saga” than did the film X-Men: The Last Stand.

As with the previous volumes, these cartoons provide solid entertainment.  There is tons of action, subplots, and drama.  I’ve said it before, but the creators definitely deserve props for not reinventing the X-Men for this cartoon. They pulled plots directly from the old comics, instead of trying to “re-imagine” the X-Universe.  It’s evident that the storytelling in volumes 3 & 4 has improved as compared to the previous releases.  The writers have brought a little more maturity to the adventures.  The stories focus quite a bit on character development and the discrimination against Mutants.

Some of the stand-out episodes on these releases include:

• Juggernaut Returns
• Weapon X, Lies, And Video Tape
• Beyond Good and Evil
• The Lotus and The Steel
• Secrets, Not Long Buried
• Xavier Remembers
• Family Ties

Now you gotta take the good with the bad.  Like the previous releases, these DVDs don’t have any special features. I found myself disappointed once again, but wasn’t terribly surprised.  You’d think they could score some kind of commentary, interviews with Marvel staffers, or at least trailers for the episodes.  Oh well.  Also, the animation continues to be less than stellar.  While it wasn’t terrible, it certainly pales in comparison to series contemporary, Batman: The Animated Series.

Those concerns aside, I’d definitely recommend these discs to folks.  It truly is one of the best comic book-adapted cartoons of all time.  These DVDs are available through Amazon.com – click here for Volume 3 and click here for Volume 4.  However, if you aren’t already familiar with the X-Men cartoon, you should first check out volumes 1 & 2.  You can watch the first 21 episodes of X-Men the Animated Series on-demand for free at Marvel.com.

I finally picked up the DC Universe animated original movie Green Lantern First Flight on DVD.  While the trailers I’d seen looked pretty good, I just wasn’t feeling passionate about watching the film.  My apathy is centered on the lead character, Hal Jordan.  While I really like everything surrounding the Green Lantern concept and universe, I find Hal Jordan himself to be one of the most boring characters in DC Comics.  I grew up reading Hal stories, but never really felt energized by the lead character until Kyle Rayner came along.  So it was with some reluctance that I finally sat down to watch this DVD.

With my general feelings about Hal Jordan behind us, I gotta say this movie was great!  Don’t be fooled, this was a science fiction movie, not a comic book movie.  I’m using the term “movie” intentionally here, even though one could simply describe the film as a “cartoon”.  I categorize this as a “movie” due to the epic story and the real journey that played out across the 77 minutes of the film.

The basic framework of the story should come as no surprise.  Pilot Hal Jordan is given a mysteriously powerful ring from a dying alien which transforms him into the Green Lantern.  Hal discovers he’s one of an elite force of protectors who patrol the universe under the leadership of the Guardians of the Universe.  The antagonist of the story is Sinestro, formerly the greatest of the Green Lanterns, now a rogue wearing an enormously powerful yellow ring.  Again, no surprises here.  Beyond that, the story doesn’t stick to the established Hal Jordan origins shown in Emerald Dawn or the more recent Secret Origin.  It delves into some good science fiction concepts and explores the almost-reasonable motivation behind Sinestro’s betrayal.  Hal gets a chance to shine as the rookie Green Lantern and demonstrates why he’ll become the greatest of all Green Lanterns.

In addition to solid storytelling, this film is full of action-packed battles, science fiction imagery, and great animation.  The combat scenes are exciting and you can’t help getting caught up in them.  It will be interesting to see if the upcoming live action Green Lantern movie with Ryan Reynolds can match the action scenes from this animated version.  Lots of cameos by favorite characters from the Green Lantern universe: Kilowog, Tomar Re, Kanjar Ro, Ganthet, Boodikka, Carol Ferris, Arisia, Ch’p, and more. The voice acting was fine; no complaints, but no stand-out performances either.  While the film is rated PG-13, the only thing to watch out for with the kiddies is some intense combat/gore and a little bit of language.  Nothing that an advanced 10 year old couldn’t handle.

The only disappointing thing in the movie was the lack of character development for Hal Jordan himself.  I promise I’m not being biased here against Hal.  While Hal did lots of cool things in the movie, you never really got a sense of who Hal was or where he came from.  Without really noticing much difference, you could have interchanged Hal Jordan for Kyle Rayner, or John Stewart, or Alan Scott, or even Charlie Vickers (anyone remember him besides me)?  It didn’t detract from the film tremendously, it just made it harder to connect with the character.

If you haven’t seen it, below is the official trailer for the movie.

For more on the movie, visit the official website by clicking here.

I picked up the Target exclusive two-disc special edition DVD, which includes a free digital download copy of the film.  I love the whole digital download concept!  This is such a great enhancement for DVDs nowadays.  Additional special features include:

• A First Look at Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (7:49) – This was a really cool featurette that has me totally jazzed for this upcoming animated movie.
• Blackest Night: Inside the DC Comics Event (8:51) – includes commentary from Geoff Johns, Dan Didio, and Peter Tomasi discussing the Green Lantern comic book event
• Green Lantern: Behind the Story with Geoff Johns (8:41) – Johns discusses the mythology of Green Lantern
• Duck Dodgers “The Green Loontern” episode (22:22) – This is a fun episode of the Duck Dodgers cartoon.
• In Brightest Day, In Blackest night: The Green Lantern Corps – Character Profiles of Sinestro (4:01) and the Guardians of the Universe (3:39)
• Bruce Timm’s Top Picks: Green Lantern – Four Justice League animated series episodes “Once and Future Thing” parts 1 & 2, and  “In Blackest Night” parts 1 & 2 (about 23 minutes each) — These episodes star John Stewart as Green Lantern, but watch for the fun Hal Jordan cameo (voiced by Adam Baldwin) in part 2 of “Once and Future Thing“.
• From Graphic Novel to Original Animated Movie – Justice League: The New Frontier (10:44)
• Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess (10:25)
• Batman: Gotham Knight – An Anime Evolution (10:09)
• A few trailers for other non-DC films

While I was fairly pleased with the special features in general, I was disappointed there was no audio commentary and no in-depth featurette on the making of this animated movie.  Missing these didn’t spoil my day, but I would have liked them.

Overall, this was a fun science fiction movie with great action and visuals.  I recommend it!

Volumes 3 & 4 of the legendary Fox animated series, X-Men, is out on DVD from Walt Disney Home Video on September 15!  I picked up volumes 1 & 2 and loved them, so I’m excited about these further volumes.  Click here for my review of volumes 1 & 2.

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This is the X-Men cartoon that ran from 1992-1997.  There were five seasons altogether of that series, and these DVDs cover most of seasons 3 & 4. Below is a list of episodes on each DVD set, but you can click here for a complete list of episodes from the X-Men animated series,  These episodes cover some great stories like Proteus, an epic battle with Apocalypse, and the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Volume 3 features the following episodes:

• Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 1)
• Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 2)
• Obsession
• The Dark Phoenix (Part 1)
• The Dark Phoenix (Part 2)
• The Dark Phoenix (Part 3)
• The Dark Phoenix (Part 4)
• Cold Comfort
• Orphan’s End
• The Juggernaut Returns
• Nightcrawler
• Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape
• One Man’s Worth (Part 1)
• One Man’s Worth (Part 2)
• Courage

Volume 4 features the following episodes:

• Proteus (Part 1)
• Proteus (Part 2)
• Sanctuary (Part 1)
• Sanctuary (Part 2)
• Beyond Good And Evil (Part 1)
• Beyond Good And Evil (Part 2)
• Beyond Good And Evil (Part 3)
• Beyond Good And Evil (Part 4)
• Have Yourself a Morlock Little X-Mas
• The Lotus and the Steel
• Love in Vain
• Secrets, Not Long Buried
• Xavier Remembers
• Family Ties

These DVDs won’t be released until September 15, but you can pre-order them now through Amazon.com.  Click here for Volume 3 and click here for Volume 4.

Can’t wait for September 15, true believer!