Friday, September 3, 2004

Cartoon Chronicles: Super Madness #1

With the Teen Sleuth series over, it's time to move into a new realm of cartoons. The type of cartoon I'm referring to dates back to the 1940s, and continues to this day. It has action, adventure, corny storylines, and the laws of physics don't apply to it. Grab your capes, and pour into your tights; we're talking about superheroes! I know there are a ton of cartoons based around masked and/or caped superheroes, and that covering all of them would take forever. Don't worry, I'm not going to cover them all. In fact, I won't even get around to half of them. I know what some of you are thinking, but no-- I did not cover every "teen sleuth" show Hanna Barbera ever made. I skipped over Clue Club, Schmoo, and a couple of other shows. Plus I'm just plain lazy. So the question remains... which 8 or so shows will be part of Super Madness? Let's start with the first (in alphabetical order). Batman: The Animated Series Is it the 1940s, or the 90s? I can't tell! A man named Bruce Timm met with executives at the FOX network, and he had a perfect idea for an animated series based on the Batman comic book series. Rather than be bright and cheery (like the show starring Adam West), this new series would be dark and gritty (like the movies starrings Michael Keaton). Would it succeed? To quote Robert Evans, "you bet your ass." Meet billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne. It's not secret that his parents were killed tragically in a mugging, giving Bruce sympathy for those with less money than him and a reason to embrace philantropy. What is a secret, however, it that this even changed Bruce in ways no one could have ever imagined. Training for years to improve himself mentally and phsyically, Bruce dedicated his life to fighting crime in the streets of his hometown of Gotham City... dressed like a freaking bat. Many Batman fans believe that Bruce Timm's animated Batman may be the definitive Batman-- more consistant and just as interesting as his comic book counterpart. This series created several spin-offs (all taking place in the same "universe"), eventually leading up to today's Justice League Unlimited. The art in Batman was, at first, used to give the series an earlier feel. The cars, the clothing, the music-- it all felt like the 1940s. The technology... perhaps more ambiguous. Would I recommend it? Do I even have to digify this with a response? Yes. Next time: Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. Two shows for the price of one. Much Love

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