Animated Series That Deserve A Come-Back!

This month Cartoon Network has a premiere I’m more excited for than any Hollywood blockbuster coming to the theaters this summer. A remake of the 80’s classic cartoon Thundercats will air its hour-long pilot episode on July 29. It seems that there will be a few things different about this revamp from the original series, but I’ll be damned if I’m not excited for it. Thundercats was my favorite cartoon as a child, so even in my 20’s you can bet I’ll be buying the new Sword of Omens when I find it. Rumors swirled for years there was going to be a Thundercats CGI movie made, but it turned into a TV series instead. I hope this paves the way for other 80’s/early 90’s cartoons that need to be revived. Here are a few I can name off the top of my head.

10. Captain N: The Game Master (1989)

 When the original Nintendo became a phenomeon people decided to cash in on the craze. One way was a cartoon about a gamer named Kevin, and his dog Duke, who get sucked into Videoland through his Nintendo. Kevin was summoned by Princess Lana to help defeat Mother Brain using the Nintendo blaster gun and controller, which granted him special powers. The N Team consist of Nintendo characters Simon Belmont, Mega Man, and Kid Icarus. Even Link from The Legend of Zelda made appearances, and eventually the portable Nintendo system Gameboy was worked into the show.

I think this would make a great time-piece film where it has to be the original Nintendo, and not an updated version. If you make Videoland full of Nintendo characters, anyone who ever played a Nintendo in their life will come to see it!

9. Silverhawks (1986)

 After the success of Thundercats the creators took on another series about five space policeman who were sent to the part of the galaxy known as Limbo to defeat the evil MonStar. The theme of the show was "partly metal, partly real". The Silverhawks could fly in space using this metal wings, and laser beams that shot out of their shoulders. One of them was even a country bluegrass pilot. This series could be a little silly, but still better than most of the cartoons I see being made these days.

8. Gargoyles (1994-1996)

In Scotland 994, the Gargoyles protected Castle Wyvern from Viking raiders. They were protectors at night, but during the day were stone, until betrayal causes a massacre of the clan during their stone sleep . A spell was cast on the six survivors putting them to "Sleep, until the castle rises above the clouds." In present day, a billionaire named David Xanatos purchases the castle and moves the crumbling remains, piece by piece, to the top of New York City and awakens the Gargoyles in modern day.  The Gargoyles must adapt to their new surroundings as they vow to protect the citizens of New York.

Does that sound like a badass movie or what? The voice casting for this series was great with Keith David, Ed Asner, and Star Trek: TNG star Jonathan Frankes all lending their talents. The ensemble of the six gargoyle personalities is enough to make this series great, not to mention Xanatos is a villian who could give even Lex Luthor a run for his money.

7. The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)

I'm not talking out the Filmation one with the giant monkey. While there have been two films, as well as a cartoon series, I think it's time for a reboot. The original films were a great blend of humor, fantasy, and action. If it can be recaptured again this franchise could be reborn.

6. Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990-1996)

Go Planet! With Hollywood and the rest of the world going green these days why not make a film or television series about it. "Gaya (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) the Spirit of Earth, can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet. She sends five magic rings to five special young people, Kwami (voiced by LeVar Burton), from Africa, with the power of Earth. From North America, Wheeler, with the power of Fire. From the Russia, Linka, with the power of Wind. From Asia, Gi, with the power of Water. And from South America, Mah-Ti, with the power of Heart. When these five powers combine they summon earth’s greatest champion, Captain Planet."

They don't make them like this anymore kids, and with an assortment of villians from Duke Nukem to Hoggish Greedley this could be a great film trilogy. The five planeteers come from five parts of the Earth. It could be not only be a franchise about saving the planet, but about cultural differences. I rest my case.

5. The Legend of Zelda (1989)

Sure most movies based on video games suck, but do this thing right and it would be like a Lord of the Rings-type film. Link is a great leading character, and the bickering between him and Princess Zelda in the cartoon series provided some funny banter. I’m just wondering why this film hasn’t been made yet?

4. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985)

Forget the 1987 film with Dolph Lundgren and Courtney Cox. Everyone is allowed one bad movie early in their career. Stick with what worked in the original cartoon. A skinny, white, prince picks up a magic sword and turns into a big, buff, black guy. He-Man can fight Skeltor for control of Eternia with such classic sidekicks as Man-At-Arms, the bumbling magician Orko, and He-Man's mode of transportation, Battle Cat. Several other He-Man series were made in 1990 and 2002, but didn’t catch on like the original one. Word has it a film is already in pre-concept stages, but let's hope it doesn't involve anything called "The Key".

3. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996)

What little boy didn't grow up wishing to be Jonny Quest? He travels the world with his billionaire dad looking for adventure. They are accompanied by their bodyguard Race Bannon, Jonny’s best friend Haji, and their dog Bandit. The Quest family had some badass adventures. I know this series was based on the 1964 cartoon series, but this remake was what I watched when I was a kid. In this version they also added a new character, Race's daughter, Jessie. Jonny, Jessie, and Haji could be the new Harry, Hermione, and Ron. And while Questworld seemed silly at the time, I can just picture it now with Tron: Legacy graphics!

2. Mighty Max (1993-1995)

Based on the popular toys, Mighty Max was about a smartass kid who becomes the capbearer and can travel through worlds trying to defeat the SkullMaster, who wants the magical hat for himself. Along the way Max is accompanied by Virgil, the wise chicken, and his Conan the Barbrarian-like bodyguard, Norman. A series like this has a Harry Potter-style written all over it. My only concern would be making a CGI chicken to communicate with. But if they can make Yoda CGI real I guess Virgil could work.

1. Exo-Squad (1993-1995)

Not too many people know about this 90's animated show. It was on Sunday mornings, so most of us were in church, but it was a goodie. Set in the 22nd Century, humans have created a new being called Neo Sapiens that are much stronger than humans, and they use them to collimate Mars and Venus, but when the Neo Sapiens revolt it's a full-scale civil war. Lt. J.T. Marsh commands Able Squad, a group intent on defeating the Neo Sapiens using machines called E-Frames. These things were like what Ripley had at the end of Aliens except can fly in space, and have a crap load of weapons. Although Able Squad spent quite a bit of time out of their E-Frames the drama and action of this series was epic. This series had a very serious tone for a cartoon, and dealt with racism, tolerance, and had epic space battles. If you like Star Trek, Firefly, or enjoy a good space tale check it out at Hulu.com.

2011 Comics Begin With Death, Cancellations, and Feline Invasions

The comic book gossip squads have definitely been in overdrive these last few weeks with a lot of big things happening. Some people consider these things to be bad, but I remain optimistic about what is to come. Even though I don't have a lot to say on these subject matters I figure I'd at least let the common man know what's been going on, and why it's not all bad.

Archie and DC Comics Dropping the Comic Code:

Marvel comics dropped the 60 year-old code back in 2001 and, just like the movie business; DC is trying to play catch up. Back in 1954 Congress set up the comic book code because they felt comic books turned kids into criminals and made them Nazi's. It was a code that dictated how far comic creators could push the line, which wasn't very far.  This of course was back in communist witch hunt days, and I think we've evolved from the paranoia of the 1950's.

Comics have also gotten a lot more serious. Popular titles like Batman and Spider-man usually have more mature content that is not suitable for anyone under 14. This helps keep the adult fans interested and gives Hollywood better material to steal for their movies, and then turn into crap. Marvel, DC, and Archie all have comics that are appropriate for kids that involve their favorite superhero characters. They aren't considered part of the main stream, but they're something to bring in new readers while they're young. You can bet that's what I'll be buying my kids to start their comic book education.

Wizard Magazine Cancelling Its Publication:

Earlier this week I heard some grave news as a magazine I have read since I was a child was ending after 20 years of publication. Wizard, along with Toyfare magazine, will no longer be available in print. Do to budgetary issues they are laying off most of their staff and just going to be posting news on wizradworld.com.

This was one of the more disappointing things I heard this week since I have a 2-year subscription that is only over a year old. Sure Wizard magazine hasn't been what it used to be in recent years, but it was my dream job to work at Wizard one day, and now that dream it gone. Print media is slowly being phased out. Much like VHS, it will soon be a thing of the past.

I don't know what I will do when all comics are in electronic form. Any comic reader will tell you their joy of going to the local comic book store each week and chatting with store regulars about all things pop culture. I'm going to miss Wizard's casting calls most of all. The writers would say which actor they felt could play our favorite characters. This is something I think about all the time, and it will not die with Wizard. Just see my entries about Batman Beyond and The Flash.

Anne Hathaway is Catwoman:

Months ago rumors started swirling that Christopher Nolan was auditioning female actress's for his next Batman film, The Dark Knight Rise. Everyone knew this lucky lady would be picked to play Catwoman, Batman's most famous female villain and sometimes lover. Last week the announcement was made that Anne Hathaway had won the part, which was met with a mixture of responses. Most think Hathaway isn't edgy and sexy enough to play Catwoman, but I say that's crap.

Hathaway is more known for her light roles like The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada. But let's not forget her more controversial roles like Havoc, Brokeback Mountain, and Rachel Getting Married. Plus, the Catwoman in the comic has a much more playful personality that Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns.

Some consider Pfeiffer's role the definitive Catwoman, much like they used to consider Jack Nicholson the definitive Joker. Nobody had faith in Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight, but everyone was proven wrong. So why can't Hathaway be a good Catwoman? She's proven to be a great actress, and didn't Michelle Pfeiffer do Grease 2 before she did Batman Returns? I rest my case.

Also announced was Inception actor Tom Hardy as Bane. In the 1997 film, Batman and Robin, Bane was a strong dumb guy who didn't know how to spell cat. But in the comics he is a criminal mastermind who tired Batman out enough to get the jump on him and put Bruce Wayne in a wheelchair for a months. I just hope we get to see Hardy play that version of Bane and not the version whose most famous line is, 'bomb.'

The Death of The Human Torch:

Comic book shops released a new comic a day earlier than all the other this week. For months fans had been teased about the death of a Fantastic Four member. With Reed and Sue off world and Ben Grimm in a temporary state of being human Johnny Storm was the only FF member left at the Baxter Building when alien monsters came knocking on the door. Inside was well was Johnny's niece and nephew. In a last act of heroics Johnny 'Flamed On' for the last time to save his family.

These days death is just something every comic book superhero goes through. Steve Rogers and Bruce Wayne were gone barely a year before they came back, but something tells me the Human Torch might stay dead for a while. The Human Torch was one of my favorite superhero mainly because of his care free, and sometime juvenile, attitude. Although I grieve Johnny's death, I'm excited for the dramatic repercussions. The Fantastic Four is more of a family than a team, and now they will all think about what they could have done to prevent Johnny's death. I'm sure his best friend, Spider-Man, will also feel the weight of his death.

Superhero death's sometimes stick for a while. Jean Grey has been dead for ten years now, mainly I feel because of the popularity of Cyclops new girlfriend, The White Queen. Comic shops have already sold out of this FF issue in less than twenty four hours and are already calling for a second printing. Clearly this is a marketing scheme to get people more interested in the Fantastic Four and create comic book hype in main stream news. We'll just have to wait and see what the aftershocks are from Johnny Storm's valiant sacrifice in the Marvel Universe, comic book sales, and around the world.

With all these cancellations, codes breaking, and heroic deaths I feel like I've left you on a bad note. So let me leave you with some good news. 80's cartoons are making a comeback and yesterday the first image of a new Thundercats cartoon surfaced on the web. The cartoon is set to premiere later this year on Cartoon Network.  As a former Thudercats lover all I can say is Thundercats, ho!