Off the Cuff: Spectacular Spider-Man
There’s no doubt about it – we live in a golden era for superhero acceptance. We’ve had dozens of movies come out. Some better. Some worse. We’ve also had maybe a dozen TV shows based on comic books come out in the last few years.
So if you’re a fan, this is a good time to be alive! Or at least glued to your couch.
But despite this acceptance, there really are only a handful of exceptional superhero TV shows. Since this is the part where I list my 5 favorite comic book shows, let’s just begin:
1. Batman: The Animated Series – a classic no matter how you define that word. It still sets the standard for the genre.
2. Teen Titans – sure the anime influence annoyed people, but I found it refreshing. The stories were both clever and fun. And the animation was just the right style for the zany action.
3. Avatar the Last Airbender – ok, this might be a bit of a stretch to include as a “superhero”. But this is a fantastic show, with sharp writing, and good action.
4. Justice League Unlimited – when this show was simply “Justice League” it was awful. When it became “unlimited” it was one of the best shows on TV.
5. Spectacular Spider-Man – admittedly the jury is still out on this one, but with one season under its belt, it has signs of great potential. Even as it stands today, it’s the first Spider-Man cartoon ever created.
Honorable Mention: Samurai Jack - if Jack were based on a comic book character he might be able to steal the #1 spot from Batman: TAS. But he’s not. So he doesn’t quite qualify for this list. That said, it’s such a brilliant cartoon that it deserves to be mentioned.
Now I know some of you are complaining that all of these cartoons are “recent.” And I admit that’s true. But I would argue that the quality of cartoons continues to improve each decade. While I really enjoyed the 90’s version of Spider-Man, it has not aged well. You can clearly see serious flaws in both the plot and the animation. And if you go further back to cartoons from the 1970′s or 1960′s, you see even larger holes in the plot or animation.
Let’s face it, sometimes the “classic” shows just aren’t as good as the new stuff.
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May 5, 2008
Off the Cuff: Batman The Animated Series
I spent a lot of my formative years watching Batman the Animated Series. And I loved it. That show defined not only Batman but all superheroes with its atmosphere, stories, and characters. Every single cartoon or movie is chasing the standard that Batman: TAS set.
Even the artwork was brilliant. It was the first show that I actually noticed the animation style. And I still think it used shadows better than any incarnation of Batman I’m familiar with.
That’s a high bar.
And in recent years I’ve feared that maybe my memories were tinted by rose colored glasses. Maybe Batman: TAS wasn’t half as good as my mind recalled. After all, I thought Voltron was the best show ever – it was devastating to learn that it’s not.
Talk about crushed childhood dreams.
Well let me relieve the fear – Batman: TAS is still the standard to beat. Watching it on TV these last few weeks has reminded me just how brilliant it was. What’s surprising is the show’s probably better than I remember!
As a kid I enjoyed it because of the action, the art, and the “coolness” of Batman. But I instinctively knew there was something more there – I just didn’t now what. Now I can now fully appreciate the subtlety of the characters and artwork. I can enjoy it for the depth of the story telling and character development.
Batman: TAS is still the greatest superhero cartoon ever created. And may possibly be the best cartoon ever created.
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April 29, 2008
Off the Cuff: the completist
I’m a completist. And as the name implies, I like to complete things. Those “things” don’t really matter. It can be completing video games, reading the whole run of a comic book, or watching all the episodes of a TV show.
The only thing I don’t like to complete is eating all my vegetables.
But this can be a problem. For example, what happens when something is horrible? That’s when the completist is in trouble. Suddenly he or she finds an internal struggle brewing. Do I finish the <insert name of current obsession>? Or do I cut my losses and run? It’s a tough position for a completist to be in.
Collecting comic books, despite an awful story, is probably the most commonly discussed example. However I have one that’s much worse – I have an almost compulsive need to finish watching the entire run of a TV show. This is especially true of anime.
I tell myself, “I can stop anytime I want.” But I can’t. I’m stuck between wanting to turn off the TV and being committed to the end.
For instance, I wasn’t a fan of Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Death Note, or Blood +, and yet, I kept watching. In some cases I’m still watching.
Part of the issue is that by the time I realize I don’t like a show, I’ve already invested 20 or 30 hours into it. That’s a lot of time to simply say, “yeah I don’t care about what happens.” But I know I’m lying to myself. I want to know how it ends. What’s the good of starting a story if you’re not going to finish it?
The other part is a total lack of options. If I want to watch anime on TV I can either watch Cartoon Network…or buy my own. So at the moment I am subject to the Cartoon Network programming overlords. Which means watching anime that under my own powers, I wouldn’t be watching.
I suppose this is just the completist dilemma.
So how about you? What do you have trouble giving up even though you know you should?
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March 25, 2008
Off the Cuff: GI Joe Movie
I can’t even begin to stress how skeptical I am of this movie. The simple fact that the writers started their project by backing away from GI Joe tradition bothers me. But I’m not just being bitter. I see two fundamental problems with the change of GI Joe from an American Hero to an “international peace keeping force.” Especially in light of this being done to sell more tickets to foreign markets.
1. When you focus on marketing and pay models instead of the story, you’re asking for trouble. Just look at HellGate.
2. They are changing an icon, simply to sell more tickets. This will only anger fans of the original cartoon. Which will make up the bulk of initial customers.
I can’t see how either of these things are good. (Well, good for a fan of the original cartoon….)
I hope I’m wrong though.
Now before I go all doom and gloom, there is one thing that gives me that hope: check out the images of Snake Eyes from Ain’t It Cool News.
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February 19, 2008
Off the Cuff: Exosquad
So a man in his basement has created an exo-suit to help disabled people walk. Can Exosquad be that far off?
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