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Home Columns  by Scott Tipton  by Chris Ryall  by Scott Bowden  by Joshua Jabcuga  by Jud Meyers    |  Ron Twoeagle |
Mailbag
Comics 101 Is in Session
Paul H. writes: "Voice actor Diedrich Bader does a surprisingly good job as Batman, mixing a little Kevin Conroy with a little Adam West."
I just can't get the image of "Hoss Del-Garto" (grim adventures of Billy and Mandy) out of my head when he speaks as Batman.
I am waiting for Batman to say "bow to your sensei" (Bader, above show and Napolean Dynamite)
Tipton: Never seen the show, so all I hear is Batman...
Wayne B. writes: To go British on you, but these guys are "Spot On':
*Bob Hastings - Before his run as Commissioner Gordon, he was the Boy of Steel (and did a pretty good job to).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgqMeCkbNDg
*The ENTIRE cast of the legendary JONNY QUEST (and composer Hoyt Curtin's theme is a classic).
*Top Prize:
Bud Collyer - A lot of what Superman is we owe to this man. And NOBODY said "This is a job for SUPERMAN!" better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUbqMkbbFwA
Tipton: Agree on all three!
Stan H. writes: Great list Scott. There are perhaps two cartoons you left off IMHO:
1. Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
2. The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008) - it has a very Steve Ditko vibe to it.
Tipton: Like I said, SAHMF doesn't hold up well at all, at least for me. SPECTACULAR SPIDEY rocks the house.
Jeff N. writes: It's hard to dispute the list, though I think there is one glowing omission; but, we'll save that for last.
10. Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians-Not the best, but also not the worst Super Friends show. It rates solely on the basis of "The Fear," the first animated retelling of Batman's origin. Very well done, by future BTAS crew members. The series also made decent use of Darkseid and tried to incorporate other villains, like the royal Flush Gang (and Joker).
9. Kid Power Hour with Shazam- The Hero High segment was mostly bland, with occasional funny bits. It does have a comic connection, in that it was originally conceived as an Archie vehicle, showcasing them as heroes, like Pureheart, Captain Hero, and Super Teen. However, the Shazam portion was great, truly capturing the spirit of the classic comics. Unlike the live-action series, all of the classic villains were here, including Black Adam and Mr. Mind. Voice work was decent, with Uncle Dudley given the perfect WC Fields tone.
8. Phantom 2040-Not exactly an adaptaton, more of a continuation. The latest in the Phantom line takes up the challenge in the year 2040. Featuring designs by Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung, it was unlike other series on tv. Not perfect by any stretch, but interesting.
7. Fantastic Four-The Hanna Barbera version was fairly close in tone to the Marvel comics, with decent animation. Alex Toth provided some of the character designs. There was conflict, as this was still before the serious crackdown on Saturday morning, and it includes the Human Torch, who was unavailable (not prohibited) for the later version in the 70's.
6. The Archies-Faithful rendition of the Riverdale gang, which spawned a top ten pop hit (Sugar, Sugar) and a legion of immitators, including Scooby Doo. It carried on in many different incarnations, including a Bicentennial series, with the characters at different historical events.
5. The Adventures of Batman-The original Batman the Animated Series, from Filmation. Played more for laughs, but with decent adventure thrown in. This series introduced Olan Soule and Casey Kasem as the Dynamic Duo, with Ted Night as Commisioner Gordon, many of the villains, and the narrator. Filmation was stiffer than H-B, but put out a decent product.
4. Plastic Man-I can't remember the whole title, but the series mostly captured the feel of the comics, though somewhat dumbed-down. Hula Hula was a bad stereotype and poor substitute for Woozy Winks, but the show was enjoyable. The companion cartoons, like Mighty Man and Yuck, were less than enjoyable.
3. Thundarr th Barbarian-OK, so it wasn't a comic adaptation; but, boy did it look like one. Featuring scripts from people like Steve Gerber, and artwork from Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, and Alex Toth; it was the best show on Saturday Morning, bar none. It was like Kirby's Kammandi, crossed with Conan and Planet of the Apes, with a bit of Star Wars thrown in. Kirby really went to town with some of the villains, especially Gemini. Where's the dvd Warner Bros.?
2. The New Adventures of Flash Gordon-The first season was beautiful; a serialized re-telling of the classic comic strip stories, with some upscale animation. It was originally conceived as a prime-time movie (which was eventually screened) so it had a better budget than the usual Filmation fare. It so impressed the network that they asked for a series. Somewhat marred by the repeated use of the same sequences, it nevertheless told a compelling story. Much better than the Sam Jones movie.
1. Superman-The Fleischer Brothers created the ultimate animated adventure, with their rendition of Superman. The lavish feature budget made these the envy of every animator since. The movement is fluid and the scenes spectacular. This is Superman before he could move planets. The animators were able to convey the idea of the power of Superman, while he strains to drag a train uphill, slowly gaining ground until he is running with it. He is battered by powerful rays, but is able to punch his way out. This Superman had to exert effort. Superman TAS took some cues from the series, but went for a lighter color pallette, since the had been more imitative with BTAS.
Honorable mention goes to Astro Boy, for its rendition of Osamu Tezuka's manga.
Tipton: Yes, the Fleischer SUPERMANs look beautiful, but some of the plots are a little thin.
Todd W. writes: I think that's a great list, though I might quibble a little over the order (Justice League might win over Batman on some days for me, mostly because of its sheer audacity). I might've combined "Return of the Joker" with "Batman Beyond" though, just to find room for "Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends."
Sure, it had its share of cheese, but it also had a lot more depth than a lot of people realize. I still remember being a youngster watching the episode in which Peter/Spider-Man falls in love with a woman from the future --even deciding to leave his friends behind to be with her --only to find out that, because he carries germs and diseases from the past, he can't be allowed to live in her time for fear that he'll infect others. I also enjoyed the first couple glimpses of the X-Men the show provided, though their arch-villain's name was mis-prounounced as "Magnetto" in one of 'em. When I read Spidey comics, I often "hear" Dan Gilvezan's voice as Peter/Spidey and, sadly, I often "hear" Frank Welker as Iceman too. Plus, the show's original addition to the Marvel Universe, Firestar, proved so popular she was brought over to the comics, where she was fantastically used in Kurt Busiek's "Avengers," after a long stint in "The New Warriors."
Then again, you had rotten villains like the arcade-spawned Videoman ...
Tipton: Don't forget the Swarm (although I think he was in the CHAMPIONS first...)
Picture of the Week
Now we're talkin'...
See you next week.
