Earlier this morning, some time around 9am, I came across this cool image asking: Which is the best Animated series. This picture was focusing on the DC comics animated properties which was a great and fun topic of discussion on facebook and message boards. Mind you, I'm a huge comics fan of Marvel, DC aside from Dark Horse, Image, Valiant, and some others. Now mind you, I love the old Marvel cartoons i.e. 90's Spider-man, X-men, X-men Evolution, Spider-man Unlimited, The 2003 Spider-man The new animated series ( which was voiced by Neil Patrick Harris), Wolverine and the X-men, Spectacular Spider-man, etc. But i wanted to keep the focus on the DC animated properties since thats what this blog post is about ( Also given that Batman: Arkham Knight video game was recently released, why not).
These core shows (aside from batman beyond and static shock) are the very best, well adapted, well written, superhero based cartoons ever made. DC is the king of superhero animation. Each show set a benchmark and dug into different issues for different age groups. I love them all. For Batman fans, if you've never watched the Bruce Timm 90's Batman :The Animated series, then you're lacking , because without this series, everything that everyone loves about batman would never have been made i.e. (Mr Freeze's new origin story about saving his wife which then became the standard, Harley Quinn being introduced into DC lore forever becoming a fan favorite, added into the comics after this series, major character development and standalone stories , showing the transition to different Robin's such as Dick Grayson and Tim Drake and a definite rogues gallery that set a standard idea of what the world of batman was like in addition to how each antagonist mirrored different sides of batman as worthy foes). Heck, this series influenced the Arkham Video games more than the Burton, Nolan films more than any other live action version.
These core shows (aside from batman beyond and static shock) are the very best, well adapted, well written, superhero based cartoons ever made. DC is the king of superhero animation. Each show set a benchmark and dug into different issues for different age groups. I love them all. For Batman fans, if you've never watched the Bruce Timm 90's Batman :The Animated series, then you're lacking , because without this series, everything that everyone loves about batman would never have been made i.e. (Mr Freeze's new origin story about saving his wife which then became the standard, Harley Quinn being introduced into DC lore forever becoming a fan favorite, added into the comics after this series, major character development and standalone stories , showing the transition to different Robin's such as Dick Grayson and Tim Drake and a definite rogues gallery that set a standard idea of what the world of batman was like in addition to how each antagonist mirrored different sides of batman as worthy foes). Heck, this series influenced the Arkham Video games more than the Burton, Nolan films more than any other live action version.
Superman: the animated series is the show (that I could compare to Marvel Studios Ironman 2008 film , in terms of the introduction to the larger dc animated universe, showcasing team ups, paying respects to Jack Kirby: The King of American comic art, and creating the best depiction of superman ever. Justice League and Justice League Unlimited introduced the world to the group and showed each of the characters in their best representation with a diverse line up of characters. There a lot of themes in the show and great character defining moments that shaped a lot of young fans to where they are and what they're interests are now. Along with expanding the roster utilizing characters from different eras of DC comic lore, it was great. Much like its predecessors (BTAS, STAS, Batman Beyond and Static Shock) it managed to dive in deep without losing their viewers whenever showcasing origin stories in animated format that were more accessible to the viewers. And Then there is Teen Titans, and Young Justice which are Both shows depicting different versions of the young adolescent groups. Teen Titans was heavily influenced by the Wolfman/Perez 80's era storylines such as The Judas Contract ( the Terra episodes), The Trigun Saga etc.
Young Justice is based off the 90's Comic Book series (in namesake), was one of the last good superhero based content shows to date. It was well written like all the others and had a lot of great moments , it's like Justice league , but through teenage/young adult eyes mixed with covert ops. A lot of the shows themes dealt with aspects such as the coming of age to young adulthood, seeking identity, acceptance, responsibility, teamwork, learning the down and upsides of life and relationships, etc. You rarely see good stuff like this anymore for young adults other than good anime these days. while there is no longer american cartoons of this caliber that have yet to surface in the same animation and written quality, surely there will be some new series that'll cover that. At the moment , there are some good anime and such. At least DBZ is back , along with Sailor Moon: Crystal ! Naruto is spinning off into Boruto The son of Naruto, there are other animes that are out that are on a similar level to Ergo Proxy, Ghost in the Shell, and other generes of anime. It may not be on Cowboy Bebop , or Samurai Champloo level, but there is a good variety of content out there whether known or unknown. When Dragon Ball Super ( the new DBZ series) hits the scene in July, I'll definitely be watching the japanese release since we ( U.S.A viewers) won't be seeing the new series until it hits the states in a few years dubbed in english. Regardless, Tell me what you thought was the best of the DC animated shows discussed in this article and have fun!
Note: I forgot to also mention Green Lantern: The animated series, which was also a good show too haha).
No comments:
Post a Comment