Weekend Round-Up - July 3-6

Here is a list of new superhero cartoons debuting this weekend in the US:

Monday, July 6, 2009
Disney XD, 7:30pm (ET/PT)
Spectacular Spider-Man - Shear Strength

The Master Planner sends the Vulture to kidnap Gwen Stacy in order to blackmail her father, Captain George Stacy, into giving up top secret information that would allow the Master Planner to take over the world!

Please note:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be on hiatus for the next few months.

Wolverine and the X-Men is taking a break and will return in a few months with new episodes.

You can tell it's the summertime because Iron Man: Armored Adventures is also taking a break for the next little while.

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Here is a list of new superhero cartoons debuting this weekend in the Canada:

Nothing new this week! Sorry!

Please Note:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold will return to Teletoon next week with new episodes!

Iron Man: Armored Adventures is taking a break from airing new episodes.

Labels: 2008 Batman Brave and the Bold, 2008 Spectacular Spider-Man, 2009 Iron Man Armored Adventures, 2009 Wolverine and the X-Men, News 2009 07

  ¶ 6:53 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Top 5 Baby Moments

A few days ago I welcomed in a new addition to my family. My wife and I had our first child, a son, whom we are naming Peter Parker Findlay (no joke)! I am telling you this because I will be taking a bit of a break from this website for a while. I'll update with major news, but the episode reviews will wait until my life has a bit more routine in it.

But in the meantime, I will leave you with this short article of my top five favourite baby moments in superhero animation. Surprisingly, they are all from the Timm-verse.


5. Baby-Doll - Batman: the Animated Series

Batman has to face a former child star that has never grown out of her child body and has therefore become bitter and jaded toward the world. The climax of the episode where Mary Louise Dahl faces her own self image was a moving moment to what was otherwise a pretty goofy episode. Her second appearance, Love is a Croc, was less than impressive.


4. Kid Stuff - Justice League Unlimited

JLU is usually a pretty serious show, but they also know how to be funny! When the Justice League willingly change into children hilarity ensues, especially when they come across a baby Demon Etrigan! The cute factor was kicked up a notch, and even though it was a lighter episode, the story was still solid.


3. Eggbaby - Batman Beyond

I never had to do the "pretend an egg is a baby" exercise in high school, but now that I have an infant of my own, I can better relate to Terry McGuiness as he lives his daily live with a dependent. However I don't have to fight crime with a baby. The egg really steals the show in this episode.


2. The Last Son of Krypton, Part One - Superman: the Animated Series

How could a list about babies be complete with out young Kal-El? I can't imagine how hard it would be for a parent to send their child away as Jor-El and Lara did when Krypton was about to explode. The origin of Superman has been retold in many different mediums, several times, but this version develops the relationship between Kal-El and his parents far better than any other.


1. The Enemy Below, Part Two - Justice League

Parents will go to great lengths to protect their children. In this episode Aquaman cuts off his own hand in order to free himself and his son from certain death. It is a very powerful moment, especially if you have a child of your own. Would you be able to do the same if you were in the situation?

Labels: Top 5 Moments

  ¶ 9:50 AM 6 Comments Links to this post

  Last Bat on Earth!


Season: 2
Episode Number: 22
Season Episode Number: 9
Production Number: 122
Airdate: June 19, 2009

Writer: Steven Melching
Director: Ben Jones

Voices: Diedrich Bader (Batman), Mikey Kelley (Kamandi), Greg Ellis (Dr. Canus), John DiMaggio (Gorilla Grodd), Yuri Lowenthal (Prince Tuftan, Mr. Miracle), Peter Woodward (Ceasar), Richard McGonagle (Professor Carter Nichols), Diane Delano (Big Barda), Dee Bradley Baker (Oberon, Ramjam), Unknown (Bat, Ape, Human).

Plot: Batman follows Gorilla Grodd into the future and teams up with Kamandi, the last boy on Earth, to stop the uprising of an army of evolved gorillas.

Teaser: Batman and Mr. Miracle escape a death-defying situation.

Review (Warning! Spoilers!): Just as they did in Day of the Dark Knight, the Brave and the Bold team has whipped up another tribute to the great comic book legend, Jack Kirby. The world of Kamandi and the New Gods were both created by Kirby in the 70s and are depicted very well in this episode.

The episode's teaser introduces us to Mr. Miracle, his wife Big Barda, and his manager Oberon as well as his escape act that he performs for charity. The designs are consistant with that of the show but retain the Kirby qualities that they are known for. Plus, the teaser is just plain funny! You have no idea why Batman and Mr. Miracle are acting so nonchalant until the twist at the end!

The main bulk of the episode takes place in the far future where animals have evolved and humans are savage and technology has been lost. (Does that sound like a certain Charlton Heston movie or what?) The battle between the difference animal groups is at its highest peek with the main two rivals being Ceasar and his tiger army and Ramjam and the apes. The characters and the story were strong enough that I didn't think that Gorilla Grodd needed to be in the episode, however it was Batman's reason for jumping through time, so I guess he was necessary.

And speaking of jumping through time, Batman rescues Professor Carter Nichols. Who is Professor Nichols, you say? In the Silver Age of comics, Professor Nichols created a few different methods of traveling through time. His appearance in this show validates how Batman can appear in different points in time as he has done in previous episodes.

Kamandi is a character that I know very little about, so this episode was a great introduction to him and his world. Last Bat on Earth a fairly strong episode with plenty of action, plot, humour and character.

One question: Why do horses seem to be the only animals that didn't evolve?


Back to Episode Guide  ¶ 6:30 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Neil Patrick Harris is the Music Meister!

Obviously inspired by the internet sensation known as Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, Neil Patrick Harris has been cast as an all-new villain called The Music Meister for an upcoming episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Mayhem of the Music Meister, which is set to debut this fall, will be an all musical episode in which the villain, the Music Meister, uses his ability to create song wherever he goes to take over the world! Five new songs have been recently written and recorded by Dynamic Music Partners in LA.

This isn't the first time we've seen musical episodes. Shows like Powerpuff Girls and Clone High did it several years back, and the famous Once More With Feeling episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer sounds like it has a very similar plot. However, I'm sure that this episode will be just as fresh and hilarious as all of those other musical episodes.

I only hope to hear the classic Batman quote "Villains are a superstitious, cowardly lot" sometime in the episode. Do you remember hearing that quote used in the Batman musical in the Batman Beyond episode Out of the Past? If you don't remember that episode, maybe these pictures will jog your memory:

Labels: 2008 Batman Brave and the Bold, News 2009 06

  ¶ 8:37 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Ready, A.I.M., Fire


Season: 1
Episode Number: 10
Season Episode Number: 10
Production Number: 110
Airdate: May 25, 2009

Writer: Kevin Burke, Chris "Doc" Wyatt
Director: Stéphane Juffé and Philippe Guyenne

Voices: Adrian Petriw (Iron Man), Daniel Bacon (Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes), Anna Cummer (Pepper Potts), Vincent Tong (Gene Khan), Alistair Abell (Happy Hogan), Kristie Marsden (Whitney Stane), Michael Kopsa (Controller), Unknown (A.I.M. Supreme Leader), Unknown (Principal Nara), Lisa Ann Beley (Iron Man Onboard Computer).


Plot: While at the school's job fair, Tony Stark is approached by a company called A.I.M. who want to hire him because of his great genius. But Tony has second thoughts when A.I.M. starts controlling the minds of his friends.

Review (Warning! Spoilers!): In this episode we are introduced to an organization that has deep roots in Marvel history. A.I.M. (Advanced Ideas Mechanics) usually butts heads with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America, but seeing as how those guys never get their own cartoon I guess Iron Man is the next logical show to make a guest appearance. After all, who better to rival a tech-savvy genius like Tony Stark than an advanced technology organization.

The episode plays out really well and takes many cues from horror and zombie movies. The whole "bee" thing (which is true to the comics, I kid you not) added an element of creepiness that helped amplify the creepiness once Tony's gang started attacking him.

Out of all of the villains in this show, the Controller has had the biggest makeover. Losing his armoured exoskeleton and out-of-control rage, this version of Basil Sandhurst is mearly an underling for A.I.M. and its purposes. He still has his slave discs which are a focal point of this episode, but other than that he is completely reworked.

Briefly mentioned in this episode is A.I.M.'s greatest creation, M.O.D.O.C., whom we will meet in a later episode.

I guess I really shouldn't have been surprised, but Whitney Stane enrolls in the Tomorrow Academy and joins the gang as they solve crimes Scooby-Doo style.

All in all, this is an enjoyable episode, and as we get further into the season I find myself enjoying the time Tony spends outside of his armour more than when he is in it.

Back to Episode Guide  ¶ 7:47 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Spectacular Season Two Premiere Today!

This is the moment you have all been waiting for! The Spectacular Spider-Man Season Two premieres on Disney XD tonight at 7:00pm (ET/PT) with two back-to-back episodes!

In the season premiere, Blueprints, Peter wants to talk to Gwen about their first kiss, but before he gets the chance, Spider-Man has a run-in with the sorcerer Mysterio. Following in the additional brand-new episode, Destructive Testing, Peter wrestles with his feelings for both Gwen and Liz, but in the meantime, Kraven the Hunter has arrived to make Spider-Man his prey.

Spectacular Spider-Man will move to its regular timeslot of Mondays at 7:30pm (ET/PT) on June 29 as stated in the video below.


And if that's not enough, head on over to Marvel Animation Age for a ton of really cool Spidey stuff!

Labels: 2008 Spectacular Spider-Man, News 2009 06

  ¶ 7:55 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  More X-Men Coming Your Way!

TV Shows on DVD has just revealed some great news! A third and fourth volume of the 90s X-Men animated series will be hitting stores September 15th!

Each set features 2 discs and will feature popular storyarcs such as The Dark Phoenix Saga and Beyond Good and Evil. If these two sets are anything like the last two, they will feature sixteen or seventeen episodes each.

I'll post cover art as soon as I get it, or you can just visit TV Shows on DVD.

Also, look for a second Canadian release of Wolverine and the X-Men heading your way July 21.

This release will feature four episodes:

Thieves Gambit

X-Calibre

Wolverine vs. the Hulk

Time Bomb

The cover will be a diecut o-ring, just like the last release. The cover art looks much better than the American volume two release.

Labels: 1992 X-Men, 2009 Wolverine and the X-Men, News 2009 06

  ¶ 5:19 PM 0 Comments Links to this post