A Closer Trip Down Memory Lane

By Geeky Gem

 

As you could probably tell from a few of my articles, I like cartoons and I have already bought you top ten’s from the 1980’s and the 1990’s. I have always liked cartoons and this has never gone away. I even watched a few when I was teenager and now as an adult. I shall carry on with my list from 2000 to 2010 of cartoons I have enjoyed.

 

Family Guy

 

 

Yes, I know this one should be on the list of 1990’s cartoons as it came out in 1999, but you see here I was a little late to the party so didn’t watch it until 2000. I know it’s cheating right but how can I miss this show off the list. Family Guy is animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Louis; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their pet dog Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, and exhibits much of its humor in the form of cutaway gags that often lampoon American and Pop Culture.

 

X-Men: Evolution

 

 

X-Men: Evolution is another animated series based on the comic of the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults. The series ran for a total of four seasons. The plots were simple and very similar to the layout of the other cartoon. It’s nice to see some of the heroes as teenagers to see how they handled being a teenager and a mutant.

 

 

The Fairly Odd Parents

 

The Fairly Odd Parents (sometimes abbreviated FOP) is about the adventures of Timmy Turner, who is granted fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda. Each episode would see Timmy have an adventure with Cosmo and Wanda, and they would also take on many different forms. One of my favorite voice actresses in this show which is what drew me too it. Tara Strong has been in a number of cartoons and video games and never fails to deliver.

 

 

Justice League

 

 

Now for any of who read Avenging April you will now that in my article Heroes on Television I have already mentioned Justice League for those of you who haven’t read it you can check it out here. So I will keep this short. Justice League was and is one of favorite cartoons and kept my teenage years going.

 

Samuri Jack

 

 

Samurai Jack had the catchiest theme tune ever. It is noted for its highly detailed, outline-free, based animation, as well as for its cinematic style and pacing. The plots of individual episodes range from dark and epic to light-hearted and comic, but typically follow “Jack”, a time-displaced samurai warrior, in his singular quest to find a method of traveling back in time. Many of the battle scenes in the series are reminiscent of samurai films, and since Jack’s robotic enemies “bleed” oil or electricity and monsters and aliens bleed slime or goo, the series is able to exhibit the action of these films while avoiding censorship for violence.

 

Teen Titans

 

 

Teen Titans is based on the DC Comic book Superheroes team. The series revolves around main team members Robin (the leader), Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg. While it is an action cartoon, the series is also character-driven, with a focus on the main characters’ struggles with being teenage superheroes, their mutual friendships, and their limitations. A major difference between the animated series and the comic book is that while the comic portrayed the characters as being in their late teens to early 20s (resulting in the comic series at one point even dropping the word “Teen” from its title to reflect its older characters), the animated series characters are all depicted as being in their actual mid-teen years.

 

Drawn Together

 

 

This cartoon is more adult than some of the cartoons we have already looked at and I think that’s what set it apart for me. Drawn Together uses a sitcom format with a TV reality show setting. The show’s eight characters are a combination of personalities that were recognizable and familiar prior to the series. Drawn Together, however, uses cartoon parodies. In addition, their character traits parody personality types that are typically seen in reality TV shows. The characters agreed to live in a house together in a setup similar to that of Big Brother or The Real World.

 

 

Avatar: The Last Airbender

 

 

Before M. Night Shyamalan ruined this cartoon with a frankly awful adaption, it was a really good show and still is for those willing to ignore the movie. Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in an Asian-influenced world wherein some are able to manipulate the classical elements by use of psychokinetic variants of Chinese martial arts known as “bending.” The show combined the styles of anime and American cartoons, and relied for imagery upon various East-Asian, Inuit, and South-American societies, with a brief reference to the Indic. The series follows the adventures of protagonist Aang and his friends, who must save the world from the evil Fire Lord by ending his war against the neighbor nations.

 

 

Transformers Animated

 

 

In this re-working of the Transformers Cartoon five Autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Prowl and Bulkhead) find the fabled Allspark only to become a part of the long-lasting battle between the Autobots and their enemies, the evil Decepticons. A space battle ends up stranding the Autobots in futuristic Detroit (The year is never specified other than taking place in the future probably between the year 2050 but no later than the 22nd century) where they take on roles akin to that of Superheroes, fighting both Decepticons and human Super villains. The Transformers’’ battle is renewed in this future city on Earth. Instead of being known as the Motor City, it has now become the Robot City due to Dr. Isaac Sumdac’s non-alien robotic creations. Sari Sumdac, his eight-year-old daughter, is the main human character that the Autobots saved when they landed on Earth.

 

 

And there we have the cartoons I watched through my teenage years and some of my adult hood. I have also picked a few I have been watching in last few years as well, and I will share these with you very soon. There are some I missed from these lists and maybe one day I will touch on them or maybe not we will have too see.

 

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

By @hmsbeefnuts

 

Welcome to another weekly dose of whimsy, prescribed every Wednesday by yours truly. This week, I shall only deliver a small dose, as I am rather busy with work commitments. But we shall see how far we get. This week has been a sad one for the Geek community as a whole, and the Batman Geek community in particular. I refuse to give any publicity to anyone who commits an atrocity such as the one that happened last Friday, and it sickens me that the news agencies are seeking to exaggerate matters by referring to this sick individual as ‘The Batman Killer’ or ‘The Joker’. Please refrain from using such phrases, it only adds to this guys infamy.

There was of course very happy news in the world of Batman too. The Dark Knight Rises is a fantastic end to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. I will not review it here, at least not in any detail, until a few more people get to see it. I know Geeky Gem has yet to watch it, as soon as she does, I will write up some more detailed thoughts. I’m happy to say I thought it was fantastic, all the cast were amazing, the storyline was strong, and thankfully I avoided spoilers, which I urge you to do, as at times I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. A very satisfying end to a very satisfying trilogy. I do not envy the guy who has to reboot the Bat now, but I am looking forward to the results. My vote would be to go for a less realistic universe, one in which Superman, Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman can co-exist with Batman, because I want a Justice League Movie.

The Olympics starts on Friday, and to be honest I couldn’t give less of a shit. However, look out for a special series of Geek Olympics that we will be featuring on All Geek To Me, as soon as I can find the time to write them. Time is becoming a real problem at the moment and I am struggling to fit everything in. I had to quit my regular Sunday article at GameNTrain.com due to time constraints, a shame, as I did enjoy writing solely about video games, even if I was having trouble thinking of stuff to write about. I honestly considered The Top 5 Shoes in Gaming. Yeah, I was scraping the barrel. I would like to say thanks to everyone for giving me the opportunity over at GameNTrain, and Eric in particular. Always helpful, always supportive, good people.

I am currently reading Batman : No Man’s Land, which I am enjoying very much, I really need to make a dent in my comics pile, it is getting stupidly huge. I am also still reading Hunting The American Werewolf by Linda S. Godfrey, and yes I have been reading it for far too long. Once again, time is a factor here.

Games wise, I have been having a go at playing Lego Batman 2, and although I enjoy it in parts, it shares the problems that all the Lego games do, i.e., it has an awful camera system, it is very frustrating, and at times down right unfathomable, there are parts that are so obtuse as to be ridiculous. It is all made worthwhile however, by the fact that when you play as Superman, the John Williams theme plays when you fly, and you can shoot down baddies with your laser eyes!!

August is almost here, and we seem to have hit a bit of a movie low point. Most of the big action blockbusters are already out, and there seems like there is nothing really spectacular out  until The Hobbit in December. Of course, I will always find something to watch, practically every week, but all but one of the films I was really looking forward too this year have come out, roll on December.

Well that’s going to have to be it for one week, I have work to do.

Avenging April: What All The Fuss Was About: Avengers Assessments

By @hmsbeefnuts

Thursday afternoon, April 26^th , I watched The Avengers, it was around 3 hours ago now that the film finished, and I’m still buzzing from the spectacle. Rest assured that The Avengers is very very good indeed. Everything that the previous 5 Marvel films promised, has been fulfilled by what is quite simply one of the most spectacular films that I have ever seen. Now I know I’m still buzzing from the film, a lot of what I type may be new film glaze, but I don’t think so. I will be seeing the film again on Saturday, this time in IMAX 3D, and I can’t wait, but we shall see if the aura of the Avengers will diminish the second time. I seriously doubt it.

I will not spoil plot points or secrets with you here, I think it’s only fair if you experience it all yourself, and there are plenty of reviews to read around the web anyway full of spoilers. Also, I’m not the kind of fan boy who wants to declare a winner of the summer, I’m not going to decry Amazing Spider-man, or The Dark Knight Rises. The Avengers may be the most spectacular film this summer, especially for comic fans, but I’m sure The Dark Knight is going to be equally as great, and Amazing Spider-man, well, here’s hoping. What I will say is, if you have ever enjoyed a Marvel film, then go and see this on the big screen, it needs to be seen big, and loud, do not wait for Blu-ray, DVD, or TV.

 

As my oldest mate and I sat in the cinema before hand, I was slightly apprehensive. Could this film live up to my incredibly high expectations? I needn’t have worried, Avengers delivered, and delivered big. If I can interject here with a point. This is the kind of film that is best enjoyed with your friends, or loved ones. Go see it in a big group, go see it with your childhood friend, go see it with your kids or little brother and sister. There are few things I enjoy more than seeing a brilliant film with a mate, a girlfriend, my Mum, or Dad, Avengers is that kind of film. It is a visual expression of childhood glee, it is every game you played in the playground, arguing over who would be Thor, or The Hulk. I can’t believe that Marvel and Joss Whedon pulled it off, something that should have been very hard, almost impossible.

All the heroes get their moment to shine, even those with out powers. Whedon pulls off the group dynamic perfectly. These heroes aren’t friends, they argue, they fight, but when it comes to the crunch, they pull together and kick some major bad guy ass. I don’t know what my favourite bit was, there were so many. Hulk and Thor, Hulk and Loki, Cap and Agent Coulson, any time Tony Stark is on screen. It would have been easy to turn this into Ironman 3, or the Tony Stark show, but it is not that at all.

The Hulk could be the star, certainly, I felt that he had many of the greatest moments. The BEST Hulk in anything ever, there simply has to be a Hulk sequel with this Hulk, he was awesome. The CGI was incredible, and suitably epic. I’m finding it very hard to talk about things without spoiling stuff, so I will try to not go on for too long. I can’t wait to see where the Marvel films go next, now that The Avengers are established, I can’t wait to see an Ironman 3, Thor 2, Cap 2 and Hulk 2 (3?), and a sequel to The Avengers. Marvel have done something incredible with these films, a fan boys wet dream. Right now I would say that this is my favourite Marvel film, overtaking Captain America, but a second, third and fourth viewing will confirm this. As for now, all I can say is that The Avengers is worth your money, worth your time and worth your attention. DC should be taking notes from Marvel. I want to see a Justice League movie that is this good. I want to see Batman, Green Lantern and Superman working together as well as Ironman, Cap and Hulk. With Nolan’s take on Batman coming to an end, and a reboot for the Bat franchise probably in the works, now is the time to lay the foundations of a Justice League team up movie. I liked Green Lantern, I have high hopes for Man of Steel, lets hope DC can do as good a job as Marvel, even though they seemingly have a harder task, with DC heroes being slightly harder to translate.

Writing this has made me want to go and see it again. I can’t wait until Saturday. The Summer is shaping up to be epic. The Avengers is a hard act to follow, but I can’t wait to see what Marvel has in store.

Avenging April: Heroes on Television

By Geeky Gem

 

 

  

Seeing as we here at AGTM are Avenging April, I thought I would delve into the world of Superhero television shows. There have been more than I thought, many I have watched and many I haven’t. I thought I would pick just five that left me always wanting more. Here, in no real order, as always, are five shows that had Superheroes in that I loved.

 Heroes

 

Oh Heroes, where do I start with this show? For those of you not in the know, Heroes is a series created by Tim Kring that appeared from 2006. The show tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the characters lives. The show for me always emulates the aesthetic style and storytelling of a comic book, its uses short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Now I really liked Heroes at the start of its four season run, but when the show hit difficulties during season two, thanks to the writer’s strike, it kind of lost its edge. However, that being said, it was still really good, the stories were always good, the characters were deep in places and it left me wondering, much like X-men did, will we ever evolve past our current state?

 The Cape

 

Now unfortunately The Cape didn’t run for as long as I thought it would, and was dropped from its network after only half a season, much like Firefly. Which sucks as I think this show could have gone far. The Cape, as I said, only ran for half a season between 2010 and 2011, its season finale wasn’t even shown on television, but on the internet instead, which to me is no way for a show to go out. The series was set in the fictional Palm City and followed Vince Faraday, an honest detective who decides to leave the police force after he witnesses the murder of a new police chief by a mysterious individual known as “Chess”. He then goes to work for a private security firm run by, owned and operated by billionaire entrepreneur Peter Fleming. However Faraday is set up and left with the whole city looking for him, for something he didn’t do. Faraday is abducted, but then becomes accepted, by “The Carnival of Crime”, a traveling circus turned bank robbery ring. Here he becomes The Cape. However short-lived this show was it really was worth watching.

 

Justice League

 

Look I had to get animated Batman on the list somehow OK and this was the only way, seen as I am not allowed to talk about Batman the animated show. Anyway Justice League is a fantastic cartoon, it ran from 2001 till 2004. Having watched Batman the animated show I had to watch this as it had a number of my favourite heroes in it. From Batman to Flash and Superman to Wonder Woman.

Animator Bruce Timm who had successfully adapted both Batman and Superman into animated shows in the 1990’s, took on the challenge of adapting the Justice League comic book and turning it into an animated sequel to his two former animated series. This new animated TV series brought all sorts of new characters. Ignoring the sidekicks, pets, and other elements of the earlier Super Friends show, the line-up of this new JLA adaptation was created with two things in mind: to pay tribute to the original line-up of the Justice League of America while also reflecting racial and cultural diversity. This show alone sparked the follow-up series, Justice League Unlimited and featured a greatly expanded roster of heroes.

The Incredible Hulk

 

Now I am not going to lie to you, as a small child when this show was I was really scared of The Incredible Hulk. I only had to hear the starting theme song and I bolted from the room, so my parents tell me. I believe them, I do remember not liking this show when I was a lot younger, but now I am older, and I can appreciate the show for what it is. I still think The Hulk is kind of scary but in a good way. The series is based on the character the Hulk, and ran from 1978 untill 1982. It starred Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. In this adaptation Dr. David Banner is a widowed physician and scientist, who is presumed dead, he travels across America, under false names (his false surnames always begin with the letter “B”), and finds himself in positions where he helps others in need despite his terrible secret: in times of extreme anger, he transforms into a huge, incredibly strong green creature, who has been given the name “The Hulk”. The Hulk, besides costing Dr. Banner a huge amount of clothing bills, would then smash and crash his way around for a bit. This I soon came to love when I was older, but when the repeats were on T.V when I was younger there was no way I could sleep if I’d seen The Hulk, silly no?

 Birds Of Prey

 

I know this is a list of top five superhero television shows, and so far I have shown at least one show that got cancelled before it ran a full season. However I just couldn’t bring myself not to mention another. Birds of Prey aired in 2002, it was loosely based on the comic of the same name. However despite the series debut ratings in America being 7.6 million viewers, the series was cancelled after ratings fell sharply in subsequent weeks. In total only thirteen episodes were produced. Which was a real same as I really enjoyed what the show had to offer, so much so I have them on DVD. The show was set in New Gotham City, several years after it has been apparently abandoned by Batman. In his absence, Oracle and the Huntress have taken over his war on crime. The two are joined by Black Canary, and a host of other characters. A central feature of the series is the concept of Metahumans: Individuals born with powers that cannot be explained. No two metahumans have the same specific ability (or set of abilities) and there exists a whole subculture of metahuman society that the outside world knows nothing about. If you ever have the chance to see this show, as with The Cape, I would give it a go, just remember, it doesn’t last long.

 

There we have my top five superhero television show, hopefully as I only picked five there will be some you have not yet seen and some you have, There are plenty more I missed out but I hope you will forgive me.

Avenging April: 5 Super Stupid Supervillians

By @hmsbeefnuts

It’s April and here at All Geek To Me, we are VERY excited about a certain superhero film that drops at the end of the month. So, in celebration of the upcoming The Avengers, during a recent production meeting, Geeky Gem and I have decided that this month shall forever more be known as Avenging April. With us so far? Good. Now what does Avenging April actually mean? Well basically, we are trying to ride The Avengers bandwagon by writing a series of articles based on superheroes, to try to alleviate our growing excitement, and to make sure you all go and see what is sure to be in the top three biggest films this year. Now All Geek To Me’s staff don’t claim to know everything about superheroes or comic characters, but we know what we like, or don’t like, and thus, consider this fare warning…over the next month, superheroes will very much be taking centre stage, although there will be other articles for those who aren’t cape fanatics. So, without further ado, lets kick off Avenging April with a look at the 5 Super Stupid Supervillians…

Egghead

I don’t feel like this pick needs too much explanation. Just look at the picture. Vincent Price with a huge egg shaped bald head. Egghead was created especially for the 1960’s Batman TV show, and was suitably camp and rubbishy. I’m not down on the Batman TV show, I like it, but it is a work of campy genius. Egghead is one of the stupidest, and therefore best villains on the show. He is described thusly; ‘A super smart villain who’s brain is too big for his head. He has a soft spot in his cold heart for anything that has the word egg in it‘. I love that corner of The Bats Rogues Gallery that is populated by villains who are fixated on ridiculous things. He even had a Moll called Miss Bacon. Just look again at the picture Egghead is stupid, and incredibly awesome. How about Egghead and King Tut for a Batman reboot?

Granny Goodness

My God that name is stupid. Granny. Goodness. Ridiculous. What is even more stupid is that Granny Goodness is associated with Darkseid. She runs the training facility for his elite soldiers, using torture and brainwashing techniques in her warped childcare system, in order to train elite fanatical warriors, who will die for Darkseid. Her powers include superhuman strength, speed and durability. She is also adept at using Apokoliptian technology. She is a formidable opponent, but she is called Granny Goodness. God damn it.

Crazy Quilt

 

Our next three villains fall into the category of ‘not everything sounds sinister and scary’. Especially in this case, Quilts. Crazy Quilt was once Paul Dekker, an ex-painter who has turned master thief. Blinded during a botched robbery by a gun shot, he was taken to prison. Whilst inside, he volunteered for a medical procedure that would restore his vision. It worked, sort of. He can now only see blinding, disorienting colours. He obviously then went insane, and started to dress like a complete idiot, oh and calling himself Crazy Quilt, and he is now able to control peoples minds, with a mind-controlling helmet.

The Kangaroo

 

Dear God. Frank Oliver studied kangaroo’s in his native Australia, so hard he developed a jumping ability to rival the marsupials. Obviously, he decided the best way to exploit this new ability was to become a champion boxer, well you would wouldn’t you? After accidentally kicking an opponent in the face, and right into the hospital, Frank jumped ship to America to evade justice. Escaping from deportation, Frank decide a life of crime was for him. Having been defeated by Spider-man easily first time off, he escaped but had wounded pride. He then met Dr. Jonas Harrow, who offered to superhuman The Kangaroo up. An operation later, and The Kangaroo was now jet powered, able to leap 100ft. and be super strong. The story doesn’t exactly end well, but no spoilers. He hates Spider-man though, loads.

The Calculator

Look comic creators, not everything in the world should be turned into a cool superpower. However lame The Calculator seems, and he seems really stupid, he is actually quite a tough opponent. He started off by losing to every member of the Justice League. However, in reality he was assessing his opponents strengths and weaknesses with his calculator suit, which after pressing a special button, he could make sure they could never beat him again. He became immune from defeat by any hero he had analysed, and could only be defeated by a new hero each time, or by turning his powers against him. In fact The Calculator is quite cool, he just looks really stupid.