Alright, I hope you all had your fun with the last post (Gee that really backfired! … Live & Learn).
Time to get serious:
(stares at screen in disbelief…)
I have nothing…
Well back to the sketchbook 😛 !
I’ll come back to this I promise…
TV
Review: Wolverine and the X-Men “Hindsight” parts 1-3 (pilot episodes)
“Hindsight” Parts 1-3 (pilot episodes)/ Wolverine and the X-Men/ 2009
Wolverine and the X-Men is the new X-Men animated series that debuted this past January on the NickToons network (With teenage Iron Man heading to NickToons as well, it seems like NickToons is the place for your new Marvel Comics cartoons).
I’m going to come right out and state this, I am a BIG fan of the X-Men: Animated Series from the 90’s , my taste favors the more Jim Lee style X-Men designs, and I believe that the X-Men: Animated Series from the 90’s was the most faithful to the comic book.
The next X-Men Series, X-Men: Evolution, even though many people enjoyed it and thought it was a better series, was a disappointment for me. Yes, the character designs were more streamlined to help with the fluidity of animation (as opposed to the bulky un-evenly animated X-Men from the 90’s), but the big No-No was making most of the characters teenagers and in “regular” high school.
So how does the Wolverine and X-Men pilot episodes stack up?
Two words: Very Promising…
Hit the jump for the rest of the review… Continue reading
Hammerman
By request from Daps1…
From 1990 – 91, MC Hammer was arguably the biggest hip-hop star in the world. You can’t deny the fact that his break out hit “U Can’t Touch This” was catchy, and with it’s heavy (understated) sampling of Rick James’ “Superfreak”, it made heavy, HEAVY sampling of funk hits popular in future hip-hop songs. Hammer helped bring hip-hop to the mainstream audience with an entertainment style that no hip-hop artist had back then.
But how do you know you when someone hits it big? They get their own cartoon series…
Hit the Jump, to read more about hip-hop’s first animated series… Continue reading
Iron Man: Armored Adventures
It took them a while to capitalize on the huge movie success of Iron Man. Here’s the trailer for the new upcoming animated series on NickToons.
Let’s be real, I’m not sure I’m sold on the Tony Stark as a teenager premise. It didn’t work for me when X-Men: Evolution turned most of the X-Men into teenagers attending a regular high school. If done right, like Batman Beyond or Next Avengers, where the original heroes were homaged and played a vital role, maybe it could’ve worked. But Tony Stark just doesn’t work as a 16 year old kid for me. Tony Stark needs to be Robert Downey Jr.
I’ll actually watch some of this before I pass more judgement. I will say this though, it already seems better than the last Iron Man animated series.
Actually, based on that catchy theme song, I’m not too sure anymore.
“I…I….AM…IROOOON MAAA-A-AAAAN!” Don’t tell me that’s not catchy.
More research required definitely!
Set the VCR: Alan Moore Speaks! (The Simpsons “Husbands & Knives” 2007)
Alan Moore, writer of Watchmen, genius. He is one of the first writers to establish a literary and structural tone to comic books that rivals traditional novels. It’s no secret that Alan Moore is not a fan of the care-free licensing that major comic book companies (Like DC) take with writers’ characters. He has always decided to take his name off writing credits when a movie is made based on one of his many genius comic stories. With the disaster that was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie, Alan Moore became more frustrated with the whole licensing process.
Because of this, I don’t think he gets out in public that much. Actually, for many years I just knew him as that dude with the beard…
Yup, thas him! That’s all I knew of him. He never really seemed human, like if I ever met the dude I would cower in his presence. I never really heard him speak or got a sense of his personality until this fateful Set the VCR Moment: (there’s the jump!) Continue reading
Bootleg Classics: Justice League Unlimited “Question Authority”
Watchmen week continues here at Art of the Cartoon…
The original “superheroes” that were supposed to be used for Watchmen were taken right from the pages of Charlton Comics. Charlton Comics was bought out, however, by a major comic studio named DC Comics in 1985. Since DC planned to incorporate the heroes from Charlton Comics into the DC Universe, Alan Moore, writer of Watchmen, along with Dave Gibbons, Artist/ Penciler of Watchmen, decided to create original characters for their soon to be classic book. Even though the new characters were original, they were still influenced by the Charlton Comics superheroes that were supposed to be in Watchmen.
Case and point, Rorschach was loosely based on The Question:
And Doctor Manhattan was loosely based on Captain Atom:
What would have happened had Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons been able to use the Charlton Comics superheroes for Watchmen? This intriguing question is somewhat answered in this Bootleg Classic.
Bootleg Classics: The Simpsons “Homer at the Bat”
Awww Yes… Players have reported to spring training and baseball season is about to begin. With Griffey Jr. returning to the Mariners, I thought it would be fitting to have this Bootleg Classic dedicated to one of Griffey’s greatest guest starring roles ever. Even though baseball is tainted at the moment, and because of the “steroid era” we’ll probably never feel the same about baseball ever again, this Bootleg Classic takes you back to a time when baseball seemed as genuine as Griffey’s smile on his Upper Deck rookie card.
The Simpsons “Homer at the Bat” 1992 (originally aired Feb. 20, 1992…17 years ago!)
Background:
Do I really need to do a background on The Simpsons? It is one of the most influential animated programs in the history of cartoons. So influential that folks have written books on the Simpsons’ effect on society. So I am going to assume everyone knows about the misadventures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson, as well as the other loveable townfolk of Springfield.
The Episode:
Homer and the other Power Plant workers sign up for their work’s softball team. Thanks to Homer’s homemade bat, the Power Plant goes undefeated and makes it to the championship game vs. the Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant. Mr. Burns (owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant) makes a million dollar bet with the owner of the Shelbyville Power Plant that his team will win. In order to secure victory, Mr. Burns hires 9 Major League players: Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey, Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, José Canseco, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Scioscia, so they can play for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team.
Hilarity ensues…
(Hit the Jump to find out what makes this episode a Bootleg Classic)
Animated Super Bowl Ads 2009
That was a surprise…It turned out to be an entertaining game. Too bad I HATE the Steelers. Oh and guess what…I HATE the Cardinals too. But congrats to Omar Epps (aka Coach Mike Tomlin) for winning the Super Bowl (at least I like that guy).
Anyway, this is a blog on animation and cartoons and the like, so let me go over the animated ads that stood out to me. There was plenty of animation to go around, so only a few make the cut (and NO, the horrible “3D” Sobe lizards did not make the cut).
Coke Classic Avatar
Let’s be real, we live in an online world and everyone and their mom has some kind of avatar. When we meet folks, we’re just meeting their avatar. So good job Coke on being literal…
Coke Heist
WOW, two Coke commercials (plus I enjoyed the Mean Joe Greene spoof). This one was just special. I don’t know what it is…maybe I just like the heist thing, but maybe its because I thought the insects were beautifully animated. But yeah, this one’s pretty good.
GE Scarecrow
My initial thought…”eh” … but then my guy DJ Daps1 pointed out that the scarecrow in the commercial was some top tier animation. Looking back, that scarecrow is pretty detailed, so I have to concur. This one is for you Daps.
Alright let’s stop it right there, but if anyone wants to know my favorite commercials were the 1 second ones. The Miller one were the dude Screams “HIGH LIFE!!!” and the Ivar’s one that just said “Ivars.”
Final quote of the night from ?uest Love’s Twitter “Yo, You got the juice now Q” (Ask me if you don’t get the reference…)
Bootleg Classics: The Boondocks “Return of the King”
Bootleg Classics is a new feature I’m trying to start. It feature cartoons that are so great, so fantastic, so creative, and/or so inspirational, that they can’t help but be bootlegged.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I decided to start with this Bootleg Classic.
The Boondocks (animated series) “Return of the King”
Background:
The Boondocks is an animated series based upon Aaron McGruder’s comic strip of the same name. The Boondocks is a social satire of American culture and race relations, revolving around the lives of the Freeman family,ten-year-old Huey his younger brother, eight-year-old Riley, and their grandfather, Robert.
The Episode:
This particular episode of the Boondocks explores the scenario “What if Martin Luther King Jr. survived his assassination in 1968? Was in a coma for 32 years, and woke up and lived in our society today?”
What makes it a Bootleg Classic?
“Return of the King” begins with two quotes:
The 1st “I want young men and young women who are not alive today to know and see that these new privileges and opportunities did not come without somebody suffering and sacrificing for them.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
The 2nd “Whatever, nigga.” – anonymous
These two quotes lay an analogous foundation for this episode. It begins the approximately 20 minutes of what I believe to be the best representation and portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas and messages on civil and human rights…EVER. Not only that, but the episode is able to be a social commentary on how Dr. King’s message is lost in today’s world.
From the initial celebration of Dr. King’s revival, to his downfall in the American public due to his commentary on the Afghanistan War, to the conclusion when Dr. King steps up and delivers one final controversial speech, this episode was able to show that the same sentiments and feelings that Martin Luther King went through in the 1960’s were still around today. At same time it was also able to mirror Dr. King’s life as a civil rights leader from the 1960’s, from celebrated to denounced in the American public (Dr. King was very vocal against the Vietnam War), to his final days as a more “radical” civil rights leader (many people forget this). The clear message, “there is still work to be done.” The amazing thing, all this was done in 20 minutes.
I have read other reviews that have lambasted this episode as being too preachy. Or that it just wasn’t that funny or entertaining. It was also highly controversial since Dr. King’s speech at the very end is leeched with the dreaded “n-word.” So much so that even the reverend Al Sharpton got worked up about it and tried to get the episode pulled forever (I don’t think Al even watched the show, he heard the n-word and that’s it). My response: You just don’t get it.
Now, I hate saying the phrase “people just don’t get it,” because we are all grounded in different circumstances and have differing point of views. But I believe this episode was important in starting a dialogue that we, as a society, have a lot to do before we even start scratching the surface of Dr. King’s dream. Like it or not, this episode needs to be watched.
Watch a condensed version of this episode, with the 2 quotes,Dr. King’s speech at the end, and the ending:
To end (this has gone on way too long), there is much hope with Barack Obama being the first African American president. But we need to realize that we have not come full circle and that much work needs to be done. President Obama realizes this and iterates it constantly, and so does this Bootleg Classic.
<hit me up, if you want to watch the whole episode>
Art of the Cartoon 
