That Justice League Unlimited Episode with the Alan Moore Credit

 

This week, I revisit the Justice League Unlimited adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' famous "For the Man who has Everything."  Hey, where's Jason Todd?

Frank Miller's Abandoned, R-Rated Batman: Year One Movie

 

This week at CBR, I delve into Frank Miller's partially nuts Batman: Year One script, and discover the editors want you using "sex worker" instead of "prostitute." I didn't follow the script's lead and use "whores" repeatedly, though. 

Is USA's Savage Dragon as 'Not Awesome' as Erik Larsen Remembers?

This week, I'm looking at another possibly forgotten USA cartoon from the'90s. Erik Larsen hasn't hidden his disappointment with the Savage Dragon cartoon, but is it so bad?

Duckman: Edgy, Politically Incorrect, Forgotten

 

Is there anything animated from the '90s I can't exploit for an article? I revisit the USA Network's Duckman, a show that's seemingly been erased from the history of adult animation.

X-Men: Evolution's Oddly Comics-Accurate Origin...and Christmas Episode

 

I'm revisiting the X-Men: Evolution Christmas episode this week at CBR, which featured perhaps the show's only true comics-accurate origin story.

Why Spider-Man: The Animated Series Swapped Sandman for a C-Lister

 

This week, I'm looking at the brief ascension of an obscure Spider-Man villain, granted some sunlight in the 1990s, chiefly because another character wasn't available.

Batman Beyond's Take on High School Was...Dark

 

This week at CBR, I'm looking back on an early "Terry's classmate is causing trouble" episode of Batman Beyond.

How G.I. Joe Entered the War on Terror Era

 

I continue my look at G. I. Joe's post-9/11 revival in comics this week at CBR. Stay turned for Thundercats, Transformers, Masters of the Universe...

X-Men: The Animated Series - The Manga Continues

 

I'm returning to the X-Men: The Manga adaptation series this week at CBR. Abominable snowmen!

What Happened to Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke's Rejected Batman Story?

 

I'm revisiting Darwyn Cooke's Solo Batman story this week at CBR; once rejected as a Batman Adventures fill-in!

The "Emerald Impotence" Episode of Justice League

 

Justice League's "Hearts and Minds" dropped Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman in favor of John Stewart -- and killed off some Green Lantern Corps members. I revisit the episode this week at CBR. 

Why X-Men: The Animated Series' Final Season Looks So Odd

 

Over at CBR, I'm examining why the final season of X-Men: The Animated Series looked so...different. Actually, as it turns out, the show could've had a Joe Mad makeover in those final episodes!

The Death of Justice League Mortal

 

I'm revisiting the very-close-to-real Justice League Mortal film this week at CBR. It's Didio-tastic. Also, you might be interested in my full review of the new X-Men: The Animated Series art book.

When G.I. Joe Was Revived - Without Larry Hama

 

I'm looking back in the first comic of the 1980s revival -- the Image relaunch of G. I. Joe. Let me know if you have any suggests from the early 2000s revival craze you'd like to see covered.

X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series - Not Quite a Review

 

I wouldn’t be prepared to call this a review, because reading through this tome will take a while. But it’s certainly worth mentioning. The publisher sent me a comp copy of X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series a few days ago, the newest entry from X-Men: The Animated Series producers Eric & Julia Lewald. 

It covers much of the information detailed in Previously on X-Men, their in-depth retrospective of the series, with a noticeable addition. Previously was text, but this is, obviously, an art book. Not only an art book—it’s an extensive chronicle of the making of the show, describing in detail the pre-digital production of television animation in a way I haven’t seen before. But it also provides storyboards, cel art, sketches, background paintings, and very likely, a character model for every figure to appear on the show. Not only the standard character designs, but also every variation of the character. 

Remember those few seconds the Blob appeared dressed as a tourist eating ice cream in Season One? It’s there. So is the initial design of Wolverine in his ’80s brown and tan costume—swapped out when Jim Lee revived his previous look in early ’92. This is not a fast read, and it isn’t a quickie cash-in on nostalgia for the show. Its closest comparison is Paul Dini and Chip Kidd’s Batman: Animated coffee table book. Not as “design-y,” but just as comprehensive and carefully cultivated. Fans of the show, or anyone with an interest in the history of animation, should seek it out.

Superman: The Animated Series Could've Had a Radically Different Look

 

This week at CBR, I delve into why Superman: The Animated Series didn't embrace the same classic aesthetic of Batman: The Animated Series. A post inspired by a gallery of Bruce Timm's original 1940s designs for the show that I'd totally forgotten about.

And credit to the Watchtower Database and director Dan Riba for providing some previously unseen early designs for the series. I'll include them with this post for posterity...

The Birth of Comics' 1980s Retro Craze

 

This week, I launch a new series that looks back on the early 2000s trend of reviving 1980s toy and cartoon properties. It all started with a certain Wizard magazine article...perhaps the last significant contribution the magazine made to comics culture in this era.

And, because the editors saw fit to cut the justification for the title "Nostalgia Snake," here's the opening paragraph as originally written:

Welcome to the first installment of a new series I'm calling Nostalgia Snake, a look at a curious phenomenon from the past...the early 2000s revival of genre properties from the 1980s. The ouroboros  is an ancient symbol depicting a snake eating its own tail, usually viewed as symbolic of the concept of eternal cyclic renewal. Here, I'm talking about the twenty-year cycle of nostalgia. Just as fans were nostalgic for '80s properties in the early aughts, we've now reached twenty years since the revival of these properties. If the theory holds, this means people are now nostalgic for their nostalgia.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series And The "Insidious" Six

 

Adventure(s) Time is back, as I revisit the second season debut of Spider-Man: The Animated Series ...an early indication the show was headed in the wrong direction, to be honest.