June 12, 2021

Saturday Night Showcase: DC Super Friends–The Joker’s Playhouse

Since I’ve spent most of this week talking about Superfriends why not end on it? Nowadays you can’t find the show steaming for free anywhere I can embed videos from (I used to have the Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians episode “The Fear” available but all that’s left now is something of a review of the episode. Notable about the series is that the Joker only shows up in a separate episode of Galactic Guardians that also marked the post-comics debut of the Royal Flush Gang (no pun intended…if you didn’t get it look at that line again). However, he does show up here.

As I mentioned discussing the DC Super Friends intro the pack-in video for the early release of the Imaginext figures was done in the style of the Hanna-Barbera series, with some modern techniques. It does feel like an update of classic Superfriends. This is a bit shorter than my usual Saturday Night Showcase at under 18 minutes, something I would usually use for a daily quick post. However, it just felt natural to make this tonight’s Showcase entry. “The Joker’s Playhouse” finds the Legion Of Doom interfering with the new Hall Of Justice, including the traditional “holodeck tries to kill everyone inside” trope because we have to remember these things are actually dangerous. As Superman and Batman fight for their lives in a fake world Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Flash, and Cyborg fight for their lives in a real world as other villains spring their own traps. So enjoy! Because you aren’t the one in a death trap right now. I’m assuming.

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Posted by on June 12, 2021 in Animation Spotlight, DC Spotlight, Saturday Night Showcase, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , .

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June 11, 2021

The Many Intros Of Not The Superfriends

Of all the DC cartoons Superfriends lasted the longest. It had a few different names but it was the same show and same incarnation. The DCAU was spread out over numerous stand-alone shows so no, it doesn’t count. However, it will be brought up here. Since I just finished going over all the Superfriends intros and done Batman and Superman’s solo cartoons in the past, doing the other team-up series with the Justice League seems like the right way to go forward. Consider this a bonus installment of Many Intros.

There have been a few direct-to-video movies and parodies but I’m not going to go into those. This is strictly TV shows intros. Filmation and Warner Brothers have both brought the DC heroes out of the comics. Filmation began with The New Adventures Of Superman and would produce more DC based shows. Of course anyone reading this is probably already aware of the DC Animated Universe, made up of (depending on how you count the various Batman shows) eight or nine different shows. They would return for another series that made the mistake of going to Cartoon Network at a time when action shows were unwanted by the people in charge. I rather enjoyed all of them but nothing is perfect.

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Posted by on June 11, 2021 in Animation Spotlight, DC Spotlight, Super Friends/Justice League, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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June 10, 2021

The Many Intros Of Superfriends Finale: It Came From The Toybox

Superfriends might not have returned to Saturday mornings if it wasn’t for Kenner. DC had done a set of minicomics for the first wave of the MASK toyline for them (back before they were bought by Hasbro) and Kenner had made the Super Powers Collection, a set of action figures based on DC heroes. Each figure had a unique action figure based on the hero or villain’s powers or whatever they thought would look cool for kids at play. The figures also came with minicomics, many of which I’ve reviewed in the Free Comic Inside series, with more to come. Additionally a miniseries of regular comics was produced.

However at this point cartoons based on toylines were legal and DC Comics already had a deal going with Hanna-Barbera, so why not use their popular cartoon to promote their new toys. The show already had a few different names at times, like Challenge Of The Superfriends or World’s Greatest Superfriends, but the new titles would be a drastic change, especially in the last season. Unfortunately third time was the charm and the show would finally be canceled in the 1984/1985 season. At least it went out by going all out.

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Posted by on June 10, 2021 in Animation Spotlight, DC Spotlight, My Favorite/Not-So Favorite Intros, Super Friends/Justice League and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

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June 10, 2021

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Robotech Masters #23

This will be the last comic review before my surgery. I hope to return sometime next week but that depends on how I feel. At least I’m not leaving you on a cliffhanger before the final issue (though I am missing an issue between last week’s review and this one). The feature articles will continue through Saturday since I was able to schedule them all. I also managed to find someone’s upload of the remastered version of this episode so I could compare the two as this is rather important to the saga.

“This isn’t what I meant by playing in the flowers.”

Robotech Masters #23

FINAL ISSUE

Comico The Comic Company (April, 1988)

“Catastrophe!”

WRITER: Mike Baron

PENCILER: Harrison Fong

INKER: Bill Anderson

COLORIST: Tom Vincent

LETTERER: Bob Pinaha

EDITOR: Maggie Brenner

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Posted by on June 10, 2021 in Animation Spotlight, Television Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , .

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June 9, 2021

The Many Intros Of Superfriends: Worlds Of Shorts

1979 is around the time I start remember actually watching stuff, but I still have to see it to remember it. This is why I call myself an 80s kid despite having been around for the majority of the 1970s. (I missed the first three and a half years on the technicality of not existing.) By this point the Superfriends had become a dominant force in Saturday morning entertainment and was interesting me in the world of the DC superheroes. The Justice League Of America and Batman comics I received in a three pack with a lone Marvel (and not the best introduction to Spider-Man for me outside of syndicated reruns of the 60s cartoon) plus all the reruns of the Filmation shows and Adventures Of Superman only fueled that interest but it was Superfriends that lit the fire for me.

I would watch the older shows in syndication and the new episodes on Saturday morning, and I loved the show. Not as many of DC’s usual villains showed up but the threats Hanna-Barbera came up with on their own were still good. In part two of our look through the intros we check out the changes that happened to this series in the middle stage of the series.

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Posted by on June 9, 2021 in Animation Spotlight, DC Spotlight, My Favorite/Not-So Favorite Intros, Super Friends/Justice League and tagged , , , , , , , .

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June 9, 2021

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #7

Don’t you hate it when the game designers get lazy and reuse the same few models repeatedly?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #7

Marvel/Paramount Comics (June, 1997)

“Hide & Seek”

WRITER: Chris Cooper

PENCILER: Chris Renaud

INKER: Andy Lanning

COLORIST: Kevin Somers

LETTERER: Jim Novak

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Polly Watson

EDITOR: Bobbie Chase Continue reading →

Posted by on June 9, 2021 in Television Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , .

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June 9, 2021

BW’s Daily Video: 10 Secrets Of The Batmobile

Catch more WhatCulture Comics on their YouTube channel.

The best Batmobiles are the ones that are actually cars and not stupid tanks. If stealth is a big part of Batman’s arsenal, then a tank in the middle of main street Gotham is the least useful. Then tend to stand out. And a bonus secret.

Check out my sweet ride!

I actually got to see the 60s Batmobile (or a really good simulation) at a convention one year. It really does look cool in person.

Posted by on June 9, 2021 in DC Spotlight and tagged , , , .

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