TV Show Info:
Writers: Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Matt Wayne
Directors: Victor Cook, Troy Adomitis, Dave Bullock
Cast: Josh Keaton, Dee Bradley Baker, Irene Bedard, Jeff Bennett, Clancy Brown, Lacey Chabert, Keith David, Grey DeLisle, John Di Maggio, Ben Diskin, Robert Englund, Brian George, James Arnold Taylor, Deborah Strang, Kath Soucie
Rating: N/a
Studio: Sony Pictures

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: March 1, 2008-March 15, 2008
Season Air Dates: March 1, 2008-June 14, 2008
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $14.99
Episodes: Season One - Episodes #1, #2, and #3

I’m a huge fan of comic based television shows. I’m into all the Batman, Justice League, X-Men, and Superman cartoons. I just have never been a fan of Spiderman. So, when The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard fell into my lap for review, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Spidey just isn’t my guy. Give me a good old Dark Knight cartoon and I’ll be entertained thoroughly (as long as the story is good, of course!). I just don’t get the thrill of a guy who looks and acts like a spider. What’s so cool about spiders, anyway?

When The Spectacular Spider-Man started airing on the CW4Kids network, I didn’t watch it. My son is more into the 4KidsTV lineup, so he never saw this show either. Our family’s first exposure to this series was in the form of The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard. Ok, now I know that cartoons are a bit fast paced these days, but they were fast paced back in the 80s when I was a kid. If you can’t keep up with a cartoon you shouldn’t be trying to review it!

I really liked The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard. I recommended it to Ashtyn. I recommended it to my son, who isn’t a huge Spidey fan either. I recommended it to my nephew and all the other kids in my neighborhood. I don’t get why some reviewers think The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard was choppy. Had I not known this was the first three episodes of the series, which started airing on television in March of 2008, I’d have thought this was meant to be a full length feature.

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4KidsEntertainment, the company that has the monopoly on Saturday morning cartoons has announced its up and coming Fall season lineup for its two networks. 4KidsEntertainment owns the networks that air CW4Kids and the 4KidsTV. Both networks will debut their main Fall lineups on September 13, 2008.

The president of 4KidsEntertainment made some surprise revelations in a recent press conference about the lineups. Among them was the revelation that both Viva Piñata and Dinosaur King would be moving from 4KidsTV to the CW4Kids lineup to air their new seasons. There was also a mention of the change in name of the new to air series Smeshariki, which will now be known as GOGORiKi, with episodes airing some time later in the fall.

As of now, the September 13, 2008 (and thereafter) lineup for CW4Kids will be:

07:00 AM – Will and Dewitt
07:30 AM – Magi-Nation
08:00 AM – Skunk Fu!
08:30 AM – Viva Piñata
09:00 AM – The Spectacular Spider-Man
09:30 AM – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Back to the Sewers
10:00 AM – Dinosaur King
10:30 AM – Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s
11:00 AM – Chaotic
11:30 AM – Chaotic

As of now, the September 13, 2008 (and thereafter) lineup for 4KidsTV will be:

08:00 AM – Di-Gata Defenders
08:30 AM – Biker Mice from Mars
09:00 AM – Sonic X
10:00 AM – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward
10:30 AM – Chaotic: M’arrillian Invasion
11:00 AM – Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
11:30 AM – Winx Club

For now, this is the only thing known about the Saturday morning lineup for any network. As of now, there has been no mention of what (if anything) is going to be changed about other station lineups including the CBS KEWLopolis block.

Technorati Tags: 4Kids TV, CW4Kids, 4KidsEntertainment, Di-Gata Defenders, Biker Mice from Mars, Chaotic, Yu-Gi-Oh, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Saturday Morning, Cartoons, Kids TV

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TV Show Info:
Writers: Various
Directors: Various
Cast: David Kaufman, Paul Rugg, Joe Leahy, Tress MacNeille, Edward Asner, Frank Welker, Jeff Bennett
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 9, 1995-June 1, 1997
First Season Air Dates: September 9, 1995-February 17, 1996
DVD Box Set Release Date: July 15, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.99

I can’t for the life of me say that I ever remember watching the show Freakazoid. I was 14 or 15 when the show first aired. I believe I was too busy dealing with all that teenage angst crap that most teens deal with to even notice this show aired. I don’t remember watching many cartoons as an early teenager. By this time, all of the good cartoons had been cancelled so I probably had given up hope on the future of cartoons. I was a dramatic teen, after all, so who knows why I never watched this show!

I found the title, Freakazoid, vaguely familiar. Like Tiny Toon Adventures, this show was produced by Steven Spielberg through an Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation collaboration. The show was originally meant to be a straight-laced superhero comic show, with the influence of DC’s Bruce Timm. Spielberg wanted it to be an out and out comedy, so that’s just what the show’s writer/producer, Tom Ruegger, made it. Combining elements of a superhero comic and a wacky, Warner Bros. comedy cartoon, Freakazoid quickly developed a following though not a very large one. Like many other less than popular cartoons during their initial airing, the show now has somewhat of a cartoon, cult status.

While Freakazoid is humorous, the humor is not something you’d typically expect of a kid’s show. Adults will get as much, if not more, out of the eccentric humor that makes up the unique, Freakazoid story. I don’t think I would be as amused with this cartoon if I weren’t an adult. That could be a major part of why Freakazoid only lasted for two seasons. The show premiered on the Kid’s WB Saturday morning lineup, so it was segregated somewhat from the adult audience that could have better appreciated the series.

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Writer: JD Murray, Christopher Yost
Director: Ginny McSwain
Cast: Rino Romano, Alastair Duncan, Evan Sabara, Danielle Judovits, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tom Kenny, Richard Green, Grey DeLisle
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date:July 8, 2008

It’s an indisputable fact that Batman is one of the biggest superhero franchises worldwide. There have been plenty of movies, successful comic adventures, animated shows, merchandise, and more fans than you can imagine. While other superheroes find success in comics and sometimes in movies, animated television shows can be touch and go. The Batman goes above and beyond any other superhero cartoon that I can remember. Maybe it’s because I am partial to Batman. Maybe it’s because I’ve always viewed him as the coolest of the comic entities. Either way, The Batman was something special, and it’s sad to see this show end after just five small seasons.

One of the main things that sets The Batman apart from other animated series about the Dark Knight, is that the show didn’t follow one set storyline in the comics. It also strayed from looking or acting like other Batman animated series. The final season dropped the familiar presence of Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon. While these two are shown on occasion, the Dynamic Duo teamed up with members of the Justice League, more often than in previous seasons. Regardless of the slight changes, The Batman offers an amazing fifth season. In fact, the only thing wrong with it is that it’s over.

Release Information:
The Batman aired on the Kids WB lineup Saturday mornings from 2004-2008. In that time the series gained quite a following and secured some Emmy nominations and wins. The series was so popular that a spin-off comic book was created for younger readers. The Batman Strikes! had a 50 issue run and will release the final comic book in October 2008.

The final season of The Batman offers thirteen episodes and a couple of farewell bonus features. The set is currently available through both online and offline retailers. The set became available in stores on July 8, 2008. If you are interested in purchasing <em>The Batman: The Complete Fifth Season</em> you can pick this up at Amazon for $13.99.

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Writers: John Esposito, Richard Elliott, Amy Wolfram, Simon Racioppa, Melody Fox, Rob Hoegee, George Perez, Bob Kane
Directors: Michael Chang, Ben Jones, Matt Youngberg
Cast: Hynden Walch, Scott Menville, Greg Cipes, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Glenn Shadix, Ashley Johnson, Ron Perlman, Kevin Michael Richardson, Wil Wheaton
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 8, 2008

Cartoon Network is nearly as bad as the primetime networks. Any time a show seems to be interesting it is canceled. Instead, other, less desirable cartoons are played over and over on the channel. My son won’t even watch the network anymore. I can’t say I necessarily blame him. I really liked Teen Titans. While it definitely had its corny moments, I’m not ashamed to say I could watch it with the kids or on my own. This show was funny, action-packed, and overall entertaining. By default, that meant Cartoon Network just had to cancel it.

I don’t know who is more disappointed at the somewhat abrupt ending with the unresolved Season Five episode, “Things Change”, the kids or me. I wanted to know what happened to Beast Boy, if Terra was back and what the heck that villain was made of that they couldn’t seem to defeat. I wanted to see the Teen Titans go out on a high note. By jove, I wanted to know what was in Robin’s suitcase! The finale didn’t give me any of that. I feel robbed and so do many other fans who didn’t want the series to end.

Release Information:
Made in part by Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation, Teen Titans premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003. The show ran for five seasons before being canceled unexpectedly following the fifth season. The fifth season ran for 13 episodes from September 24, 2005 to January 16, 2006. The last show featured a rather open-ended sequence that left many fans disheartened by its lack of finality. The series also aired many of its episodes on Kids WB, which is when my son (and I) first started watching the show.

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Writers: Various
Cast: Scott Menville, Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Jeff Bennett
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video & Turner Entertainment
Release Date: July 8, 2008

Call me a cartoon purist, but I’m just not in love with the Kids WB (or is it CW?) television show, Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue. The show feels lost without the constant companionship of the rest of the Mystery Gang. Sure, the show focuses primarily on Shaggy and Scooby (and that’s the point of the show), but something seems missing without Fred, Velma and Daphne. Of course, I’m so used to hearing Casey Kasem voice Shaggy, Scott Menville hardly seems like a worthy “new generation” replacement.

I know this makes me sound a bit like a curmudgeon, but I grew up in the 80s. There will never be a better time for cartoons then in the generation when I grew up. My son, age 13, is of this new generation and I often have to shake my head at how clueless this young generation is. They think their cartoons are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I had to convince my son that without the Ninja Turtles of the 80s, his reloaded and revamped Ninja Turtles probably never would have existed. He didn’t even believe my generation’s Ninja Turtles were any good until he had the chance to watch them (and boy did he laugh at how funny they were) during a recent box set I had to review.

Once again, my son is claiming his Scooby Doo show is the best show ever. To him, Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue is the epitome of excellence in the Scooby universe. Truthfully, nothing beats the original and that came out even before my generation. Kids today don’t realize that their incarnation of spin-off, rip-off shows wouldn’t be possible without the original shows that aired decades ago. They take for granted the fact that they believe theirs was the first. When you’ve only seen mediocrity, it is easy to believe that mediocrity is good. When you’ve seen an excellent series and then are served mediocrity, the mediocre show just isn’t as good. That’s exactly how I feel about Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue.

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