Seven Great Superhero Cartoons

I've read a few comic books, but my interest in superheroes was primarily cultivated while watching cartoons as a kid. Here's a look at seven great superhero cartoons that have influenced I, Crimsonstreak.

Batman: The Animated Series: This is probably the crown jewel of them all. Batman: TAS combines great animation and writing to create what I consider the definitive version of the Caped Crusader. The Art Deco styling is gorgeous, Kevin Conroy is pitch-perfect as the Dark Knight, Mark Hamill rocks it as the Joker, and everything just "works" in this fantastic interpretation.

Justice League/Justice League Unlimited: This series opened the door for a flood of terrific animated tales featuring the DC Comics universe. Justice League is a fantastic show with a well-rounded voice cast, solid writing, and its own signature look. Once the "main" stories were told, we were treated with Justice League: Unlimited, which gave us the adventures of some of DC's lesser known heroes and heroines like Booster Gold, the Question, and Dr. Fate.

The Tick: I will never, ever pass up an opportunity to declare my love for the Mighty Blue Avenger. The Tick ran for three seasons on Fox in nineties, and remains one of my all-time favorites. Featuring the goofy nigh-invulernable Tick and his unfortunate sidekick Arthur, the show admirably lampooned the superhero genre. Populated with off-kilter characters like Die Fledermaus, Sewer Urchin, American Maid, Dinosaur Neil, and Thrakkorzog, this one always coaxes a smile.

Darkwing Duck: Often forgotten, this kid-friendly Disney cartoon from the early nineties featured a brooding Batman-like hero named Darkwing Duck, an amalgamation of Batman, the Shadow, and various pulp heroes. A melodramatic hero, he often appeared out of nowhere announcing to villains, "I am the terror that flaps in the night." The show was a spinoff of DuckTales and featured Launchpad McQuack as the sidekick. Villains included Darkwing doppelganger Negaduck, Megavolt, and Quackerjack.

Young Justice: This is the newest entry on this list. Young Justice features several younger heroes in the DC Universe with powers similar to established champions of justice. Kid Flash, for example, is a super-speedster like the Flash. Miss Martian has abilities mirroring those of Martian Manhunter (her uncle). Connor Kent is a clone of Superman. The roster also includes Robin (Dick Grayson version), a revamped Aqualad, archer Artemis, and magician Zatanna.

Batman: Brave and the Bold: This series gave us a goofy version of Batman who hung around with the DC B-list and fought against a variety of different villains. I loved this show when it was on (it aired its final episode last November). Brave and the Bold was sheer lunacy, and you didn't know what to expect from week to week. The show had an endearing charm and a sharp sense of humor punctuated by frequent guest hero Aquaman--who is the closest thing I've seen to the Tick in years. I really do wish this one were still on the air.

X-Men: The nineties Fox animated series was a sort of CliffsNotes for some of the most important storylines in the X-Men universe, including the Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past. The main lineup featured Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey, and Professor X. Others like Colossus, Cable, and Nightcrawler also appeared in episodes, making this series a great introduction to the X-Men in general.

I, Crimsonstreak: Comic Influences

I, Crimsonstreak wouldn't be anything without the comic book creators who came before it. References and influences are intertwined throughout the novel. Here are a few worth pointing out.

Batman: Batman looms like a shadow over the criminal elements of Gotham City, and is a giant in the world of superheroes. References include excessively goofy gadgets (the Adam West Batman), a reliable British servant (Michael Gough's Alfred), a secret lair (the Batcave), and the sense of a brooding, serious, professional hero (pick any post-1980 Bat-era for that one). The Crusading Comet and trusty butler Morty are steeped in Batman-ness.

Superman: Superman stands for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." He's the quintessential "tights and flights" superhero gifted with a wide array of impressive powers (flight, X-ray vision, freezing breath, super-strength, etc.). Colonel Chaos and Miss Lightspeed share many similarities with the Man of Tomorrow, although no one character in particular is intended to be a Superman clone or parody.

The Flash: Chris Fairborne is Crimsonstreak. He's not intended to be a parody of the Flash, but the character definitely has an influence on the protagonist. Super-speed, red color...it's impossible to miss the Flash's influence. If anything, Crimsonstreak is a tribute to the Flash, although the two are quite different.

Spider-Man: Spider-Man is a hero grounded in the mundane nature of life. While he's trying to stop his impressive rogue's gallery from destroying New York/the World, he's also dealing with common problems like romantic entanglements and financial difficulties. Crimsonstreak is cut from a similar mold, although his problems are a bit less common. Spider-Man brings an everyman sensibility to the comics, something that influenced Chris Fairborne's character.

The Shadow: No character in particular directly references the Shadow in the main narrative of the book. However, I love the pulpy feel of the character, and have few nods in the bonus material that definitely echo Shadow lore. The original Crusading Comet's outfit, for example, is a callback to the Shadow's flowing trenchcoat and wide-brimmed fedora.

The Tick: The book has a goofy sense of playfulness to it as far as superheroes are concerned. The Tick is a major influence on how I see the world of comics. My love for the character comes primarily through the TV show from the nineties, and I loved every minute of it. The Crusading Comet was nearly Die Fledermaus reborn before he evolved into a different type of character.

The Phantom: "The Ghost Who Walks" is another pulp hero sometimes forgotten like the Shadow. The 1996 movie with Billy Zane ("Slam Evil!" was the tagline) remains a guilty pleasure. The Phantom's legacy--sons/family members succeed previous Phantoms in an unbroken line--is exactly how the Kensington family has decided to operate.

BACK TO CRIMSONSTREAK CENTRAL!

Superhero ABCs: Letter T

T is for The Tick.

The Tick began as an underground sensation created by Ben Edlund for New England Comics. After growing in popularity, the "nigh invulnerable" hero hit TV as an animated series... and my life would never be the same. Seriously. I love The Tick. People who went to high school with me can attest to this fact. I quoted the TV show and watched deteriorating copies of the episodes taped on VHS. I made copies of these copies and gave them to a friend. I even wrote a version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" featuring the Tick and his poor sidekick Arthur.

The Tick remains one of my favorite comic creations, a buffoonish caricature of superheroes and comic book conventions. He lives in the nondescript city called the...er...The City. His sidekick is a former accountant who dresses up as a moth (and often gets mistaken for a rabbit, much to his consternation). One hero, Die Fledermaus, is a Batman parody, complete with his own Die Fledermaus signal (results are decidedly mixed: "Everytime we flash the Die Fledermaus signal, he disconnects his phone and leaves town for a week.")

It was, I believe, a cartoon that was ahead of its time. Had The Tick launched at a time when the Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, and Fox's Animation Domination enjoyed widespread appeal, perhaps he would've enjoyed the kind of continued, mainstream success he deserved.

SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

Tomorrow: Don't call it a costume.

Previous Entries:

S is for Spider-Man
R is for Robin
Q is for The Question
P is for The Punisher
O is for Origin Story
N is for Nite Owl
M is for Metropolis
L is for Lois Lane
K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter M

M is for Metropolis.

Metropolis wraps up a completely unintentional "mini-streak" of Superman entries.

I don't really know much about the city itself other than it's the home of Superman and the Daily Planet. It's on this list to talk about one of the essential elements of superherodom.

Superman has Metropolis. Batman has Gotham City. Spider-Man has New York (So does Daredevil. And the Punisher. And the Fantastic Four. And Iron Man...). Green Lantern has Coast City. The Flash has Keystone City (or Central City, if you're talking about Barry Allen). The Tick has The City.

Superheroes often exist in heavily urban areas. This makes sense for a multitude of reasons. A lot happens in cities. Important media markets are in larger cities. Large cities have large populations, lots of real estate to protect, and high crime rates. It works. I get it, you get it. If a superhero patrolled the streets of my small Midwestern hometown, he or she wouldn't have much to do. Many Midwestern cities lack the "draw" of bigger cities for heroes. Heck, Superman left Smallville to go to Metropolis.

In many cases, cities become synonymous with different heroes. Gotham, for example, is a decaying, crumbling analogue for New York. Like Batman, it is dark and foreboding; twisted and complex. Metropolis is a "cleaner" vision of the city, a shining jewel that seems more hopeful, like the character of Superman himself. Of course, in world of The Tick, The City is simply a fairly nondescript location full of generic buildings and businesses. Considering there's not much going on upstairs for Big Blue, that fits just about right.

Tomorrow: There are two of him. Both are washed up heroes, but one is still young enough to try to save the day.

Previous Entries:

L is for Lois Lane
K is for Kal-El
J is for J'onn J'onzz
I is for Iron Man
H is for the Human Bullet
G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Superhero ABCs: Letter H

H is for Human Bullet.

Sometimes it seems like certain heroes are good for one thing and one thing only. I mean...Aquaman. Seriously. Iceman makes...ice. He's great when you need a snow cone. You get the point.

That's why I've always felt the Human Bullet is one of the greatest superhero parody characters of all time. I know it's a one-note gag, but it's a heckuva note. When danger lurks, the Human Bullet leaps into his cannon, and with the help of his son Fire Me Boy, he rockets into the sky to stop the threat. Of course, the Human Bullet usually slams into something inconsequential, but every once in a while he manages to help a little.

I sure hope the Tick appreciates this guy's dedication to his job. And you have to feel for his poor wife.

Tomorrow: It's killing him, but it's keeping him alive. He can be a bit of a teetotaler.

Previous Entries:

G is for Green Lantern
F is for the Flash
E is for Events
D is for Dr. Fate
C is for Captain America
B is for Batman
A is for The Avengers

Merry Christmas from The Tick!

I have a notebook where I keep a lot of story ideas. It's full of things like outlines for books I've been writing, concepts for short stories, character biographies, and a few other odds and ends.

This notebook also contains some inane crap--like statistics for the Fake Purdue Boilermakers that I used to (seriously) write newspaper-length stories about, complete with pictures and sometimes video clips (again, seriously).

But I realized something the other day when I was flipping through the notebook. It's actually from high school. It contains a few aborted attempts at homework assignments, an unfinished journal entry or two, and some random scribblings from my ill-spent youth.

One particular stretch of light pencil scratches needed to be preserved and shared with the masses. It involves my reworking of "The Night Before Christmas" adjusted for the cartoon show "The Tick." I know...it's weird (though perhaps not as weird as writing about a video game football team AT LENGTH -- see here and here).

"The Tick" was a fantastic, early/mid-90s cartoon on Fox. It followed the adventures of a doofy, moronic, well-intentioned, and nigh-invulnerable superhero named the Tick. Along with his sidekick Arthur, the Tick fought evil and usually won. The show poked fun at almost every imaginable superhero cliche and I absolutely loved it. One of my high school buddies and I (you know who you are) were OBSESSED with the show.

And so that obsession turned into the following shoddy verses of rhyme. For the first time in more than a decade, I present to you: The Tick's Night Before Christmas.

Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the City
No criminals stirred
The night inherently giddy

Evil was off for the night
This was for certain
But curious children
Still peered through their curtains

With the citizenry nestled
All safe in their beds
Sweet dreams of Christmas
Abuzz in their heads

Die Fledermaus in his black cape
And I in my Sewer Urchin cap
Had just finished arguing
Which one was the sap

When out on the street
There arose a great noise
I sprang from the sewer
With my crime-fighting toys

I hefted the manhole
And stepped onto the street
Then mightily struggled
To stay on my feet

When what to my Urchin goggles
Should be taken aback
But a flying mothman
With a large man on his back

With a big rider
So blue and so thick
I realized that moment
It’s my friend, the Tick!

“On Arthur, keep going!
It’s Christmas Eve, pal!
We’re keeping evil away
And packing some holiday wow!”

“We’re bringing justice
To each house and each hall”
And then Arthur whimpered
“We’re gonna fall!”

Their strange engine of justice
Came to a stop
Then hit the ground
With a thunderous PLOP!

The Tick wiped himself off
And to his sidekick’s chagrin
Ran to a light pole
And started to spin

His azure streak
Flew ‘round the pole
To which Arthur exclaimed
“Watch out! The manhole!”

Quickly I sidestepped
The high-flying Tick
Who dropped into the manhole
His fall shockingly quick

“I am unhurt”
He said in a hurry
“But let’s give out the presents
Before my vision goes blurry”

He was dressed all in blue
From antenna to feet
His blueberry tights
Form-fitting, not quite indiscreet

His smile so white
His pectorals flexing
His height was immense
And inherently vexing

Tall, blue, and strong
Far from an elf
I laughed when I saw him
In spite of my self

With a big blue thumbs up
And Arthur’s pained sigh
He gave indication
Once more they would fly

“Santa’s helpers, chum
That’s what we’ll be
So let’s start performing
Maneuver Fifteen-C”

He climbed onto the moth’s back
And ignored Arthur’s pain
Telling his glum sidekick
Not to complain

They rose into the twilight
Past the Chairface-marred moon
“Merry Christmas!” he thundered
“And to all I say SPOON!”