Marvel's "Bruce Timm"

It's pretty impossible to make any type of cartoon nowadays that isn't compared unfavorably against the stellar DC Animated stuff made over at Warner Bros. Animation. People are always arguing that Marvel should hire Bruce Timm for a project or two but while that's great and all, I don't really see it happening. Bruce Timm is such a DC/Warner Bros. staple, that I just can't imagine him crossing over to the other side. There was one person that I always thought had been overlooked.

If I had my way, one person I'd love to see working on Marvel shows again would be Tom Tataranowicz. He was the guy they brought in as a supervising producer to save the 94 Iron Man and Fantastic Four series from their horrible first seasons. Before that, he had done lots of great work over at the legendary Filmation studios, and he was also a key factor in the old and current Biker Mice from Mars series. Tom T. was responsible for the awesome second seasons of Iron Man and the FF. The seasons that gave us stuff like Armor Wars, The Inhumans Saga, the coolest animated versions of Dr Doom, Iron Man, The Hulk, Galactus, Thor, Daredevil, etc. The shows were co-inhabiting the same universe and while each series had it's own distinctive look, they all were able to bring these iconic characters to life and capture that feeling you get when you read Marvel's classics for the first time. Heck, every time I pick up a comic, I still imagine the characters speaking with the voices used from those episodes.

It's a real shame that those shows are remembered more for how awful their first seasons were, instead of how well done and faithful their second seasons were. The man had a real love for the Marvel characters and understood what made them great. He also did the great first season of UPN's Incredible Hulk series before the television execs unceremoniously dumped him and his crew, choosing to make that horrible second season that basically starred the worst possible version of She-Hulk, with the Hulk tagging along as her co-star.

A Tom T. helmed Marvel project might not happen anytime in the near future, what withTom being busy over at Gang of Seven and with Marvel Animation steadily improving under the direction of guys like Craig Kyle, Greg Johnson and Frank Paur, but that doesn't mean that I'll give up the dream anytime soon. I hope to see lots of great stuff from both Mr. Tataranowicz and Marvel Animation in the future.

Here are some great interviews Marvel Animation Age conducted with Tom Tataranowicz.
Tom talking about the 1994 Fantastic Four series
Tom talking about the 1994 Iron Man series

What I'd like to see in a Next Avengers 2

Unlike a lot of more serious minded comic fans on the net, I absolutely loved Next Avengers, the most recent Marvel Animated movie. I've been supporting the Direct to DVD movies from Day 1 and I've liked all of them in one way or another, but this has been my absolute favorite so far. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it, watched it more than the recommended dosage suggests and I felt like there was never a dull moment, unlike with the previous movies. After the setup at the end I've been thinking of a sequel and this is what i came up with.

First of all, I would set most of the action in Asgard with the main focus being on Torunn and Thor. The Thor seen in the first movie would be revealed to have been Loki, God of Mischief, who has secretly held the thunder god captive since Odin's death. Thor would probably be trapped in Niffleheim with the frost giants and without Mjolnir. This would be a cool way, in my humble opinion, to explain Thor's desertion of Earth, his teammates and his daughter. I don't know how the truth would be revealed to Tony and the kids on Earth. Probably have a renegade Sif finally escaping Asgard and seeking out her daughter, assuming that Torunn is her daughter. Loki would also have some villains at his command to help keep rule over Asgard. Villains like the Enchantress, Executioner, Grey Gargoyle (why not ?), or even the Wrecking Crew.

The movie would be set 2 to 3 years after the first one, with the team having rid the world of Ultron's influence and trying to help maintain order. They would all be past prepubescence, except maybe Pym, and on the verge of adulthood, meaning that there will be no squeaky voices this time around. It would be cool to see if they've developed their codenames and identities since becoming heroes (maybe Pym would want to go by Yellowjacket or Torunn goes by Valkyrie, etc). There might also be room for references to things that weren't explained (Odin granting Torunn his sword before his death, Who exactly were Torunn, Azari and Hawkeye's moms ? Were there other villains or heroes ?, etc). Maybe the boys could start taking a few of their mothers' traits as well. James can become extremely tactical. Pym might have a budding fashion sense. Azari might become kind of rebellious like Storm was in the 80's or start becoming a leader in his own right, probably even reclaiming the throne of Wakanda. It would be nice to see the kids become worthy of the name Avengers.

I'm very doubtful that there will ever be a real sequel of any kind to Next Avengers, and I can live with that, but it feels like there are so many possibilities for future storylines. I'd love to see those explored someday. Well given that Thor will feature heavily in Hulk Vs., the rumored Thor: Son of Asgard DTDVD and the live-action move, I know there won't be a thunder god shortage any time soon. That would also lead me to believe that if next Avengers has a sequel, it won't be anything like the one I've thought of. Either way, I can't wait for whatever Marvel has planned next for the world of animation.

Make Mine Animated

In honor of my having sat through Next Avengers for the third time, still pretty fond of it, I decided to follow up on my previous post but this time it would be about Marvel's DTV line. So this will be my wishlist of movies that would probably never have a chance of being made into a Marvel Animated Feature.

1) Iron Man vs Dr Doom: Doomquest - I've thought about this one since my first viewing of Invincible Iron Man. I don't really see much need for a solo Iron Man DTV sequel expect to redeem themselves from the very flawed first effort and maybe capitalize on his big screen popularity. I can't think of another story as well equipped to do that as this classic. He would face off against Marvel's greatest villain ever. Medieval England would also be an awesome setting. Another reason I'd love to this, besides being a huge fan of the match-up would be to hear Marc Worden as Iron Man again. I think he does a really cool Tony Stark and even if you missed any of the previous movies just check out the Iron Man's Adventure shorts at MarvelKids.com. This guy is golden. Another great voice that could be cast would be Simon Templeman from the '94 FF series. No matter what anyone says of that series, I have to say that he was the quintessential Doom. Charming, sophisticated, arrogant, funny, sinister, and threatening. I've never heard any other actor in any medium capture all of those qualities in Doom as fully.

2) CGI Marvel Super Heroes - I can't imagine anyone arguing about the quality of the cgi animation done by Blur Studios in either the Iron Man's Adventure shorts or the hi-def cut scenes from Ultimate Alliance and X-Men Legends 2 video games. It's simply gorgeous stuff. After viewing a ton of other Blur animated shorts and cut scenes, I think it would be pretty criminal to never have them work on a full length feature. I also love the way their New York looks; It actually looks like NYC. I've heard that they're supposed to do The Goon movie, and that has me pretty excited, but a Marvel Super Heroes feature would have me even more so. I have no idea how much this would cost, or if it would even be cost efficient for a Direct to DVD, but I have to say I think it would be well worth it. Heck, I'd even buy all the copies if I had to.

3) Luke Cage/Iron Fist: Heroes For Hire - They've been a classic and underrated duo for over 30 years now and they haven't even made it into any type of show as yet. Lately they've been popping up in video games and a lot of good comics and I think it's the perfect time to see them come to animated life (especially since the John Singleton movie may never happen. It would be worth it just to see Colleen and Misty.

4) Wolverine: Origin - This was probably too character centered and not action packed enough to make the transition but what a great story. It would make for a cool period piece and it would be incredible to see it animated.

5) Young Avengers - This will never happen but that doesn't mean the kids don't deserve a feature. Who cares if some say it's redundant to focus on another team of teen Avengers after Next Avengers was already done ? I love the kids and it was also one of my favorite Marvel series of this decade. I don't care if the kids only got a cameo in someone else's cartoon, I'd take it. Maybe it would help spur them to actually get around to getting Vol. 2 of the book started as well.

6) X-Men: Murderworld - Arcade + Murderworld = endless possibilities. You can pretty much use any locale or villain (perfect robotic duplicates but does it really matter ?) and it would be great to see Arcade, who's never been used outside of the comics and some video games. They could even tie it into the Wolverine And The X-Men series ( the voice cast and character designs are top notch) and since it would be a spinoff movie, they wouldn't have to worry about it not tying into the mutant rights themes the show will most likely be focused on.


7) Requels ? - The first four movies were really focused on establishing the heroes but never really dove into some of the more memorable aspects from these characters histories. Doctor Strange didn't get to battle entities in otherworldly Ditkonian dimensions. The Avengers weren't able to face off against classic villains or get caught in the middle of a Skrull/Kree war. Sheesh, the things I would give to see Cap punch the taste out of Baron Zemo's mouth would make an endless list. Iron Man didn't even get to win a decent fight. It would be pretty cool to see any of these brought to life.

*Honorable Mentions* Spider-Man, Power Pack - It looks like Greg Weisman and the Spectacular Spider-Man crew might get around to some movies after the series runs it's course. Just imagining an adaptation of a storyline like Kraven's Last Hunt or The Green Goblin's Last Stand makes my hair stand on end. I wouldn't object to seeing Power Pack or Spider-Girl if Marvel ever decides to do more kid targeted animation.

Can the Suicide Squad get any love ?

Today, on this beautiful Labor Day afternoon, I've been at home with nothing much to do, so I decided to have a little movie marathon. I watched all three of the Direct-To-DVD movies from Warner Bros. DC Universe line; these are those Bruce Timm produced, animated movies that seem to be mostly aimed at "mature" comic fanboys with all the swearing, blood and gore that were so noticeably absent from Saturday mornings. Being the comic/cartoon junkie that I am, it's only natural that I think about these more than should be healthy. After making it through Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier, and Batman: Gotham Knight, I decided to make a little wishlist.

These are the projects I wish were in production. Please note, I'm not good at this blogging thing. Heck, the only reason I'm posting this is so that it's documented and not just some bit of madness running free in my head. Anyways...

1) Teen Titans: Judas Contract - C'mon DC, there's a few reasons you guys first announced this as one your initial projects besides the fact that it would play with my emotions. The New Teen Titans book was one of your biggest hits in the 80's. The book was actually pretty damned good, whether it was Perez' gorgeous, highly detailed art or Wolfman's dark, melodramatic and entertaining writing. The animated series on Cartoon Network was kind of a hit with the kids, just browse any fan-fiction group on LiveJournal. not to mention, the Titans have kinda got a rabid fanbase. If I had my way I'd do this as an 80's period piece. Who wouldn't want to see Nightwing's disco suit, Jericho's golden afro and mutton chops, Beast Boy's super wavy hair, Starfire's ankle length locks or Donna Troy's perfection (Hey, nothing about her needs changing, no matter what Terry Long or her backstory would have you believe). Honestly, it wouldn't even need to be Judas Contract, just as long as a really good Titans movie was made.
PS- the more Wally West, the better.

2) Suicide Squad (Ostrander Style) - Task Force X is too damned cool to not have their own movie. They were represented pretty nicely on Justice League Unlimited, especially with CCH Pounder's excellent Amanda Waller performance, but I think a movie can really do them justice.

3) The Flash - Recently Green Lantern and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies movies were announced but neither were the movie I was hoping for. The Flash has always been one of those DC heroes I really loved, from the comics to the live-action TV show to his animated appearances. Of all the Flashes, Wally West would be my particular favorite. I loved the way he progressed as a character and The Return of Barry Allen is my all time favorite storyline from any DC book. His depiction in the Justice League TV series was also the main reason I loved that show. His Rogues are also the best. I know writers say he's hard to write for because he's ridiculously powerful (no more so than Superman if you ask me) but I think it's an injustice if a Flash movie isn't a high priority with the WB Animation guys. I know they'll eventually get to one if the DC Universe line lasts past the next few movies but I'm just hoping that I'm not cashing a Social Security check by the time they make it.

4) The Dark Knight Returns - It's probably the story thats most responsible for the way most people think of Batman today and it's always on somebody's Must Read list. With the current epidemic of Batmania and Frank Miller's name appearing to be worth gold in Hollywood (still can't believe they let him direct The Spirit movie), I'd have thought this would be a no-brainer by now. We already know it can work as a cartoon, as evidenced by Batman's Legends of the Dark Knight episode, and it's one helluva story so why no rush ?

5) A New Frontier Sequel, of sorts - This would probably be the single one of my dvd dreams that would be the least likely to happen. When I write the word sequel, I mean something more along the lines of a cross between the Justice League: New Frontier Special they published after the DVD's release, and Batman: Gotham Knight. In other words, a collection of short stories that take place within the New Frontier continuity; ie, The Losers, John Henry, End of the JSA, How Batman beat Superman, Robin meets Kid Flash, etc. Maybe a certain Time Master could even host the segments. Other stories that I think could play off of New Frontier would be either JLA: Year One or Flash/Green Lantern: Brave and the Bold, neither directly related to New Frontier but two great stories of DC's past.

*Honorable Mention* Kingdom Come & Red Son - These would be my first picks if I thought it was possible with the current format. Maybe someday.

Ah well, those have been my thoughts and I'm going to bed where I'll have dreams of storyboards and animation cels.