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