When I was a kid Saturday morning was the pinnacle of the week. It was all about cartoons.
The Warner Brothers classics – Bugs, Elmer, Daffy. Classic Hanna Barbera – The Herculoids, Space Ghost, Scooby. And Land of The Lost. I never missed them. My love and appreciation of cartoons developed in these years. Over the years Saturday morning cartoons eventually disappeared from network TV replaced by sports shows, and lame live action shows.
Cable came to the rescue eventually. He-Man and Thundercats were a step back out of the desert. But Cartoon Network emerged. I so wanted Cartoon Network because they were running all my old favorites AND new content that was
good. Batman: The Animated Series really began the comeback. It took geekdom by storm. I remember how much impact it made. Everyone
was talking about it. Because it was story driven AND looked really cool. And you could tell that those making the show cared about the characters and mythology.
Thankfully Batman was the vanguard. In the subsequent years there have been lots of new shows that have taken up the mantle. It’s a good time to be a cartoon lover, especially action cartoons.
I’m writing this for a couple of reasons. First, I got the first disc of Jonny Quest in the mail from
Netflix a couple of weeks ago and have been watching it a lot. It’s still the best action cartoon ever.
Second I bought the entire series of Space Ghost/Dino Boy show on DVD and it arrived this week. I had forgotten what a really great theme song and opening Space Ghost has. Fast, quick cuts, all action. I didn’t remember Dino Boy but it’s really fun.
Lastly, I’m sitting here watching The Legend of Korra premiere with my son. Korra followed
Young Justice, Green Lantern, The new Thundercats, and a Batman: The Animated Series rerun. All of these shows have several things in common. But the biggest, most obvious to me is that those creating the shows are focused on creating quality shows with strong characters and engaging stories. And I get the same excitement from them that I had as a kid.
For me Saturday mornings have returned.
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