I thought there were a couple of really hilarious lines in this one; Raven on the ship's bow and Aqualad's trick were both classic. I also got a kick out of Robin sketching Beast Boy. Perhaps the MAD to non MAD ratio of shorts is beginning to get out of whack, but so far I haven't minded the reuse of the shorts since they have been reasonably funny.
Over at the toonzone forums, some pics of the team have been extracted from a new online Young Justice game, Shadow Mission which give some much better looks at Wonder Girl and Beast Boy. (Thanks to users pyue and RoryWilliams). I have to say, she might not be Donna Troy, but I like the look. Miss Martian may have some competition.
Another day, another preview of Young Justice invasion and this one is a doozy. By the way, the season 1 finale was amazing. Anyways, this new preview (embedded) offered up some first looks at Batgirl and Beast Boy as well as better looks at Wonder Girl, Lagoon Boy, Blue Beetle and the updated Robin. It looks like season 2 is going to be pretty amazing. What new character is everyone looking forward to most? Check em out below.
The last 20 seconds of footage revealed at Wondercon offer the first
glimpses of Lobo and Blue Beetle (caps below) from the second season of Young Justice. Word from the Con is also that the 20 episode Invasion arc will involve 9 alien races! Sounds like the Young Leaguers will have their hands full.
Here is the first look at Booster Gold and Blue Beetle from the upcoming Smallville episode Booster. It looks like they are going with the new Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes, which is fine, I just wonder if there will be any mention of the fallen Ted Kord, Booster's original buddy, ala their team-up in the recent Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode Menace of the Madnicks! In any case, they both look pretty decent. Its hard to believe this duo will likely be the last new guest heroes to grace Smallville before the series wraps up in just a few episodes.
Among other things, the Smallville Season 10 preview footage at Comic Con teased the Superman suit that is rumored to be a part of Smallville's final season. The suit is supposedly a modified version of the one seen in Superman Returns. And, Clark will finally fly (though when we still dont know)
IGN.com also reports that Geoff Johns, who wrote season 8's Legion of Superheroes and season 9's Justice Society episodes, will write a season 10 episode featuring Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. This may be the origin of the Blue Beetle test footage. Also, Darkseid will be in season 10. ComicBookMovie.com also reports that Brainiac will return once again. Sounds like the last season has great potential.
Thanks to AnimatedSuperheroes.com for alerting me to this test demo containing Blue Beetle footage for a potential Smallville replacement series. The actual Beetle part is very short, but the rest of the clip is worth watching.
And just like that the test images for the Blue Beetle have arrived over at DC comics The Source. Obviously these are not finished effects, but it looks like if they can overcome the cheesiness factor, this could be fun.
I guess some questions are, if this is going to replace Smallville (entering its 10th and final season) will Blue Beetle and Clark Kent be crossing paths before the series ends, or will BB stand on its own. Also, after failed attempts at launching Bruce Wayne, Starman, Aquaman, and the Graysons (featuring Robin) and plans that never materialized for Supergirl, Green Arrow, or Justice League series, will BB be the lucky hero to follow in the footsteps of the short lived but greenlit Birds of Prey...
Geoff Johns, DC Entertainments Chief Creative Officer recently tweeted that a live-action Blue Beetle project is in the works. The poor guy (Blue Beetle) has been around since 1939 and it looks like he might finally get his big break.
The original Blue Beetle, Dan Garret first appeared in Mystery Men comics #1. He fought crime with the aid of pills from the neighborhood pharmacist. Garret would be succeed by Ted Kord in the 60's as the Beetle who would in turn be succeeded by the modern incarnation's Jaime Reyes who debuted in 2006.
There was a bumbling Blue Beetle that appeared on The Electric Company in the 70's but I am honestly not really sure if this was just a case of copyright infringement that no cared about or if this was THE Blue Beetle. Needless to say, that depiction was not very true to the character.
The first honest to goodness appearance of the Blue Beetle occurred on the team-up series Batman: The Brave and the Bold in 2008. BB has been one of the shows primary showcased heroes (aside from Batman of course) even appearing in the series pilot, The Rise of the Blue Beetle!
Not only did Brave and the Bold present the Jaime Reyes character, but in the episode Fall of the Blue Beetle! the legacy of Blue Beetle Ted Kord was honored via flashbacks.
Later in the series, when Batman went to a parallel Earth, he encountered the Scarlet Scarab, an evil version of the Beetle.
Another evil version of the Blue Beetle was hinted at in a quick screen of Crime Syndicate members in the 2010 Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
With his limited mainstream exposure, Blue Beetle may not be that well known to general audiences, but if given his own series or movie, things will finally be looking up for BB.
The Amazing Spider-Man was old Web-Head's 15 episode live-action TV series made between 1977-1979. Although the series had reasonable ratings, fans critical of the series for the changes made to the comic book and because there were not any real "supervillains". The only characters adapted from the comic book were Peter Parker / Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May and one appearance by Robbie Robertson. Stan Lee, creator of Spidey and more, was vocal about his disliked for the show.
I don't remember seeing this as a kid, but it sure doesn't look too slick. Having said that, how awesome would it be to have a Spider-Man weekly TV show? Instead, we have Heroes.
The Electric Company
Spidey was busy in the 70s. In addition to his own series, he was also a guest on The Electric Company from 1974 until 1977. Strangely, DC comics Blue Beetle (or more likely a knock off of him) also appeared.
Spidey would drop in from 3 minute segments featuring word fun, though he himself only spoke with speech balloons. Maybe not the best use of the iconic hero, but kids loved it.
The Incredible Hulk
A two-part pilot movie kicked off the popular Incredible Hulk series. To "ground" the series in reality, the main character's name was changed from Bruce to David to avoid a double "B." The comic book supporting characters were also replaced with more realistic regular folk. One of the biggest changes affected the origin. Rather than getting gamma ray exposure after making a rescue on an atom bomb test field, "David" got zapped in a lab mishap. Also, TV Hulk no speak, just growl.
This show made a huge impact on me, giving me years worth of Hulk Smash nightmares as a child. Thanks Hulk. Secrets of Isis
I am don't think she was a comic book heroine at the time, Isis was basically an Egyptian version of Mary Marvel. Since then, Isis has joined the Captain Marvel comics as Black Adam's wife.
The live action Secrets of Isis, running from 1975-1977, centered on Andrea Thomas, a high school science teacher who found an ancient mystical amulet on an archaeological dig in Egypt. The amulet belonged to Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian Queen and it gave the wearer the powers of Isis. Andrea, by virtue of being able to open the casing in which the amulet rested, was recognized as an heir to Isis's secrets. Whenever Isis was needed, Andrea would reveal the amulet and incite an incantation ("Oh, mighty Isis!") and she would be transformed into the goddess Isis. Isis had super strength, the ability to move inanimate objects, the ability to fly, and super speed. To invoke her powers, she intoned rhythmic rhyming chants, such as
Three episodes of the series featured crossover appearances by Captain Marvel of the show's companion series, Shazam!
Shazam!
Shazam! made by the same folks as Isis ran from 1974 to 1977. It featured Captain Marvel, who is actually not named Shazam, and is not owned by Marvel, but Marvel owns the trademark for the name Captain Marvel who is one of their characters, but is unrelated to the "Shazam!" guy. I know, its confusing. From what I understand, the show was pretty campy. Who would have guessed?
The All New Superfriends Hour
Wonder Twin powers, activate! The original Super Friends, with non-powered sidekicks Wendy and Marvin, was canceled in 1974. The show, in constant reruns over the next few years, gained enough of a following to earn a greenlight for a new Superfriends show.
This time around, the hour-long show featured four mini-stories that spotlighted different characters. The first story featured a team up between two of the Super Friends. The second story featured the now infamous Wonder Twins and their space monkey Gleek. The third story featured the whole team. The fourth featured a guest star such as Green Lantern, Black Vulcan, or the Atom. The popularity of this show led to 1978's classic Challenge of the Superfriends series, a personal childhood favorite.
Wonder Woman
Running from 1975-1979, Wonder Woman's got her biggest exposure to mass audiences through this live-action television series. The first season was set during World War II, but season 2 took place 35 years later in the "modern" 1970s. Steve Trevor was replaced by his lookalike son Steve Trevor Jr. (ah, clever) as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman spun her way against evil.
Speaking of her patented spin move, enjoy:
-------------
1977 was actually a really amazing year for superhero shows on television. Spider-Man, Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel all having their own live-action series, is some serious saturation. Not only where there a lot of shows, but these were big guns too and they did it with small budgets and 1970s effects. Wow. I don't expect to see anything like that on the small screen again. And without the DVR yet in place, my superhero show addiction would have been a real challenge to manage. It turns out 1977 was a pretty good year to be born.
Update:
The New Adventures of Batman
Along with the titular Batman, The New Adventures of Batman featured Robin the Boy Wonder, Batgirl and Bat-Mite, a a well meaning imp from another dimension called Ergo, who considers himself Batman's biggest fan. Hmm. Sure why not, though some will consider this one of the Dark Knight's darkest hours. It was the Joker's inclusion in this series which kept him from appearing in the Challenge of the Super Friends series that ran during the same time frame. Likewise, Riddler and Scarecrow's membership in the Legion of Doom precluded them from appearing here.
The series was paired up with a Tarzan animated series in 1977 which expanded into a series titled either Tarzan and the Super 7 or Batman and the Super 7 in subsequent years. Stay tuned for the rest of the Super 7 to debut in 1978.
Space Sentinels
Also arriving in 1977 was the series The Young Sentinels which although it only lasted one 13 episode season was renamed midway through its run to Space Sentinels. The racially diverse cast has earned the series a footnote in the annals of history.
In this series, the Roman mythological figures Hercules and Mercury are joined by Astrea, a character created specifically for the series, to form a superhero team to protect mankind. As the series intro described:
Many centuries ago, three carefully selected young Earthlings were transported from their native lands to my faraway world. Here they were granted astounding powers, and eternal youth, then returned to Earth. Their mission: to watch over the human race, helping the good in it to survive and flourish. In the course of history, their names have become legend: Hercules, empowered with the strength of a hundred men. Astrea, able to assume any living form. Mercury, the amazing athlete who can match the speed of light. Working together with me, Sentinel One, and my maintenance robot, Mo, these teenage guardians form the greatest team the world has ever known: The Space Sentinels.
The heroes would continue in 1978s The Freedom Force.
Here is the first look at Booster Gold and Blue Beetle from the upcoming Smallville episode Booster. It looks like they are going with the new Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes, which is fine, I just wonder if there will be any mention of the fallen Ted Kord, Booster's original buddy, ala their team-up in the recent Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode Menace of the Madnicks! In any case, they both look pretty decent. Its hard to believe this duo will likely be the last new guest heroes to grace Smallville before the series wraps up in just a few episodes.
Among other things, the Smallville Season 10 preview footage at Comic Con teased the Superman suit that is rumored to be a part of Smallville's final season. The suit is supposedly a modified version of the one seen in Superman Returns. And, Clark will finally fly (though when we still dont know)
There was a bumbling Blue Beetle that appeared on The Electric Company in the 70's but I am honestly not really sure if this was just a case of copyright infringement that no cared about or if this was THE Blue Beetle. Needless to say, that depiction was not very true to the character.
The first honest to goodness appearance of the Blue Beetle occurred on the team-up series Batman: The Brave and the Bold in 2008. BB has been one of the shows primary showcased heroes (aside from Batman of course) even appearing in the series pilot, The Rise of the Blue Beetle!
Another evil version of the Blue Beetle was hinted at in a quick screen of Crime Syndicate members in the 2010 Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
With his limited mainstream exposure, Blue Beetle may not be that well known to general audiences, but if given his own series or movie, things will finally be looking up for BB.
