Hello, and welcome to another edition of Dustin's Dirty Dozen. In honor of the record breaking "Captain America: Winter Soldier" (and to fan the flames of the future rivalry between "Captain America 3" and "Superman/Batman" in 2015), I give you a list of the best animated series to be put out by the biggest companies in comics. If there is one thing I know more than anything else in this world (that's right even movies... LIKE my page Dustin's Disastrous Decisions on Facebook) it is animated series. I spend too much time watching animated series, especially when given the hours I spend sifting through their meaning. So let's get this list started!
Static Shock was another one of those Saturday morning Kids WB specials that tried capitalizing on the big super hero boom. It was an interesting series (to say the least), especially given that you got to see it evolve. It went from a show that tried to give kids a message (guns aren't the answer, dyslexia isn't a laughing matter, racism is alive and bad, etc.) to being a story driven and deep series. It wasn't necessarily the best series ever, but if you watch it from start to finish it is interesting to see the slight changes.
If you have read any of my other articles you know how I feel about Superman as a character (the reason this series is so high on my list); however, it can't be ignored that this series had some really great points. We got to see The Flash race against Superman, Kyle Rayner get discovered as Green Lantern, the inevitable (but still awesome) Batman team up, and a mind controlled Superman dictatorship. Plenty of good points to make this series well worth being on here (even with the source material as a handicap).
Can't fault a classic. Simply on here for being the first. It was good, old, campy fun. It can still provide entertainment but more in a nostalgic "I can't believe this is how it was" kind of way.
I fresh take on the X-Men series, putting most of our heroes in high school. We don't get the classic Logan, Scott, Jean love triangle, or any of the old arcs; but it is a refreshing take on an old series. The animation style was nicely done, and the story line still held a point of interest for most fans. The voice acting was handled well, and the series never really lost focus.
The most canon Spider-Man series I can think of, and it even incorporated Spidey with other superheroes in the Marvel universe. We saw him team up with everyone from Blade to Doctor Strange, and even got to see him with all the greats in the "Secret Wars" episodes. I may not like Spider-man as a whole (I think there is just too much angst in one arachnid shaped package), but this series at least held my interest through its entire life span.
The birth of one of my favorite DC animated movies "Return of the Joker" this series didn't receive enough credit during its lifetime. Speaking just about the movie, I got to see one of DC's darkest story arcs come to life in animation. The rest of the series held up to the great achievement built by the movie. Kevin Conroy almost makes a better old man Bruce Wayne than he did an original Batman, and the rest of the voice actors were brilliantly cast (as always with WB animation). Some episodes were fun without losing their edge, and others were edgy without losing their sense of humor. A brilliant series, that was ended to abruptly.
The second most known animated theme song by geeks world wide (the first being number one on this list). This series was almost parallel to the Spider-Man series in every way, except with more interesting characters. We got to see great story arcs that took us to the future, then swung us around to fighting dinosaurs. We got to see the trials of dealing with sentinel issues, and the joy of certain characters finally tying the knot. Much like "Spider-man" this was the most cannon series I have seen for X-Men to date. Give it a look see before the newest movie ("Days of Future Past") comes out. If anything, it should give you a better understanding of the coming story line.
This series being cancelled was a travesty. The story arcs were brilliant, the cast was amazing, the characters were interesting and fun. I wish I could have gotten more time with it, and I wish (even more) that it didn't end on a cliffhanger. If I got to see more of this show, it might have actually been a lot higher on the list; but since we only got two seasons worth of enjoyment here I sit again. Disappointed and wanting. There are talks of a third season, but right now all we know is that we won't be getting a new season anytime soon.
Another short lived series, but at least (it seems) we got more closure from the ending. This is the most recent series that proves Marvel can do animation. DC still does animation better, but I guess I wouldn't take that to heart if I was Marvel (sitting on the billions from "The Avengers"). We got to see a Skrull invasion (finally), we got to see character relationships building, and we got a little more light shown on characters that haven't had a movie yet. The music for the opening may be annoying, but at least the rest of the series delivered entertainment.
The greatest incarnation of kid superheros to date. Lasting five seasons this series still has fans begging for more. Tara Strong is one of my favorite voice actors, and the rest of cast was perfect (again as always, thank you Andrea Romano). Each season tried to out do the last, the fourth trying to go darker than the third, the fifth trying to finish everything off with a bang. The only grievance I ever held towards this show was the last episode. It should have been the episode before, ending with all of the kid heroes ready to attack Dr. Light; instead, it ended on a Tara episode. Nothing against Tara (she was an interesting character), it's just the biggest reason why the fans wanted more from the series. It left to many questions to be answered.
This series came very close to being perfect. The only thing that kept this series from being perfect was the campy fifth season. Phil LaMarr remains my favorite voice actor, and played the most interesting Green Lantern to date (John Stewart just has more depth than any of the others). The rest of the voices were brilliant, and stand as the shining example of what these characters should sound like. The animation was outstanding, and the story's were flawless. They gave us one thing that most the other series here never really did. Anticipation. I couldn't wait to find out about Cadmus, and all of their plans; the fact that it took so long to get there just made the delivery that much better.
This series is THE series all animation should try to become. I know the world is going on this big Batman kick right now, but this series has stood the test of time. Whenever I think of Batman's voice Kevin Conroy is the person that comes to mind. Whenever I think of the Joker's voice (or Star Wars) Mark Hamill comes to mind. When ever I think of a perfect cartoon, this series beams a bat signal in to my brain. This has spawned so many amazing works from the geek community, most recently a brilliant podcast that goes into the psychology of the series called "The Arkham Sessions." The winner of countless awards, and praise from comic readers/cartoon critics alike. There hasn't been a series to date that has captured the exact formula that made this series so good, but I hope one day there might be a series that can make lightning strike twice.
I have to respect a self-aware series. I am specifically talking about the episode featuring Bat-mite. "Legends of the Dark-Mite!" Season 1, Episode 19
12) Static Shock
Static Shock was another one of those Saturday morning Kids WB specials that tried capitalizing on the big super hero boom. It was an interesting series (to say the least), especially given that you got to see it evolve. It went from a show that tried to give kids a message (guns aren't the answer, dyslexia isn't a laughing matter, racism is alive and bad, etc.) to being a story driven and deep series. It wasn't necessarily the best series ever, but if you watch it from start to finish it is interesting to see the slight changes.
11) Superman: The Animated Series
If you have read any of my other articles you know how I feel about Superman as a character (the reason this series is so high on my list); however, it can't be ignored that this series had some really great points. We got to see The Flash race against Superman, Kyle Rayner get discovered as Green Lantern, the inevitable (but still awesome) Batman team up, and a mind controlled Superman dictatorship. Plenty of good points to make this series well worth being on here (even with the source material as a handicap).
10) Superfriends
Can't fault a classic. Simply on here for being the first. It was good, old, campy fun. It can still provide entertainment but more in a nostalgic "I can't believe this is how it was" kind of way.
9) X-Men Evolution
I fresh take on the X-Men series, putting most of our heroes in high school. We don't get the classic Logan, Scott, Jean love triangle, or any of the old arcs; but it is a refreshing take on an old series. The animation style was nicely done, and the story line still held a point of interest for most fans. The voice acting was handled well, and the series never really lost focus.
8) Spider-man
The most canon Spider-Man series I can think of, and it even incorporated Spidey with other superheroes in the Marvel universe. We saw him team up with everyone from Blade to Doctor Strange, and even got to see him with all the greats in the "Secret Wars" episodes. I may not like Spider-man as a whole (I think there is just too much angst in one arachnid shaped package), but this series at least held my interest through its entire life span.
7) Batman Beyond
The birth of one of my favorite DC animated movies "Return of the Joker" this series didn't receive enough credit during its lifetime. Speaking just about the movie, I got to see one of DC's darkest story arcs come to life in animation. The rest of the series held up to the great achievement built by the movie. Kevin Conroy almost makes a better old man Bruce Wayne than he did an original Batman, and the rest of the voice actors were brilliantly cast (as always with WB animation). Some episodes were fun without losing their edge, and others were edgy without losing their sense of humor. A brilliant series, that was ended to abruptly.
6) X-Men
The second most known animated theme song by geeks world wide (the first being number one on this list). This series was almost parallel to the Spider-Man series in every way, except with more interesting characters. We got to see great story arcs that took us to the future, then swung us around to fighting dinosaurs. We got to see the trials of dealing with sentinel issues, and the joy of certain characters finally tying the knot. Much like "Spider-man" this was the most cannon series I have seen for X-Men to date. Give it a look see before the newest movie ("Days of Future Past") comes out. If anything, it should give you a better understanding of the coming story line.
5) Young Justice
This series being cancelled was a travesty. The story arcs were brilliant, the cast was amazing, the characters were interesting and fun. I wish I could have gotten more time with it, and I wish (even more) that it didn't end on a cliffhanger. If I got to see more of this show, it might have actually been a lot higher on the list; but since we only got two seasons worth of enjoyment here I sit again. Disappointed and wanting. There are talks of a third season, but right now all we know is that we won't be getting a new season anytime soon.
4) Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Another short lived series, but at least (it seems) we got more closure from the ending. This is the most recent series that proves Marvel can do animation. DC still does animation better, but I guess I wouldn't take that to heart if I was Marvel (sitting on the billions from "The Avengers"). We got to see a Skrull invasion (finally), we got to see character relationships building, and we got a little more light shown on characters that haven't had a movie yet. The music for the opening may be annoying, but at least the rest of the series delivered entertainment.
3) Teen Titans
The greatest incarnation of kid superheros to date. Lasting five seasons this series still has fans begging for more. Tara Strong is one of my favorite voice actors, and the rest of cast was perfect (again as always, thank you Andrea Romano). Each season tried to out do the last, the fourth trying to go darker than the third, the fifth trying to finish everything off with a bang. The only grievance I ever held towards this show was the last episode. It should have been the episode before, ending with all of the kid heroes ready to attack Dr. Light; instead, it ended on a Tara episode. Nothing against Tara (she was an interesting character), it's just the biggest reason why the fans wanted more from the series. It left to many questions to be answered.
2) Justice League
This series came very close to being perfect. The only thing that kept this series from being perfect was the campy fifth season. Phil LaMarr remains my favorite voice actor, and played the most interesting Green Lantern to date (John Stewart just has more depth than any of the others). The rest of the voices were brilliant, and stand as the shining example of what these characters should sound like. The animation was outstanding, and the story's were flawless. They gave us one thing that most the other series here never really did. Anticipation. I couldn't wait to find out about Cadmus, and all of their plans; the fact that it took so long to get there just made the delivery that much better.
1) Batman: The Animated Series
This series is THE series all animation should try to become. I know the world is going on this big Batman kick right now, but this series has stood the test of time. Whenever I think of Batman's voice Kevin Conroy is the person that comes to mind. Whenever I think of the Joker's voice (or Star Wars) Mark Hamill comes to mind. When ever I think of a perfect cartoon, this series beams a bat signal in to my brain. This has spawned so many amazing works from the geek community, most recently a brilliant podcast that goes into the psychology of the series called "The Arkham Sessions." The winner of countless awards, and praise from comic readers/cartoon critics alike. There hasn't been a series to date that has captured the exact formula that made this series so good, but I hope one day there might be a series that can make lightning strike twice.
Honorable Mention) Batman The Brave and the Bold
I have to respect a self-aware series. I am specifically talking about the episode featuring Bat-mite. "Legends of the Dark-Mite!" Season 1, Episode 19
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