The Super Hero Squad Show

[Christopher]

The voice cast they have for some of the characters is impressive.

Yeah, I just looked it up on Wikipedia. Hmm...

Charlie Adler as Dr. Doom and others -- that should be interesting.

Shawn Ashmore as Iceman -- the same actor who played Bobby Drake in the movies.

Steve Blum as Wolverine, a predictable choice, though I wonder if he'll make the voice different because it's a very different universe. Also Jim Ward reprising Professor X -- too bad, I think his Xavier on Wolverine and the X-Men is the weakest one ever.

LeVar Burton as War Machine? That's... unexpected.

Some big names... Taye Diggs, Greg Grunberg, Lena Headey, Tricia Helfer, James Marsters, Jennifer Morrison, Adrian Pasdar, Kevin Sorbo, Michelle Trachtenberg. George Takei as Galactus? Oh, my.

Mark Hamill as Red Skull -- that should be cool.

Tom "Spongebob" Kenny as Iron Man and Cap? Okayy... But Maurice LaMarche as Magneto, that should be interesting. And Stan Lee as "Mayor of Super Hero City" -- cool!

Oh my... Cree Summer as Storm. Cool. And Tara Strong as the Invisible Woman. That'll be interesting.

 

[Chris3123]

Shawn Ashmore as Iceman -- the same actor who played Bobby Drake in the movies.

Also, the Punisher is voiced by Ray Stevenson, who played the character in Punisher: War Zone.

And Kevin Sorbo seems to be a good fit for Ka-Zar.

 

[Christopher]

I note an absence of Spider-Man characters. Is there some rights issue there? I recall reading something recently about Sony relinquishing the TV rights to Spidey, which means they would've held those rights at the time this show was being made. Maybe those rights were exclusive? And if they've relinquished them, maybe Spidey, Gobby, Ock, and some of the rest will begin showing up in the second season of this thing, if it lasts that long.

 

[Broccoli]

Again, maybe because Doom is a better-known character. Or maybe Red Skull is scarier for the kids who are the target audience.

Perhaps they didn't want to deal with the whole Nazi aspect?

I note an absence of Spider-Man characters. Is there some rights issue there? I recall reading something recently about Sony relinquishing the TV rights to Spidey, which means they would've held those rights at the time this show was being made. Maybe those rights were exclusive? And if they've relinquished them, maybe Spidey, Gobby, Ock, and some of the rest will begin showing up in the second season of this thing, if it lasts that long.

Could be a rights issue. Maybe they didn't want to step on the toes of the current Spider-Man cartoon, assuming that is still on.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Impressive vocal casting. And I had a feeling that Tara Strong, Cree Summer, Grey DeLisle and Tom Kenny would be involved in someway. They're in just about EVERY cartoon nowadays. Hell they were in TF:Animated too.

Maurice LaMarche someone mentioned... thought he died?

 

[Christopher]

Could be a rights issue. Maybe they didn't want to step on the toes of the current Spider-Man cartoon, assuming that is still on.

Its current season is still airing on Disney XD, but since Sony gave up the TV rights to Disney, it's unknown whether the show will get a third season. If DXD wants to renew it, it probably will get a third season, but if not, it probably won't have anywhere else to go.

Maurice LaMarche someone mentioned... thought he died?

Don't know why you'd think that. He's still very active in multiple recent projects, most notably the Futurama movies: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0005606/

 

[LaxScrutiny]

OK, that was one strange cartoon.

Could be they crammed all the characters into the first ep to introduce them and the rest of the series will be a bit more coherent...

 

[Christopher]

Could be they crammed all the characters into the first ep to introduce them and the rest of the series will be a bit more coherent...

Sounds like the first episode of Digimon. They had seven kids and seven Digimon in multiple forms to introduce, so the first episode was mostly just an endless series of introductions. It was so tedious I gave up on the show after the premiere, and didn't discover until later that it was actually pretty smart and entertaining. In later seasons, they had the sense to start out with fewer characters or to introduce the major players more gradually over the first few episodes.

We don't get Super Hero Squad in the US until this coming Saturday, I think.

 

[Christopher]

Okay, turns out the show premiered today on Cartoon Network. And it's... pretty bizarre. I guess I'm really not the target audience for this. I'm nostalgic for the time when kids' comedy on television had nothing to do with references to unpleasant bodily functions. These days, it seems to be mandatory in kids' programming to include every disgusting thing that would've been considered inappropriate for young viewers in the '60s or '70s. I know I'm sounding like an old coot here, but do we really need grossout humor on television? I mean, part of the reason children are amused by this kind of thing is because it's a social taboo, right? Plaster it all over the airwaves and you take the taboo out of it. It ceases to be subversive and just becomes crass and rude.

Aside from that, the caricatures of the Marvel characters are sometimes fun, sometimes annoying. I like the idea of Cap as a man stuck in the '40s. But Hulk's stupidity is just grating. And what's with short-fuse Ms. Marvel? Is she known for her temper or aggressiveness?

The voices are okay, though in some cases they're basically drawing on the actors' stock characterizations: Doom is Charlie Adler's classic archvillain voice, Ms. Marvel is Grey DeLisle's stock angry/mean voice (like Fairly Oddparents' Vicky), Iron Man and Cap are Tom Kenny's subdued and bombastic hero voices respectively, and so on. I think I actually like Steve Blum's Wolverine here a bit better than his version on Wolverine and the X-Men; aside from it being in an upper register, this version of Wolverine is broader and angrier, and Blum's "serious" Wolverine voice is a bit too lacking in that intensity.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

It's set to debut with its first two episodes on Monday on Cartoon Network (7pm and 7.30pm ET) and tomorrow on Canada's Teletoon network (8.30pm ET).

Here are some of the regular cast:

Tom Kenny as Iron Man, Captain America and M.O.D.O.K.
Grey DeLisle as Ms. Marvel and the Enchantress
Alimi Ballard as the Falcon
Charlie Adler as Dr. Doom

And here are some of the guest stars lined up:

Shawn Ashmore as Iceman
LeVar Burton as Rhodey
Taye Diggs as the Black Panther
Robert Englund as Dormammu
Greg Grunberg as Ant-Man
Mark Hamill as the Red Skull
Lena Headey as the Black Widow
Tricia Helfer as Sif
Cheryl Hines as Stardust
Wayne Knight as Egghead
James Marsters as Mr. Fantastic
Jennifer Morrison as the Wasp
Adrian Pasdar as Hawkeye
Kevin Sorbo as Ka-Zar
George Takei as Galactus
Michelle Trachtenberg as Valkyrie
Stan Lee as the Mayor of Super Hero City

With this voice talent behind the mics, one would think that Marvel would try to tell stories similar to that of Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Legion Of Superheroes, The Batman, X-Men Evolution, Spectacular Spider-Man and whup DC's ass for a change, but nooo, they have to make a kiddie show instead.

Oy.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Weren't there a few Marvel animated series that came out last fall? Wolverine and the X-Men--if it's still running--is probably the most promising. I don't have NickToons or whatever the hell the network is called, but I've seen some episodes on-line, and I like how it has featured different characters from the comics (both previous and current), like Emma Frost, Psylocke, etc.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Well maybe this is a "test the waters" kind of show. See how the public and the kids react to being introduced to so many different Marvel characters. Longtime fans and people who own the toys will know who many of them are, buuuuut will the rest of the viewing audience know who they really are? So maybe this is part of Marvel's dastardly plan to create the most awesome Marvel Universe show ever... but they start small. Reeally small.

So let the little kids have their SHS and "Hero Up" and then... MARVEL can come out with a real Marvel Universe show for the rest of us, maybe even do something with Adult Swim or something or heck... something they can put in to counter the "Animation Domination" on Fox. Tales of the Marvel Universe or an Avengers show would be pretty pretty kickass. Especially if they do it before the Thor and Cap movies come out. Get people familiar with the characters all over again. The kids will know them from SHS, the adults will know them from TMU or whatever.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Weren't there a few Marvel animated series that came out last fall? Wolverine and the X-Men--if it's still running--is probably the most promising. I don't have NickToons or whatever the hell the network is called, but I've seen some episodes on-line, and I like how it has featured different characters from the comics (both previous and current), like Emma Frost, Psylocke, etc.

Wolverine and the X-Men has received a second 26-episode order, bringing it to 52 episodes. Iron Man: Armored Adventures is airing its initial 26 episodes on Nicktoons, and I hear it's doing well there. If it's renewed it'll be the first Marvel show not featuring Spider-Man or the X-Men to run for more than 26 episodes.

 

[Christopher]

Well maybe this is a "test the waters" kind of show. See how the public and the kids react to being introduced to so many different Marvel characters.

No, I'm pretty sure it's a "sell the toys" kind of show. The reason it has so many characters is that, like GI Joe and Transformers in the '80s, there are a lot of toys in the line and the toy company that's helping to pay for the show wants them all featured.

 

[blockaderunner]

I think it's cute and a neat way to get the little ones into Marvel characters. Then they can step up to the Marvel Adventures line (which are great by the way). But avoid any and all of the dystopian BS of either the Ultimate or 616 line.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

Well maybe this is a "test the waters" kind of show. See how the public and the kids react to being introduced to so many different Marvel characters. Longtime fans and people who own the toys will know who many of them are, buuuuut will the rest of the viewing audience know who they really are? So maybe this is part of Marvel's dastardly plan to create the most awesome Marvel Universe show ever... but they start small. Reeally small.

Except that the DCAU shows were also for kids too, and also had a ton of kid viewers-and the stories weren't written down to their level. If DC/Warner's can do that, why can't Marvel?

So let the little kids have their SHS and "Hero Up" and then... MARVEL can come out with a real Marvel Universe show for the rest of us, maybe even do something with Adult Swim or something or heck... something they can put in to counter the "Animation Domination" on Fox. Tales of the Marvel Universe or an Avengers show would be pretty pretty kickass. Especially if they do it before the Thor and Cap movies come out. Get people familiar with the characters all over again. The kids will know them from SHS, the adults will know them from TMU or whatever.

Why not do it now, instead of this silly nonsense? Why not do a Avengers Unlimited, or something as serious as BTAS? Again, DC /Warner's did it-why can't Marvel? Why foolishness like Iron Man: Armoured Adventures?

 

[Christopher]

Except that the DCAU shows were also for kids too, and also had a ton of kid viewers-and the stories weren't written down to their level. If DC/Warner's can do that, why can't Marvel?

Actually, no; the DCAU shows shown in daytime slots, while designed to be suitable for younger viewers (at least when shown in daytime slots), were targeted primarily at older children, maybe 10 and up, while the DCAU shows in prime time on Cartoon Network (JL and JLU) were targeted more at teens and college students. There have been numerous Marvel shows aimed at those same demographics, from the '90s Spider-Man and X-Men to the current Spectacular Spider-Man, Iron Man Armored Adventures, and Wolverine and the X-Men. But The Super Hero Squad Show is targeted specifically at younger children, maybe 6-10 (I'm estimating; I don't know the exact cutoffs). It's analogous to WB's Krypto the Superdog, a show that was based in DC characters but was made specifically for much younger viewers than other DC-based animated shows. Both Marvel Productions and WB Television Animation make shows for various different age ranges, so it's not a difference between the companies.

Why not do it now, instead of this silly nonsense? Why not do a Avengers Unlimited, or something as serious as BTAS? Again, DC /Warner's did it-why can't Marvel? Why foolishness like Iron Man: Armoured Adventures?

Actually IM:AM is a pretty smart show. There's been some intense stuff there, and some good character writing. And Wolverine and the X-Men is definitely every bit as serious and dark as B:TAS and aimed at the same older demographic. You're totally wrong to define it as a difference between DC and Marvel.

Why did Marvel choose to make this show instead of another older-skewing show? Because if a franchise is going to have enduring success, it needs to bring in a new, young audience from time to time. If you don't get children interested in the Marvel characters now, then you won't have as many viewers for older-skewing Marvel shows in the future, or as many readers for the comics.

Besides, if it sells toys and video games and other merchandise to the kiddies, those profits help the company overall and improve its ability to keep making other, older-skewing comics, shows, and films.

But it's totally spurious to claim that this show exists "instead of" older-skewing Marvel shows. Those shows exist. There are three of them currently on the air, all good in their own ways. Super Hero Squad exists alongside those other shows. Overall, they constitute a strategy of appealing to a wide range of age groups. (In order of increasing age of target audience, I'd say it would be Super Hero Squad Show, Spectacular Spidey, Iron Man:AM, Wolverine/X-Men.) DC/Warners has done the same, with shows covering all age groups: Krypto for the very young; Teen Titans for slightly older kids; The Zeta Project, The Batman, Legion of Super Heroes, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold slightly older than that; B:TAS, S:TAS, and Batman Beyond for tweens and teens; and JL/U for teens and college students. There's no fundamental difference between the WB approach and the Marvel approach.

 

[blockaderunner]

I've seen the show. And dispite the cartoonish design, the writing reminds me a bit of the Keith Giffen era of the Justice League with a little classic Looney Toons sight gags. It's probably nothing I'd seek out and DVR, but if I were channel surfing and saw it, I'd watch it to the end.

 

[Nick Ryder]

You have to get the kids when they're young now to hook them. Simple as that. With so many other properties vying for the same eyeballs and wallets, you have to strike while they're impressionable. Look at Pokemon and other Anime based properties. They try to cater to the younger kids. A little kid can relate to a character that looks about their age and size and heh face it, kids and immature adults/teens like stupid shit sometimes. Look at any store, they sell SpongeBob stuff for kids as well as parents. Its stupid, but eh, it sells. I wouldn't be shocked at all if this gains an older audience that enjoys seeing the piss taken out of their favorite super heroes.

But I would LOVE to see an older skewed animated Marvel series soon though, one that IS NOT FOCUSED ON FUCKIN' WOLVERINE AND THE FRAGGIN' X-MEN or Spider-Man. A good adult Iron Man and Cap show would be kick awesome. Especially if they're able to tell some of the big cosmic storylines. Like I would think Secret War would be pretty awesome to see on the screen, as would maybe the Infinity Gauntlet storyline, where Thanos pretty much kills everyone! Or hell Civil War.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

Except that the DCAU shows were also for kids too, and also had a ton of kid viewers-and the stories weren't written down to their level. If DC/Warner's can do that, why can't Marvel?

Actually, no; the DCAU shows shown in daytime slots, while designed to be suitable for younger viewers (at least when shown in daytime slots), were targeted primarily at older children, maybe 10 and up, while the DCAU shows in prime time on Cartoon Network (JL and JLU) were targeted more at teens and college students. There have been numerous Marvel shows aimed at those same demographics, from the '90s Spider-Man and X-Men to the current Spectacular Spider-Man, Iron Man Armored Adventures, and Wolverine and the X-Men. But The Super Hero Squad Show is targeted specifically at younger children, maybe 6-10 (I'm estimating; I don't know the exact cutoffs). It's analogous to WB's Krypto the Superdog, a show that was based in DC characters but was made specifically for much younger viewers than other DC-based animated shows. Both Marvel Productions and WB Television Animation make shows for various different age ranges, so it's not a difference between the companies.

Why not do it now, instead of this silly nonsense? Why not do a Avengers Unlimited, or something as serious as BTAS? Again, DC /Warner's did it-why can't Marvel? Why foolishness like Iron Man: Armoured Adventures?

Actually IM:AM is a pretty smart show. There's been some intense stuff there, and some good character writing. And Wolverine and the X-Men is definitely every bit as serious and dark as B:TAS and aimed at the same older demographic. You're totally wrong to define it as a difference between DC and Marvel.

Why did Marvel choose to make this show instead of another older-skewing show? Because if a franchise is going to have enduring success, it needs to bring in a new, young audience from time to time. If you don't get children interested in the Marvel characters now, then you won't have as many viewers for older-skewing Marvel shows in the future, or as many readers for the comics.

Besides, if it sells toys and video games and other merchandise to the kiddies, those profits help the company overall and improve its ability to keep making other, older-skewing comics, shows, and films.

But it's totally spurious to claim that this show exists "instead of" older-skewing Marvel shows. Those shows exist. There are three of them currently on the air, all good in their own ways. Super Hero Squad exists alongside those other shows. Overall, they constitute a strategy of appealing to a wide range of age groups. (In order of increasing age of target audience, I'd say it would be Super Hero Squad Show, Spectacular Spidey, Iron Man:AM, Wolverine/X-Men.) DC/Warners has done the same, with shows covering all age groups: Krypto for the very young; Teen Titans for slightly older kids; The Zeta Project, The Batman, Legion of Super Heroes, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold slightly older than that; B:TAS, S:TAS, and Batman Beyond for tweens and teens; and JL/U for teens and college students. There's no fundamental difference between the WB approach and the Marvel approach.

Okay, you sold me on it.