So, I’ve mentioned before on various occasions on how I was brought up on an all superhero diet? Well, being a child of the 80’s and 90’s allowed me to see the birth of superhero toons as something more than just, well, dumb kid’s tv. Unique art styles, storytelling, and morality tales begun here and it just seems that the concept has evolved ever sense so here's a list of my all time favorite heroic themes cartoons!
Disclaimer, only one show per franchise otherwise we might be here a while!
(Yes, this will be one of the picks, I'm not a plebian!)
While Batman might have come before and had a deeper, richer story, it doesn’t detract from the fact that the original X-Men also dealt with it’s share of pathos. With tales dealing with slavery, discrimination, and being different, it taught life lessons that people still have trouble comprehending. Not to mention it brought out philosophical differences with the introduction of the fight between Magneto and Xavier.
(Seriously, that opening theme song gets you ready for a badass show!)
Oh, and the fights were amazing! Although the animation hasn't aged well...
This was hard one because it came down between this and Teen Titans. The first Titans series, not the new "Go" nor the….extreme live action version which seems to to be trying hard to be as edgy as possible.
Young Justice was possibly one of the best animated series I’ve ever seen. Created for television by Greg Wiseman, co creator of the criminally forgotten Gargoyles series, this show allowed for rich plot and some of the darkest themes while still celebrating the heroes without moving into edge-lord territory.
(They pretty much cut this opening for season two, but hey, more time for plot!)
Make sure to check this series out, it’s getting a third season so yay!
Before Deadpool made the leap to film, The Tick was a hilarious parody of the superhero genre. The original cartoon was what introduced everyone to the big blue dumb brick and showed the world that yes, you can laugh with heroes as well!
(Just look at that insanity!)
I’d also suggest you look at the live action versions of this series as well, they are both surprisingly amazing!
This was perhaps my hardest one. Both the original Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series were awesome in different ways. What edged it out for me however was the fact that Unlimited allowed the series to focus on other characters outside the core group. That plus we got to see Supes cut loose on Darkseid!
(It did have a badass opening theme!)
Plus, it introduced Booster Gold to people who never heard of him! Seriously, Booster Gold is freaking awesome!
Of course this had to be on the list. While not the first Superhero animated series, nor would it even be close to being the last, this is the one that showed the possibilities. With an amazingly dark, Gothic art deco design, deep tragic stories, and rich characters, there are so many memorable episodes.
Plus, let’s face it, Mark Hamill as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman have become completely ingrained in our subconscious. Seriously, Hamill has THE BEST joker laugh.
(Plus it has the sweet Batman movie theme!)
So many things I could go on about. The villains, almost each one was tragic in their own way, and multi faceted. Hell, this was the introduction of Harley Quinn! The poster girl for abusive relationships. Then of course there's the revamp of Mr. Freeze’s origin. And who could forget about Babydoll! This is a series you should not miss!
Still, I can’t keep gushing about this series. A lot of people have already said my thoughts exactly so this is where we’re going to end this issue! Next time we’re going back to school with a new Out Of Context, Super Heroes: My First Dictionary (DC Super Heroes)! Yes this exists! Excelsior!
