The Age of Heroes keeps on truckin!!!!

On the near eve of Christmas and being on the cusp of the new year it seems that the age of heroes is in fill swing now more than ever on both TV and movie screens. As tough times still abound in the real world and many of us feel a sense of uncertainty about so much around us, the spirit of the hero endures. It does not surprise me that now, perhaps when we need them most, the call to bring super heroes and the beliefs they stand for are clamored for. Thankfully, Hollywood and other folks have been listening.

Perhaps most curious of the new shows is one called The Cape, a show in the vein of characters such as the Batman, the Dark Knight, a watered down version of the Punisher, Moon Knight, and perhaps a bit of the Green Hornet in there as well. The series, set in the fictional metropolis of Palm City, follows an innocent cop who has been framed for a crime he did not commit and then left for dead after he is caught. He is eventually saved by a circus ringleader who prepares him with special abilities to defend himself against his foes. Separated from his wife and son, he tries to clear his name while protecting them from being killed if he was ever reported alive. He takes the law into his own hands by taking the guise of his son's favorite comic book hero, The Cape, after he is given a special suit that has unique capabilities. Vowing to get rid of the corruption that has taken over both the city and the police force, he goes after the person responsible for setting him up and causing his "demise." The series is set to premier in January of 2011 and I look forward to it with great anticipation. 

Not new to the scene but nonetheless another interesting addition to the hero movement is the show "No Ordinary Family" by ABC. The show involves a regular family with real life issues such as a struggling marriage and kids disconnecting with their parents that suddenly and mysteriously become endowed with super powers. The father, a police sketch artist, gains superhuman strength and endurance, the wife gains super human speed, the son gains the ability to absorb knowledge and construct solutions to almost any problem he can perceive (albeit retain this knowledge is retained temporarily), and the daughter gains telepathy. The show is likable (at least for me) because it does not shy away from the hardships and consequences that come with the use of their new found abilities. The father even goes so far as to go out on patrols while in disguise. While this has not come without its fair share of issues he has done alot of good in the process. His responsible use of patroling as a crime deterrent is something that alot of RLSH practice but still others could use a lesson in. Along the way the show creators have added Allison Adler, one of the writers of the innovative show "Chuck" to the crew. While the reviews of the show have been mixed, they have been overall favorable.

Not new to the super hero movement but worth mentioning because it is in it's final season, the show Smallville moves forward with greater excitement and buildup than ever. It it's last season they have decided to up the ante, bringing incredibly powerful villains such as Darkseid (and can Desaad be too far behind him), Granny Goodness, and Slade to the show. Also showing up are the Suicide Squad to add some more turmoil. But perhaps the greatest surprise is the return of Lionel Luthor to the show, courtesy of his evil self being transported here from an alternate reality. Rumblings also give reason to believe that Lex Luthor, Superman/Clark Kents greatest nemesis will make a return in what promises to be a very powerful and memorable ending to the series. Let's hope they do better with these villains than they did with Doomsday, who would have plowed this version of Superman into the ground with ease. I enjoyed the fact that Clark revealed his true self to Lois - it was about time. As a long time fan of the show from its inception, I will be there when it ends, hoping that I will get a glimpse of the day that Clark Kent dons the red, blue, and yellow and makes his presence known to the world on the grand stage. 

On the cartoon front we have the show Young Justice also starting in January of 2011. The pilot which aired in November of 2010 was well made and received many positive reviews. Much like in the vein of the cartoon DVD movies made by DC such as Superman:Doomsday, Superman/Batman: Public Enemy, and Batman: The Red Hood as well as the old show Justice League International, the cartoon is an excellent meld on subject matter, treating the characters as likable by kids but also adult enough to be watched and enjoyed by an older audience.The show is set in Earth-16, a DC Multiverse world, and corresponds to the present time of our world — a time period Vietti has called "a new age of heroes." The recently founded (three to four years in activity) Justice League is a powerful organization of superheroes who find themselves becoming "high-powered, high-wattage celebrities" tracked closely by the public. As it grows increasingly difficult for the Justice League to operate outside the spotlight, the supervillains take advantage of their opponents' prominence while becoming better at organizing and working under the radar. Meanwhile, the teenaged sidekicks of several Justice League members feel they are ready to graduate on to the next level and become more independent. Consequently, Batman organizes the teens to fill the need for a covert operations team while keeping their protégés under their authority. Interesting additions to the cast include Miss Martian which in real DC continuity is a White martian and not a Green one. Also, changes were made to Aqualad, making him appear as African-American and Arrowette was replaced by Artemis to fill the role of the Green Arrow sidekick. 

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Superheroes 

he Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series.The series initially features a team based on the roster for the original Avengers, composed of Ant-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the Wasp. In terms of tone and style, the series will be based primarily on the original stories by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. However, it will also utilize material from all eras of the comic's run and other sources such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The plot begins as the world's most dangerous supervillains break out of the Vault, the Cube, the Big House, and the Raft, six of Earth's mightiest heroes assemble a crime fighting alliance called the Avengers. The Avengers line-up initially includes Hank Pym (who assumes both his Ant-Man and Giant-Man alter-egos), Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the Wasp.^[3] Captain America, Black Panther, and Hawkeye have joined the roster and will be regulars on the show. Interesting enough, while the show has had a large number of Marvel favorites in it both good and evil, a few tweaks have been made on some of the characters which were unexpected, including making the Black Widow a double agent who infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D and framed Hawkeye for a crime that lands him in jail. Worse, it seems that the Black Widow works for Hydra.

Transformers Prime had its debut on the Hub on a 5 part mini-series called Transformers: Prime. Making many hardcore Transformers fans (such as myself) giddy with glee was the announcement that the mini-series would be followed by a full season in February 2011.There are 26 episodes scheduled for the first season and another three seasons have been outlined by the screenwriters. The premise of the story is that Team Prime live on Earth as a pre-emptive measure against the return of the Decepticons, forming an alliance with three teens as Megatron returns having discovered a rare element that grants him rule of life itself. The show delves into what it is to be a Prime, and though in continuity with Exodus and War for Cybertron, its Earth-bound backstory is reminiscent of the live-action film series. While I look forward to the show with great anticipation, one thing that bothers me is the use of child characters in the show. There is now way that Optimus Prime would willingly allow young kids to be so close to the battle field. I can understand the Autobots working with the human military the way they have done in the previous 2 real life Transformer movies - the military hardware and firepower has proven to be capable of taking down some of the baddest Decepticons around (example: the rail gun blast that wipes out the Constructicon Devastator). Like the other shows the mini-series has proven enjoyable and a bit more adult than previous incarnations. I believe in the pilot series one of the Autobots was slain and you see Arcee struggling with the emotional trauma that follows. This also provides an excellent build up to the 3rd Transformers movie which will feature none other than UNICRON HIMSELF!!!!


Oh and God bless the Hub for making one special addition to the cast - using Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the voice of the Autobot Cliffjumper. The Rock is my all time favorite pro wrestler and I find this REALLY cool.

I also look forward to the series "V" restarting in January. Based on a classic series from my youth, it depicts the struggle of humanity to overcome an alien invasion that has been in the works for quite some time it retains the "David versus Goliath" feel of the old show, humanity being the underdog that never quits despite the odds being almost impossible to overcome. The show has been tweaked a bit from its previous incarnation, giving more relevance to the resistance movement within the V that want to help humanity instead of conquer it.

On the movie front we have so many super hero movies coming out that it would make any comic book fan ecstatic. With movies like Thor, Green Lantern, Transformers 3, the Green Hornet, X-Men First Class, The First Avenger: Captain America, the 3rd Wolverine movie and Iron Man movie  sometime I believe in 2012 there will be a plethora of comic book fun and mayhem for fans to enjoy. Also, word is that in another super hero (well kind of) movie with Ryan Reynolds as the merc wit ha mouth Deadpool, he will be "breaking the fourth wall" - meaning the movie will be shot with Deadpool actually stopping to make snappy comments to the viewing audience.

Now it can be argued that Hollywood and TV stations are only doing this to make cash (which is a big reason for this no doubt). However, Hollywood acts on the basis of demand and popularity when it comes to making the big bucks and right now, more than ever, super heroes are the cash cow. However, going beyond the almighty dollar, the popularity of the super hero movies speaks to the growing desire of people looking for inspiration even if it's not real, to provide some hope in tough times. People want to believe in heroes, in something larger than life that can stand against the darkness, against any villain or obstacle that threatens to crush them and says "I'm not moving and I'm going to win no matter what you throw at me." At the end of the day regardless of the babble of naysayers and bile-spewing malcontents, people love a hero and root for the good guys.

So here's to a great 2011 for super heroes in movies and cartoons. They inspire us and bring hope when we need it the most, awakening that sense of wonderment, awe, and determination that so many people too often allow to wither and die within them. Ignore the critics. Ignore haters and embrace what is to come.

THE AGE OF HEROES IS ALIVE AND WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!