I look at my cousins now who grew up in the 2000s, I know that technology has spoiled them from the sleek smartphones, the sexy iPads, the 4G speed, and the big-screen LCDs. I grew up without the internet and like many kids went out to the playground or played baseball with my brother. But the most enjoyable memories was waiting to get our hands on the Sunday newspaper with my siblings. Of course, we would dig through all the cool Toys R Us ads, the Sports Section, but also the Sunday comics section. One section was just dedicated to cartoon strips like Peanuts, Garfield, Doonesbury, Hagar, Beetle Bailey, and others. Out of all the comic strips we liked was Calvin & Hobbes. I used to cut out the strip from the newspaper and collect it into a photo album, until they published trade paperbacks of Calvin & Hobbes. Every time my family was at the mall, I would directly head to the bookstore like Barnes & Noble and make my mom buy me a Calvin & Hobbes trade paperback.
Calvin & Hobbes Bill Watterson Returns, Sort of …
X-Men: Evolution Steven E. Gordon @ Big Wow! ComicFest 2014
One of the most popular Marvel cartoons was X-Men: Evolution which lasted 4 seasons (52 episodes) on Kids’ WB from 2000-2003. Our Ramen host Eddie Ballar interviews well-known artist Steven E. Gordon who was the Character Designer of Evolution. The show that gave birth to X-23, Steven talks about his role and what it was like working on X-Men: Evolution.
Video Viral Friday: Stop Motion TMNT Opening 1987
A neat stop motion video using TMNT action figures for the 1980s classic TMNT cartoon series!
The Misfits are BACK!
One of the hit cartoons back in the 1980s was Jem & the Holograms and the action figure dolls by Hasbro were pretty cool. Each character came with their individual musical accessories, the figures were poseable and it came with a rad cassette tape of songs from the cartoon series. With the approval from Hasbro, Integrity Toys has been making high-end Jem & the Holograms figures and just announced their line of the girl-band – The Misfits, arch-rivals of Jem & the Holograms.
Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo (Vol 2.)
I really enjoyed the first collected volume of Flash Gordon by Titan Books. And now the second volume is upon us – Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo, which collects stories from April 25, 1937 – January 12, 1941. The iconic Flash Gordon Sunday strips are restored in full color glory. On Planet Mongo, ruthless ruler Ming the Merciless is on the hunt for the Earth girl Dale Arden and Flash Gordon. Flash with the aid of Dr. Zarkov makes new allies as the fight off Ming’s various threats trying to stay alive on Planet Mongo.
Flashback: Looney Tunes
I remember waking up early Saturday morning, grabbing a box of cereal, a big spoon, and a carton of milk….ready for the two-hour Looney Tunes ride? And, what a ride it was!
Making A List: Top 40 Cartoon Songs
Art by J. Scott Campbell
I have to say some of the coolest pop songs in 1980s and early 1990s were from cartoon TV shows. Every once in awhile, I can be humming along these cartoon theme songs. Thanks to YouTube now, everybody gets a chance to relive the experience and do some karaoke cartoon show tunes. So, here’s my Top 40 list of the best cartoon theme songs from 1980s thru the early 1990s.
1. Saber Rider & The Star Sheriffs – There’s no better chessy glamrock song than Saber Rider & The Star Sheriffs.
2. Jem & The Holograms was truly outrageous.
3. Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers – “no guts, no glory!” The theme song makes me want to do some electric air guitar.
Johnny Moreno
Edward Ballar
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