Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes




Karen: So far we've seen two full episodes and a whole bunch of shorts for this new Marvel cartoon featuring BAB's favorite team, the Avengers. My overall impression is good, despite some reservations about the animation style (and the awful theme song). I like that they started out with the original team of Ant-Man, Wasp, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk.
Karen: Last week's episode, which saw the Hulk depart the team after stating that they didn't trust him, was very reminiscent of Avengers #2, only the culprit in this episode was the Enchantress, not the Space Phantom. Even though we know Cap will be on the scene soon, I'm glad they followed the course of events from the Marvel Universe and are bringing him in later. And I doubt Hulk will be gone for good.


Doug: Somehow I've only managed to see exactly 15 minutes of each part of the origin 2-parter, and of the episode of which you speak. But, I've for the most part liked what I've seen. I did keep looking for the Space Phantom whenever it seemed like a good spot to be Phantom-ing. The reveal of Cap's shield in the ice was a nice bit of foreshadowing -- exciting!

Karen: What do you think of the way they are handling the Hulk? He's not the "dumb" Hulk, but he definitely isn't Banner in Hulk's body. His split personality is certainly played up. I'm wondering if this may give a clue to how Hulk will be portrayed in the Avengers movie?
Doug: I'm not sure what to make of the Hulk, other than I think he's too big. But, since you bring up the films, I guess he was depicted by Hollywood as around 10-feet tall (does the Marvel Handbook still list him at 7'?).
I'll tell you one that I'm loathing and loving at the same time, and that's Giant-Man. It's been well-documented here that I'm a fan of giants, Hank Pym in particular. But ol' Henry seems a bit dim-witted in this show. I also don't care for his enormous scale -- 100 feet tall, maybe?? However, seeing him in the park scene last week did strike me as reminiscent of Alex Ross' famous shot of Hank striding over buildings in Marvels #2. So I think they show him as too big, but there's a "cool factor" there that makes me feel a bit fanboyish.
Karen: Yeah, Hank comes off a little too 'absent-minded professor'-ish, but it hasn't been terrible. The scene in the park, with Hulk throwing Giant-Man, was classic.
Doug: I also like the way the Wasp is shown.
The CGI in the upcoming live-action films should make her a very visually appealing character. As for voice actors, I'm not really digging Iron Man (sounds too young) and Thor is pretty good but not superior. I'm really glad that so far there's no character who sounds like Wolverine of the 1990's X-Men cartoon, or the Thing from the 1960's Fantastic Four cartoon! Puh-lease!!
Karen: The Iron Man actor sounds like he's trying to do Robert Downey Jr, which is kind of distracting. I thought Thor was fine, and the others too. I like the Wasp -she's got all the spunk without the flightiness.
Doug: As I said, my viewing has been limited, but it's been nice to see a bunch of super-baddies. It's given me hope for all of the possible storylines (new and old) that can be explored. It's been a nice mix of superstar bad guys and perimeter players. It seems like those at the reins of this show have done their homework.

Karen: Yeah, I laughed when the team surrounded the Mandrill. The Mandrill? Please!

Doug: Overall, I wish the look of the show was a bit more realistic (although not as pushy as the X-Men of the '90's -- way too hard of an attempt to show musculature, etc. -- subtle is OK). But I'm happy with this so far and looking forward to more!


You can see more at the Marvel site.
EDIT: Comics Continuum has a link to the commercial for this week's episode, which introduces Captain America. On the same page, they have some new still photos in high res from the Captain America: The First Avenger film. Enjoy!

63 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. I completely missed that this had started to air!

Time to set the DVR and hope for reruns!

Anonymous said...

Itunes, FTW!

Watched most of "Breakout Pt. 1" already.

- Wasp character design is silly.
- Remove all substantial aspects of the movie/Ultimate versions of Fury and creating an African American version of the "classic" Fury is likewise silly. Pick one!
- Seeing the Red Ghost was kinda cool.
- Seeing Crusher Creel was also cool.
- Jeffrey Combs as the Leader is very cool.
- I think Iron Man/Stark's voice was actually pretty good, similar to Downey Jr.

Story wise it seems interesting.

J.A. Morris said...

I generally like the show so far. It's got good fight scenes,especially the Hulk vs. Absorbing Man episode. It's been fun so far to play "name that villain". I'm not crazy about Iron Man's voice either,but it's not enough for me to quit watching the show.

I haven't watched the Hulk/Enchantress episode yet,but I figured they would basically retell the story from 'Avengers'# 2. I'm glad they used the Enchantress,the Space Phantom was a generic shape-shifter villain.
As some might recall,this isn't the first "animated" retelling of issue #2(you'll see why I put quotes around the word animated):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-1vQhVqjbk
I like this Hulk,he's very reminiscent of the Hulk from the early Avengers and solo Hulk stories. Similar to the Hulk of the "Mr. Fixit" era when he was gray.

Anonymous said...

I already gushed about it (on the AA boards) how much i love it so far. It's the Avengers project I've always wanted since I was 9.

starfoxxx

Karen said...

J.A., that old Marvel cartoon was hilarious! The sexism, the Wasp's randiness, Hulk's surliness...awesome.

I agree with you about the Hulk's personality in the new show. He's going to be the problem guy, for sure, the guy who stirs -or smashes -the pot all the time. I wonder what this will do to Hawkeye once he joins? That was his role back in the Kooky Quartet days.

Karen

Doug said...

How 'bout the way they doctored up Iron Man's suit in that throwback, making him red and gold instead of just gold as he wore in Avengers #2?? Man, sometimes I just love that clunky old suit. They really nailed the feel of that in the first IM movie.

Say what you want about those Marvel Super-Heroes cartoons, those were far more influential in educating me on Silver Age history than were any of the reprint titles available in the Bronze Age.

Looking forward to tomorrow's Cap episode of A:EMH!

Doug

Doug said...

I just watched the Captain America "Living Legend" episode and for the most part enjoyed it. I thought Cap's fighting prowess was displayed well, although I thought he handled the Avengers a bit too easily. While I understand that the team would have been taken aback and certainly unwilling to add further trauma to Steve's awakening, it still seemed over the top.

The scenes where Cap tossed the shield were well done, and the sound effects were perfect.

I had to crack up, though, at the yucky-looking blobs -- first I kept thinking "Ghostbusters", and then I couldn't stop seeing Clayface from the Batman: the Animated Series shows.

I like the sense of continuity that is being developed with the inclusion of the Enchantress and the Executioner in the past couple of episodes. The Panther was exciting as well.

Did anyone else sense the magnetism between Steve and the Wasp that we saw in the first 12 issues of The Ultimates? Wonder if that will be pursued here?

Does anyone else have thoughts?

Doug

Karen said...

I saw last night's episode also and enjoyed it. It's an odd mix of old and new. The storylines are mostly hewing to the original Avengers, but the characterizations often seem to be drawn from more recent books. For example, the team finds Cap and faces Zemo, who also meets the Enchantress and Executioner (will they be called the Masters of Evil?). But the Panther is shown spying on the Avengers, which comes from Geoff Johns' run on the book.

I did like the connection between Cap and Wasp -that would be interesting if they did try to make it romantic, at least more of an unrequited love. Maybe similar to the way Scarlet Witch seemed to have a crush on Cap?

And -what about the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver? I wonder if we'll be seeing them?

The one thing I am still grumpy about is Hydra in place of Nazis. Apparently they're doing this in the Cap movie too. That seems so unnecessary, and sort of cowardly too.

Karen

MaGnUs said...

I saw a couple of the webisodes; and they were okay... but those are just promo material. Then I watched the first two episodes that came out, and I thought it worked perfectly. My son watched them with me and enjoyed them too. Characterization is spot on, voice work is not outstanding but acceptable, plot is not dumbed down to little kid level, but still watchable by wee lads, and the fights are all you want from The Avengers. I give it a 3 stars in 5; with potential for more.

Then, the other day we watched episodes 3 to 6 (we have to wait until subtitles our out for him, since he can't follow English that well yet); which are comprised of some of the webisodes (I hadn't watched all). They were all okay, we enjoyed them, I liked how they're still having Loki behind stuff, and my favorite was the Captain America one; where the Cap/Bucky dynamic was perfect; and so where their fighting styles... plus, the Howling Commandos were there, including Dum Dum Dugan wearing his circus strongman outfit.

My kid was worried about Bucky died, and said "But he can't die, good guys don't die!" And I was like "let's wait and see..."

My only problem? They completely replaced the Nazis with HYDRA, even back in WWII. That sucks, they have to teach kids how Nazis were the bad guys... in fact, they're more or less the only villains you can use without going wrong! I was thinking maybe it's to market the cartoon to Germany, where everything with a swastika, even in villains, is highly scrutinized and sometimes even banned.

As for the Thor episode, I like that they're putting Loki behind stuff here... :)

Karen said...

What did everyone think of tonight's episode featuring Wonder Man? OK, they never called him Wonder Man, but we know who he was. I really enjoyed it. Particularly the Wasp-Thor team-up.

Karen

Doug said...

I DVR'd it and watched this morning. I for the most part really liked it. I thought the script for Thor was perfect -- some very funny lines! They won't be able to play him that way in the film, but it's great fun for this cartoon.

The Wasp is being written as if she's very young -- like back in the Tales to Astonish days. It's working for me. Some of the dialogue involving MODOK was very funny.

Loved the "Wonder Man Buster" Iron Man suit. As for Wondy himself, I guess I'd have liked to have seen him in the green suit more first, before he went all ionic. I'm not a fan of that whole schtick anyway.

Overall, like what I'm seeing, EXCEPT the return of the bomber jackets!!!! Cap needs to lose that look ASAP!!

Doug

Anonymous said...

The Wonder Man episode was the best yet, IMO.

Man, I guess everybody can't get enough Nazi-bashing. Their absence really didn't phase me.

oh and thanks for the Green lantern trailer. I always saw most DC heroes as bland characters (Hal, Flash, Atom) with little personality, so Ryan Reynolds seems a little too snarky/quirky as a casting choice, but the trailer looks pretty cool, esp. the GL corps stuff.

starfoxxx

Karen said...

Last night we got the Black Panther signing on to the team. I thought it was an enjoyable episode. I liked some of the small exchanges, first when iron man ordered Cap after the Panther, and later when Cap told the Panther he was going to stick with him. It feels like the writers understand the Avengers pretty well.

I'm wondering what has happened to Thor? He didn't answer the call last night. And have we heard anyone shout "Avengers Assemble" yet?

Anonymous said...

On the cartoon subject....

the Super Hero Squad episode with Nighthawk and the Squad Supreme was a real hoot! Thanos and Grandmaster appear; Adam West voices Nighthawk---and my favorite part was the intro/title "page" with a cartoony version of Avengers #70.
I know Karen and Avenger-philes would dig it.

starfoxxx

Karen said...

So did anyone see the one hour special over the holidays? I thoroughly enjoyed it! It had a great story and all the Avengers seemed to be n character. The Hawkeye-Hulk relationship appears to be one to keep an eye on.

@Starfoxxx: I've only caught a few eps of Super hero Squad, but it seems like despite the fact that it is aimed at kids, they maintain quite a bit of Marvel continuity. I did enjoy George Takei as Galactus!

Karen

MaGnUs said...

I'm a bit behind; because as of yesterday; only the subtitles for the first part of Gamma World were available... and since my kid doesn't speak that much English yet, we have to use subtitles. Yesterday we ate some popcorn while watching Panter Quest... man, I love to see the Black Panther fight!

Karen said...

Who saw "459"? I knew what was coming when I saw that title! All in all, a pretty good episode, although I was disappointed that they went with the Ultimate Captain Marvel. Still, some nice developments, more depth to the Hank/Jan relationship, the possibility of the Kree-Skrull War in cartoon form (although you HAVE to have the Vision and Scarlet Witch to do that right), and it looks like we might get Ms. Marvel showing up at some point.

I know they are building slowly, but I'm wondering when or even if we will get Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. I know they were on Wolverine and the X-Men; is there a problem using them on this show?

And why the move to Sundays? I liked it better on Wednesdays!

Karen

MaGnUs said...

I'm a couple of episodes behind on Avengers; but so far, so good. Wolverine And The X-Men was cancelled already.

Anonymous said...

The "Widow's Sting" episode was just so, so good. This show just keeps entertaining me----wait till you see who the guest star is.

starfoxxx

Karen said...

I thought "Widow's Sting" was entertaining. I wish they would get on some kind of regular schedule though! As for the guest star, I was a little surprised they would introduce her so soon. But now we'll have something of a love triangle -especially when that doofus Hawekeye realizes the Widow is undercover and still working for SHIELD! (At least I'm guessing she is.)

Karen

Doug said...

Hey, all --

I caught up with a couple of episodes last night on the dvr. I watched "459" and "Widow's Sting" and thought both were very well done. The writers have really nailed the characterization. Even though some of this is an extension of the Ultimate Universe, the fact that it's accessible to children pleases me greatly -- much of the edginess and, to be frank, gratuitous sex and violence has been left out.

I need to watch the "Masters of Evil" episode, and then dvr the Kang episode that will air this Sunday.

Really, really loving this show!! I'm among those of you who've waited my whole life for such a depiction of our favorite heroes!

Doug

Karen said...

I hear ya partner; I get ridiculously excited when I see another episode has recorded!

I am hoping though that Cap becomes team leader soon. It's just not right to see an Avengers team with Cap on it, and he's not the leader!

Karen

Karen said...

Another great episode today. Lots of neat stuff here. My absolute favorite part was Cap telling Tony he doesn't know how to fight, and then schooling him in the ring! The addition of Hawkeye and Hulk laughing themselves silly was perfect.

But look what else we got:
-The Fantastic Four exist in this cartoon universe!
-Kree Skrull War is coming
-Kang!

Plus the entire assortment of Avengers was on hand. Awesome.

Karen

Doug said...

Hey, all --

Last night I got around to watching the first of the three Kang episodes, and I couldn't agree more with Karen's assessment. This series is so much fun!!

Criticism, though, of how the team attacked Kang -- one-by-one instead of as a team. I know they want to stretch this out, but that is a very tired plot vehicle in team books. IM taking over the chair was very cool!

Doug

Doug said...

Hi --

Watched Part 2 of the Kang trilogy. Wow! Great characterization of our heroes -- loving the Hulk/Hawkeye buddy movie! Some of the one-line interactions (Thor/IM, Cap/IM, etc.) are great.

Loved the scene where Hank reluctantly reprogrammed Ultron -- for violence... Stay tuned, to be certain!

Doug

Karen said...

I'm very happy to see Cap taking on more of a leadership role on the team. That's the way it should be!

Karen

Doug said...

I watched the third part of the Kang storyline after school today, and it was just great! While I was a little unsure at first of the team dressed in the Iron Man armors (very reminiscent of the Alex Ross Justice mini-series), it did end up working out. Not sure why Thor would need the armor in space but the Hulk would not, but I suppose that's minor.

The end of the show was really exciting, with Reed Richards (and can you believe, HERBIE??) on the scene, and Ultron going bad-boy on us -- things to come.

What a great series this is! I hope people are watching it, to the extent that the ratings warrant a second season. Good stuff!

Doug

Anonymous said...

The show is largely very good except for that godawful theme song that I have to mute the moment the singing starts!

The only thing I really dislike about the program is the portrayal of the Wasp as a flighty dope. I'm hoping it's being done that way so they can build her character over time until she's more like the Roger Stern Wasp I know and love.

I haven't seen all the episodes so I don't know if there are any other female teammates yet, but I really wish they had another female member to balance out the portrayal of the Wasp. Maybe She-Hulk or Scarlet Witch (depending which personality they use) would be good.

MaGnUs said...

I don't mind the theme. My son and I watched the last episode yesterday; and we're lookign forward to a second season.

And yes, Wasp is portrayed as a bimbo... but wasn't she like that at first, at least on the outside?

dbutler69 said...

Yeah, the Wasp was pretty man-hungry in the early days. I like her character here. She's not as bad as she was in the early days of the comic, and she's one of the few characters that could really be classified as "cool", plus she adds some needed humor (she's sort of a female version of Hawkeye in those regards) and she's probably meant to appeal to the younger viewers.

Doug said...

Hey, fans --

I've seen the first two episodes and was for the most part impressed. The characterization continues to be spot on, and it looks like the writers are really trying to build some new relationships within the team. I've seen an effort in that regard with the Wasp and Hawkeye (platonic) and Cap and the Hulk. In fact, in light of today's Open Forum where Karen asks "What is a Hero?", the exchange between Cap and the Hulk fits perfectly!

An effort is being made, with no attempt at disguise, to mimic the films. In the intro. Cap is referred to as "the first Avenger", and it seems like a lot of the Asgardian vocabulary from the film (the "9 Realms" for example) have crossed over into this series. Additionally, the episode featuring Hydra and the Black Widow looks to segue directly into the Cap and Avengers movies.

And was that a Winter Soldier set-up I saw? Let's hope not...

Doug

Karen said...

Two really solid episodes. I probably enjoyed the first one, with the Asgardian villains, a little more. I like the banter between the Avengers, and the writers seem to have a good grasp on each hero's character (it was natural that Cap was the only Avenger who didn't doubt Hawkeye would hit his target, for example). Doug, I agree, I very much liked the scene between Cap and the Hulk. It looks like we may be headed towards a super-hero registration act though...

Karen

starfoxxx said...

I just watched "ULTRON-5", and I was blown away by the battle with the SERPENT SQUAD.
How frickin' awesome was that? I've always loved the Serpent Squad, but the animation here just brought them to life for me, after seeing them in comic form for 30 years. This is one of my favorite cartoons ever.

Doug said...

I'm late commenting here... I, too, watched "Ultron-5" and thought it was great. I saw the this coming weekend's episode is called "The Ultron Imperative", so that should be awfully cool.

I love the subtle growth of the Marvel Universe, with another mention of the Fantastic Four; after seeing Ben and Johnny earlier this season, I'm hoping for a larger team-up if the Kree-Skrull War does indeed develop as was hinted last season.

There are still some great moments of characterization. Unforunately, it looks like they are playing Hank as the emotional trainwreck we've (at least me) come to loathe over the years. I hope they don't take it all the way; surely Disney wouldn't allow any depiction (actual or implied) of domestic abuse.

I think I am liking this series almost as much as I liked the first few seasons of Batman: The Animated Series. High praise, indeed!

Doug

Doug said...

I watched the "Ultron Imperative" episode a couple of days ago. I thought it was very well-done, and the hopelessness of fighting that adamantium fiend was well-played. How about Thor's line, from back in the Busiek run??

Doug

starfoxxx said...

I just finished watching all of Season 2, and it was just great, fantastic, gush,gush, gush.

It seems like much of the discussion on the AA boards about this cartoon concerns the dissappointment that it will be cancelled. Yes, eventually EVERY show will come to an end (except the Simpsons). Let's just enjoy this little gem while it lasts.

Doug said...

For those still interested (I know I am), here is a link to a trailer for the next season of the Avengers cartoon. I guess this is an extra in the Thor Blu-Ray movie. Anyway, be on the look-out for Dr. Doom, the FF, Ms. Marvel, the Vision, Kang, the Kree-Skrull War, the red Hulk, and more!

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=46329

Doug

MaGnUs said...

Still interested? OF course!

david_b said...

As usual, I'm a bit late to the party here. FINALLY started DVRing some of the eps. Watching the Sentry one with the Kree Mar-Vell now, very nice.

I LOVE they're playing up Hank Pym every so often, harkening back to the pre-Shooter days where he was worth his weight in science-application and growth/shrinkage scenes. A big plus for me.

I'd agree that Stark is too young and Downey-ish, detracting from some really good IM-oriented stories. Both Hulk and Clint seem to be used well. I usually don't care much for this style of animation, but it does cull from some good vintage stories.

All in all, holding a fair amount of interest.

david_b said...

Ah, yes, '459' is the episode I'm watching.. Not bad, doubt if I'd grab this on DVD, but nice all the same.

Oh, yes agreed, that opening them IS pretty bad.

Inkstained Wretch said...

Just watched DVR'd version of Season 3 opener with Doctor Doom.

Some reactions:

1- VERY nice to see the Fantastic Four given a prominent role. That really does harken back to the Silver Age when the Marvel universe was smaller.

2- The Hulk/Thing rivalry - while a little contrived - was fun too. Loved the way the Hulk pushed the Thing out of the plane.

3- So Mr. Fantastic doesn't know his wife has been replaced by a Skrull? That will make for some interesting dinnertime conversations when the real Invisible Woman turns up.

4- Waitaminute, Captain America was replaced by a Skrull too? That's what the recap indicated. Well when did I miss that last season? Anybody know?

5- I miss Thor. There, I said it.

6- Hawkeye: "Waitaminute. A daisy what?" Clever way to slip that one psass the sensors. Funny too.

david_b said...

I was interested on how the FF would be portrayed as well.. NOT a fan of their 90s animated show, still loving their 60s animated outing, they were done in a much improved, more mature, fun manner.

Yeah, the Thing-Hulk bouts were a bit contrived, but it could have been a lot worse. I see a smidgen of Martin-Lewis banter being developed there which'll be fun.

Can't WAIT to see the Vision appear, and this take on the Skrull Invasion looks like it'll hold interest. Never caught the comics, but heard about it obviously a few years back.

I was wondering if/how they were going to weave in the history of Avengers' climatic battles, while introducing old favorite characters.., and I'm really liking the gradual pacing so far. I didn't like the Wonderman episode, but glad to see other twists and plots coming together nicely. Not too quickly, yet still keeping you wanting more.

J.A. Morris said...

I thought the season premiere was a very good episode, with one exception:
Reed's voice.

Maybe I'm bringing my own prejudices, but I always thought the FF shows of the 60s & 70s did a great job with Richard's voice. He's a bit older and has an authoritative manner in his speech. But I thought they nailed his characterization.

I didn't have a problem with the Hulk/Thing interactions.

starfoxxx said...

I've already gushed about the 3rd season/episode 1 on the AA boards.....WOW, this is the Marvel Universe I grew up with in the early 80s, done with respect by people who actually KNOW the Avengers and MU! I wish the current comics were this good.

starfoxxx

Inkstained Wretch said...

Just watched the season three's second episode. Not as much fun as the first episode though it seemed like they were trying to establish some plot points for later episodes, i.e., SHEILD's superhero registration push, whatever AIM was up to, introducing Warmachine, Stark's potential financial problems. Still fun though.

Favorite moment was Captain America taking the ray gun and blasting away at the AIM agents. Good to see him cutting loose (assuming that really is him, not a Skrull agent).

Noteworthy that this one only featured three of the Avengers. The team cast is large - 8 characters - and only getting larger. I imagine the writers will have trouble working all the members into most episodes.

Karen said...

it seems like they are headed towards some combination of Civil War and Secret Invasion, and I'd rather see something else. I'm still enjoying the show, but I do hope they wrap up the Skrull stuff soon. Knowing Cap isn't Cap makes it hard to enjoy watching him.

The crisis in Asgard does seem interesting though.

david_b said...

Filing this in the 'Oh Jeez, Not Again' folder, I heard a rumor at one of the sites that they may be cancelling this show after this season to make room for more 'Ultimate' series.

http://nerdbastards.com/2012/04/18/avengers-earth-mightiest-heroes-getting-cancelled/

(..and yes, that 'gah-thunk' you heard was my jaw hitting the floor..)

Not sure how true that is, but apparently ratings are good, but Disney was expecting more, so they want to make an 'Ultimate' show, which spells disaster for our characters, which have been so well portrayed here.

TOTALLY hating the very idea, so whatever we need to do to tell Disney to keep it on, is important.. Is it a corporate-started rumor to raise viewership?, perhaps.

But irritating all the same.

I REALLY enjoy this show.

"Oh, the pain.."

Karen said...

I truly hope they don't cancel this show. So it's not 'done in one' -really, that's a problem? That's what I love about it! If that wretched new Spider-Man cartoon is what they want to do to the Avengers, count me out. Let's hope ratings pick up -oh yeah, perhaps a time other than Sunday morning might help? How about Saturday or Friday evening even?

J.A. Morris said...

Did anybody catch the "Korvac" episode yesterday?

I thought they did a great job turning a 6-part epic into a 20-minute one and done.

It didn't bother me that they changed the Badoon to the Kree either.

I never thought I'd see Rocket Raccoon and Star Lord in animated forms! This could become Marvel's greatest animated series, if it continues(and I imagine it will, since the Avengers movie did fairly decent over the weekend).

But I hope they don't turn Hank Pym into a wife beater.

david_b said...

Silly question, but did ANYONE else catch the Hank Pym departure scene with Janet, with the 'yellowjacket' buzzing around in the foreground.

Geez, talk about foreboding.

And exciting. Whaaat a time to end a series... Oy.

david_b said...

Just saw the Vision episode.

VERY WELL DONE.

I was imagining a lower-pitched, more humming voice to Vish, but his powers came off very effectively. Loved how he kept zooming into the ground to reappear elsewhere, and I loved how he first entered scenes (like in the quinjet), with his brooding eyes in the darkness, much like the rainy night in Avengers 57.

(Although, come to think of it, a dark, stormy/rainy night at Avengers HQ would have been MUCH cooler to introduce Vision with.., mimicing his 'actual' introduction..).

And if you freeze-framed the 'future stories' segment, Hank as YellowJacket's right smack in the middle of the crowd..

Here's hoping Disney decides not to cancel after all.

Doug said...

David --

I'm still a few weeks behind in my viewing, but have really enjoyed what I've seen thus far. The Ant-Man and Beta Ray Bill episodes were good, as was the Red Hulk show (a character of which I had no prior information; knowledge of, yes). I did not read any of the Secret Invasion comics, but have enjoyed the storyline as it's played out on this cartoon. I think the Prisoner of War (was that the name of it?) is the last I've seen.

I'm looking forward to catching up again soon.

Doug

Karen said...

I enjoyed the Vision episode as well. They managed to keep a lot of details from the original storylines (Vision intro and the adamantium thefts)in the episode.It was good to see Cap's shield back together too! It bothered me when it was broken -and when we had Skrull Cap for so many episodes.

Sadly it looks like the show is indeed gone after the season finishes. It will be replaced with "Avengers Assemble," which more closely resembles the Avengers film.I hope it's worthy.

david_b said...

Just saw the 'Hank as YellowJacket' episode. Not bad at all... Interesting take on zapping the villains in his gun.

Much like the Vision episode, despite setting the intro story in the confines of the 'animated Avengers' storyline, you still see the main points hit, such as YJ killing Pym, this obnoxious 'un-Hank' type behavior, Janet convinced it's Hank, etc.

Thank heavens they didn't tack on a wedding (was always a silly Silver idea, to say the least..).

Nicely rendered episode, all the characters seem to register well. Glad to see YJ's appearance before the series finished.

Even in this animated series, it's hard to believe YJ could hold any ground in a fight with Thor, but still, a fun episode to watch. Glad a pistol was featured, it's that feature of YJ I missed in his later appearances.

We'll miss you, Avengers: EMH..

Karen said...

"Emperor Stark" -don't want to give away too much, but it sure was good to see the Vision in action! And Cap -that's the way I imagine him: strong-willed, take charge,honorable to a fault...boy will I miss this show!

david_b said...

Yep, caught it (taping it every week..), nice interaction between characters (Hawkeye and Cap as they careened to the ground..), and agreed on the Vision.

Not sure how many more eps, but will miss it greatly as well.

david_b said...

Ah, the return of Winter Soldier.

It was an alright story, improved by seeing both Thor and Vision fighting the Sleepers together, but for the sake of cramming everyting into one decent story, they could have had more suspense and drama with Skull and the Sleepers, at least a 2-episode cliffhanger or something.

Really regret not seeing the new Yellowjacket and Janet in action, like shrink down to infiltrate the circuitry or something; other than a passing glimpse at the roundtable, they went unseen this episode.

david_b said...

Was the Galactus episode the final for the season..?

Doesn't seem to be anyone else interested or commenting on A:EMH...

Doug said...

Actually, David, I've been meaning to get over here to say a word.

I am months behind (literally) in my EMH watching, but I did tune in on Sunday afternoon for the finale. Generally I liked it; wasn't too crazy about the update to Gabriel and I didn't know who the water-based herald was. Terrax, I thought, was very well done. I didn't care for the different perspective on Galactus as an all-energy being; reduced his human elements and made battling him "easier" without some of the normal issues of morality.

Again, I've not seen the entire series (waiting to watch the Vision, YJ, and Winter Soldier episodes, and I saw that they did a version of Galactic Storm), but what I have seen I've generally liked. Sad to see it go, but I guess they're going to do a movie-friendly version of some sort.

Doug

Karen said...

From what I have read, this was the last episode. What a shame. I did feel this last half season was weaker -apparently the mandate was for fewer continued stories -but it was still a very enjoyable show. They really got the essence of the characters, particularly Cap, and I'd like to have seen how characters like the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver would have fitted in. I am very leery of this new Avengers show, which will be based more on the movie characters (why?) and apparently under the guidance of Jeph Loeb (nuff said).

david_b said...

Yep, confirmed on Topless Robot.

There's a nice youtube 'Thank You A:EMH Fans' video linked there as well.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I have the "last" @ ten episodes on my DVR, and I'm just getting around to watching them.

One comment, I have got to exclaim... I've never seen the VISION in cartoon form before (he might have showed up on the 90s cartoon, but I have no memory). Anyway,....it's frickin' AWESOME! Watching him float around, through walls, the voice....AWESOME! To see on eof my faves come to life like that...gush,gush,gush over this cartoon.

starfoxxx

david_b said...

My only comment on Vish was I wish his voice was lower, more eerie and broodish perhaps like he was represented in his first few issues.

Other than that, they did him PERFECT.

I was waiting for YJ to finally appear, but he didn't seem to have much personality, like he had in pre-Shooter days. I did pick up on his subtle unstable persona and how it layered into the relationships (more time with Janet would have filled in some blanks, but obviously the series was coming to a close..).

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