Karen: Last weekend my husband and I were watching the Green Lantern animated series again, and were struck by just how good it was -the story, the characters, the design, the whole she-bang. It got me to thinking about super-hero animated series, and which ones were my favorites. So without further adieu, I'm going to list my five favorites, seeing as this is a "Take 5" post, and then I'll leave it up to the rest of you to discuss the merits of my list, your own list, each others lists -you get the picture!
1. Justice League: I'm definitely a Marvel fan more than a DC fan, but this show, to me, is just the epitome of animated super-hero shows. A perfect selection of characters, great writing which demonstrated understanding of all those characters and how they fit together, excellent voice casting -Kevin Conroy will always be Batman to me - and stories that drew from the breadth and depth of the DC universe. Plus fabulous Bruce Timm designs. Even when it became Justice League Unlimited it was still a winner. Although the first theme song was the best.
2. Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes: If only this show had gotten another season or two! Instead it was replaced with a watered-down, unwatchable 22 minute ad for toys. This series was everything a Marvel fan could have hoped for. It followed many traditional storylines but subtly incorporated elements from the Marvel films too. The characters acted like they should and we got guest stars from across the Marvel universe. My only complaint would be the art, but it was acceptable if not outstanding.
3. Batman the Animated Series: A classic. It's got Kevin Conroy. Mark Hamill as the Joker. That great opening sequence. This cartoon 'gets' Batman better than any of the films.
4. Green Lantern the Animated Series: This is space and super-heroes done right, with a surprising amount of pathos thrown in. At first I thought I would dislike the animation style, but I came to really enjoy it. The show did a great job fleshing out the main characters and the major storyline in the later half had some spectacular space battles. A sad ending though -I wish they had gotten another season (this is becoming a common complaint).
5. (Tie) Young Justice/ Wolverine and the X-Men: OK, I cheated, but I couldn't decide between these two very good shows! Young Justice was essentially the Teen Titans plus regular guest appearances by the Justice League. Wolverine and the X-Men had a strong storyline that utilized elements of Days of Future Past but put them together in a unique way.
