The Fifth Color | Earth's Mightiest Cartoon
The Wasp can't win in any universe....
There's news being reported by fan sites and our own Spinoff Online that The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes will not be making it past the current second season. You might not have seen the animated series, and that's sadly understandable: It's on at a weird time (Sunday-morning cartoons?) on a weird station (Disney XD), and it had a ridiculous theme song for the first season (we're talking Star Trek: Enterprise bad). Cartoons are still more or less considered kids' fare, so I can imagine someone eschewing these half-hour animated stories.
Now, I have no idea why they would want to, but I could see some factors involved in missing it, not getting around to it, or simply not having access to it.
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is the most important cross-media ambassador we have to attract a new generation of comic fans that might still hold true to the original values the last age fell in love with. It's a Herculean feat to transform classic comic storylines into fresh-faced continuity kids young and old can enjoy. Did you know Rocket Raccoon and Groot were in an episode? ROCKET RACCOON! GROOT! There are such deep wells of character development and introduction that I can honestly say The Avengers: EMH version of Carol Danvers is the one I know best. There are no gimmicks, no CGI or special power suits, just quality adaptations of quality stories, all wrapped up in a bow and left on a really far away doorstop at a really awkward time of day.
Years ago, when Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow debuted at Comic-Con International, there had been ' very little enthusiasm on my part for Marvel's direct-to-DVD market. The Ultimate Avengers didn't do much for me in terms of making the source material relatable or new. The awkward Iron Man movie, the hilarious Doctor Strange one ' I just had no hope going into that panel. My arms were folded, my eyeballs rolled; I was ready to finally nail that coffin down on Marvel Animation. And then we watched the movie. If you haven't gotten around to Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, please do so. It's fun and surprisingly complex for the target audience. The two guys in front of me turned out to be a couple of the animators, and they told me something I'll never forget: that this movie was where they really got to cut loose and show how much they loved comics.
It's a sentiment that would follow years later from The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes head writer Christopher Yost. While Talking with Tim, Yost said:
I love comics so much, I honestly try to put the love of them into every show I work on, hoping that kids will see these characters, these stories, and look to their parents and say 'I want more.'
a recognizable cast from screen to page
The cynical among us might think the idea of a kid seeing something on television and then settling for something as low-tech as a comic book is a bit far-fetched. The truth is, that happens. In fact, some of you from a certain generation might remember an X-Men animated series from the 1990s and know exactly how much of an affect that kind of marketing can have on the rest of your life. I was in seventh grade when that show debuted, and it did indeed prompt me to go down to my local comic shop and buy a copy of X-Men #24. Despite it being a weird in-between story with no direct relation to the animated series, I knew who all the characters were, and their general motivations, and I picked up the next issue. And the one after that. And so on and so on '
If I could put a G.I. Joe-esque ad in the last 30 seconds of each episode, with an Avenger pushing comic books, I would. Because knowing about comic books is half the battle! Kids won't know unless someone shows them.
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes loves comic books. The producers love the rich origins and backgrounds their characters have enough to bring the best adaptation of the Black Panther and Wakanda to the small screen. They love weird comic stories, from Incredible Hulk's Gamma World storyline to Secret Invasion. They can show a dynamic between the Wasp and Hank Pym that leaves out the abuse, but still depicts them as troubled. They can add in S.W.O.R.D. and use them as a resource when leading up to a war between the Skrull and the Kree. There is so much comic-book love packed into each episode that it's hard for me to understand why anyone would cancel the series.
an idea of what the show would look like
Okay, that's a bit overly dramatic. I do know why they would cancel the series, and it's plain and simple numbers. With a movie grossing so much in the theaters, having a Sunday-morning cartoon ' See? It's just weird ' aimed at kids should do phenomenally. The new show being hinted at (more to come in San Diego for sure) is called Avengers Assemble and the roster looks a lot more movie-friendly. This new series (and the upcoming Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.) could make for a bigger block in the Disney XD lineup, perhaps coaxing them out of Sunday-morning limbo and into a more accessible time slot, like Saturday evenings. Little is known right now, but maybe the same animation studio will be in charge, perhaps some of the same writers and concept designers? Maybe Mark Bagley will handle everything, and we'll have a show that matches the current comics image for image. As a property and a marketing tool, this new series could reach a lot of new consumers and cross promote better with the live property on the shelves.
But that wouldn't be heart. That wouldn't be the blatant and unabashed love this show puts on the screen for fans of all ages. It might make more money, though.
17 Comments
I want the hacks who authorized the decision to cancel EMH fired. So bad. NOW.
I absolutely agree about the quality of this series. One can only hope that the new series will retain that same level of comic book faithfulness, perhaps how Justice League Unlimited (for me) managed to top Justice League.
I feel like we have time to make our voices heard! If we raise our voices loud enough'maybe they will listen!!
Ridiculous themesong for the first season? Don't you mean 'second?' Because the first season's opening kicked butt, and the new one is just garbage'
'Our world's about to break''
''hoping that kids will see these characters, these stories, and look to their parents and say 'I want more.''
Then they would have bought a few cape comics and stop reading them soon after because of how badly they're written these days.
Just one point: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was also greenlit due to cynical, heartless marketing. It was designed to capitalize on the hype of the then-upcoming Avengers movie. You don't know that this new show is going to be any less of a labor of love than EMH was.
@Brian
To do that, we have to literally UNITE the fan community. I think it's time every fandom in the comics medium was brought together (outside comic conventions) to sit down, iron out their differences, show more focus on the commonalities, and then organize themselves to be the perfect response to counter decisions made by the companies that may harm the brand more than help.
@RegularSyzedMike
Or draw them to the tie-in comics based on the show, which tend to be fairly-well-written and enjoyable by both kids and adults.
http://www.change.org/petitions/marvel-entertainment-disney-joe-quesada-and-jeph-loeb-do-not-cancel-the-marvel-avengers-earth-s-mightiest-heroes-cartoon
Please do your part and sign this so maybe, just maybe our voices can be heard.
I agree, and feel the same way about Spectacular Spider-Man. I haven't seen the new Spidey, but I just don't want Shield, Iron Fist and others as a regular staple in my web-spinning yarns.
'It's on at a weird time (Sunday-morning cartoons?) on a weird station (Disney XD), and it had a ridiculous theme song for the first season (we're talking Star Trek: Enterprise bad). '
When listing negatives, you forgot to mention the guy doing Iron Man's voice sounds distractingly like Jack Black' 
Seriously, though, it's an extremely entertaining cartoon, and the closest Marvel has come to matching the quality of JLU. Hate to see it go.
Really concerned about the quality of the next show. I'd be less so if Spectacular Spider-Man hadn't been cancelled to make way for the vastly inferior Ultimate series. Well I'll enjoy EMH until it ends and give Assemble a few episodes to impress me. Hopefully they can get this one right.
This was the best comicbook show that I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
I'm sad to see it go.
It just'baffles me how Marvel sucks at keeping animated features on TV while DC excels at it'then it's vice-versa when it comes to the movie adaptations'
Sorry about EMH'even though I'm more of an X-fan when it comes to Marvel'I did enjoy EMH. It was one of the better Marvel ensemble animations we've had in a while.
I'm still waiting for my X-men animated series'
I have a simple question that should prove that this is a good (with the potential to be great) show.
When was the last time you actually cared about the character of Hank Pym before EMH hit the air?
At least i still have Young justice which is (imo) a better animated show.
Also why didn't they go with New Avengers way. The comic might be hit or miss but the concept might be as good as JLU. Also sad to see yet again Wasp and Ant-man getting shafted because they don't have a movie.
I have to agree with yo go re: The first season theme song was great. Whenever I hear a writer make a bashing comment like that, I always ask: How good is your theme song for a cartoon show?
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