Yes, I have spent way too much time watching animated shit since we got cable again but the downside to this is the fact that we geta ll the channels that NO ONE gets and can't get the ones that I reallty want....with this, this means I can not watch Cartoon Network OR Toon Disney but in the opposite case, I CAN get Boomerang, Disney XD, as well as Nicktoon Network...

Whatever the case, this new set up of mine has allowed me to critique even more shitty shows but whatever right? I'm not really hear to blast off that much, but instead make a observation on something...well, something that kinda irks me but then again keeps me entertained. And those two things are The Spetacular Spider-Man (Disney XD) and Iron Man Armored Adventures (Nicktoons)

Granted, I've been a fan of Spiderman since grade school and I only became aware of Ironman when was like in middle school and haven't really gravitated towards him that much but nonetheless, I DO know a little bit about the series and the horniessness of Tony Strak kinda drew me in...even though he's a playboy bastard.

But no, these two series made me realise something very important about how aniamtion is geared towards kids and with my recent run in with the guy that made the 'new' George of the Jungle series (barf) this is only made clearer. I know its kind of strange to critique both SSM and IMAS together but at this point I must before my brain explodes. From wathcing both, I have witnessed how many producers and network cling to the fact that if the main character is NOT the same age as the kids watching it, they won't watch (untrue) but in the case of both series, ONE series can pass this off without ruining everything the original story stood for while the other fails miserably and just shows that the people who were in charge were more concerned with making a quick buck than actually producing something that is actually watchable.

First, Spectaclar Spider Man

I love Spider-Man. I always have and I always will. I just love the fact that such a coy guy can get into so much shit and yet have all this kick-ass abilities and blahblahblah. Granted, I grew up watching the Fox version of the series with its HYPER Buff Peter Parker and horribly rendered CGI city but nonetheless, I loved it and I am still waiting for the series to come out on DVD boxsets. When I heard that a new version was to be made not too long ago, I wasn't too sure seeing as a lot of recent tie ins...just haven't been up to par. Of course, my mind had changed by the time I saw the show; as shmaltsy as it could be at times, it was VERY enjoyable...to me at least. This version seems to play more to some of the more kid friendly comic books but that's okay seeing as it still manages to keep some of the older charm to the original all the while having just as much action as the 90s version with (thankfully) crisper animation and LESS shoddy CGI effects.

That and I'm a whore for anything that is the spawn of Jeff Matsuda. That man is my idol.

Anyway, in this version, Petey is in highschool but really, isn't that were Spiderman BEGAN?! Of course it fuckin' did so I don't care if Spidey is in highschool seeing as anyone with a brain should know that he ISN'T some adult crimefighter; he;s just a kid who got thrown into this mess and I think that's where some of the charm comes from as we have a kid who has to take on a much BIGGER and TOUGHER responsibilty. That and the fact that Peter is a likable and HUMAN character. He's intelligent and while he tries to play big man sometimes, he fails but not too much in a cliche way. That and the fact that he hasn't been hyper-injected with too many manufactured teen-age traits makes him...well, tolerable.

THIS is the good...

Now, on Nicktoons network, we have Ironman. Like I said, I got into IM when I was a bit older and even with this, he still hasn't dragged me in more so than Spiderman has but with that, I DO know enough about the character; he's a billionare playboy who is a crimefighter...like Batman without all the bwaaa.

People KNOW that Tony Stark is a playboy. People KNOW Tony Stark has a giood heart despite this. So with these two things, I ask you why, oh WHY, did they have to go and do THIS!?

[link]

What the HELL?!

Okay, this is where I'm going to turn into a bitch because this is creativity at its lowest form; turning a well established series into kids because the people behind it think that it will rope in kids better.

What...the hell?

Who the FUCK came up with this concept?

Okay, by turning Tony into a KID and allowing his DAD to create the suit, its suddenly more understandble or something?

See, this is where animation and storytelling in gerneral goes VERY wrong. There is nothing more dishearting than seeing this happen, especially to a well known series with a very understandble plot. Of course, in SOME case, the 'de-aging' of a series can work but only when it doesn't WARP or shit in the face of the original, espeically if the original is written and handled better. The new Iron Man is just an abomination to both the comic world and the animation world. Its style is clicehed and very unemotive, the story has been done many times before, and the fact that its on a network that very few people can even recieve seems to tell me that maybe the producers didn't think this would work on the main Nick branch...

But the same could be said for the Spectacular Spiderman which shows...on a network that very people are subscribed to. But still, it just shocks me. How can I gravitate to one teen show and blast another? I guess it just boils down to how both were handled; Spiderman was already in highschool so I guess this just makes since. To take a drunken, boobie sniffing millionair genius and turn him into your typical highschool kid with problems just...isn't creative in any way shape or form. It just FAILS at both originality and execution. When I think of Ironman, I think of Tony humping someone before going out to kick someone's ass. I don't think of him whinning about being the son of a tycoons or wondering if he should ask Peggy-Sue to the dance or what to say to his token black friend. I don't care. At least with Pete, we can sympathize with him because for most of us, we've been there and in truth, god damn it Pete isn't THAT dorky! Man, this kids in New York are a bunch of fuckin' douche bags! But no, its not the same with Teen Tony. I don't care if you repeat 'well, you're not in the target audience' considering that whoever made this should have realized that HARDCORE Iron Man were going to watch this, we well as kids who wanted to see a SPIN-OFF from the movie, not this confusing peice of shit.

Urgh, so there ya go. Two teenage superhero series, one good one shit and my thoughts. I know there are TONS of guys out there that HATE the new Spidey but I give it my view because the original series was campy and so is this. Its not as...dark as the Fox version but I don't care because its still good even though Matsuda's work is played down even more in this series. I mean, I DVR this series all the time because its just...enjoyable. And the scene when Doc Conners turns into the lizard? Holy hell that was awesome.

Yes, I have drowning myself in superhero shows...and I love it. After more than 10 years...I have watched Batman the Animated series once more....and it was good....

Bleh, sorry if this is shit. My brain is somewhere else at the moment.