April 28, 2013

Superhero Animation On Demand

As promised, here is a list of Superhero Animation that you can watch on demand. Some notes/comments/caveats:

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– Most recent update: April 30, 2013

– All are available via Netflix unless otherwise indicated.

– Titles listed may suddenly become unavailable… or even better, new titles may show up. Such as Batman Beyond and Justice League which are now on Netflix. The greatness of this fact cannot be overstated.

– This page may be updated when new shows are added. I’m also going to make a different page for live action superhero programming. Because I’m cool like that. And I have a Geek Gold Card.

– This may shock some of you, but I have something to say about every single one of these shows. Therefore I will write posts for each entry as time permits. Check back for updates.

Without further ado, here is the list. If you know of anything I missed, leave a comment or contact me directly. This is important stuff, folks.

Animated Superhero TV Series:

I already mentioned these great shows here, but for the sake of completeness I added them to the list. (4/30/13)

Batman Beyond (1999)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVdTbiLku48]

52 episodes

Rated TV-PG

Justice League (2001)

52 episodes

Rated TV-Y7-FV

Justice League Unlimited (2004)

39 episodes

Rated TV-Y7-FV

 

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008)

52 episodes, 39 streamable (see Notes)

Rated TV-Y7

Notes: This is a fun take on Batman. Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show) does a nice job voicing a dark but not too dark knight. Bright, colorful, filled with more DC characters that I had ever heard of. One important (and annoying) thing about the state of this particular piece of superhero streaming is that at the moment you can only stream the first season and HALF of the second. To make matters worse, it’s a cliff-hanger ending. Granted, this is the epitome of a first world problem (call wahh-bulance), but hopefully this will change soon. Added 4/30/13.

 

X-Men (1992)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IzSGvXc_PM]

76 episodes

Rated TV-Y7

Notes: OK for kids but has oddly intense moments here and there. Awesome theme song. VERY 90’s.

 

Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXgX4n1iP0c]

13 episodes

Rated TV-Y7-FV

Notes: This thing is just… weird. I love me some Spidey, though, and the kids seemed to like it OK. The premise is so odd it’s not worth explaining. Let’s just say there’s a reason there are only 13 episodes.

 

The Super Hero Squad Show (2009)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFFGK1qysYs]

52 episodes

Rated TV-Y7

Notes: Should be totally fine for kids of any age. If you’re put off by the kiddie-tone at first, give it a chance, there’s some funny lines and they manage to work in a ton of Marvel characters.

 

Spider-Man: The ’67 Collection (1967)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o29VoxtsFk]

52 episodes

Rated TV-Y7-FV

Notes: You know that song, about that guy who does whatever a spider can? This is where it came from. It’s hokey but fine for young’uns.

 

Wolverine and the X-Men (2008)

26 episodes

Rated TV-Y7

 

The Incredible Hulk (1996)

21 episodes

Rated TV-Y7-FV

 

Ultimate Spider-Man (2012, ongoing)

Rated TV-Y7

26 episodes on Netflix, new ones airing on Disney XD

 

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010)

52 episodes

Rated TV-Y7

 

Spider-Man (1994)

65 episodes

Rated TV-Y7-FV

 

Superman Cartoons (1942), The Complete Superman Collection (1941)

Rated TV-PG

17 episodes

Notes: These are the classic Fleischer Brothers Superman cartoons. It’s not clear if these two collections are different. The hand-painted animation looks fantastic. Some of it is a tad dated, as evidenced by the episode titled “Japoteurs.” Probably best for younger viewers and, well, me. And possibly you.

 

Motion Comics (Note – These are all rated TV-MA, which means NOT FOR KIDS):

Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers (2011)

4 episodes

Rated TV-MA

Motion comic based on a Marvel Knights mini-series.

Notes: NOT for kids, hence the TV-MA rating. Did we mention this wasn’t for kids? Don’t watch it with your kids. I’ve seen a couple of episodes so far and they’re OK.

 

Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. (2009)

5 episodes

Rated TV-MA

Notes: Saw one episode. Didn’t love it. Maybe you’ll like it.

 

Black Panther: The Animated Series (2009)

Motion comic

12 episodes

Rated TV-MA

Notes: Based on John Romita Jr.’s great art and Reginald Hudlin’s superb script (here’s more info from IGN if you’re interested). Good voice acting. Clunky motion but very much worth watching. Not for kids.

 

Astonishing X-Men (2009)

25 episodes

TV-MA

NOTE: The first few episodes were based on Joss Whedon’s run on the X-Men comics. There are more episodes now, not all of which are by Whedon. I’ve only seen the first six, which were very good and feature above average motion, probably because it was done by Neal Adams’ Continuity Studios.

 

Feature-Length Direct to DVD/Streaming:

The Invincible Iron Man (2007)

Direct to DVD, feature-length

Rated PG-13

Notes: This isn’t very good. Weird plot that I don’t think I could explain unless I tried really hard, and honestly, I’m kinda tired. Only if you’re bored and have watched everything else. PG-13 rating is probably about right. I don’t remember anything particularly objectionable other than the fact that it wasn’t very good.

 

Justice League: Doom (2012)

Rated PG-13

Direct to DVD, feature-length

Notes: This feels like an unaired episode of the Justice League series. Has most of the same voice actors, decent animation, and a good script. This is not surprising given that it was written by the late, great Dwayne McDuffie. McDuffie died in 2011 at far too young an age. His resume includes a lot of great comic books, a bunch of episodes for Justice League, plus he created the character Static and the series Static Shock. The latter was part of Milestone Media, which McDuffie co-created. Read more about him on his web site. As for Justice League: Doom, it’s worth your time, whether you’ve seen Justice League or not.

 

All-Star Superman (2011)

Rated PG

Notes: Haven’t seen it. Based on the popular comic book series.

 

Superman vs. the Elite (2012)

Rated PG-13

Notes: Haven’t seen it.

 

Hulk Vs. (2009)

Rated PG-13

Notes: Haven’t seen it.

 

Planet Hulk (2010)

NR, probably PG-13 but don’t take my word for it

Notes: Saw it. Good. Based on comic. Worth watching. Probably not so good for little kids.

 

Batman: Year One (2011)

Rated PG-13

Notes: Started watching this awhile ago and haven’t finished it. Got bored. Not for young kids.

 

Doctor Strange (2007)

Rated PG-13

Notes: Haven’t seen it.

 

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)

Rated PG-13

Notes: This is a really fun movie. It’s largely based on The Ultimates comics, and could be seen as a test drive for The Avengers movie. It stands just fine on its own, as does the sequel. Reasonably kid-friendly.

 

Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006)

Rated PG-13

 

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)

Direct to DVD feature

Rated PG

Notes: I sat down to watch this with my kids and was a little taken aback by how dark the story was. They seemed unfazed, however. It’s a dystopian future thing with the children of big-time Marvel characters. Fun but, like I said, a little dark.

 

Thor: Tales of Asgard

Rated PG

Notes: Haven’t seen it.

 

Batman: Under The Red Hood (2010)

Rated PG-13

Notes: Not for young kids but definitely worth watching. Has Neil Patrick Harris. ‘Nuff said.

 

Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam (2010)

Direct to DVD feature

Rated PG-13

Notes: A bit of a tease because this is a collection of shorts, only one of which is Supes and the Big Red Cheese. Some parts, like The Spectre, are too scary for little kids in my opinion. Even the main event is a bit dodgy in terms of darkness and violence. I wouldn’t say “avoid watching with kids” but this ain’t the Saturday morning cartoon Captain Marvel, which you can’t get on DVD because of stupid rights issues.

 

Remember to check back for updates!


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