Thursday, September 8, 2011

Deleted Scenes - DC Super Friends

Speaking of TV series today, you know Batman: The Brave and The Bold's got canceled to make way for another Batman show, this one will be grittier to tag along the upcoming 3rd Christopher Nolan movie, right?

Well, at some point earlier this year (or in 2010) DC thought they had to replace Brave and the Bold by another old school yet watchable by a young audience-cartoon.
Thus we almost ended up with....


DC SUPER FRIENDS!!
The Super Friends were originally a long running cartoon back around the 70s show, that introduced many kids to the DC universe and the Justice League.
Sure watching them back nowadays, it was pretty silly, cheaply (barely) animated and it's quite cheesy.
But many grown up fans have still fond memories of it, so it continued influencing both the comics and other adaptations form DCs.
Characters from the cartoon made it into DC canon, throwbacks and references can still be found on the Brave and the Bold cartoon or more recently, in Young Justice (they use the old Hall of Justice as a decoy base of operations).

Anyway, nowadays the name is used by a toy lineup aimed at kids and its Johnny DC-inspired young readers comics.

And since Brave and the Bold was ending, the "powers that be" decided it would have been nice to turn this cartoon turned toyline back into a cartoon again.
Yes, it would have been DC's answer to Marvel Super hero squad.

Only 2-3 episodes were done. (I heard 4, but I couldn't find any concret proof)
But in the end, it was canceled, DC's planning already full, with lots of shows at the moment. (to name but a few, a CGi Batman cartoon, a CGi Green Lantern cartoon, the Young Justice cartoon series, an upcoming live Blue Beetle, a TV adaptation of the Sandman, a TV adaptation of Deadman and there's a rumoured Raven Smallville-like TV series coming up too)

Those 2-3 produced shows made their way on DVDs offered along some of these "DC Super Friends" toys.
So, here have a look at this unproduced series, and see if you would have liked a whole show like this.

The opening theme:



It is certainly drawing a lot from the 70s.
I hate the boots/feet. But I guess that's what you get when you make a cartoon out of toys.
Reminds me why I dislike such cartoons...

And here's a bit from the first episode:



Okay, I can say without doubt it's not on the same level as Brave and the Bold, it's much worse. Clearly for very young kids.
Though I kinda like the silly tone. Old school! Made to match the tone of the old Super Friends cartoon.
I might have liked this in the long run....
Awww... :(
(unlike the ugly CGi models from Green Lantern... ugh..)

And it's even drawing a bit from the relaunched "New 52", the rebooted DCnU!
See, Cyborg's part of the Justice League!

Anyway, we can't say it would have been good or bad in the long run, since we'll never know.
But if the toy line reflects what the show might have been like...


We would have had characters like Ted Kord!Blue Beetle!!
(and Wild Cat!!)

Screen from one of the episodes, Booster Gold as a mascot cereal on a billboard in the background.

...And probably Booster Gold too at some point!!
Awww, socks!

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