The two comic book juggernauts, Marvel and DC, have put a
lot of their attention in putting their characters on the big screen. As
businesses, you cannot blame them.
They have the opportunity to reach so many more people in movies with
their characters (or intellectual property if you want to look at it that way),
and the revenue gained from DVD/Blu-Ray sales, Pay-Per-View, and syndication is
pretty hefty. The problem is that these movies can take a long time to
make. Also, when using real
actors, a producer or director’s vision is limited to what technology and the
studio’s bank account can spare. For awhile, no one thought comic book movies
were marketable. Now, you don’t
stand a chance to break even unless the movie IS based on a comic book. It is
crazy how far the adaptation of comic books for other media has gone.
However, I have always felt that the television-animated
universe from both companies has largely been underappreciated. The cartoons
about these heroes are what kept them relevant throughout the years. They also
kept our appetites satisfied between the blockbuster movies. I wish more people
would support these shows because they generally have a hard time lasting more
than a couple seasons, with a few exceptions. Both Marvel and DC have released
high quality animated series with great writing, character development, plot
development, and voice acting. Many of these shows deserve as much critical
acclaim as the best primetime dramas on ABC or HBO. They will always have a
soft spot in my heart; these shows were a big part of my youth and still garner
my attention more than any other popular television program that exists. That
isn’t saying much since most television programs have become reality TV
garbage. But even compared to the best current programs, a lot of these animated
shows are just as good, if not better.
That’s not to say that both Marvel and DC have made some
controversial decisions along the way.
Back in 2009, the Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment LLC
for some ridiculous amount of money.
At the time, many looked at it as a mistake, but nowadays whoever came
up with the idea is considered a genius. However, after acquiring Marvel, the
powers-that-be made two decisions regarding animated shows that left many fans
scratching their heads.
