A New Transformers Show for “Us”? August 19, 2006
Email This Post
There’s been a lot of buzz about the new Transformers movie on the Internet lately, as the studio seems to be prepared to go all out for it. Reading about this movie makes me wonder if Hasbro would allow some studio to produce a new TV or Direct-to-video show for “Us”. What do I mean by “us”? I’m referring to the original fans that bought Transformers toys in the 80s. Those of us that still watch the original Transformers movie on DVD from time to time. Those of us that hate the new shows like “Cybertron” and “Robots in Disguise.” Those of us that Hasbro ignores because we don’t by toys.
I’m sure there are plenty of you out there like me that watched “Beast Wars” and “Beast Machines” that may have had mixed emotions about the show, but still admired the nod they gave us “old heads” by bringing back Ravage, showing clips of the original Megatron, and doing other little things to keep some continuity with the original series.
But after that, we were served with other shows like “Robots in Disguise”, “Armada” and “Cybertron” that are no way near as entertaining and are obviously only written for little kids. Don’t get me wrong–I understand that these are weekly 30-minute informercials for their toys. Many of the shows we watched in the 80s served the same purpose. There just seemed to be something “special” about the shows that came from Hasbro/Marvel/Sunbow back then, that’s not in the newer shows that were imported from Japan.
I just wish Hasbro would look at that market of kids from the 80s that grew up and still watch “cartoons”–not the ones intended for kids, but the more mature Anime series and the direct-to-video products being produced by Marvel and DC. We would by the DVDs. Some of us would even buy premium figures based on the show. They wouldn’t even have to call the show Transformers. There are enough terms that could be borrowed from the old Transformers Mythology to create a title that would be recognizable to us old-school fans. And I’m sure they would have no problem airing the show on Toonami, Adult Swim or Sci-Fi. If they can do it for Robotech, why not Transformers?
What do you guys think?
JLU’s Dwayne McDuffie to develop original adult action/adventure animated series August 17, 2006
Email This Post
BET has inked an agreement to develop a new original adult action/adventure animated series with Dwayne McDuffie, co-creator (with BET’s Denys Cowan) of the Emmy Award and Humanitas Prize winning cartoon, Static Shock. Cowan and McDuffie were co-founders of Milestone Media, Inc., the most successful Black-owned comic book company in history. McDuffie is also a producer and story editor on Cartoon Network’s Justice League, Editor-In-Chief of Milestone Media’s award-winning line of comic books, and has worked as an editor for Marvel Comics and Harvey Entertainment. As head of BET Animation, Cowan will oversee the development of all new projects and work closely with McDuffie.
This is great news! I enjoyed McDuffie’s work on Static (especially the later seasons) and Justice League Unlimited. This partnership should help fill the void left by the cancellation of JLU. We will also get a nice alternative to the “kid-oriented” projects that DC Animation seems to be more interested in developing.
Read the full press release.
