I was curious when you were going to get in on this Dread, and I think I'm going to have to debate you just a little.
This show has been promoted for a while and I found the interesting thing is while some overseas networks are jumping all over the place for it, a U.S. network has yet to be announced. Perhaps that shows what a wasteland that U.S. network TV is for decent animated projects that aren't anime these days. Kid's WB is about to become the CW thing and lord knows how that will work, with 4kids controlling two networks (aside for TMNT, their 4kids TV is just an anime block). CBS seems to be airing Nick Toon reruns or DIC shows. And Disney connected channels are focusing on cheaply produced kid sitcoms as opposed to animation. And we can't begin to go over the perils of CARTOON NETWORK, which can both approve a decent show and then do everything in it's power to befuddle the audience and kill it. It was easier to watch JLU (when it was new) or FF:WGH if you lived in Canada than here.
In some ways I think this is unfair. Let's be real about a few things. American television has been importing anime for decades. Now though, it has a chance to air in the US unedited or at least more faithful to its original material. While a lot of people might've grown up with BATTLE OF THE PLANETS or G-FORCE in their youth, the original material, GATCHAMAN is that much better. ADV are the only people that have released it.
Also there are plenty of quality American cartoons that have popped up in this decade and been very good and had longevity. Kim Possible, Foster's, SpongeBob, Samurai Jack (its going to be revived soon), and Avatar. I think all of these are/were great shows.
JLU, I'm goind to defend CN on this one. JLU ran its course it was on for several years and it got a ton of episodes, something not a lot of action/adventure/super hero cartoons can do in the US. But JL/JLU did it. Cartoon Network are the ones that gave us the show, for that fans should be greatful. Bruce Timm was ready to move on. And now we are getting Direct to DVD animated DCAU movies that look promising. For one thing, you have to recognize, a lot of people watching these shows, when they first started are growing up and getting older. And DVD, on-demand, and many other factors have changed the marketplace Dread, so I mean, I don't think its a wasteland at all, I just think its different.
I never haved trouble watching JL on CN. And when it wasn't on there, I was able to catch up on reruns with the big marathons that were on Boomerang which they did have.
Not only that but look at Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Boondocks, Venture Bros. these are HOT shows right now. Not only that, fans of Adult Swim are constantly divided and at odds. Some want more anime, some just like the comedies. Adult Swim tends to favor their original programming which is cheap and draws good ratings. So there you go right there. You seem to be ignoring this.
Not only that, look at Futurama which was seemingly dead but found new life. Then look at Family Guy being resurrected. Simpsons getting a HUGE theatrical movie. American Dad. I could go on. These are the more adult, mature animated successes.
Not every show can walk the line as good as Freakazoid did, but that was over 10 years ago.
My expectations were low for this show, but the trailer was better than I expected, at least insomuch that it was a lot darker and intense than I imagined. I seriously doubted Western cartoons would bother with that anymore for serials, especially after JLU ended and TMNT was forced to "go kiddy".
At the end of the day though, for a TMNT cartoon the main market and demographic is for kids. I mean they probably dumbed it down sure, but the show was already on for several years doing its thing. So you can't just cough at the several more quality seasons that were able to happen. What I'm saying is both those shows had a good, long run. Not every cartoon can be on for 20 years like the Simpsons.
There are problems. Much of it seems like extended versions of X-MEN 3. Deaths of Xavier, Jean, Wolverine being the de-facto leader of all leaders, Iceman's home life, that kind of thing. I suppose in terms of animation, X-MEN EVOLUTION laid the groundwork for the idea of Wolverine being a leader-figure. In that show, though, he didn't hog the spotlight, although that was due to Kid's WB's insistance on teenagers. Even that show started amping Logan's appearences towards the end, as did the 90's show (after Season 3 of the 90's show, you could have called that show "Wolverine and the X-Men", too). At the very least, I admire this show for outright saying on their title, "This is a Wolverine show that stars Wolverine and if you don't like that, you won't like it."
1. We can't confirm that Jean and Xavier are dead for good, these stories being what they are and deaths being as not final as they always are, and Xavier having mechanical leg attachments in a promo poster. This trailer only showed what I think are early episode clips of a 26 episode series, you don't have the whole picture here.
2. Wolverine was more or less a supporting character in X-men Evolution. Even though he trained them, Scott/Cyclops was always groomed presented as the leader.
3. Scott/Cyclops always leaded the team in the 90's show. Wolverine got his episodes but if you look at them, many of those were some of the best of the series and were great episodes. People seem to be ignoring the fact that Wolverine is GREAT character with good material to draw from.
4. Also, despite Wolverine, other X-men clearly have a significant role here.
5. You should realize that this series has a lot of the same writers and directors behind it as X-men Evolution. They aren't just going to churn out crap for the hell of it. Also, that show didn't start off all that great. It really wasn't until after the first season it really stepped up and started to earn its greatness.
In a way I am an oddity. Wolverine was a character I liked a lot as a pre-teen and teenager. But after I began college in 2000-2001 or so I started to outgrow his appeal as his overexposure seemed to increase by the year. It has backed off somewhat (Iron Man shows up in way more comics than Logan does these days), but while I like the character, I do get tired of him being the be-all and end-all of the X-Men universe, as if the franchise would wither and die without him. Maybe it would, but they don't have to rub it in quite so much. Imagine if Han Solo became the star of the Star Wars universe over Luke. Wolverine works as a scrapper, the underdog, the gritty warrior, not as a leader. If anything, Storm usually led in Cyclops' stead. The only time in the comics that Logan led the X-Men, it was basically because Ororo all but ordered him too.
Here's what you are missing. The whole point is Wolverine is the last person to lead the X-men. He has to lead because who else is there? Xavier and Jean are gone. Cyclops is grieving and lost the will to fight. Rogue (one time leader of the X-men in the comics) has joined the Brotherhood. Storm is injured and out of the picture for a while. The team has disbanded and is disillusioned. So Wolverine has to look within himself and try and bring the team together. That's why I think this scenario works because Wolverine is NOT a natural leader like Cyclops so it will be a much bigger struggle for him to overcome the odds.
And the cartoons really have to move beyond the early 60's depiction of Quicksilver. He was an Avenger far longer than he was ever in the Brotherhood, but you'd never know it from animation. Domino is interesting although Avalanche looks somewhat silly, and Rogue looks torn right out of anime with that "eye over her hair" look, like she was designed with GHOST IN THE SHELL on in the background.
This cartoon isn't working from Avengers canon. You also seem to fail to acknowledge how despite his tenure as an Avenger and with the X-men, Quicksilver always seem to be sometimes an ambiguous and amoral figure. Why is it so taboo for us to see Brotherhood Quicksilver in this series? Even in the comics, when Magneto took over Genosha, Quicksilver was still willing to deal with him and appeal to him, while Scarlett Witch would hiss in disgust, not even acknowledging Magneto as her father.
I don't see anything wrong with Rogue's design. I think she looks good, and also GHOST IN THE SHELL doesn't do the hair over the eye thing. If you mean her figure and trenchcoat, then GITS is NOT a terrible place to draw inspiration from. GITS is a fantastic story, series, and movie.
I told some people once that X-MEN EVOLUTION wasn't to be missed because it had the best depiction of Cyclops in any alternate medium. You will probably never see him portrayed so well and in such an entertaining and relatable manner than Evo did. Seeing this trailer, I stand by that notion. He and Logan will have essentially switched roles here, and I am not sure that is a good thing. Ever since the late 80's, and especially the 90's, Wolverine has seemed to evolve at the expense of Cyclops, and it took Morrison and Whedon to even BEGIN to turn that tide and make him something other than Logan's gimp. I seriously doubt this will improve matters. Which is a shame; according to ancedotal evidence, he is among one of the more well known X-Men to the general audience. Some people will talk on and on about things "being in character" for Wolverine, but the reality is that having Wolverine as the leader & star is why this show is being made in the first place. To the mainstream media, he IS the X-Men.
Cyclops is still a significant figure in this show. You also ignored that look what he did. Wolverine tried to taunt him into helping out and Cyclops kicked his ass WITHOUT EVEN GETTING OUT OF HIS CHAIR! A Cyclops who is sad, EMO, and lost the will to fight can still kick Wolverine's ass. And just to show you these are the guys behind X-men Evolution, your favorite interpretation of Cyclops in an animated series.
I personally hated what Morrison did to Cyclops and the X-men, but that's just me.
The way I see it, the X-men are still there and still kicking ass in this show, so its more than just a *********ory Wolverine show to me. I think Cyclops sooner or later will have to step in and take up the fight again. You of all people Dread should keep in open mind.
Also if a station does pick this show up, I still don't think people can still call American animation a wasteland, but even then, this show was animated in Asia as many American cartoons are nowadays and have been for quite some time.
Avalanche actually knocks down residential buildings! And there's GENOSHA billboard with Magneto on it 51 seconds in O_O
