Reflections on The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Young Justice

Have you seen the Avengers assemble yet? How about that show where you’re not allowed to call the costumed heroes sidekicks? If you’re a comic-to-cartoon fan then the new year has amazing things in store for you.

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has been on the air for awhile, still with a new decade brings on a new interpretation of one of Marvel’s long standing teams. Tony Stark leads this band of super-powered heroes that includes, Thor, Hank Pym, The Wasp, Hawkeye and sometimes The Incredible Hulk.

Episodes range from the sins of Stark’s past to the beguiling Enchantress, as she brings together her own group of villains to oppose her fellow Asgardian Thor. As always Loki is also lurking, and then there is Nick Fury, who carries his own bevy of secrets.

There are some cutesy elements to the show such as The Wasp. They seemed to have de-aged her and this has made for some annoying moments, however, her personality at times brings heart to a show where there can be too much testosterone. Look for guest-stars galore to enrich the dynamics of the show and draw from what has occurred in the comic’s history. There’s also enough snappy dialogue to keep older kids interested, without alienating the younger set. Those who have grown up with the comics will also appreciate how the relationships of the characters are used. There are plenty of inside jokes to go around.

Then there’s the new series Young Justice. This animation based on the DC universe’s sidekick characters is similar to the comic book of the same name in theory. However, by drawing from the mythos of DC’s vast universe it goes deeper and farther than between the pages of any one character in a single comic. Essentially, this is the show that you thought Teen Titans was going to be – a dark edge with a wink to the history of both teams.

With a sneak peak given several weeks ago, the origin story of how these junior-justice leaguers is solidified. Tired of being a sidekick and being denied entry into the inner sanctum of the main team Speedy (Green Arrow’s sidekick) leaves Young Justice before they even form a group. Thus leaving Aqualad to lead Robin (Dick Grayson) and Kid Flash to find out what the older set is hiding from them. With Robin’s technological and strategic expertise, the three unwittingly set out to free meta-human Superboy, who is the teenage clone of Superman.

There is high-voltage action from the beginning. And as the roles of each team member is set in place we see how this covert team that will be led by Batman will be doing what the heroes with their popularity can’t do in the glaring spotlight – the dirty work.

With January comes the new year and the adventures of a multitude of super-heroes. Will Bruce Banner let the Hulk out? Will Speedy continue to be confused with Kid Flash? Stay tuned.