SupermanHawaii.com

by Napua Ahina

This coming year promises a lot in the way of superhero animation for DC and Marvel. Here are some of the goings-on for 2006:

DC

Although Justice League Unlimited was supposed to air new episodes during the first weekend of January, no JLU episodes were on the Cartoon Network line-up for the entire month. It seems as though Toonami UK is the only station currently airing any new JLU episodes. However, an anonymous source in Cartoon Network's original series department has told me that "the current plan is to premiere the remaining 9 episodes of JLU starting May 13th" for the US. The CN insider also states that "there are no current plans to order more (JLU episodes), but you never know!" Time-Warner annually releases news regarding their animation line-up for the coming year every February. Hopefully JLU will be included but we will have to wait and see.

Unfortunately, things are looking more definate (and less hopeful) for Teen Titans. Cartoon Network has officially decided to not continue the Teen Titans series. The final season five episodes will air throughout January. Fansite TitansTower.com is encouraging a letter writing campaign to protest the show's cancellation. Letters can be sent to the address below. But never fear Robin fans! Even if Teen Titans is cancelled, The Boy Wonder will live-on in the next season of The Batman.

Save Teen Titans!
Cartoon Network
1050 Techwood Drive
Atlanta, GA 30318

The Batman has been green-lit for a 4th season, however, there has been a programming change from weekday afternoons now to Saturday Morning on Kid's WB. There's no word yet on the future of Krypto: The Superdog as Cartoon Network airs reruns throughout January. The pilot episode of Krypto (which includes a very brief apperance of Superman) is now on DVD which is being sold only by Fisher Price as a set with Krypto and Kevin action figures.

Warner Bros. is also finally releasing full-season DVDs of their popular animated shows. The Batman Complete Season 1 and Teen Titans Complete Season 1 are coming to DVD on February 7th. “We at Warner Home Video are pleased to be releasing this incredible collection of superhero series simultaneously,” said Dorinda Marticorena (WHV Vice President, Kids and Sports Marketing). Also keep an eye-out for Batman Beyond and Justice League full-season DVDs being released on March 21st.

MARVEL

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is coming to DVD on February 21st. However, WonderCon attendees this year will be privy to an advanced screening in its entirety on February 11th. The movie is rated PG-13 and will be the first ever animated motion picture from Marvel. This will be the first installment of a multi-picture home video deal with Lions Gate. Fans can expect 3 additional direct-to-DVD movies from Marvel in 2006: Ultimate Avengers 2, Iron Man and Doctor Strange. An additional 4 animated features are also included in the deal for a later release.

Also coming soon is a new Fantastic Four animated series. 26 1/2 hour episodes are still in production with France-based animation leader Moonscoop (formerly Antefilms & France Animation). “We are very excited about helping adapt the adventures of The Fantastic Four for television. Themes of honor,adventure, family and exploration are just as relevant for kids today as when the comics were first published and we are delighted to be working with Marvel to bring these Super Heroes to a new audience,” said Nicolas Atlan (VP and Exec Producer of Moonscoop). The initial episodes are expected for distribution via Cartoon Network and M6 later this year for Europe, Asia, and Latin America. No official US release date has been announced yet. Daniel Lennard (Senior Director, Original Animation & Acquisitions, Cartoon Network) has said that the series "will give our viewers the excitement they expect from a superhero show, with the enjoyment they'd expect from a smart, character-driven comedy."

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