Book Review: I Am the Night

At a time when televised cartoons—especially within the superhero genre—were often over-looked, Batman: The Animated Series introduced an entire generation of soon-to-be Batman fanatics to the caped crusader. The series triumphed into what is largely considered one of the best superhero cartoons of all time, and the best depiction of Batman mythology in any format.

But the road to genre-defying and genre-defining success was hardly guaranteed. Along the way, co-creator Bruce Timm and his team of artists at Warner Bros Animation battled a landscape that was often antithetical to their aims with Batman. Internal struggles led the writing team and the network to debate everything (literally everything) about how best to depict Batman—from whether or not the eco-friendly hero would have a recycling bin in the Batcave to how many women he was allowed to kiss onscreen.

Book Review: How Walt Disney Changed Animation Forever

Most biographies of Walt Disney cover the full span of his life and the full history of his studio, from its start in 1923 until his death in 1966. However, these books, while broad, often give very little detail in the way of the production of its famous films, the operation of its studio, or its major accomplishments. How Walt Disney Changed Animation Forever instead focuses on a key period of the growth, innovation, and eclipsing popularity of the Walt Disney Studio, intertwining its narrative history with the historical context of the 1920s-1950s and the daily life of its founder. Based upon years of historical research including recollections by prominent Disney artists and on-the-ground, in-person experiences at key locations from Disney history, How Walt Disney Changed Animation Forever describes the global impact the studio had on how films were produced for decades to come.

Book Review: Disney's Animated Classics

This new book explores the iconic features from the Walt Disney Studio's first 100 years, from Snow White to Wish. A love letter to storytelling and collaboration, each chapter takes readers behind the scenes of a different movie, uncovering the hidden secrets, creative geniuses, and surprising connections that will enthral die-hard Disney fans and casual viewers alike.

It also examines how the studio's films have shaped and been shaped by the world around them and how they have attempted to reflect a changing culture. From the studio's representation of race and sexuality to its fluctuating creative fortunes through the decades, it offers an unflinchingly funny history of one of the biggest icons in cinema.

Book Review: SpongeBob SquarePants

When SpongeBob SquarePants debuted in 1999, the fun-loving, pure-hearted title character took the world of animation by storm, riding a virtual tsunami of praise. As the 25th anniversary of the show nears, it’s time to look back at where it all began and revisit all the adventures from the best episodes.

In SpongeBob SquarePants: The Unauthorized Fun-ography, award-winning author Paul Volponi presents the first ever “biography” of the show, exploring its origins and providing insight into the characters, the episodes, the voices, and the fans. From jellyfishing with Patrick Star and irritating Squidward Tentacles, to flipping krabby patties at the Krusty Krab and attending boating school with Mrs. Puff, this book covers it all.

Book Review: Anvils, Mallets and Dynamite - The Unauthorized Biography of Looney Tunes

"Looney Tunes cartoons", writes celebrated television critic Jaime Weinman, "are the high-water mark of American filmed comedy." Surreal, irreverent, philosophical, and riotously funny, they have maintained their power over audiences for generations and inspired such giants of the cinema as Mel Brooks, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas.

Here, finally, Weinman gives Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety, Sylvester, and the whole cast of animated icons their long-awaited due. With meticulous research, he takes us inside the Warner Bros. studios to unlock the mystery of how an unlikely band of directors and artists working in the shadow of Walt Disney created a wild, visually stunning and oh-so-violent brand of comedy that has never been matched for sheer volume of laughs. The result is an unexpected and fascinating story that matches the Looney Tunes themselves for energy, humor, and ingenuity.

Rest In Peace, Dwayne McDuffie

My Twitter stream was full of the breaking news this afternoon. African-American comic book creator and animation producer Dwayne McDuffie had died suddenly. As evidenced by how quickly this news became a trending-topic, it is very clear how much this man and his work meant to so many people.

I was first exposed to Dwayne's work when he co-founded Milestone Media in 1992, a comic company whose focus was to bring ethnically diverse titles to the market. He served as editor-in-chief for the line as well as co-creator to many characters.

In 2000, he helped move one of those creations to the fore-front with Static Shock, a very successful cartoon on the Kids WB network. I recall often watching that show every Saturday morning with my elementary school-aged son. He enjoyed the show as much as I did. Like the comics where Static appeared before, the show was about presenting a diverse cast.

In 2001, Justice League debuted as an animated series on Cartoon Network. Dwayne was involved in that series in many aspects: writer, producer, story-editor on 69 of the 91 episodes total. Again, this was a show that my son and I watched religiously and enjoyed immensely. Through Dwayne's direction, so many great DC Comics characters got a chance to make their animated debuts.

The last comic work of Dwayne's I read was his short but very enjoyable run on Justice League of America a few years ago. Like so many of his other projects, he again helped to prevent a diverse League membership and even had Vixen doing a stint as the team leader in his run.

His work in all these fields are a legacy, albeit an abruptly shortned one, that will not soon be forgotten by fans of comic books and animation alike. The DC Universe is a little bit dimmer today.

Rest in peace, Dwayne.

Total Drama Island

What combines two things I enjoy a lot - animation and reality shows? That would be Total Drama Island, an animated series that ran on Canadian television in 2007 and has been showing on US television this summer on Cartoon Network.

The premise of the show is this: a bunch of teens send in audition tapes for a reality show, but instead of being put in a plush mansion they have to go through the rigors of bizarre events in a backwoods camp. The show features a host named Chris who is sort of a swarmy version of Survivor's Jeff Probst. The camp's Chef who is mean and scary also puts the campers through their paces. Like Survivor, one camper each week is ousted at the marshmallow ceremony.

The show is a lot of fun. Both my son and I are enjoying it a lot. Sadly, I missed a few episodes at the beginning, so I am hoping for a huge marathon to catch up.

Update: Cartoon Network heard me! A marathon of the show will run Sunday September 7th from noon until 7pm. I'm setting the DVR so I can catch it all from the beginning. Good stuff.