Comicon brings it- toon style

Comicon was great this year for a number of reasons. For me, though, it's all about animation and this year's Comicon did not disappoint. There's some great cartoons due out later this year and next. Infos and such after the break.

First, and most exciting to me, is the new series from Mike DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, The Legend of Korra. For those of you in the dark (if you care enough, you should already be excited) those are the two guys who created Avatar: The Last Airbender. Their new miniseries, to debut sometime in 2011, will take place 70 years after the conclusion of the the previous series and will focus on Korra, the new avatar from the Southern Water Tribe. In contrast to Aang, she is "a rebellious girl who is hotheaded, independent and ready to take on the world." The story revolves around her traveling to the new hub of the world, the steampunk Republic City, a metropolis inhabited by people of all nations be they benders or not. Having mastered water, earth, and fire, she seeks tutorage in aribending from Aang and Katara's son Tenzin, while dealing with corruption and an anti-bender revolt within the city. Of course, the only disappointing news here is that it's a miniseries.

Next, the first real info since last year's Comicon of Genndy Tartakovsky's new show, Sym-Bionic Titan, was released along with a clip of the show.

The series follows the adventures of three beings from the planet Galaluna who crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape their war-torn world.The series follows the lives of Ilana, Lance and Octus, three alien teens that crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape an evil General who has taken over their home planet, Galaluna. Ilana, princess of Galaluna, Lance, a rebellious but capable soldier, and Octus, a bio-cybernetic robot, must now blend into everyday life in Sherman, Illinois . Posing as high school students, Lance and Octus work to conceal Princess Ilana from General Modula and his hideous space mutants sent to harm the sole royal heir of Galaluna.When called into battle, the Galalunians are outfitted with individual armor that provides more than ample protection. It's when the gravest of danger appears that Octus activates the sym-bionic defense program and Ilana, Lance and Octus come together to form the spectacular cyber-giant Sym-Bionic Titan. It is in this form that they battle the most evil of beasts.

While I would have loved some new info on the Samurai Jack film, it's nice to know that Genndy is still hard at work producing top-quality animation. Any Genndy is good, as far as I'm concerned. Speaking of being concerned, I am a bit about the use of CGI in the show. I don't usually go for that kind of hybrid stuff, but, hell, it's Genndy freaking Tartakovsky! I'm sure it'll be awesome.



Justice League and Teen Titans fans, take note of this next one! This november, DC will bring it's newest animated series, Young Justice, to Cartoon Network. In the comics, Young Justice was a supergroup formed by Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy, and Impulse after the Teen Titans had grown and become the Titans. So, in a sense, this is sort of a sequel-ish... thing ...kinda... Well anyway, the animated series, like all DC shows is not particularly based on its comic, but it isn't set in the DC animated universe either. The series takes place on Earth-16, chosen because it is largely untapped, and will follow the exploits of the covert operations team Young Justice as they carry out missions of the Justice League. On this Earth, the DCU is in its early years and superheroes are a recent phenomena. The tone of the show has been stated to be grounded and realistic, with the creators even going so far as to state that important characters will die. A first season of 26 (!) episodes will begin airing in November, and at least one other season has been written in advance.

The lineup is substantially different from the comic book counterpart, with Aqualad, voiced by Khary Payton (Cyborg in Teen Titans), as the leader. Other members include Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Artemis, Superboy (Connor Kent), and Miss Martian (Martian Manhunter's niece). The Justice League will obviously play an important role and is 16 members strong at the beginning of the show. Other characters confirmed to appear are: Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Arrow, Red Tornado, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Speedy/Red Arrow, and Tempest. Sounds great doesn't it? The only possible downside? Nolan freakin' North as Superboy. I hate that guy. His voice is literally in everything!



That's just three of the many animated series shown off at Comicon. There's also a new Avengers series, for those who care. I don't because, well, I'm a DC guy for one. Never really liked the Avengers that much. Only Marvel group I like is the X-Men, probably because they had decent cartoon shows. DC cartoons are always better than Marvel cartoons. Fact. Also, the theme song is terrible. Oh, and I'm still up set that THEY CANCELLED WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN!!!! That show was fantastic.