Saturday morning cartoons!

the cartoon network is reviving saturday morning cartoons! with the new DC Nation, kids can enjoy an hour of two 22 minute original cartoons along with several 2 minute shorts. i have fond memories of getting up before the rest of the family, sneaking downstairs to the family room TV with pop-tarts in hand, and enjoying hours of animated fun until i ordered to dress and play outside. i most likely would proceed to reenact and add to what i had just previously seen. posted here is an episode of an old school cartoon that i still enjoy.

Aquaman saved my Saturday morning!

remember when saturday morning cartoons were fun? man, as a child of the '80s/'90s i sure do and boy, do i miss it! my love of comic books is no secret so when i came across the two disc dvd set of the 1967 animated series, The Adventures of Aquaman, for under ten dollars, i was thrilled! truthfully i wasn't expecting much. aquaman, dc comics' king of the seven seas had been a minor favorite hero from my childhood, but despite some fun adventures in printed form, his less than memorable adventures beside other favorites like wonder woman and superman in the super friends show were ... eh. it's too bad too, because not only is aquaman fast on land and sea, super strong and durable, but he has the unique ability to communicate and command any oceanic creature telepathically. oh, and don't forget that not only is he the protector of two thirds of our planet, he also happens to be king of the sunken city of atlantis. most of this is shown in simple form in The Adventures of Aquaman, but the simplistic nature of a hero using his powers to defeat enemy after enemy who would threaten his underwater home, well, it's just plain fun! i find it odd that sharks, whales, and even dolphins can do battle with the more fierce and often mechanical foes they're ordered to face, but it seems none are harmed in their fight for good. aquaman even has a teenage sidekick, ala robin to batman, but while aqualad does get in the way from time to time, the young hero is competent in his crime fighting for the most part. i would have loved that as a child watching this show in the late sixties! there's tusky, the comedic walrus, and mera, aquaman's female "friend" who needs rescuing regularly (?!), but aquaman himself is a thrilling and confident hero out to protect the oceans. watching all thirty-six episodes i unwittingly got caught up in the excitement and found a new respect for the hero who would be portrayed as a third or fourth wheel next to his fellow justice league compatriots. i definitely have a new favorite show to watch every saturday morning, this one on dvd.