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Post by zaku on Dec 25, 2023 11:20:05 GMT -5
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released 30 years ago today, which begs the question: were there any animated superhero movies prior to this one? Not TV shows, not serials, not TV movies, but an animated superhero movie released theatrically? Well, it depends on your definition of "superhero", but yes, more than one en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Animated_superhero_films_by_decade
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 25, 2023 12:38:04 GMT -5
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released 30 years ago today, which begs the question: were there any animated superhero movies prior to this one? Not TV shows, not serials, not TV movies, but an animated superhero movie released theatrically? Well, it depends on your definition of "superhero", but yes, more than one en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Animated_superhero_films_by_decadeExcept, once you are in the video era, that list becomes invalid, as the bulk of the entries are direct-to-video, not theatrical releases. As t is, aside from the Superman shorts, the majority of what is cited are Looney Tunes shorts and a Pvt Snafu cartoon, which also wasn't a theatrical release, as it was done for military viewing. Superman is the earliest superhero, unless you count Popeye. If you expand to comic strip characters, you go back to the beginning of animation, with Little Nemo appearing in Winsor McCay's vaudeville showings of animation. Even before Akira, Asterix and Lucky Luke both had animated theatrical releases and they are sort of heroic figures, even superheroes, with Asterix and his strength potion)
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 25, 2023 12:39:52 GMT -5
Ah, they had theatrical releases? I didn’t know. But thanks. I should revisit those soon. That was why they looked so good, since they had the film cel ration, instead of the later tv ratio, which was far less, due to lower budgets. The greater number of cels gives it the more fluid motion.
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Post by zaku on Dec 25, 2023 13:16:33 GMT -5
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Post by Dizzy D on Dec 26, 2023 1:53:47 GMT -5
Definition of superhero being kinda wobly, there were theatrical releases of animated movies for Astro Boy (1963) and Cyborg009 (1966) that fit most definitions of superheroes IMHO.
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Post by Mormel on Dec 26, 2023 3:57:25 GMT -5
This is more of an ESL question than a comics lore question, but I'm reading Uncanny X-Men #360 and Cecilia Reyes says about the Blackbird: "Beast was working on it, but I don't think he even got it up to Yugo level before he left". I can't seem to find any definitive meaning of the term 'Yugo level' online through Google, although in some of the cases where the phrase is used, it seems to indicate some lower level of quality? Does anyone know if this is a common term and perhaps what its origins are?
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Post by zaku on Dec 26, 2023 4:40:16 GMT -5
Definition of superhero being kinda wobly, there were theatrical releases of animated movies for Astro Boy (1963) and Cyborg009 (1966) that fit most definitions of superheroes IMHO. Superhero genre is a little bit like porn: I know it when I see it 😁 Seriously, lately there have been Japanese series (maybe thanks to the success of all those MCU movies!) that faithfully follow classic Western superhero tropes, like My Hero Academy or Tiger and Bunny.
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Post by zaku on Dec 26, 2023 4:43:31 GMT -5
This is more of an ESL question than a comics lore question, but I'm reading Uncanny X-Men #360 and Cecilia Reyes says about the Blackbird: "Beast was working on it, but I don't think he even got it up to Yugo level before he left". I can't seem to find any definitive meaning of the term 'Yugo level' online through Google, although in some of the cases where the phrase is used, it seems to indicate some lower level of quality? Does anyone know if this is a common term and perhaps what its origins are? I think she was talking about the infamous car, it was even parodied in the Simpsons. www.caranddriver.com/features/a21082360/a-quick-history-of-the-yugo-the-worst-car-in-history/
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 26, 2023 5:37:32 GMT -5
This is more of an ESL question than a comics lore question, but I'm reading Uncanny X-Men #360 and Cecilia Reyes says about the Blackbird: "Beast was working on it, but I don't think he even got it up to Yugo level before he left". I can't seem to find any definitive meaning of the term 'Yugo level' online through Google, although in some of the cases where the phrase is used, it seems to indicate some lower level of quality? Does anyone know if this is a common term and perhaps what its origins are? I think she was talking about the infamous car, it was even parodied in the Simpsons. www.caranddriver.com/features/a21082360/a-quick-history-of-the-yugo-the-worst-car-in-history/ Yes, it's definitely a reference to the car. I've always found it interesting that the Yugo had such a disastrous history in the US and became synonymous with bad car or lemon, because in the former Yugoslavia and in the successor states, Yugos, as well as other models made by the Zastava factory in Serbia, were generally not considered bad cars - they were probably nobody's first choice to be sure (and often the butt of jokes), but they were seen as pretty dependable. They could be regularly be seen on the roads here in Croatia well into the early '00s, and I recall that in the early 1990s Croatian police patrol cars were often Yugos. Also, they were definitely considered far better than certain cars manufactured in the Eastern Bloc, esp. the East German Wartburgs and Trabants.
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Post by rberman on Dec 26, 2023 8:13:48 GMT -5
Regarding the whole vigilante with guns crime fighter, I don't think anyone mentioned The Shadow. Or another character based in part on the Shadow. His villains regularly fell to their deaths while fighting him, and he was not at all sorry when they died. Thus in his first story: He was still throwing villains to their deaths, then mocking them, in the early Bronze Age. On the splash page of Detective Comics #35, he brandished a gun, though he only punched in the story itself. He did use silver bullets to execute a pair of sleeping vampires in issue #34 though.
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Post by Mormel on Dec 26, 2023 8:32:52 GMT -5
Yes, it's definitely a reference to the car. I've always found it interesting that the Yugo had such a disastrous history in the US and became synonymous with bad car or lemon, because in the former Yugoslavia and in the successor states, Yugos, as well as other models made by the Zastava factory in Serbia, were generally not considered bad cars - they were probably nobody's first choice to be sure (and often the butt of jokes), but they were seen as pretty dependable. They could be regularly be seen on the roads here in Croatia well into the early '00s, and I recall that in the early 1990s Croatian police patrol cars were often Yugos. Also, they were definitely considered far better than certain cars manufactured in the Eastern Bloc, esp. the East German Wartburgs and Trabants.
Ahh, thanks for clearing that up. I must admit I'm unfamiliar with the brand, though I've definitely heard of Trabant and Lada being mocked in similar fashion.
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Post by zaku on Dec 26, 2023 11:41:19 GMT -5
Definition of superhero being kinda wobly, there were theatrical releases of animated movies for Astro Boy (1963) and Cyborg009 (1966) that fit most definitions of superheroes IMHO. Guys, do you think that characters like Ultraman, Kamen Rider or Sailor Moon could be classified as superheroes? If not, why? 🙂
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 26, 2023 22:40:00 GMT -5
Definition of superhero being kinda wobly, there were theatrical releases of animated movies for Astro Boy (1963) and Cyborg009 (1966) that fit most definitions of superheroes IMHO. Guys, do you think that characters like Ultraman, Kamen Rider or Sailor Moon could be classified as superheroes? If not, why? 🙂 Certainly! Ultraman is a super-powered alien warrior who inhabits a human body, Kamen Raider is a human turned into a cyborg and Sailor Moon is a magically powered guardian of the Earth. All fit within traditional character types. Earlier than that, you have Gekko Kamen (Moonlight Mask), as well as Super Giant/Starman. Gekko Kamen appeared on tv; but, Super Giant appeared in movies. The Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, aka Battle of the Planets and G-Force, Guardians of Space also qualifies and had a tehatrical movie compilation of three episodes and some additional linking footage and prologue, showing the arrival of Sosai X/Luminous One and the creation of Berg Katse/Zoltar. They, in turn, spawned the Super Dentai shows, which were adapted/edited into the Power Rangers. Kikaider, the Space Sheriff and Metal Heo shows would also qualify and many had theatrical movies.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 26, 2023 22:43:58 GMT -5
Yes, it's definitely a reference to the car. I've always found it interesting that the Yugo had such a disastrous history in the US and became synonymous with bad car or lemon, because in the former Yugoslavia and in the successor states, Yugos, as well as other models made by the Zastava factory in Serbia, were generally not considered bad cars - they were probably nobody's first choice to be sure (and often the butt of jokes), but they were seen as pretty dependable. They could be regularly be seen on the roads here in Croatia well into the early '00s, and I recall that in the early 1990s Croatian police patrol cars were often Yugos. Also, they were definitely considered far better than certain cars manufactured in the Eastern Bloc, esp. the East German Wartburgs and Trabants.
Ahh, thanks for clearing that up. I must admit I'm unfamiliar with the brand, though I've definitely heard of Trabant and Lada being mocked in similar fashion. Yugo had major problems with emission standards, parts, speed and maintenance, in the US models. They tied to market them as something akin the previous generation Volkswagen Beetles; but, the engineering and ease of maintenance wasn't there. They then became the butt of jokes. I knew of an ensign, at Supply Corps School, who owned one. You could get better used cars, here, for the same money and they were considered a poor alternative, by the majority. They ensign washed out of the school, which was hardly that demanding and driving a Yugo didn't help his reputation for being inept. Hyundai initially had a bad rep, but it improved with subsequent models and improvements, to where they are highly sought after.
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Post by zaku on Dec 29, 2023 3:41:56 GMT -5
I picked up the first 5 issues of the '83 Vigilante series (the only ones that were translated into Italian in the 80s and that I bought) and I have to admit that calling him a Punisher clone is doing him a disservice. The only times he kills are in self-defense. In issue 3 it is the first time that he decides to kill a criminal because the law would have left him free but in the end... He's definitely not a mass murderer like the Punisher. In the issues I've read he seems more like a superhero who happens to use firearms (and, honestly, pretty much all superheroes are "vigilantes" in the common sense of the term). Almost like a Batman who doesn't do everything to keep his enemies alive, but not that he wants to kill them at all costs. If it happens, it happens. In some ways it reminded me of Mike Grell's Green Arrow.
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