Thundercats HOOOOO!!

     Last night, the new "Thundercats" series premiered on Cartoon Network. 
     First of all, I was a huge fan of the original 80's series, so when I first heard about this revamped version I was a bit skeptical. Then I saw the preview pics of the characters and I thought "well, another beloved childhood memory has been ruined". After watching the premiere last night all I can say is, I was wrong.
     The first thing I noticed was, that this is definitely NOT the Thundercats of the '80's.  This is a beautifully rendered, more sophisticated version. The characters are more dynamic. The backstory is more richly developed.
     <<SPOILER ALERT>>
     In the original series' premiere the story line was a little vague, to say the least. The planet Thundera is being destroyed. A group of Thundercats led by Jaga and including the young prince Lion-o are on a ship that escapes the destruction.  It's never explained who the other Thundercats (Cheetara, Panthro, etc) are or why they are on the ship. We're never told where they end up or who the evil Mumm-ra is or why he is "evil". I'm sure this was done to appeal to a young kid audience. I, for one, am glad that the producers of the new series decided to appeal to a more sophisticated (or older) audience
     The new series fills in all the gaps of the original. It showed a much more complex relationship between characters (Lion-o and Tigera as rivals for the crown? Awesome!! Cheetara as a Cleric that protects the royal family? Genius!)
      The premiere also tackled some big time themes, namely, Technology. Is technology and advantage or can it be the downfall of a society? I think the show, and possibly the series, takes a decidedly anti- tech stand. The advanced technology of the lizards eventually causes the destruction of Thundera, but Lion-o's knowledge and also acceptance of the technology, helps his true leadership skills shine through, which ultimately will drive the rest of the series, I'm sure.
      Overall I was very impressed with the direction the newly revamped "Thundercats" is headed and I hope that the show continues along the same track.




     
     

DC New 52

       In an effort to get new interest in its comic line, in August, DC Comics will make some major changes to 52 of its comic books, including its big 3 - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. 

       In addition to renumbering all 52 comics, starting each with Issue #1, many of our heroes will have changes made to their iconic outfits.

      While I love DC's effort to turn more people over to the "dark side" or "Dark Knight side" that is comic book reading/collecting, I'm not sure i like the idea of tampering with tradition.  The "Superman" line of comics has been around for over 70 years. Is publishing a NEW Action Comics #1 really going to get more people reading the adventures of the Man of Steel? I think all it's going to do  is make a bunch of non-comic readers who think they can make a quick buck, run out and stock up on a bunch of first issues. Once the frenzy over the first issues dies down, and all is said and done, DC readership will stay pretty much the same.

      That being said, I do like the artwork Im seeing for these new issues  and the storylines do seem interesting, so I think the current readers will be happy with the changes overall. I for one can't wait until August 31.

Welcome!

Hey Folks,

      My Name is Matt, aka, "Pop" Culture and welcome to my blog. Here i will be discussing/ranting about all things pop culture- movies, TV, books, comic books, or anything else that pops into my head. Hope you enjoy it enough to tell all your friends