Reminiscing About The JLU

The Justice League Unlimited animated series will always have a fond place in my heart. It's one of those animated series that brought many of my comic book heroes to TV, together in one place with great action and storylines. Remember that three part episode where a few of them traveled through time? John Stewart met his son and Static was a 60 year old member of the Justice League.

Amanda Waller on Smallville

In case you missed it, Pam Greer played Amanda Waller on the latest episode of Smallville. This one was entitled 'Absolute Justice' and featured appearances by members of the Justice Society of America. I think it was one of the best episodes of the season. I'm not totally happy with Pam Greer's portrayal of Amanda Waller but it looks as if she'll be back in future episodes to make improvements. Check out the clip.

Elvin "El" LIncoln - The Shrinking Misfit

In the 80's TV show Misfits of Science, Elvin Lincoln was a scientist that was born with an overactive pituitary gland. He was 6 ft tall when he entered the 7th grade and ultimately grew to 7'4". He went on to study his condition and found a way to temporarily reduce the size of animals using a serum he created. He later created an artificial gland that he put in the back of his own neck. When pressed, the gland secreted the serum into his body, allowing him to shrink down to the size of action figure, somewhere less than a foot tall. This transformation was temporary and lasted for about 15 minutes.

In the show, much was made of the character's awkwardness. He had social challenges and even though he was tall and Black, he was no good at basketball. He was a genius but not very confident in himself. This went along with the theme of the show which had a lot of comedy. Another challenge for El was that even though he could shrink, his clothes couldn't so he would have to bring along clothes from some kind of doll or action figure so he wouldn't be running around as a tiny naked guy. Later, when he would return to his normal size, he had to find his original clothes again. He would usually be called upon to shrink so he could help the team get into or out of places they could do otherwise.

Again this show came out in the 80's so it was great to see a Black character as a scientist back then, even if he was a bit of a bumbler. The character was depicted as kind and non-threatening even though he was a lot taller than everyone else. His power wasn't all that cool but I liked him anyway. The series lasted for only 16 episodes, the last of which was never aired. Still, I remember this show fondly and tried never to miss an episode. Here's the trailer:

Remember That Kiss?

The Justice League animated series was probably one of the best animated series ever, especially when it became Justice League Unlimited. It was the first time some Black Superhero characters such as Vixen, Mr. Terrific, and John Stewart made it to the small screen. One of the most memorable scenes for me wan when Green Lantern and Hawkgirl kissed onscreen. It was the first time they unmasked Hawkgirl in the series. I was amazed. They actually let an interracial couple kiss on screen on a cartoon watched by millions. It was a suprisingly intimate scene and was one of those 'anything is possible now' moments for me. The two characters had been flirting for most of the season but to see something actually come of it was amazing. They even created a character that was their son in a possible future, Rex Stewart, Warhawk. Anyway, here are some scenes leading up to and including that fateful scene. Do you remember it?

Ultimate Nick Fury on Iron Man Armored Adventures

More and more, the Ultimate Nick Fury seems to be the status quo outside the main Marvel Comics universe. I'm still a fan of the original Nick Fury but I like this version too. In episode 16 of Iron Man: Armored Adventures, the teenage Iron Man must battle the Living Laser until Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. interfere. Believe it or not you can catch the entire episode below. Check it out while it lasts.
Watch Iron Man: Armored Adventures ~Episode 16 in Animation  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Astrea

In the 70's there was a cartoon show called The Freedom Force that had five different heroes and unfortunately only five episodes. The members of that group were Isis, Hercules, Sinbad, Super Samurai, and Merlin. I remember the series well but I only just found out about the predecessor to that show, called Space Sentinels which actually lasted for a full season. In this series, there were only three heroes, each of a different race, Hercules (the well known White guy), Mercury (an Asian super speedster), and Astrea.

Astrea had the power to turn into nearly any living creature which, in this series, meant she could morph into any animal. Apparently she could fly too which makes her that much better than Jayna of the Wonder Twins. Apparently all three of the main characters could fly and had been granted eternal youth as well. I've had a chance to check out a few of the episodes and it seems that Astrea was the most level-headed of the group and with her ability to get into and out of tight places, she usually got to the bottom of things first. Mercury was a bit of a Joker and Hercules always seemed to encounter things that were stronger than him.

This series was noteworthy for its multicultural cast. It's also great to see a Black super heroine with a major role in an animated series, especially in the 70's. Regardless of how great she was, she didn't make the cut when the doomed series changed to become the even more doomed series, The Freedom Force. Still, Astrea is a part of history and apparently available on video. Both series are contained in one DVD set available here. How did this Black woman become Astrea? The brief origin of the trio is explained in the opening narration of the series.

Moleculelad

Moleculad was a member of group called Teen Force. The Teen Force animated series was part of a larger group of animated heroes called Space Stars. Space Stars consisted of an updated Space Ghost, an updated Herculoids, and new series Teen Force, and Astro and the Space Mutts (the same dog character from the Jetsons). In this series, they all existed in the same cartoon universe. One of the things that made this series great for me was that while each had their own episodes, they would sometimes cross over and guest star in each others' series like they were old friends. Space Stars debuted in the early 80's.

Teen Force had three main members. They rode their space motorcycles out of Black Hole X to chase down and subdue the evil Uglor. Kid Comet, the apparent leader, could move a faster than the speed of light and even crash the time barrier but he had to turn into some kind of fiery comet to do so. Elektra had the trifecta of mental powers, telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation. (Aren't these the stereotypical female superpowers these days?) Moleculad was sort of an energy plastic man. He would convert himself into energy and go through objects, squeeze through tight openings or tie up the bad guys with himself. The character and his powers had potential but he was used poorly and was little more than an electro-rope most of the time but he looked sparkily good doing it.

The series doesn't seem to be available on video but you can probably catch it on Boomerang. You can also view the intro here:

Superstretch and Microwoman

Back in the late 70's there was a Black crime fighting couple called Superstretch and Microwoman that showed up on Saturday morning TV. He was basically Plastic Man complete with the jokes and somehow her shrinking abilities always seemed to come in handy. I remember watching them during the animated Tarzan show. The episodes were short, a bit silly, and there weren't many of them but as a kid I thought they were great. They both had afros, wore no masks, and often referred to each other by their first names (Chris & Kristy). Their constant companion was a dog named Trouble. As I look back I remember they even used to hug and kiss on screen. Black superheroes showing affection to America's kids? What a precedent! Anyway here's a rough look at part of one of their episodes. In this one they fight their evil dimensional counterparts. Enjoy!

Black Vulcan

There's a lot to be said about this short-lived hero. His first appearance was on the Super Friends cartoon in the 70's as they expanded their lineup to create diversity. Black Vulcan is among those Black Superheroes that has the word Black in his name for no reason other than the color of his skin. When he showed up in the Super Friends many comic book fans cried foul as he was obviously a take off on Black Lightning who actually did exist in the DC Comics Universe. Apparently there were challenges with the creator of Black Lightning (money issues), so Black Vulcan was invented. Other than the color of his skin or the sound of his voice there was little "Black" or even interesting about him. He was never more than the Black token hero who never even raised the bar to the level of stereotype. Basically he was able to produce lightning and fly. His powers, while always lightning based, seemed to change episode to episode defying all logic and common sense as his lightning bolts would turn into whatever he needed, and even allow him to travel through time. His contribution to the Super Friends was minimal yet as a child I watched week to week waiting in vain for him to do something amazing. He never did. The only thing I can say positively about him is that he as a Black Superhero that appeared on TV while I was growing up.
Multiple action figures were made of the character but he never achieved a fan base and he never crossed over into the comics. Black Vulcan continued his career on the Super Friends cartoon until they revamped the show yet again and replaced him with another Black Superhero, Cyborg. The character disappeared into obscurity until 2004 and 2005 when he showed up years later as a parody of himself in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law show. Here's an episode of the Superfriends Black Vulcan wasn't overly terrible in:

M.A.N.T.I.S.

M.A.N.T.I.S. stands for Mechanically Augmented Neuro Transmitter Interactive System. It was the name of possibly the first live action Black Superhero on TV. (I'm still researching the facts on that.) Carl Lumby played the title role of a paralyzed Black scientist who created an exoskeleton that enabled him, not only to walk, but perform super heroics. The series debuted in 1994 and lasted two seasons. I never missed an episode. The character's name was Dr. Miles Hawkins and he was positive, brilliant, and anything but stereotypical. He lost his ability to walk because he was shot in the spine by a criminal. Subsequently he refused to use guns. With the help of another scientist friend, he used science and technology to fight crime. They had a top secret lab and a hover vehicle called the Chysalid. The show would be a bit cheesy by today's standards but was perfect for the time it was on TV. I don't know why it hasn't made a comeback considering all the times Robocop has which was also live action and even more cheesy. Here's a bit of video from the series pilot: