Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Season 1 - Volume 1 (Bilingual)

Without wishing to raise the specter of ancient Marvel/DC rivalries, it's impossible not to compare this series with Justice League, and with Justice League's successor series, Justice League Unlimited. For although The Avengers doesn't quite have the philosophical depth of Justice League Unlimited, like the Justice League shows it is nevertheless proof positive that a superhero cartoon can be done entirely seriously and - astonishing as this might be for some people - still wind up as an intelligent piece of television. Far more so in fact than most live action "grown up" shows that get made.

There is so much to say here, but of course, I don't want to give away any spoilers. One thing I will say is that I particularly love the languid pace at which the broader, season-spanning plot arcs are slowly, almost casually moved into place, even as the audience is blitzkrieged with the superheroic action sequences of the moment. For like Justice League Unlimited, this show is as much a serial as it is a series.

So keep your eyes open as you go along!

But for me, the best thing about The Avengers is the truly seamless melding of silver and iron age aesthetics. Old-school fans will delight in all the countless references to the original Avengers comic books from the 1960s. This applies on virtually every conceivable level, from costume design to inter-character conflicts. At the same time, we also see at least the beginnings of a far harder-edged iron age cynicism, and even political consciousness - particularly in the characters of Tony Stark, and, arguably, Henry Pym. Neither of these elements were ever even remotely present in the original comics. Contemporary comic book fans will likewise note the merging of elements from both the original and "Ultimate" Marvel Universes. Yet here again, these disparate elements are so perfectly combined that it is difficult to imagine them ever being apart.

At the time of writing, this disc is not yet available for purchase, and the product info does not state which, or how many episodes are included. As you may have noticed, I've reviewed the show, not this specific release. However, the length is listed as 154 minutes, which would translate to exactly 7 episodes of 22 minutes each. Thus, it seems likely that what we have here are the first 7 episodes. It does kinda suck when companies milk their new releases like this: I think it's obvious that most consumers would far prefer it were the show to be released in whole seasons, or at least half seasons.

While we're on the topic of this release, it's also worth adding that on a purely visual level, the DVD cover art we see in the product snapshot here on Amazon doesn't really do this show justice. The art in The Avengers actually has a very slightly "gritty" feel to it that I haven't seen in an animated television show before; at least, not outside of some of the older MTV stuff from the 1990s.

Finally, returning to the show itself, there is a lot here to tickle the interest of the more knowledgeable animation and sci-fi fans. For example, Jeffrey Combs, who so superbly provided the voice for The Question in Justice League Unlimited, here voices the classic Hulk supervillain The Leader. Combs will also be familiar to many from his various roles in multiple Star Trek series (always in heavy alien makeup). For the movie buffs, Iron Man is voiced with a downright Robert Downey Jr. quality; albeit not by Mr. Downey himself.

Ah well. We can but dream!

Theo.

I'm not quite a fan of today's americanized animation styles which tend to rely on sharp, abstract lines to simplify the process. After watching season 1 of the Japanese Iron Man: Anime and seeing some truly fantastic artwork and detail in every cell, I was a bit hesitant when I noticed the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. If anything, this is proof that you should NEVER judge something based on first appearances.

I am absolutely floored by the Avengers. It's utterly fantastic. Its artwork style masks a collection of complex, addictive storylines and genuinely likable characters. For those who don't know, the Avengers is based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name about a team of superheroes who band together to take down massive world threats that none of them could handle on their own. The series begins literally at the start with Tony Stark fighting the sinister H.Y.D.R.A. organization as his alter-ego, Iron Man. After butting heads with S.H.I.E.L.D., Stark must contend with an armada of super-villains who break free from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s several different maximum security prisons and begin a rampage of terror. Stark joins forces with Dr. Henry Pym, better known as Ant-Man, a superhero who can change his size at the molecular level, and his sidekick Janet, otherwise known as Wasp. Along the way, they meet and join forces with the violent and irrational Hulk, the cunning Black Panther, the arrogant archer Hawkeye, Thor the Asgardian, and the legendary Captain America who has been frozen in the arctic ice for over 60 years. The heroes face difficult obstacles, including learning how to work as a team instead of on their own. As the Avengers make a name for themselves by putting down several major threats, they are unaware that a sinister plot is forming behind their backs, waiting for the moment to strike.

There are two great things about the Avengers. First, it's action-packed, and that action is fast-paced and exciting to watch. Marvel and Disney haven't shied away from being rough, either. The series is very violent, sometimes to the point of it being slightly inappropriate for young children. There are even a number of off-screen, suggested deaths, which is a far cry from the 1980s cartoons I grew up with which weren't allowed to show a sword being used unless it was for non-violent purposes. As a man who doesn't buy into the notion that violent media makes for violent kids, I really must commend the studios for being so true to their comic counterparts. That being said, much of the violence seems only to temporarily injure or incapacitate a character, but there are some episodes with suggested notions of violence that can be difficult for young kids to swallow, such as "The Ultron Imperative" which shows hundreds of nuclear warheads being launched at the same time to obliterate all life on Earth. The immediacy and scale of the threat is definitely not light watching!

The show is made by the characters, however. The Avengers are all voiced by some truly talented actors, and all of them sound like they're having a dynamite blast. It's infectious enough to pull you in and make you love these guys right from the start. Granted, characters like Captain America can be rather stoic and stone-like, but that's to be expected based on who they are. No two characters are alike, and this plays out in some riotously funny interaction between bickering heroes like the Hulk and Thor. The stories themselves are lifted mostly from the comic books and touch on familiar subjects such as the imminent Skrull invasion (to be expanded on in Season 2), and the rise of the nightmarish Ultron. It's great to see the writers refusing to go off the deep end and craft inappropriate directions. I loved the hints at apocalypse from the arrival of Kane the Conqueror, and the individual responsible for the destruction of the entire future timeline. Season 1 takes enough time to build the foundations for several different plotlines which will be examined in the future. That, I believe, is great writing, especially for a cartoon series. Not since the 1994 Spider-Man animated series have I been so entertained and impressed with the hard work of a crew, and a writing team that really cares about making something deep, interconnected and complex.

The worst thing you can do is to judge this series based on the artwork. Seriously. Even its irritating teen-rock theme song should be ignored in favor of what's really at stake: great storytelling. I am a massive fan of this series, and I'm counting down until April 2012 when Season 2 will really kick the Avengers into high gear.

As someone who has seen his fair share of bad cartoons based on Marvel Comics characters in the last 10 years I was very hesitant about watching this new show. I was expecting another kiddie fest with bad Pokemon/Digemon animation, but thankfully we haven't received that with this new take on some of the most classic of the Marvel superheroes.

Following closely to the original storylines of the Avengers comics from the early sixties but with a modern look and take on the stories and characters, this series is well written with some solid action and even some mild humour thrown in at times. All with nice looking animation that doesn't scream "bad manga rip-off" All of the classic characters are featured too, like Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man and The Hulk.

This show still doesn't touch the Justice League cartoon for greatness (arguably the best Superhero cartoon ever IMO) but does come close. If you are a fan of the comic books, or someone who remembers them from their childhood, or even a child just seeing this for the first time this show will appeal to you. Adults and kids can both enjoy it equally.

4 out of 5 stars.