Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes Episode 01... di jamal_yusufi
Background: The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an animated series spanning two seasons and 57 episodes (including five introduction episodes, each formed by four micro-episodes) written by Chris Yost and Joshua Fine. Despite using material from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as black Nick Fury, Jarvis as an AI or Hawkeye and Black Widow as two special agents of SHIELD, the series is not set in that continuity, instead being mostly based on the classic comics by Lee and Kirby. Most Avengers are introduced gradually over the course of the seasons and wear their classic costumes.
Review: How we missed a good Marvel cartoon. Despite some good efforts in the '90s that were ultimately hindered by censorship, poor voice acting or creative mis-steps, animation is the one and only area where Marvel has been consistently upstaged by DC ever since the awesome Batman: The Animated Series hit the screens. AEMH tries to buck the trend, taking its time to introduce the main heroes just like the movie will do, paying special attention to characterization, plots and voice acting, and capitalizing on Marvel's rich history and cast of characters. In the 22 minutes of Breakout - part 1 not only do we see Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and the Wasp, but also the likes of Balder, Zemo, Graviton, the Leader, Abomination, Doc Samson and so on, all the way up to obscure characters such as Griffin or the Mandrill.
With so many characters and so much to set up, this episode doesn't even try to form a team yet, showing the future Avengers dealing with the crisis separately (or, in Thor's case, not at all yet). Hank Pym and Bruce Banner get the most screentime, but it's the villains who steal the show, parading their looks and powers whilst dispatching the poor soldiers of SHIELD. Originating from the pages of New Avengers, the breakout is a good excuse to create a threat "that no single hero could face", hence justifying the need for the Avengers, and it also plants the seeds for future arcs that will play out over the rest of the season.
In terms of continuity, despite the inevitable changes most of the show remains faithful to the original comics, in spirit if not in the exact details, although the degree of success will probably depend on everyone's personal attachment to certain classic elements. As far as I'm concerned, I don't mind the black Nick Fury, but I miss the original human Jarvis, something the AI will never quite replace. Tony Stark does have a vaguely Robert Downey Jr-esque attitude, but it's not as annoying yet, and works quite well within the contest of the episode. In fact, there may not be much humor, but what little there is is quite amusing. By far the best nod to the comics in my opinion are the original costumes, almost always faithfully reproduced despite how silly some of them may look today.
As far as the Avengers are concerned, we only get a few glimpses here and there, but their personalities are already clear. Thor is my favourite, headstrong and yet noble and wise thanks to some great voice acting by Rick Wasserman, managing to give him a deep, imposing voice without sounding unnecessarily boastful or eager. Having Jane Foster being a paramedic instead of a nurse is also a nice compromise considering her origins and the fact there is no Donald Blake in this cartoon. Hank Pym as a level-headed, pacifist scientist is an interesting take, helped by the somewhat vague characterization he had in his Ant-Man years in the comics, and succeeding in giving him a reason for being a more reluctant hero compared to the others. The Wasp however isn't quite as inspired: the show, and indeed Colleen O'Shaughnessey, play her as a youthful, eager and passionate mascot - certainly very earnest as the heart of the team, but still a far cry from the competent leader she could have the potential to be. Leadership is something the show will only occasionally discuss, and always as something fitting only either Captain America or Iron Man, perhaps reflecting the wane in popularity of the Wasp in recent years. Her costume is also one of the very few made from scratch for the show, but its antennae-like headset and wide skirt don't really work, and unfortunately she will be stuck with it for the entire series.
Gabriel Mann plays an anguished Bruce Banner whilst managing not to sound like a nervous wreck, but is Fred Tatasciore who once again steals the show as the perfect voice for the Hulk, deep and threatening but never dumb, with tinges of regret or irony depending on the situation. Finally, Eric Loomis is a charismatic, passionate and slightly arrogant Tony Stark, doing his best to merge the classic and modern takes on the character. For the most part it works, but I don't think the art style fits the initial Iron Man armour too much, making it too streamlined and looking more like a costume than a piece of advanced technology. However, this is something the show will acknowledge and rectify over time, with future armors looking far more technological.
Overall, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was a quality series that would have deserved to last much longer than its 52-episode run, but unfortunately, and despite fans' protests, by 2012 Marvel decided to end it and replace it with Avengers Assemble!, a cartoon far closer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but not quite as good as AEMH. Still, over the course of two seasons we had Ultron, Kang, the Masters of Evil, Loki, the Serpent Society, the Skrulls and much more, so we can count ourselves lucky. If everything goes to plan, I'll be reviewing a few more episodes from time to time - also a great excuse to watch them again!
Final Verdict: Simply the best Marvel animated show to date. 5/5
Final Verdict: Simply the best Marvel animated show to date. 5/5
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