By Michael Lyons
Who would have thought that someday we would get ONE “Ant Man” movie, let alone TWO! But, here we are, this weekend as Marvel’s latest “Ant Man and The Wasp” hits theaters.
The sequel features a super hero with most unlikely powers. No iron suit, shield, strength or gift of flight. Ant Man’s super power is that of making himself small (and sometimes big).
He’s proof that heroes can come in all shapes and sizes and can also come from the most unlikely of places.
Ant Man is also part of a long line of offbeat super heroes that were once a staple of Saturday Morning Cartoons. With “Ant Man and The Wasp” now poised to do “big” things at the box-office this weekend, it’s the perfect time to look back and celebrate the weird (and wacky) cartoon superheroes of yesteryear.
“Mighty Mouse” (CBS, 1955)
“Mr. Trouble never hangs around, when he hears this mighty sound: ‘Here I come to save the day!’ That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!”
So began the theme song to “The Mighty Mouse Show” on Saturday Mornings, letting all know that the diminutive caped rodent was about to take on the bad guy (or, in this case, bad cat).
Created by the Terrytoon Studio in 1942, Mighty Mouse has flown high for years and was re-imagined by the Filmation Studio in the ‘70’s and animator Ralph Bakshi in the ‘80’s.
Originally named “Super Mouse,” as a parody of Superman, Mighty Mouse has become as iconic as the Caped Crusader.
“Space Ghost” (CBS, 1966)
Another iconic Saturday morning cartoon super hero, Hanna-Barbera’s Space Ghost was just that: a super hero who had the ability to fly and make himself invisible, while fighting villains in outer space.
The show was created by Alex Toth, a noted comic book artist who brought the sensibility and style of a comic book to Hanna Barbera. The visuals, coupled with the booming voice of Gary Owens, created a true sense of those panels on the page coming to life.
If you only know Space Ghost from the ‘90’s comedic re-boot “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” on Cartoon Network, you owe it to yourself to check out the heroic original.
“Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles” (CBS, 1966)
Another “super oddity” from Hanna Barbera. This show was divided into two separate sections: one involved a young boy scientist named Buzz Conroy who fought crime with the aide of his robot, Frankenstein, Jr.; the other part of the show focused on The Impossibles, a trio of super heroes. They were Multi-Man (the power of duplication), Coil Man (spring action!) and Fluid Man (can easily turn himself to water). Oh, and The Impossibles was also a rock band.
Was the show as weird as it sounds? Sure was. Is it as fun as it sounds? Sure is.
“The Mighty Heroes” (CBS, 1966)
Ralph Bakshi, who would not only go on to re-boot Mighty Mouse in the ‘80’s, but also create adult-oriented animated films like “Fritz the Cat,” in the ‘70’s, brought this off-beat, Avengers-like group of superheroes to life for Terrytoons TV Studio. The team consisted of Strong Man, Diaper Man, Tornado Man, Rope Man and Cuckoo Man.
With surprisingly fluid animation for TV at the time, “The Mighty Heroes” was both a send-up and a love letter to the super hero genre.
“Dynomutt, Dog Wonder” (ABC, 1976)
Debuting as part of “Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour,” this was another “Only from Hanna-Barbera” super hero.
A sidekick to the oh-so-serious Blue Falcon (voiced in Space Ghost tones by Gary Owen), Dynomutt (animation voice veteran Frank Welker) was a mechanical dog with a number of electronic and hydronic abilities, most of which malfunction, but manage to always catch the villain.
The character and the show have come to epitomize the Hanna-Barbera style from the ‘70’s, which has allowed Dynomutt to gain quite the cult following through the years.
“Mighty Man and Yukk” (ABC, 1979)
Part of the Ruby-Spears Studio’s “Plastic Man Comedy Show,” this is one of Saturday Morning’s most bizarre and forgotten cartoons.
Mighty Man was actually an eccentric billionaire who used a machine to shrink himself down to a few inches tall, while being equipped with super powers.
His sidekick was Yukk, an anthropomorphic dog who is so ugly that he has to hide his face inside a miniature doghouse he wears on his head. Yukk’s superpower is that when he shows his face to bad guys, they run away.
Yup, the show has to be seen to be believed.
Of course, this discussion of Saturday Super Heroes wouldn’t be complete without mentioning...
“Atom Ant,” (NBC, 1965)
This was the adventures of a radiation-infused ant who finds himself with super strength powerful enough to take on any villain. Atom Ant was Hanna-Barbera’s first super hero.
Guess you could say, he was the first Ant, man.
So this weekend, during this era of blockbuster summer super hero movies, grab a bowl of your most unhealthiest, sugary cereal and settle in to flashback to a time when Saturdays truly were super!
Sources:
Wikipedia
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