The anchor series are the CG-animated Green Lantern: The Animated Series and the continuing Young Justice. Green Lantern launched with an hour-long movie last November, but this spring marks the debut of the recurring series. The premise is that Hal Jordan fights the evil Red Lantern Corps along the Guardian Frontier in deep space. (Emphasizing the space-faring no-Earth-connection setup I didn’t care for in the movie.) The voice cast includes:

• Josh Keaton as Hal Jordan (he previously was the lead in The Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon)
• Jason Spisak as Razer, former Red Lantern (he also plays Kid Flash in Young Justice)
• Kevin Michael Richardson as Kilowog (also Martian Manhunter in Young Justice)
• Grey DeLisle as Aya (she’s the excellent Daphne in Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated)

The original programming block will also include new short cartoons featuring other DC characters. From the press release:

With fresh designs and concepts, fan favorites such as Plastic Man and Doom Patrol will finally take center stage next to the likes of Wonder Woman and Teen Titans. Bringing them to life will be the result of a collaboration with some of the top talents in the animation industry, which include award-winning Aardman Studios (Arthur Christmas, Wallace and Gromit) with its stop-motion clay animation techniques, and the unique direction and character designs of Lauren Faust (The Powerpuff Girls, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic). In addition to these shorts, DC Nation will also feature event programming, interstitials, exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at theatrical motion pictures, and an insider look into the world of all things DC Comics.

Here’s some sample art, showing Ardman’s version of the characters:

And a couple of Plastic Man stills:

Plus, I’m not sure why this Teen Titans image was included, but I love it:

Overall, DC Nation sounds like lots of opportunities to advertise cross-platform media projects to kids. That probably explains this company description at the end of the PR: “DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables), and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games.”

Pepe Le Pew:
Zee Best of Zee Best

Not from me this time. Warner Bros. is offering its Warner Rewards members a chance to win its new Looney Tunes Super Stars: Pepe Le Pew: Zee Best of Zee Best collection, being promoted for Valentine’s Day.

Featuring 17 cartoons, this DVD has all the amorous skunk you could possibly want. All the cartoons have basically the same plot — cat gets white stripe on back, French skunk chases her — and they feel a little like date rape jokes these days, but it is Chuck Jones animation. Plus, the disc includes “Dog Pounded”, a Sylvester and Tweety piece with a Pepe cameo.

To enter, sign up or log in and visit the Warner Rewards giveaways page before February 15.

Jem and the Holograms:
Season Two

Jem and the Holograms: Season Two comes out on DVD on February 14. Thanks to Shout! Factory, I have a copy you can win before then!

In case you’re not familiar with the show, KC did a writeup of the Complete Series when it came out on DVD last year. The Season Two set includes 26 episodes on four DVDs plus a Video Jukebox special feature, so you can hear all of the band’s tunes easily.

To enter this contest for your chance to win, post a comment here with your favorite pop song from the 80s. Winners will be picked randomly from all entries on Monday, February 13.

(U.S. and Canada addresses only. Winners will be emailed to confirm email address. If email is not answered within 24 hours or a valid email address is not provided, a replacement winner will be selected. Your email won’t be used for any other purpose.)

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Season 1 Part 2

Personally, I enjoy the longer packages, since watching more episodes in a bunch means I pick up on more of the details. Even though there is no “Season 1 Part 1″, I hope there will be in the future, combining the previous volume-numbered discs in one package.

I’ve talked about the appeal of the show previously, when I reviewed some of the individual discs, so please read those for the basic details. There are no extras or special features on this set.

This set opens with the 13th episode, which originally aired October 2010. “When the Cicada Calls” features insect attacks. Is there anything creepier than a menacing swarm of bugs? Especially when it’s shown in such a visually interesting way, resembling at times living static. This show can be funny, but in episodes like this, it can also be pretty scary.

One of the group’s professors (Dave “Gruber” Allen), who *really* loves his bugs, is a suspect, as well as making Fred jealous of Daphne’s fondness for him. During the classroom scenes, we see that Scooby goes to class with the other kids, sitting in his own desk. I love id’ing the creative examples of voice casting; for example, in this episode, Marion Ross plays Grandma Moonbeam, a natural snack spokeswoman with a secret. You can hear her briefly in this clip:

That episode is kind of a one-off, without the allusions to other genre works I most appreciate about this show, but the next, 14th episode (which marked the show’s return in May 2011) is one of the series’ high points. In “Mystery Solvers Club State Finals”, guest stars include Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, Captain Caveman, and the Funky Phantom, plus their respective teen teams. All these Hanna-Barbera groups had the same basic premise as Scooby-Doo, mystery teen solvers with some weird mascot: dog, car, shark, ghost, etc. Here, they assemble for a competition, only for all the teens to get kidnapped, leaving the sidekicks to save the day.

Best of all, much of this episode is animated in the classic Scooby style. I love the revamp redesign, but it’s also a nostalgic kick to see the old-school approach. With all the details and gags, this is definitely an episode best watched on video, with the pause button handy. I thought it was wonderful hearing Speed Buggy’s putt-putt voice again, especially when Angel Dynamite (Vivica A. Fox) drove him up to the school’s roof.

“The Wild Brood” is another evocative blast from the past, only this time, it mashes up motorcycle movie The Wild One with monsters — well-spoken orc bikers, specifically. This episode also features the return of the season-spanning Mr. E (Lewis Black) mystery.

A love spell takes over the town (masterminded by a character played by Tricia Helfer) in “Where Walks Aphrodite”, featuring the return of the parrot Professor Pericles. “Escape from Mystery Manor” really ramps up the season-spanning secret quest, as the gang attempts to find out what happened to the previous version of Mystery Incorporated while investigating the disappearance of the Darrows and their (now booby-trapped) mansion 75 years ago. It also features one of my favorite Scooby lines: “Why does he think I’m a bird?”

An exchange student comes to town in “The Dragon’s Secret”, which opens with a sequence reminiscent of Gremlins and guest-stars George Takei. The student, Mai Le (Stephanie Sheh), and Shaggy hit it off surprisingly well, which is convenient when a wizard (James Hong) comes after her, in a battle that reminded me of Big Trouble in Little China, with plenty of eye-catching electrical effects.

Shaggy and Scooby talk to Vincent Van Ghoul

Vincent Van Ghoul (from The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, but voiced this time by Maurice LaMarche, excellently) returns in “Nightfright”, which also references a number of Vincent Price movies. Shaggy and Scooby win an essay contest to have dinner with the famous horror movie star, only to be attacked by a monster. Very funny, especially in the details, such as how Vincent sets his home alarm: by playing a pipe organ. Another one of the show’s top episodes.

Disc two begins with “The Siren’s Song”, in which aquatic demons attack. Velma investigates on her own, since she’s feeling lonely, what with Fred and Daphne dating and Scooby and Shaggy gorging at a restaurant’s all-you-can-eat night. Soon, though, her friends get involved in fighting the “fish freaks” as well. There’s a cameo appearance by Flim Flam (also from The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo), who’s revealed as a teenage con artist, as well as an even more famous former Scooby supporting cast member. Plus, we learn Angel Dynamite’s backstory.

Mr. E and the original Mystery Incorporated

Revelations continue in “Menace of the Manticore”, as the local carnival is terrorized, with the identity of Mr. E shown to the viewer. Favorite cameos this episode include Dylan and Brenda, returning from the first episode, and voice actress Linda Cardellini, who played Velma in the live-action movies.

“Attack of the Headless Horror” brings an Indiana Jones/Allan Quartermain-type explorer (James Patrick Stuart) to Crystal Cove, where he’s teaching school in order to give his wife (Julie Bowen) a rest from the jungle. Typical of this series, it’s a cock-eyed take on a familiar genre, one that wonders just how everyone around the super-adventurer feels about his self-centered activities. That’s what gives Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated a layer that appeals to adults, not just kids.

Dr. Spartan and the Scooby gang

Things move quickly through the final four episodes of the first season. “A Haunting in Crystal Cove” attacks Fred’s dad, the Mayor (Gary Cole), leading us to ask “if Fred is an only child, why does he have bunk beds?” Vincent Van Ghoul cameos, and this episode has my favorite monster: Evil Pizza, a possessed pie. There’s a former sheriff’s ghost in “Dead Justice” who looks like Jonah Hex, only with screaming bullets, and he’s out to force the retirement of the current Sheriff Stone (Patrick Warburton). This felt like something of a filler episode to me, since I was interested in finding out more about the modern-day mystery involving the town, but I suspect if you like Westerns or horses, you’ll enjoy it more.

“Pawn of Shadows” finally reveals the fate of the prior Mystery Incorporated group, with the assistance of H.P. Hatecraft (Jeffrey Combs), who’s trying to write a teen vampire novel, because his style of horror story is no longer in fashion. There’s a cameo by the Jonny Quest gang and a callback to episode six. The season ends with “All Fear the Freak”, which wraps up the mystery — for now — with the revelation of Fred’s secret family history. It’s something of a down note, with the group going their separate ways temporarily, but I presume they’ll be reunited for the second season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, due to return in May.

Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous

I guess there wasn’t an appropriate Avengers story to put out for the movie … Marvel has announced that the next release in the Marvel Knights line of motion comics will be Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous.

This is a return to the characters from the first entry in the Shout! Factory DVD series, which was Astonishing X-Men: Gifted. Since then, there’s been Iron Man: Extremis, Black Panther, Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D., and Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers.

Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous is due out April 10, and it’s promoted as “From Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind the upcoming motion picture release Marvel’s The Avengers, and award-winning artist John Cassaday”. It’s based on the comic book collection of the same name, originally published as Astonishing X-Men #7-12 and thus following directly from Gifted. In that comic story, the Danger Room became the sentient robot Danger and sent Sentinels after the X-Men.

I was pleasantly surprised by how effective the limited animation techniques could be with Gifted, so I’m hoping to check this one out too.

Underdog: The Complete Series

There’s no need to fear… Underdog is here! It’s the classic animated superhero parody, all three seasons, on nine discs, in the Complete Series DVD set, due out February 21. Per Shout! Factory, “the set also includes beloved shorts starring Go Go Gophers, The World Of Commander McBragg (quite!), and Klondike Kat, plus bonuses”. Those include a featurette, alternate episode openings and closings, and commentaries with writer/ producer/ cocreator W. Watts Biggers, voice actor George S. Irving, producer Treadwell Covington, and animation historian Mark Arnold.

Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales:
Complete Collection

On March 6, it’s a complete collection of Tennessee Tuxedo, as voiced by Don Adams. (Plus Larry Storch as Phineas J. Whoopee.) 70 episodes on six DVDs plus a featurette, commentaries, and a commemorative book.

On February 17, Disney will release the newest Studio Ghibli movie: The Secret World of Arrietty. Here’s the trailer:

As pointed out, this is based on the classic series of novels that began with The Borrowers by Mary Norton, about a family of little people who live in the walls of houses and live off items “borrowed” from the Big People. It’s a wonderful choice for a cartoon, since animation allows the various-sized characters to interact realistically without a layer of special effects.

Arrietty is voiced by Bridgit Mendler, while her parents are played by real-life couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. Carol Burnett plays the home’s housekeeper, while Shawn, the boy who makes friends with Arrietty, is David Henrie (the son on How I Met Your Mother; both kid actors also have recurring roles on the Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place). Hiromasa Yonebayashi also directed the running-on-waves scene in Ponyo that was so distinctive and memorable; this is his first full-length film as director. The original screenplay is by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, while the English-language version is by Karey Kirkpatrick.

In conjunction with the film, manga publisher Viz is releasing three tie-in books on February 7.

The Secret World of Arrietty Picture Book ($19.99) is a hardcover aimed at younger readers that retells the movie story using animation cel art from the film.

The Secret World of Arrietty Film Comics ($16.99 each) consists of two volumes in paperback retelling the story, also using film frames.

Of most interest to me is The Art of The Secret World of Arrietty ($34.99), a celebration of the film “from initial concept to the silver screen, thanks to hundreds of sketches, concept drawings, and animation cels, plus in-depth interviews with the creators.” Katherine Dacey recommends it.

The show is described as: “Pac-Man does battle with Inky, Blinky, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue, the Ghost Monster minions of the dreaded Mezmaron, who lusts after Pac-Land’s precious power spheres. Aided by his plucky and charming wife and son, Pac-Man saves the Pac-President, confronts the vampiric Pacula, discovers the Abominable Pac-Man, and more. Pac-Venture awaits — no quarters required!”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but there’s something weirdly American about turning a Japanese video game import into a Saturday morning cartoon spin-off.

Marvel has announced that they will be launching “two all-new ongoing comic book titles for comic fans of all ages” in April. The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Adventures will be written by Chris Yost and drawn by Adam Dekraker and contain two stories told “through the eyes of Agent Coulson.”

Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures will be written by Dan Slott & Ty Templeton and “Man of Action”, a group responsible for the popular Ben 10 cartoon. I’m assuming that so many credits means multiple stories there as well. Art will be by Nuno Plati.

Both books will be priced at $2.99 US. Both match the titles of the Marvel cartoons launching the “Marvel Universe” programming block on Disney XD on April 1. The Spider-Man cover even matches the TV promo art, complete with Photoshop-blurred feet.

This method, of releasing kids’ comics based on what has other-media support in cartoons, is the same strategy DC’s followed for years. It makes sense to attempt to build synergy and get free TV advertising.

Although it’s been available on Blu-ray, Ralph Bakshi’s 1977 Wizards is being rereleased for its 35th anniversary in a hardcover book package on March 13 from Twentieth Century Fox.

The book includes 24 pages of art from the film, some never-before-seen images, and “a special message from Bakshi”. List price is only $19.99, which means this piece of animated history will be available at a reasonable cost. Presumably, the special features from the previous release — including a commentary track by writer/director Bakshi and a featurette, “Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation” — will carry over as well.

From what I recall of seeing the film during a midnight screening at college, the movie is much of its time, which gives it a fascinating time-capsule quality today. As described by the marketing:

Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, this fantasy adventure follows the story of Avatar, the kindly, eccentric sorcerer-ruler of Montagar, a rainbow paradise inhabited by elves and fairies. Avatar’s evil brother Blackwolf dominates Scortch, a bleak land of goblins and wraiths. When the power-hungry Blackwolf attacks Montagar, Avatar, accompanied only by a spirited young woman and a courageous elf, must enter the darkness of Scortch to save his world.

There’s a much lengthier summary at the Wikipedia article. Here’s an example of some of the troops assembled:

As well as one of the more unusual rotoscope-like techniques incorporated:

Also, the “spirited young woman” doesn’t wear much, as shown here.

There’s a comparison to the Nazis in the bad guy’s plan, so note that swastikas and similar imagery are portrayed. My main memory of the film (I suppose this involves a spoiler, but it won’t mean much to you unless you already know the movie) has to do with the film projector the bad guy is using for his nefarious propaganda purposes.

At a key point in the climax, a character cries out, “The projector is destroyed!” At just that moment, our rackety old machine showing the movie broke down, as it tended to do. Kind of spooky at the time, but very apt. Certainly fixed the experience of seeing Wizards in my head.

I told that story before, when we talked about Wizards airing on cable. Bakshi also animated The Lord of the Rings in 1978, which is also available on home video.

Universal has announced that they are releasing Hop (the Easter Bunny movie with the voice of Russell Brand as the rabbit) on Blu-ray and DVD on March 23, ready to put in all those Easter baskets.

The story involves the bunny (animated via CGI) making friends with “Los Angeles underachiever Fred (James Marsden, in live action)” because the rabbit really wants to be a drummer. However, when chick Carlos (Hank Azaria) tries to take over Easter, the bunny has to step up to his destiny. Here’s the trailer:

The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes both an iTunes-compatible digital copy (for a limited time) AND UltraViolet access, since Universal has apparently learned from Warner’s lesson that some customers really don’t like the UV system. There’s also a new “mini-movie” starring chicks Phil and Carlos. Additional special features include “an interactive map of Easter Island to experience the making of Hop“, some Russell Brand comedy spots with kids, more about Phil and Carlos (they’re like the yellow things from Despicable Me, aren’t they? the cute side characters everyone loves?), and three games.

Anyone seen it? I missed Hop in theaters, but it seems like it would be amusing, especially with the cast. In addition to the two guys listed above, there’s also Kaley Cuoco, Hugh Laurie, Gary Cole, and Elizabeth Perkins.

Marvel Universe on Disney XD will be the ultimate place for fans to find exclusive Marvel content, including new animated short-form series, live-action interstitials, and the series return of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The block will be home to Marvel’s biggest superstars, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and many more, to introduce dynamic stories of action, adventure and heroism to a whole new generation.

Disney XD has been the company’s attempt to expand their outreach to boys. The Marvel acquisition was also framed in those terms, so this is not surprising and a great match. The centerpiece of the Marvel Universe programming block will be the new cartoon series Ultimate Spider-Man, which features Peter Parker “as the newest member of Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. organization [and] on a team with four other teenage superheroes.” No word on who those other characters might be, although I do admit that I like Spidey best in a team setting, even though I know that’s not the core of his character.

Drake Bell plays Peter/Spider-Man, with Chi McBride voicing Nick Fury and (most exciting to me) JK Simmons reprising his movie role as J. Jonah Jameson. Clark Gregg will also carry over from the movies as Agent Coulson, while Stan Lee guests as “Stan the Janitor”. Disney XD previously carried a Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon several years ago.

I wasn’t particularly following news about the upcoming 3-D re-release of Beauty and the Beast, because I’m not a huge fan of that movie format. (The film was released to home video in 3-D last October, and it will begin running in theaters starting January 13.) But I did just hear one tidbit that makes me much more interested in potentially seeing it.

Showing before the main feature will be a new short, “Tangled Ever After”, a sequel to last year’s Rapunzel retelling Tangled. It involves the wedding of Flynn and the princess, and as this clip shows, the horse and the lizard manage to lose the rings:

I’m really amazed by how effective animation has become in capturing realistic expressions. Check the look Flynn gives the little gnome guy as the bride enters. The plot description of “Tangled Ever After” is as follows:

When Pascal and Maximus, as flower chameleon and ring bearer, respectively, lose the gold bands, a frenzied search and recovery mission gets underway. As the desperate duo tries to find the rings before anyone discovers that they’re missing, they leave behind a trail of comical chaos that includes flying lanterns, a flock of doves, a wine barrel barricade, and a very sticky finale. Will Maximus and Pascal save the day and make it to the church in time?

Update: Here’s another clip, showing Pascal chasing down one of the escaped wedding rings. I imagine all those flying props look amazing in 3-D.

Jem and the Holograms: Season Two

Jem and the Holograms: Season Two will contain 26 episodes on four DVDs plus a Video Jukebox special feature. Suggested retail price is $29.93. The set is described as follows:

The adventures of JEM and The Holograms continue with a talent search for a new member, an Aztec mystery, a trip to meet the President, a Hollywood film, and more! Jem and The Holograms are producing hit after hit on the music charts, but keeping Jem’s true identity a secret has been far tougher. Kimber, Aja, Shana, and newcomer Raya are Jem/ Jerrica’s best friends as well as the musical force behind Jem — and the only people who know her true identity. Together, the girls provide cool cover-ups for Jem/ Jerrica while navigating some pretty sticky situations and battling their troublesome rival rock band, The Misfits!

Just when you least expect it, a new season of Futurama pops up, like a bad uncle or a smelly penny. It’s the little show that refuses to die, while getting better and better as it scrapes its way back to television year after year. It’s great watching new episodes (and classic episodes) on Comedy Central, but it’s even better getting a new collection (available in both DVD and Blu-ray) of the most recent batch of shows, packed with Special Features for the uber-fan.

This new 13-episode, two-disc set is called Futurama: Volume 6, although what’s exactly on it is a little confusing, reflecting the history of the oft-neglected little show. But I’ll get to that in a bit.

Ok, we’ll go deliver this crate like professionals, and then we’ll go ride the bumper cars.

Futurama Volume 6

So, is all this confusion worth it? Absolutely. Futurama is one of the most intelligent, outrageously funny, and most honored shows on TV. Each episode of the show rewards the viewer on several different levels. On the surface, it’s just a funny cartoon, with wacky characters doing slap-sticky things, but the dirty little secret is that Futurama is actually an extremely clever (as in you usually don’t ever realize this) satire of everyday life, as filtered though a science-fiction-ish society a thousand years from today. It’s also a workplace comedy (one of the most popular characters is Scruffy, the janitor), albeit one filled with surreal humor. (The Hypnotoad made me say that.) Since it’s no longer on stodgy Fox, with the more liberal standards of Comedy Central, the humor in these new episodes is even more outrageous. Although, not everything the Futurama crew dreams of makes it to air — so don’t miss the generous portions of depravity in the Deleted Scenes on the disc extras.

Speaking of extras, Futurama Volume 6 has plenty! The best for long-time fans is the 11-minute Futurama F.A.Q. (Frequently Axed Questions), an irreverent Q&A with actual fan questions (as read by Bender) and answered (usually) in the most confounding way possible. The 17-minute Professor Farnsworth’s “Science of a Scene” takes a behind-the-scenes look at the episode “Overclockwise” and goes through the many steps involved in producing an episode from start to finish. “Reincarnation Explained” is a seven-minute look at the Season Finale “Reincarnation”. That’s easily one of the series’ best episodes, featuring three different vignettes using three different animation styles: old-school B&W animation (in the Fleischer Studios “bouncy” style), early low-res video game style (think Atari 2600), and anime. Brilliantly produced and funny, too!

I usually groan when I see TV box sets with commentary tracks for every episode (overkill!), but Futurama is the rare exception, because every Futurama commentary (like the show itself) functions on several different levels. If you’re a mega-nerd, you’re in good company, since the show is created by them, and they love to geek out over every minute detail. For those of us not paying complete attention to the episodes, the friendly geeks also love to point out where all the “hidden gags and secret messages” are. There’s usually a lot, and they’re incredibly happy to geek out over those, as well. But in case the commentary gets too nerd-centric, there’s usually a voice actor or two participating (occasionally having their characters comment) to provide a completely different level of anarchy in the recording booth. John DiMaggio (voice of Bender) is particularly good at this.

Interesting. No, wait, the other thing: tedious.

Besides those episodes previously mentioned, Futurama Season 6 offers up a good percentage of great episodes. “Yo Leela Leela” is an often biting parody of modern-day children’s programming (specifically some of Nickelodeon’s offerings), with a special voice cameo from Tom Kenny, the voice of some of Nick’s popular characters. “Möbius Dick” not only is based on the similarly titled literary masterpiece, it features a cameo from Doctor Who, incorporates concepts from Uncanny X-Men, confuses the Biblical story of Jonah with Pinocchio, and its “spaceship graveyard” sequence is the funniest thing I saw all year (especially since I’m such a big music fan). “Benderama” features not only guest voice Patton Oswalt, but also references grey goo, The Twilight Zone, and Newhart. “All the Presidents’ Heads” is a fun time-travel episode involving the preserved heads of the Presidents of the United States (including a few we don’t know about yet), as well as characters from Firefly, Amy Pond (from Doctor Who), and Owen Harper (from Torchwood). The Doctor himself shows up again, and there are references to Andy Warhol, Monty Python, Manchester United, and the XXII Winter Olympics. And in “The Tip of the Zoidberg”, we learn the secret relationship between Dr. Farnsworth and Zoidberg (and specifically why the latter still has a job).

AND NOW… MORE PROMISED INFORMATION

Curious about the strange broadcast history of Futurama? These next couple of paragraphs are for you! However, for those of you who are bored by numbers or explanations (and if you are, why are you watching Futurama?), please skip this section and move to the next heading.

And remember, don’t do anything that affects anything, unless it turns out you were supposed to, in which case, for the love of God, don’t not do it!

Futurama originally ran for several seasons on the Fox Network, beginning in 1999, although no one seems to know exactly how many because the show was frequently preempted by NFL Football. This kept happening because Fox deliberately scheduled it in a timeslot that was always preempted by football (at least in some time zones) — which shows you the high regard that the network had for the show. Eventually, Fox canceled Futurama. (Although some sources indicate that the series was never canceled at all — Fox just stopped ordering new episodes. (How rude.)) All the episodes that Fox showed (or didn’t show, depending on time zone you lived in) were collected into DVD collections called Volumes 1-4. Because of football, it took Fox five years to show four seasons of shows.

For a while, everybody thought that the show was gone forever. But something interesting happened. When Cartoon Network started running Futurama reruns in their Adult Swim block of programming, the ratings (relatively speaking) went through the roof. The show continued to do well on Cartoon Network, and again on Comedy Central when the CN agreement ran out. In 2007, production of four Futurama direct-to-DVD movies led to those being broken into 16 “new” episodes of the series, which are usually referred to (production-wise anyway) as Futurama Season 5. Then in June 2009, it was announced that Comedy Central had picked up the series for an additional series of 26 episodes (in production terms: Futurama Season 6). However, Comedy Central opted to show them in two separate batches of 13 episodes each in 2010 and 2011. And that’s how they’re being released on disc — as two different two-disc, 13-episode sets, confusingly called Volume 5 and Volume 6.

To make matters even more confusing, if you purchase and watch Futurama digitally, the group of shows on DVD/Blu-ray Volume 6 is called “Season 8” on iTunes and Amazon — and the episodes are listed in air date order there. As always, for the physical disc collections, the episodes are arranged in production order. If this is too confusing, we could probably call in Stephen Hawking (a frequent Futurama “guest”) to explain it better. But he’s probably too busy being on Futurama.

All in all, I had a pretty sweet life. How about we grab a six pack and watch the universe end.

Futurama Volume 6 features 13 complete episodes as a two-disc set. (As far as I can tell, the DVD and Blu-ray have identical contents.) It’s in eco-friendly packaging (at least the DVD is), although the box is highly crushable (the set’s only real drawback) — so you might want to purchase this one in a store, rather than having it crushed during shipping (if you care about such things). I really like the new, modern design of the set’s cover — very colorful and eye-catching.

And “good news, everyone!” Futurama will return to Comedy Central for 26 more episodes, with the first 13 to air in the summer of 2012, and the others in 2013. These will include a political episode — Nixon’s head is running for re-election in 3012. (I kinda hope he wins.) Also, Bender impregnates a soda machine, and, oh yeah, the end of the world is predicted for 3012.

Unless it actually ends in 2012… “Sweet zombie Jesus!” (The studio provided a review copy.)

Happiness Is… Peanuts: Snow Days

She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown focuses on Peppermint Patty training for a skating competition, coached by Snoopy, but it’s full of the usual Peanuts gags, as though the strips themselves were animated. It originally aired in 1980. I’ve never seen a Patty-focused episode before, and it was an interesting change. I particularly liked getting more Marcie; she works on Patty’s costume.

Another item unusual to the Peanuts viewer: Patty has a conversation with her teacher, and the adult isn’t a waa-waa trombone, but an actual voice. Many of the jokes focus on having to get up early to practice, and the various characters falling asleep as a result. The skating sessions are calming and beautifully seasonal, especially the ones set outdoors on a pond. For those alone, this is a great episode for the winter months.

The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show episode is “Sally’s Sweet Babboo”, featuring three segments. “The Play” begins with Charlie Brown writing an essay about his most interesting Christmas. He and Sally are trying to sell homemade wreaths to raise money for the holiday play, while the other kids prepare for their roles. Of course, the play collapses in entertaining fashion. Here’s a clip:

“Sweet Babboo!” is a Valentine segment, with stories about the kids hoping for cards from those they’re interested in, while Sally obsesses about Linus. “Snoopy’s Story” is another Patty-centric section, as she writes about how extraordinary a dog Snoopy is, bringing together clips of everything he’s done.

The “Happiness Is… Peanuts” DVD line has two other collections: Snoopy’s Adventures (out now) and Friends Forever (due in two weeks). Each one contains an episode of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show along with one of the prime-time specials and lists for $14.98. This is Warner’s third packaging try, after stalling out on Deluxe Editions that combined two prime-time specials (such as I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown) with a new featurette for $19.98. Then came the decade collections, such as the 1960′s Collection, that contained six episodes for $29.98.

While collectors (like us) prefer the bigger sets with special features and would rather buy a season set of the 18 Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show episodes, these new “Happiness Is… Peanuts” discs allow for cheaper family shopping. They’re obviously aimed at the kids’ audience, and since all the Peanuts cartoons are new to the younger viewer, special features are no longer needed. At least a new generation is getting to experience the appeal of these characters. (The studio provided a review copy.)

The movie will be released on February 28, 2012. The Blu-ray Combo Pack (list price $24.98) will include these special features, according to the press release:

• Sneak Peak at Superman vs. the Elite, the next DC Universe animated original movie
• Featurette “A Legion of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story” — The skilled writer penned some of the best stories which consistently entertained fans. From his early writing career to adapting the popular work of All-Star Superman, this is the story of Dwayne McDuffie, as told by his family and friends.
• Featurette “Guarding the Balance: Batman and the JLA” — Everyone has a weakness and so do superheroes, yet when they go rogue, their power can topple more than a few egos, they can shatter worlds. The Justice League is the most powerful organization of superheroes on the planet, but what if the Justice League went rogue, and decided to use their power for harm?
• Mini-featurette “Their Time Has Come: Cyborg and the DC Universe’s New Diversity” — 2011 will go down in DC Comics’ storied history as a year when a rich diversity of characters were re-introduced into the spotlight alongside Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. One of the most celebrated of the re-imagined characters is Cyborg, who became the new Man of Steel in Geoff Johns’ altered universe storyline, Flashpoint.
• Creative team commentary
• Two bonus episodes from the Justice League animated series handpicked by Bruce Timm: “Wild Cards, Part 1 and 2”, written by Stan Berkowitz and Dwayne McDuffie
• Digital comic

There will also be a standard DVD (list price $19.98) edition; no word yet on whether any of these features will also appear there. Both versions will also include a digital copy using the much-maligned UltraViolet system. Typical of these movies, the rating is PG-13.

Regarding the next film after this one, The Elite were an Authority-inspired superteam parody created by Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke, Lee Bermejo, and Tom Nguyen in Action Comics #775 (March 2001). They then got their own 12-issue miniseries, Justice League Elite, which was reprinted in two collections. (Since they’re now out of print, if this is the same Elite as in the movie, I’d expected an omnibus edition or new printing next year.)

I’ve previously posted the trailer for Justice League: Doom if you’d like to see more.

Transformers Prime:
The Complete First Season

The set will be available March 6, 2012, on either four DVDs or in a Limited Edition Blu-ray four-disc set. Both sets have 26 episodes (including the five Darkness Rising shows), but only the Blu-ray comes with a 96-page graphic novel from IDW, and only for a limited time. Preorders are now open; here’s the Amazon link for the DVD set (list price $29.93). The Blu-ray, linked to the right, has a list price of $64.99.

I know that the Transformers comics have been particularly successful, but I’m not sure they’re worth double the price, but I’m not the target audience. The Blu-ray will likely look amazing, since this is a computer-generated animated series, so the upgrade may be worth it just for the technical quality. The Transformers Prime series has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.

Transformers Prime: Darkness Rising

Now, Transformers Prime: Darkness Rising is available on DVD in a special format. The miniseries has been edited together into one uninterrupted movie, and it’s available starting Tuesday from Shout! Factory. Bonus content will include animatics and concept designs for characters and backgrounds.

The Autobots, including favorites Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Bumblebee (no credit, because he doesn’t talk), are still fighting the Decepticons, led by Megatron (Frank Welker), although this series provides a fresh start for new, younger fans, as represented by three teenage characters. In Darkness Rising, the Autobots, including Arcee (Sumalee Montano), Ratchet (Jeffrey Combs), and Bulkhead (Kevin Michael Richardson), have to stop Megatron from conquering Earth. Here’s the DVD trailer:

A series about robots fighting is a great choice for CGI, since the computer-generated animation suits the metallic content well. From this clip, I learned that Arcee is the female Transformer (a motorcycle in her other form):

And in this one, Optimus Prime explains the premise of the series to the three teens. The girl, Miko, is the sassy one.

This set includes 13 episodes on two discs, with each episode about 23 minutes, including credits and opening sequence, which is shown here:

Since most of the stories are two-parters, that makes for seven different globe-trotting adventures. There’s no introduction; we’re thrown right into the action, with the assumption that we either know boy hero Tintin (voiced by Colin O’Meara), his dog Snowy, the two goofy detectives Thompson and Thomson, and Captain Haddock (whom we meet in the first episode), or we can pick up their roles pretty quickly. Here’s the list of episodes included in the set:

The Adventures of Tintin:
Season One

1. The Crab With the Golden Claws (Parts 1 and 2)
2. The Secret of the Unicorn (Parts 1 and 2)
3. Red Rackham’s Treasure
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh (Parts 1 and 2)
5. The Blue Lotus (Parts 1 and 2)
6. The Black Island (Parts 1 and 2)
7. The Calculus Affair (Parts 1 and 2)

Stories 1, 2, and 3 are reported to have influenced the plot of The Adventures of Tintin movie (due out December 21).

The style is very faithful, and the animation is high-quality, with plenty of motion and strong, European-flavored coloring. The series was a joint Canadian-French production from 1991-1993, airing in the US on HBO, then on Nickelodeon. The goal was to accurately capture Herge’s graphic novels, although with a little less violence and fewer ethnic stereotypes to make it suitable for kids as well as adults.

The only flaw in this set is the lack of any extras. A short documentary would have been helpful in introducing the American audience to the character and his significance over the decades. Otherwise, I haven’t seen a cartoon series with this much quality and exciting adventure in ages, and I love the world-wide perspective. This is a terrific way to enjoy the famous comic character. (The studio provided a review copy.)