Episode 155 - BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

In the midst of the Caped Crusader's first silver screen renaissance, Batman: The Animated Series reinvented the hero yet again, this time on television. Equally steeped in the worlds of a morally grounded crime-fighter and his menagerie of flamboyant adversaries, the show developed a reputation for turning standard villain-of-the-week stories into thoughtful, emotionally bracing mini-dramas. Its timelessness was enhanced by brooding Art Deco visuals and elegant character designs, and helped launch an animated superhero universe that would endure until the Dark Knight's next cinematic reimagining.

Podcaster extraordinaire Jack Stovold joins us to discuss how the show became a cultural touchstone for Bat-fans, and why it continues to inspire the admiration of cartoon connoisseurs. We are vengeance...we are the night...we are going deep on Batman: The Animated Series!

Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
Developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian

Episodes featured in this podcast:

"Heart of Ice" (aired 9/7/92)
"Beware the Gray Ghost" (aired 11/4/92)
"Joker's Favor" (aired 9/11/92)
"Perchance to Dream" (aired 10/19/92)
"Mudslide" (aired 9/15/93)
"Time Out of Joint" (aired 10/8/94)

Check out all current episodes in our Batman series:
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin

More Jack Stovold:
Reopening the Wormhole
The ApeCast
Jack's Silly Little Friendly Neighborhood Star Trek Discovery Podcast

Episode 88 - SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Among the many superheroes who strengthened their foothold in the cultural consciousness via animated avatars, is there any tale more fortuitous than that of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? In his '90s cartoon, Spidey confidently leaned into his sprawling comic book mythology (recently energized by a badass symbiote named Venom), and re-introduced the world to a sympathetic, wisecracking do-gooder whose popularity would only soar higher in the coming decades.

Bona fide web-head Daniel Borders-Ashe swings by to discuss the defiantly nerdy series that faithfully re-created the structure and the spirit of the comics. Also, we sling suggestions for Spider-Man's (and Stan Lee's) future adventures.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994-1998)
Produced by Bob Richardson
Based on Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Starring Christopher Gary Barnes, Linda Gary, Julie Bennett, Sara Ballantine, Jennifer Hale, Gary Imhoff, Rodney Saulsberry, Roscoe Lee Browne, Hank Azaria, and Ed Asner

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"The Alien Costume, Part 3" (aired 5/13/1995)
"Shriek of the Vulture" (aired 2/17/1996)
"The Return of the Green Goblin" (aired 7/12/1997)
"Spider Wars, Chapter II: Farewell, Spider Man" (1/31/1998)

Episode 80 - MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (Part 2)

Mighty Morphin March rolls on with the second half of our massive MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS discussion, as we react to replacement Rangers, a melange of monsters, and the unholy nuptials of the show's most iconic villains.

It's a journey to the end of franchise viability, and we follow it all the way through confusing zord swaps and aquatic aliens, culminating in an explosive conclusion to a morphenominal era.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1995)
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers (1996)
Created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy
Based on multiple seasons of the Super Sentai series created by Toei
Starring Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, Steven Cardenas, Catherine Sutherland, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, and Jason David Frank

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"The Power Transfer, Part 2" (11/9/94)
"The Wedding, Part 3" (2/15/95)
"Ninja Quest, Part 3" (9/13/95)
"Hogday Afternoon, Part 2" (2/17/96)

Catch up on all Mighty Morphin March episodes:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 1)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 2)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Episode 79 - MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (Part 1)

Mighty Morphin March kicks off with a karate-kicking, robot-fighting, footage-recycling extravaganza that simply could not be contained to a single episode!

The first half of our deep dive into the convoluted mythos of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers covers the initial year of the phenomenon, as the re-purposed adventures of a long-running Japanese superhero squad saturated American airwaves and store shelves in response to an immediate, white-hot demand.

We talk costumes, characters, weapons, and zords while mining our personal experiences to illustrate the show's highly effective strategy for captivating young hearts and minds. Get your finest monochromatic outfit ready... it's morphin' time!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1995)
Created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy
Based on Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger created by Toei
Starring Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, Walter Jones, Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, and Jason David Frank

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"Day of the Dumpster" (aired 8/28/93)
"Green with Evil, Part 5" (aired 10/9/93)
"The Mutiny, Part 3" (8/5/94)
"White Light, Part 2" (10/18/94)

Catch up on all Mighty Morphin March episodes:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 1)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 2)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Episode 57 - TINY TOON ADVENTURES

They were tiny, they were toony, and--rumor has it--each of them were at least a little loony. More than just a remix of classic Looney Tunes characters and humor, Tiny Toon Adventures was a colorful comedic world unto itself and helped launch a golden age of Warner Bros. animated television series.

In this episode, special guest Sam Stovold contributes to our survey of all things Tiny Toons, from the pilot originally broadcast by CBS in prime time, to fondly-remembered segments from the TV show, to the feature-length VHS favorite Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation. Come and join the fun! (And now this post is done.)

Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-1995)
Created by Tom Ruegger
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy
Starring Charlie Adler, Tress MacNeille, Joe Alaskey, Don Messick, Cree Summer, Danny Cooksey, Kath Soucie, Maurice LaMarche, Gail Matthuis, Rob Paulsen, Candi Milo, and Frank Welker

Episodes/segments featured in this podcast:
"The Looney Beginning" (aired 9/14/1990)
Istanbul and Particle Man from "Tiny Toon Music Television" (aired 2/1/1991)
The Potty Years from "Henny Youngman Day" (aired 11/22/1991)
Going Up from "What Makes Toons Tick" (aired 9/17/1992)



Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
Directed by Rich Arons, Ken Boyer, Kent Butterworth, Barry Caldwell, Alfred Gimeno, Art Leonardi, and Byron Vaughns

Produced by Tom Ruegger
Written by Paul Dini, Nicholas Hollander, Tom Ruegger, and Sherri Stoner
Starring the voice talents of Tiny Toon Adventures plus Jonathan Winters, Edie McClurg, and Sorrell Booke



Hear more of Sam Stovold on his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine podcast "Reopening the Wormhole"!

Episode 54 - X-MEN (1992)

A highly serialized superhero adventure that harbored surprisingly mature themes, the animated X-Men was both ahead of its time and a herald of things to come. Along with our resident X-pert, Kevin Gutierrez, we reconnect with the robust roster of mutants and ponder the plotlines that haven't yet made it into the popular live-action films.

This ain't your little brother's Saturday morning cartoon, so cue the kickass theme song and get ready for another X-hilarating, X-citing, and X-cellent episode of WWWW!

X-Men (1992-1997)
Created by Mark Edward Edens, Sidney Iwanter, and Eric Lewald
Based on the comic by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Episodes featured in this podcast:

"Night of the Sentinels, Part 1" (aired 10/31/1992)
"Come the Apocalypse" (aired 2/27/1993)
"A Rogue's Tale" (aired 1/8/1994)
"Phoenix Saga, Part 1 - Sacrifice" (aired 9/5/1994)
"Phoenix Saga, Part 5 - Child of Light" (aired 9/9/1994)

Episode 38 - GOOSEBUMPS

The plot twist is a fascinating element in storytelling.  Respectable fiction uses it as a garnish, part of a wide variety of ingredients that add spice to a narrative.  But a twist can be just as great when it's telegraphed or underlined.  It can enthrall an audience and keep them on edge, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  And boy oh boy, were people ever entranced by Goosebumps and its never-ending supply of ironic and unexpected finales.

In this Halloween special, we examine the many facets of R. L. Stine's media empire, from the books and their awesome cover art to the Twilight Zone-lite children's TV series. And though we somehow forgot to address it in the episode, that bumpin' theme song is one of the all time greats. Listener, beware, you're in for a scare!

Goosebumps (1995-1998)
Created by R. L. Stine

"Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns"
Aired October 26, 1996

"A Shocker on Shock Street"
Aired September 6, 1997