FanExpo 2014: The Awesomes Preview
We’re in a time where, thankfully, cartoons are good again and quickly reaching the quality that was achieved during the 1990’s, and the new Hulu original, The Awesomes, is no exception.
When SNL veteran Seth Meyers decided to make his own superhero cartoon, he had his work cut out for him. How does his new cartoon, The Awesomes, measure up to other recent superhero-centric shows and movies? With shows like Venture Brothers and films like The Incredibles, there’s an established market for parodies of superhero comics. But does The Awesomes stand out against it’s predecessors?
The charm of this new original series is the subtle charm of the writing. There’s snappy, heartfelt dialogue with bizarre and chuckle-worthy twists. It sets itself apart from other superhero-satire shows by executing itself with love: rather than being sarcastic or cruelly mocking the trend of superheroes, it embraces the genre while still poking fun with a sharpened wit.
The series kicks off with the unraveling of much-beloved superhero team, The Awesomes. After the retirement of its founding member, the Superman-esque Mr. Awesome, several other star heroes follow along, forcing Awesome’s overlooked and underachieving son to re-build the team with reject recruits in order to retain government funding. In the face of roasting from the media as well as the authorities, the new Awesomes must overcome their own baggage in order to earn their keep as superheroes.
What makes the series appealing, like any super-powered show or film, are the characters. Despite poking fun at pre-existing well known supers from Marvel and DC, the members of The Awesomes still feel like new and unique characters. The callow and neurotic new team leader, Professor Doctor Awesome is borderline in his quest to prove himself. He’s joined by less-than-wonderful crimefighters like Sumo, a Japanese child who can transform into an iron-clad sumo wrestler, a comical lampoon of iconic characters like The Hulk or Billy Batson. There’s also the wisecracking Gadget Gal, an aging retiree hero whom conveniently de-ages to combine her years of experience with a younger, comely body. Only despite her namesake, she hasn’t done much to keep up with modern-day gadgets. The significance of these characters is not simply their quirks and defects, but also the fact that they make up a completely diverse team.
The Awesomes will make its Canadian premiere on September 4th on Teletoon at Night.
