Of course there was going to be a new [[[Iron Man]]] animated series in the wake of the smash success of the 2008 movie. Marvel delivered [[[Iron Man; Armored Adventures]]], airing on Nicktoons as of spring 20098 with a second season promised this fall.  Vivendi Entertainment has also collected the entire first season on five discs, being released today, the week [[[Iron Man 2]]] jets onto screens coast to coast.

Unlike the 1994 series, also being released this week, this one has no connection to the movie reality or the comic book continuity. Instead, the team lead by showrunner Christopher Yost decided to make this an all-ages Iron Man. Possibly inspired by a storyline that reconfigured Tony Stark into a teenaged shellhead, this series introduces us to teenaged wunderkind Tony, his best pal Rhodey and hits the ground running.

In short, Obadiah Stane has engineered Howard Stark’s death and takes over the company. Tony, not yet of age, is now living with Rhodey and attending high school but accesses a hidden warehouse where he had built the Iron Man armor and uses it when its clear Stane has perverted his father’s work.

We get familiar faces in new roles with Pepper Potts as the gosh-wow female love interest and Happy Hogan as the school dumb jock. Stane, played too much like Lex Luthor rather than an original character, is saddled with a daughter. Whitney, who becomes Madame Masque in a key variation from the source material. New to the mix is Gene Khan, son of the Mandarin and desirous to replace his father, obtaining the five rings of power – one of which Howard Stark found and Stane stole.

The entire first season sets up Stark vs. Stane and Gene’s quest for the five rings of power. Along the way many of Iron Man’s classic foes are repurposed and brought in as pawns or distractions. All 26 episodes rocket us along at a quick pace ending with a cliffhanger, keeping people waiting for the second season to arrive.

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Tony Stark isn’t just a cool exec with a heart of steel. He’s also the technological hero called Iron Man. And with Iron Man 2 coming out this Friday, we’re sure to see new suits of armor with cool improvements. Over the years, Tony has constantly redesigned and updated his armor. There’s been stealth armor, undersea armor, space armor, briefcase armor, armor that has horned face plates, armor with extended shoulder pads, etc., etc.

But some changes are not all they’re cracked up to be and perhaps should’ve been left on the drawing board. So let’s take a look at some of the silliest upgrades Iron Man has made to his famous armor.

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As the 1980s dawned, it was a nadir point for Saturday morning cartoon fare. Concerns over imitative actions by the young viewers led to a decrease in what could be shown on animated series. Additionally, rising costs led to shortcuts and more limited animation, plus the usual cyclic concern over televised violence. Throughout the decade several new trends emerged starting with a greater reliance on licensed properties and personalities to anchor new shows. While the handful of original series showed their allegiance to the latest trends, it also led to a great divide between what was aired first thing in the morning compared with shows for the slightly older audience.

Hanna-Barbera was still the number one provider of fare but Ruby-Spears and the new Marvel Animation proved competitive and they helped changed the look and feel of the cartoons.

Much, but not all of the above, is evidenced in the new two-disc Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1
, being released Tuesday by Warner Home Video. There is an odd sampling of material for all age ranges here, using obscure series and ignoring some better known shows that might have made for a stronger disc.

We open with [[[Goldie & Action Jack]]], which ran from 1981 – 1984. The premise featured 18 year-old Goldie Gold, who used her wealth to run [[[The Gold Street Journal]]] and often accompanied her best investigative reporter, Action Jack. Accompanied by her dog Nugget (every series had o have a pet it seems), they went on adventures around the world. However, as seen in “Night of the Crystal Skull” they often stumbled into adventures and stories and Action Jack is more moron than journalist.

The first of several celebrity series follows with [[[Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos]]]. The television action star filmed opening and closing bits then a goofy animated adventure followed. He’s accompanied by an odd assortment of followers and at least the animation is pretty sharp and the story moves at a nice clip.

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