In the vein of my other post about Native-American animated characters, I decided to find and post 15 prominent Mexican/Latino characters. Actually, there’s more than 15, since some shows have an entire cast of Latino characters, but I’m only featuring the lead(s) in those cases.

Horatio Vallejo (Fillmore!) (screenshot not found) (Mexican-American)

Señor Senior Senior and Señor Senior Junior (Kim Possible)

Talon/Teresa, Aquamaria/Maria?, Carmendillo/Carmen? and Ferret (Static Shock)

Hector Felipé Corrio/Skate Lad (Teamo Supremo) (Mexico)

The cast of ¡Mucha Lucha!

Maya and Miguel Santos (Maya and Miguel)

LaCienega Boulevardez and her family (The Proud Family)

Kinnikuman Mariposa (Kinnikuman) ( Mexico)

Manny Garcia (Handy Manny)

Diego Márquez (Go Diego Go!)

El Tigre and cast (El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera) (Mexico)

Dora Márquez (Dora the Explorer)

ForwardSyria posted a story this month about how Kuwaiti-published comic book The 99 is in the final talks with a major U.S. television station to develop and produce a cartoon show that could premiere as early as this fall. Not many people probably know about this comic (including myself), so in preparation for the cartoon’s debut, let’s familiarize ourselves with the comic book and its characters. Also, a question that I hope to have answered by the end of this post is what kind of effect The 99 will have on American audiences, particularly in this fear-mongering, paranoid time and place America is in right now.

The 99, created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa (also the founder and C.E.O. of Teshkeel Comics, the comics company who publishes The 99) revolves around ordinary teens and adults from around the globe who find one of the 99 Noor Stones, which empowers the stone-holders in different ways. Each problem in the issues can be solved by two or three of the stone-holders coming together to use their powers. The comic book began its run in the Middle East in 2006, with a subsequent U.S. run in 2007. As a matter of fact, many of the artists and writers on the book are from D.C. and Marvel. Also, D.C. did a crossover miniseries with the Justice League and The 99.

What The 99 can do for American audiences is a) teach children (and adults, for that matter) about the Middle East and the actual religion of Islam, not the fearmongering version being spread through the infotainment news, and b) lessen the amount of people who think that people who are from the Middle East or are Muslim are somehow different than the rest of us.

Take for instance shows like Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and Dora the Explorer. Before these children’s shows, animated Chinese or Mexican characters were few and far between. Also, since there was a gap in the market for Asian and Mexican/Latino characters, children would either have to learn about the cultures on their own (like me circa the mid ’90s) or feed into the stereotypes taught by other shows. By not having much representation in the media, it was subliminally taught that Chinese/Asian and Mexian/Latino people had life experiences that other people couldn’t relate to. But now, by having characters like Kai-Lan and Dora, children (and their caretakers) can learn that just because you come from a different culture doesn’t mean there is nothing about you or your life that other people can relate to.

Similarly, The 99 could do the same for Middle Eastern and/or Muslim people. Right now, there isn’t any Muslim or Middle Eastern cartoon character on television right now. If The 99 actually made it to American television, it could help counteract a lot of the unneeded hatred toward all Middle Easterners and/or Muslims. It could show audiences that just because a person might be Middle Eastern and/or Muslim doesn’t mean that there is nothing about them other people can relate to.

I, for one, hope The 99 makes it to television, and I’ll hope the show can do much more for America than merely entertain.

Over at The Nerd Signal is a list of the shows Cartoon Network has launched or will launch this year and (I’m assuming) the next. Some of them I’ve covered, like Sym-Bionic Titan, Regular Show, MAD, and Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Incorporated, but some of them, like The Looney Tunes Show, Young Justice, Robotomy and Secret Mountain Fort Awesome have yet to be released. Click here to read more about what’s coming down the pike.

It seems like I’ve been talking about this forever! For months! What with the first introduction of Kevin, my analysis of sexuality and how it relates to Archie Comics, tackling how to write Jughead in this post-openly-gay Archie world, even a preview of my review! And now it’s finally here!

What can I say that I haven’t already said? Well, I will say that after reading it in my hands, I have to say that I’m constantly impressed by the glossy paper and more saturated coloring. Everything looks more alive, more vibrant. I know glossy paper isn’t a new invention, but after years of dealing with Archie Comics’ ink coming off on my hands, it’s such a relief to hold onto the cover and still have clean hands.

I’ll also reiterate myself and say kudos to the Archie Comics crew, specifically artist/writer Dan Parent, for not only making a gay character who’s just as normal/eccentric as anybody else in the Archieverse, but for also using the ethnic minor characters such as Tomoko, Nancy, and Ginger.

I still think this is Parent’s best script yet. He included a lot of slang, lots of jokes, and lots of vintage gags (Angel Betty and Devil Betty arguing on Betty’s shoulder, the Three’s Company-esque storyline, etc.). I will say that it was strange that Jughead wanted to get Veronica back for making him look like a fool, since Veronica did no such thing except show up to hug Kevin and flirt with him after the initial hamburger battle. Unless Veronica doing that is something that made Jughead feel foolish. Or jealous?

I throw that out there because it seems like the only real reason why Jughead would want to get Veronica back for interrupting his time with Kevin. Sure, they have a noted history of  (fun) hatred, but he really had no reason to get at Veronica for her just being herself. All Jughead could’ve thought was, “Wouldn’t it be great to see Veronica go after Kevin, only to get told he’s gay?” instead of tacking on “She made me look like a fool!” Whatever. I’ve addressed the whole Kevin/Jughead angle numerous times, so I won’t repeat myself.

The ending is something many people are divided over. Some people say it’s stereotypical of Kevin to go shopping with Veronica, while others say stereotypes stem from truth, so it’s not so bad that Kevin’s going shopping with Veronica. I won’t say either reaction is incorrect or correct. I will say, though, that if there was an issue where we follow Veronica and Kevin on their shopping spree, I’d bet money on Kevin going into a Ralph Lauren Polo store (or some sort of knockoff since you can’t actually put “Ralph Lauren” in an Archie book without Archie Comics paying for the rights to use the name). He wears a lot of what seems like Polo. I personally love Polo, but it costs too much for me, so I’d have to live vicariously through him, even if he’s shopping in the men’s section.

Also, the fact that they introduced him as a texting fanatic is both timely and another fun quirk in his character (just as long as he doesn’t text and drive). He is drawn constantly texting William, his friend back home. In the back of the issue, there’s a Q and A interview with Kevin, and he mentions William and his other friend Wendy, whom I’m guessing are twins. Since we’ve gotten such an introduction to these two characters along with Kevin, I gather they’ll be showing up in Veronica #205, when Kevin is at the center of the story yet again (and yet again, his sexuality is brought up).

Like I said above, I’ve brought up the whole JugheadxKevin issue many times, so click here if you want to read about it in my first reactions to this issue of Veronica. For the record, Jughead’s not written so much as gay as he is either unsure, bi, or asexual (it really depends on the reader). For now, I’ll say that Kevin, being a vintage comic book junkie, journalism enthusiast (like me!) and Jughead’s fellow champion eater, is a welcome addition to the Archie cast. He’s just as wholesome as Archie, although Archie could learn a thing or two from Kevin (who questioned Jughead about Archie’s Eternal Triangle) about being wholesome.

I watched a ton of cartoons today, all in anticipation of Regular Show and Mad. To be honest, I was more excited about Regular Show,even if I’m not too crazy about having Adventure Time cut down to 15 minutes on either side of Regular Show, but both turned out to be wildly entertaining.

as I stated in an earlier post, Regular Show is about two roommates/animal slacker friends who do whatever it takes to shirk from their work as golf course groundskeepers and have fun. Mordecai (a blue jay) and Rigby (a raccoon) go through random things all in the effort of entertaining themselves. Their antics get on the nerves of Benson, a high-strung gumball machine (and their boss), and Skips, their yeti coworker. However, Pops, a lollipop-headed man (and owner of the park), loves them. On the other hand, MAD is exactly what its magazine counterpart is like; brash, humorous, and attacking everything pop-culture.

Like I said, both shows are oddly mature for Cartoon Network’s primetime lineup. Obviously, their stats must show that young adults between 18-30 watch their regular programming (not just Adult Swim) more than society would lead one to believe. Also, their stats must show that most of those young adults are men, since their programming (and their marketing) cater to that demographic. Also shown is how important Cartoon Network thinks viral marketing is, since many of their shows, especially shows like Regular Show, have humor that could be shortened into smaller videos for people to send to others.

In any case, this importance shown on the mature set is shown in these two new shows. In Regular Show, Mordecai outwardly states how old he and Rigby are (23 years old), thereby showing the audience exactly who and what age-group this show is targeted towards. Also, within the first five minutes of the show, along with Mordecai saying their ages, they also call each other “holes” (two guesses as to what that means), Rigby employs letters in place of curse words (“How the H are we going to fix this S!?”) and drinks what looks like beer (with the can not labeled, it could be soda, or even an energy drink, since they’re play-wrestling in this scene). Tons of other  tactics, such as a wizard relieving himself in a bush, an old Casio keyboard Mordecai and Rigby name “The Power” (according to Mordecai, he always wanted to date a girl named “The Power”), using the word “pissed”,referencing ’80s era wrestlers and music (there is a record with “’80s Metal” written on it in neon colors being used as a segue into the next scene) and seeing the two get raises, only to have then taken away, further prove the post-post-modern, ironic-without-a-cause crowd its aimed towards.

MAD is much more traditional in its approach toward the same age-group, but it still manages to have the same hook that Regular Show has. By poking fun at Lady Gaga, Avatar, and revisiting the classic Spy vs. Spy, MAD makes viewers nostalgic about their childhoods as well as entertain them by jabbing a finger at today’s pop-culture.

All in all, watching these cartoons won’t make you feel infantile. In fact, it might make you feel more grown-up.

This week wasn’t a great week in terms of solidy “fresh” movies, but still, there’s a Box Office Battle to be had, so let’s have it!

First is Machete, which came in at 72% fresh on RottenTomatoes. However, the movie is #2 at the box office, raking in $13,127,000, according to BoxOfficeMojo. The critics’ verdict was that it was delightfully cartoony and violent, perfect since it’s being heralded as the first “Mexpolitation” movie. But for some, it was a bit too Looney Tunes:

“[I]ts mixing of the old and the new has an infectious vibe at times, but you can’t help but wonder if Rodriguez will ever grow past his obsession with recreating the gutter past.”–Q Network Film Desk

“Machete is a day laborer’s wet dream that men and women of all immigration and employment status can enjoy together in peace, harmony and wanton blood lust. The only one who might ask for a refund is Shaft.”–Richmond.com

“Machete brings director Robert Rodriguez’s career full circle and emerges as one of his very best films.”–Common Sense Media

The American is this week’s #1 film, coming in at 61%fresh and making $1 $11,425,000 at the box office. Critics felt that this was a subdued entry in the classic spy drama genre, however, it’s subdued take on the classic European-esque spy has left some critics feeling bored, while others felt illuminated:

“Women are necessary in The American, like the Italian landscapes and winding stone stairways.”–PopMatters

“I enjoyed, and am recommending The American as a victory of style over substance.”–Combustible  Celluloid

“If you’re expecting a star-propelled thriller with the usual bob, weave and one-two punch, this isn’t your ticket.”–Denver Post

Going the Distance is the loser in this battle, coming in at #5. It’s rated at 48% rotten and raked in $6,900,000. Critics felt that this movie, while being more honest and straightforward than most romantic comedies, the story is dull overall:

“A charming, but ultimately forgettable romantic comedy. At least this time, there’s no sperm donor involved.”–The Trend

“As a riotous comedy, Distance falls short, but it still racks up several miles for sweetness.”–E! Online

“The only reason you root for a reunion at the end of this unromantic romp is because these two jerks really deserve each other.”–NewsBlaze

The top five movies of the week are:

1. The American–$13,127,000
2. Machete–$11,425,000
3. Takers–$10,900,000
4. The Last Exorcism–$7,410,000
5. Going the Distance–$6,900,00

All ratings from RottenTomatoes; all monetary stats from BoxOfficeMojo

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Another month, another issue of Archie, and an entertaining one at that. Actually, as I’ve said many times before, Archie Comics, Inc. has increased their storytelling ability infinity-fold since switching to new management. By releasing some of the cobwebs of the past, Jon Goldwater has allowed the company to come into the 21st century (finally!). However, the comic titles keep a healthy respect of the past, which comes into play throughout The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. storyline.

Part three of R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. has Archie, Chuck, and Jughead trying to solve the riddle of the Walking Dazed while battling Mad Doctor Doom (whom I will refer to as M.D.D.), Sharry the Spy Girl, and their cronies Chester, Crammer, and Cranston. The stakes get racheted up when Dilton, Archie and the gang’s most reliable hope of getting a vaccine for the Walking Dazed serum, becomes one of the Dazed himself, leaving Jughead to mess with chemicals in hopes of getting the correct recipe for a vaccine and Chuck and Archie to fend for themselves against M.D.D’s army of dazed civilians.

Firstly, the cover is another winner by Fernando Ruiz , Rich Koslowski, and Tom Chu. As to why Betty’s on the cover and not Jughead is another story entirely, since Betty is dazed in the book. Of course, there are inconsistencies on all of the R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. covers, and on the whole, it’s not too much to gripe about since the covers are very entertaining.

The story itself is highly entertaining, with exposition interwoven competently. As I said in the first paragraph, there is a lot of referential nods to the past, particularly the James Bond movies, what with Crammer having a vague European accent; Archie and co. making use of some crazy x-ray/laser-shooting sunglasses, a thimble that turns your hand into an iron fist, and a pen(which wasn’t used yet; perhaps in the final part it will be); and a panel showing a small montage of Archie’s cousin Andy’s life as a secret agent, complete with a scarred villain stroking his pet cat, Andy tied up with a laser coming at him, and Andy in white dinner jacket holding the seductive, dangerous Bond Girl.

A hilarious running joke is Sharry (a master of disguise) making Reggie doubt his girl-noticing abilities. In the last issue, Reggie saw Sharry and, when he finally caught up to her, was freaked out when he saw he was talking to Sharry-turned-Ms. Beasley. This time, he catches up to Sharry only to find that he’s talking to Ms. Grundy (who, I’ve now realized, is a dead ringer for Dorothy from The Golden Girls). Also, for those keeping score, M.D.D. is another green character who isn’t made on the green=black mold.

One final note has to be made about the final page, which features a lot of minor characters–Raj, Wendy Weatherbee, Tomoko, Nancy, Maria, and Frankie. Hurray!

Overall, this is another well-written, well-choreographed issue. I can’t wait to see how this story will resolve itself.  What did you think?

What an egregious oversight; I don’t have anything about one of the biggest shake-ups in Archie history–Life with Archie.  Anyway, I’m aiming to fix some of this error by talking about it, or, at least, what I know about it.

From what I have gathered, the biggest news is not the soap-operatic style (the Ms. Grundy sickness storyline, Jugehead and Midge?! Moose running for office?!) nor the fact that we’re seeing both sides of what Archie’s life would be like if he choose Veronica or Betty (with Veronica, he’s rich, but under Hiram’s Gordon Gekko-esque business stylings, he risks alienating this friends; with Betty, he’s a struggling musician who’s all but ready to throw in the towel and find a real job). The biggest twist is that Dilton, now a famous scientist, has figured out that the Veronica/Archie-Betty/Archie universes are only two in the vast amount of Archie universes that are happening simultaneously. Basically, it’s M- theory–the idea that the universe is made up of multiple dimensions–used as an explanation for why Archie can be married to Veronica and Betty at the same time with different consequences. Dilton’s findings not only examine the duality of Archie’s life, but all of the outside-of-canon events, such as the New Look series, as well as the different eras of Archie Comics, going all the way back to the ’40s.

At first, when I saw the comic book pages that included Dilton’s discovery, I was a bit shocked. I applauded Archie Comics for having the guts to say that every issue of Archie Comics is part of but one universe in a multitude of universes, but still, the idea was unsettling. I was used to the idea of there being one loosely-shown universe where some things were canon and other things could happen without truly affecting the gang for the long-term. But as I thought about it, Dilton’s discovery is a very legitimate way to go about handling the process of juggling what’s canon and what’s not in the overall Archieverse, especially since D.C. does this regularly, sometimes to bad and confusing effect.

Overall, the Life with Archie series is proven to be one of the most exciting Archie series on the market right now. I’d suggest buying this (or like I did, read it online); it’s well worth your attention. And you don’t have to take my word for it; check out what Comics Alliance has to say.

As much as I’ve talked about Kevin Keller and Veronica #202, it would be remiss of me to wait a long time before I, at least, gave my first reactions to the issue.

Firstly, let me state that I haven’t gotten a physical copy of the book yet; I’ve had to read most of it on the internet until my comic book order comes in next week, so really, all I’m qualified to do is give my first reaction to the story. But, I think I’ve read enough to give a thoughtful, (hopefully) intelligent first reaction. Generally, I haven’t made it a practice to post a lot of the inside pages with my first reactions, but since I haven’t read it the whole way through once, I figure I should back up my points with visual evidence.

First, let’s just say kudos to Dan Parent, co-chief executive Jon Goldwater, editor-in-chief Victor Gorelick, and Archie Comics, Inc. for even coming up with the idea to do a story about an “openly” gay character (the quotations are around there for a reason, more on that later). I’ve read a couple of reviews and news articles on Kevin, and while most of the criticism revolves around Kevin being a bit on the bland side, I think he’s one of the more interesting new kid characters, and that’s not just because he’s gay. They wrote a well-written story about him that is solid and makes him seem like a real person (at least, “Archie Comics” real) with an actual life, unlike the first issue of Pals and Gals featuring Raj, which was, stereotypes aside, had a story that basically went through the motions of introducing a character (I’ll talk about Raj’s introduction sometime later on, so stay tuned).

Also, before I get into the crux of this post, I say congrats again to the team for putting as many ethnic minor characters as they could remember in this story. It’s great to see Nancy say something other than “Wow!” or “Look!” or “Of course!” What with Chuck having his own series, as well as seeing the minor characters get some play, things are looking up for the wide world of Riverdale.

The plot, revolving around Jughead keeping Kevin’s sexuality a secret from Veronica in order to gain pleasure from watching her act like a complete idiot trying to seduce Kevin, is actually deftly written, at least from the pages that I’ve seen, which are these (thanks to Archie Comics, Newsarama, and scans-daily):

I would say that from what I’ve seen thus far, this might be Parent’s best issue yet.

Now to the “openly” gay part I mentioned above: I’m not going to say too much on this since I have yet to read the full book, but it would seem that Archie Comics’ mission to show readers that it’s perfectly normal to be gay in society is not only proven by the inclusion of Kevin. Parent impressed me even further by addressing and playing with the fanon rumors of Jughead being the original  (and not so openly) gay character in the Archieverse. (Or, instead of not being open about it, Jughead just doesn’t care/call attention to it). This is the reason why I say this might be Parent’s best written issue. It’s very rare when Archie Comics decides to actually include fanon opinion in their comic books, and to include this opinion is pretty legendary and exciting. Two reasons why:

Through misunderstandings, Veronica is led to believe that Jughead and Kevin are developing something more than a friendship, something that is threatening to her. Specifically, she thinks that Jughead is wooing Kevin.

By weaving the story in such a fashion, Parent is doing much of the opposite as he led his public to believe. While he said that he writes Jughead as straight (or, at least, only interested in food) in numerous interviews, what he has done in the storyline is basically “out” Jughead, as it were. I know this is getting a bit too fangirly, but keep going with me! In the last page posted above, Veronica (who knows Kevin is gay now from Betty) is upset that it seems like Jughead is stealing Kevin from her. Jughead, eager to push the egg further in her face, says, “One word for you–FAIL!” Veronica is surprised when she thinks she sees Jughead and Kevin together, sure. But never does she say something like, “But Jughead’s not gay! Isn’t he?!” She seems to except the fact that Jughead’s sexuality is ambiguous at best. In fact, no one except Ethel is questioning the fact that it seems like Jughead and Kevin are together.

Secondly, Jughead’s line to Veronica isn’t something like, “Why would I steal Kevin from you? I just like to see you lose!” or something that would explicitly state that Veronica got the wrong idea. Nine times out of ten, someone straight would do that. Jughead doesn’t.

In these two examples, the book is not only introducing us to Kevin as well as the normalcy of his sexuality, they’re also saying that it’s okay for him to have a relationship with another guy. They’re also easing readers into the idea that Jughead could be that guy; that it’s also okay if he’s gay, or for continuity-nerds who remember Joani, Debbie, and January, bisexual. (Remember that those relationships never work out; January is probably his most stable relationship by far, and that was only partly due to the fact that she was his boss in the Time Police and had to be there for every issue.)

Of course, I’m saying all this only after seeing half of the book. I’ll have a better perception (and probably more on the entire Kevin/Jughead relationship evolution) after I receive the book in my hands.