JOE looks at some of our favourite childhood TV heroes

Hero overload…

Ever since JOE was a little lad, we were always obsessed with heroes and cartoon characters. Come to think of it actually, our feelings haven’t really changed. To mark the release of the upcoming Hercules film, JOE has decided to take a look at some of our favourite cartoon characters that haven’t been given their own big budget film yet.

BraveStarr

JOE absolutely adored this hybrid sci-fi/western and it’s easy to see why. The show was set in the 23rd century on the planet New Texas and it featured an armoured talking horse. But wait, there’s more…

The main character, Marshall BraveStarr, was able to channel spirit powers that included; eyes of the hawk, ears of the wolf, strength of the bear and speed of the pooma pooma pooma (that’s a puma in case you didn’t realise), as he fought to protect the planet’s powerful minerals from the villainous Tex-Hex and Stampede. He also had a sidekick named Deputy Fuzz.

Please oh please let this film be made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaMo4k7iG7s&feature=kp

Clip via – ExcelsiorUK

Hercules

The original hero brought back to life by one of JOE’s modern-day heroes, Dwayne Johnson. Essentially every hero story is based around some sort of mythology and the Hercules legend is a timeless classic.

We have been keeping a close eye on this film and to say we are excited is an understatement. The film looks like it’s sticking close to the mythology as it shows Hercules having to endure his legendary twelve labours only to be needed by the King of Thrace in his quest to defeat a tyrannical warlord.

Sword fighting, enormous CGI beasts, good-looking women, epic action and luscious locks. We can’t wait.

Earthworm Jim

JOE sometimes wishes that we were in the room when the show’s creators pitched this idea to the studio bosses; “So guys, the show is about the the adventures of an earthworm named Jim, who is turned into a superhero by a robotic super suit.” Thankfully, the creators weren’t fired on the spot and the show kept the absurd and surreal humour of the video games.

Every episode involved the series’ numerous villains trying to reclaim the super suit as they wanted to rule/destroy/freeze or knock over the universe. JOE defies anyone not to love a show with characters called Princess What’s-Her-Name, Evil the Cat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt and Professor Monkey-for-a-head.

MASK

JOE spent countless childhood hours imagining explosions, crashes and scenes of destruction on our Boulder Hill play-set… fairly normal childhood. We were intrigued by the adventures of the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand AKA MASK (clever, eh?) and their vast collection of transforming vehicles.

The show only ran for two seasons and JOE can’t really remember what the plot was about but we remember that it featured loads of explosions, vehicles changing into weapons and insane plots like this: “The evil VENOM agent Sly Rax, poses as the ghost of Julius Caesar to scare off a team of archaeologists who have uncovered Caesar’s Sword of Victory”.

Stunning stuff altogether.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Z1yLO9C-Q

Clip via – diznymom42

Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds

It’s the Three Musketeers… but with dogs. What’s not to love?

The story, set in the 17th century, follows a young Dogtanian who travels to Paris in order to become one of the musketeers for King Louis XIII. He quickly befriends the three musketeers (Porthos, Athos and Aramis) and falls in love along the way. Aww, isn’t that nice.

JOE knew the final answer in Slumdog Millionaire because of this show, and we didn’t even need to use our ‘Phone a Friend’ lifeline or anything.

Plus, it features the greatest cartoon them tune of all time.

Clip via – Cartoon Intros.

Thundercats

It’s impossible to do a list of our favourite cartoon characters without including Thundercats. Ho!

The story is fairly simple, when their home planet of Thundera blows up, the people on the planet, the Thunderians, leave in their spaceships. Liono, leader of the Thundercats is a mere child but, travelling through time and space grows into a man-type-thing, and ultimately leads the Thundercats in their battles against the evil Mummra… as you do.

Clip via – ammanRex

JOE is all nostalgic now for some superhero action, this trailer for Hercules should tide us over nicely.

Hercules is due for release in Irish cinemas on 25 July 2014.

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge