When looking back to the `80s thoughts of Pac-Man, the birth of MTV, the first compact discs and Milli Vanilli’s “Best New Artist” Grammy may spring to mind. If so . I’m sorry, quit reading, you’re too old to appreciate the content of this story. However, for the masses that spent most of the `80s beginning life, some of the most influential and life-altering events were seen through the television set weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

From “Alvin and the Chipmunks” to “Scooby-Doo,” children of the Reagan years derived wit, wisdom, social interaction and just plain fun from cartoons. Throughout adolescence, cartoons taught children how to sing, solve mysteries, learn from their mistakes and laugh. Without these influences and insights, growing up may have been much more difficult. What else would a kid have to talk about during recess?

Now that we have entered the new millennium, all grown up and ready for the real world, cartoons seem to have lost their former attraction to the `80s generation.

Or have they?

It seems many of these nostalgic cellulose icons are poised to make a come back, in one form or another, in the decade of 2K.

“The Super Friends,” “G.I. Joe” and “Transformers” have dusted off their capes, oiled their guns and polished their hubcaps for a return to a new generation.

A return that will not go unnoticed by the many children-turned-adults that remember their first adventures in front of their televisions from years gone by.

“What I love about cartoons today is their appeal to adult audiences as well as children,” said Robert Josephson, co-owner of Mayhem Collectibles, 2532 Lincoln Way. “The cartoons of the `80s weren’t true to the essence of the characters . most cartoons were homogenized versions of the comics they were adapted from.”

Although Josephson said he feels many of the 80s cartoons lacked any discernable plot, most had a dynamic visual appeal.

“[Cartoons] were just pretty eye candy with basically no substance,” he said.

This formula does not hold true for the new retro reincarnations that have began to spring up recently.

The following past and present comparisons illustrate the evolution of the “eye candy” into something you can actually take a big bite out of and enjoy.

Up, up and away!

Then

Deep in the corridors of the Hall of Justice resided some of DC Comics’ greatest superheroes: Superman, Aquaman, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash. Together, these heroes were known as the Justice League of America, based on the DC Comics series of the same name. But, to children all across TV land, they were simply the Super Friends.

Along with child superheroes-in-training Marvin, Wendy and Wonder Dog, who headed up the Junior Justice League – later replaced by the Wonder Twins and Gleek the space monkey – the Super Friends were our world’s best hope in stopping the havoc wreaked by The Legion of Doom.

Each week the Super Friends joined forces to fight such villains as Scarecrow, Riddler, Lex Luthor, Captain Cold, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy and Superman’s evil counterpart, Bizarro.

According to www.cartoonetwork.com Department of Cartoons (DOC), In 1984 Hanna Barbera brought a new title to the show and the team added a few new members to justify the change. Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show introduced the character Firestorm, as well as new foes like Darkseid and Desaad. In 1985, the title changed again to Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (with new a hero named Cyborg), but the Super Friends were on their final Saturday morning run. The show ran for only one more season, giving way to the `80s dominance of soft and cuddly cartoons like “Smurfs” and “Disney’s Gummi Bears.” However, the fate of the planet was safely in the hands of G.I. Joe and a few others.

Now

Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, two of the “founding fathers” of the new era of DC Comics animation, will helm the new Justice League project according to Warner Bros. cartoon archive site; http://wba.toonzone.net.

Timm and Dini were part of the creative team that brought about “Batman: The Animated Series,” the new Superman cartoon and “Batman Beyond.”

Jean MacCurdy, president of Warner Brothers Animation and a driving force behind the new model of smart superhero cartoons, also oversaw these projects. Cartoons like these reassure us that the new incarnation of the JLA will make every effort to impress old and new viewers alike.

According to WB, the new JLA series takes place in present day and offers a more sophisticated plot line than its sophomoric predecessor.

The new series benefits from a stellar cast more true to the original comic book. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman will be there, of course, but no Aquaman (only in guest spots) or teenage shapeshifters will be present.

Instead we get the Flash, fastest man alive, and the Green Lantern, this time with John Stewart, a black hero, wearing the ring. Hawkgirl and the Martian Manhunter will round out the team.

The menaces they will face should be equal to the task as well – no more killer bees or Mt. Vesuvius erupting for the 20th time.

And not a single space monkey in sight.

Real American heroes

Then

Flag waving, freedom fighting, planet saving . “Yo Joe!”

The members of the G.I. Joe team did more in a half-hour cartoon block than most people do in a week or a month. They were the men and women of the Joe team, and nobody could do it better.

In the beginning, there was simply G.I. Joe, a single man, one of the first “action figures” designed by Hasbro as a boy-friendly rival to Mattel’s successful Barbie line.

Debuting in 1964, this “man-doll” shot to instant popularity with its poseable limbs and military accessories.

During the Reagan Years, military power was made popular again and G.I. Joe readied himself for a comeback.

Shrinking “Joe” to smaller plastic proportions, G.I. Joe was now the name of a military unit, not a man.

According to the Oct. 2001 issue of Wizard magazine, the new Joe team sparked two successful five-part animated miniseries in 1983 and 1984, which were more or less five half-hour commercials for the new toy line. As both cartoon and toy grew in popularity, a regular series was soon to develop.

The syndicated weekday “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” came to television in 1985. Hawk, Duke, Scarlet, Snake Eyes and Rock `n’ Roll kept the world safe from the ruthless terrorist organization known as Cobra.

Like fellow Marvel/ Sunbow production “Transformers,” “G.I. Joe” favored the elaborate in its storylines. Cobra’s plots for world domination sometimes stretched over multiple episodes, and occasionally characters even changed loyalties. Regardless of the mayhem involved, nobody ever died.

After years of high ratings and blossoming action figure and vehicle sales, G.I. Joe’s popularity began to dip in the late 1980’s. The show was brought back in 1990 minus the “Real American Hero” subtitle. The new “G.I. Joe” never reached the lofty heights of its predecessor, and before long; the old soldiers had simply faded away.

Now

Although you will not find “G.I. Joe” returning to the small screen anytime soon, you will be able to read about the continuing Joe adventures in comic book form. This September marks the month that Image comics launches its new “G.I. Joe” series.

“He fights for freedom wherever there’s trouble, G.I. Joe is there!” Image is proud to continue the tradition of G.I. Joe in comics.

According to a press release from Image comics, G.I. Joe’s army of fans have been demanding this series for years.

Picking up where the classic `80s series left off, this all-new series will feature the classic Joe characters and concept fans remember plus a bevy of new surprises to engage a new generation of readers.

“I absolutely loved it, I bought two copies before it sold out,” Cory Ungs, of Mayhem collectibles, said.

Written by Josh Blaylock and drawn by Steven Kurth, the first issue of “G.I. Joe” already shipped, but for those curious about the exploits of the Joe team, fear not. Ungs said the first printing of the comic sold out earlier this month, you will be able to pick up a second printing due out late September.

More than meets the eye

Then

The title song promised “More than meets the eye,” and for over four years of syndication, “Transformers” delivered. Robots who transformed into vehicles, weapons, boom boxes, and eventually dinosaurs, insects, animals and more, waged an eternal battle of good vs. evil, the heroic Autobots battled the evil Decepticons for control over Cybertron and the protection of earth.

According to the Web site www.hasbro.com/transformers, the toy company premiered its Transformer line-up in the spring of 1984, and like the G.I. Joe formula, used the half-hour cartoons as a commercial for their toys.

The story of “Transformers” begins on the planet Cybertron, home to both Autobots and Decepticons. When the Autobots head for their ship to seek out new energy reserves, the Decepticons attack, leading to a crash landing on Earth several million years B.C. An erupting volcano in the present day reactivates the dormant robot/ vehicles, and the battle begins anew, led by heroic Optimus Prime and the evil Megatron.

Hasbro underwrote production, but despite using the series as a half-hour toy commercial, the series was filled with elaborate plots, often in two, three, or five parts, with a constant influx of new Transformers.

In 1986, “Transformers: The Movie” was released in theaters, featuring the voices of Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle, Robert Stack, and in one of his final performances, Orson Welles as the evil transforming planet Unicron.

A 1993 series, “Transformers: Generation II,” revamped old episodes with computer-generated bumpers and transitions.

The Transformers craze was reborn with “Beast Wars” and “Machine Wars” in 1996, two new series of toys and cartoons that introduced another generation to the Transformers world. Unfortunately, both series only lasted one season each due to lack of plot development and an over-emphasis on computer generated animation.

Now

“Transformers : Robots in Disguise” takes place in a slightly different universe than the original Transformers series, according to foxkids.com. In “Robots in Disguise,” the year is currently 2001 and the Autobots have integrated themselves completely into human society, sometimes even acting as vehicles for humans. As part of this integration, they have modified everything from buildings to roadways to serve their purpose: protect Earth from invasion.

These protectors are truly more than meets the eye.

All seems peaceful until one day, the Decepticons arrive. Led by the powerful Megatron, it is rumored that these new Decepticons come from another time and place. The Autobots are called into action and must face their new enemy with all their abilities and teamwork. Along the way, the Autobots befriend a new group of humans. Yuki, a young boy, and his father, who plays a mysterious part in Megatron’s plans.

The adventure of the Transformers continues, familiar faces return in unfamiliar roles. Robots resembling everyone from the classic Combaticons to the legendary Fortress Maximus appear and even Optimus Prime sheds his familiar semi truck mode for an updated fire truck disguise, helping to pay true homage to the original Transformers series.

What the series itself lacks in plot it definitely makes up in nostalgic visuals. Once again taking the form of cell animation, “Robots in Disguise” appeals to the new Pok‚mon generation and the `80s subculture it originally helped create.