Animated Conan O’Brien Joins The Justice League on ‘Young Justice’

Young Justice premiered last Friday on Cartoon Network after an hour-long preview in November. But something seems to have gone amiss with next week’s episode: the last son of Krypton has been replaced with… Coco?

A month ago, Conan O’Brien did a segment on DC Comics’ animation department at Warner Bros. Studios. In between poking fun at some less-than-intimidating classic DC characters like Space Ranger and Captain Boomerang, Conan and DC legend Bruce Timm designed a new superhero fashioned after O’Brien himself. After Timm’s initial sketch and some coloring, “The Flaming C” was ready for action. A non-traditional superhero, Coco’s alter-ego sports such accessories as a blackberry belt clip, loafers, an oven mitt and fishnet stockings.

To the delight of both O’Brien and late-night audiences, DC Animation decided to send a special present to the Conan show: an exclusive clip of Young Justice‘s second episode, featuring none other than The Flaming C. Those who watched the sneak peek will recognize the final scene: after defeating Cadmus’ minions, Superboy, Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash must face the music as the Justice League arrives on the scene for clean-up.

In the altered clip, we see The Flaming C take Superman’s part and Batman’s voice, chastising the sidekicks for their brash actions. The new vigilante takes center stage among slightly more established heroes like Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and The Flash.

Check out the clip from the Conan show here:

And witness the birth of a hero on Conan’s visit to Warner Bros. Animation:

The Flaming C’s powerset includes flight, the ability to make opponents slightly warm and blinding fashion sense.

In more serious news, the shameless (and hilarious) self-promotion on the part of DC’s animated division is promising. If the opening episodes are any indication, Young Justice looks to be a worthy successor to the excellent Justice League Unlimited. The last few years have seen DC cartoons aimed at a much younger crowd, like Teen Titans and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The new series, along with the forthcoming animated Green Lantern series, shows a return to Bruce Timm’s more universally-appealing style. Their appeal to Conan‘s stoned older audience can only do good things for these animated shows.

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Young Justice airs Friday nights at 7:00 PM on Cartoon Network.
Conan airs weeknights at 11:00 PM on TBS.

Source: TBS [via: Midtown Comics Blog]

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‘Young Justice’ Premiering on Cartoon Network This Friday

Justice League Unlimited fans waiting for a spiritual successor to Bruce Timm’s work are about to be satisfied. Cartoon Network is airing a one-hour premiere of Young Justice, which follows the adventures of teenage counterparts to DC headliners Batman, Superman, Aquaman, the Flash and Green Arrow.

Based on the DC comic and similar fare like Teen Titans (not to be confused with the more goofy cartoon series of the same name), Young Justice follows the Dick Grayson version of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Superboy and Green Arrow proteges Speedy and Artemis.

Fans afraid of a return to the kid-friendly antics of the last series to feature these characters needn’t worry: the six-minute preview from MTV’s Splash Page features a more serious art style and plenty of input from DC headliners.

While DC Universe mastermind Bruce Timm isn’t directly involved with the project (he’s busy on the new animated Green Lantern, set to premier around the same time as the movie), Sam Register of Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Greg Weisman of Gargoyles are part of the production team.

The series isn’t part of the former Justice League Unlimited continuity or any of the recent DC Universe animated features. To avoid weighty continuity issues and better focus on the younger characters, Young Justice is set on Earth-16. This should allow the story room to breathe while keeping familiar heroes and villains available for future episodes and arcs.

You can take a look at the trailer below:

In the pilot, the young heroes are set up as a covert ops branch of the Justice League, able to carry out more subtle, nuanced missions than the heavy-hitters in the JLA main lineup. The hour-long special looks to feature the reveal of Superboy in his 90s-era Superman clone form, to avoid conflicting with CW’s long-running Smallville. Unlike the Teen Titans cartoon and the various comics, Aqualad will lead the squad instead of Robin.

Young Justice premieres November 26 @ 7:00 PM, on Cartoon Network.

Source: MTV, io9

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CBS Brings Old West Justice to Modern San Antonio with ‘Desperado’

Exciting news for starving Western fans, CBS is aiming to combine modern crime drama with outlaw justice.

The network, along with executive producer, Anthony Zuiker is developing the upcoming series – titled Desperado.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Desperado will focus on a group of policemen in San Antonio who clean up the streets with Eastwood-style prejudice.

No casting or timeframe information is available, but with CSI veteran Anthony Zuiker producing, along with relative unknowns Matthew Weinberg and Kyle Ward, TV fans have reason to be excited.

Currently, Ward is the only writer known to be working on the show – for now.

With the notable exception of FX’s Justified, few have tried to adapt the down-home feel and shoot first attitude of 50s and 60s shows like Gunsmoke and Wanted: Dead or Alive for 21st century audiences. Justified‘s recent success on cable may have spurred CBS to give it a try on network TV.

While comparisons to Fox’s effort may be unavoidable, the two series are unlikely to share more than premise – Desperado’s CSI pedigree will probably make it lighter and more action-oriented. This may prove to be a strength rather than a weakness – after all, Steve McQueen’s character didn’t stop to ponder the subtle morality of law enforcement while aiming down a short-barrel Winchester.

Writers for the new series will have to work hard to differentiate Desperado from the other procedural crime dramas on network TV. Art direction will be equally important, since even with the Texas setting, today’s San Antonio doesn’t exactly scream OK Corral.

There’s a lot of competition out there, even within the bounds of the same network. The CSI trifecta, Blue Bloods, and the revival of Hawaii Five-O will all be competing for time slots and mindshare, to say nothing of more exotic procedurals like Criminal Minds and Medium. Fox’s new action/comedy cop show The Good Guys is based and shot in Dallas, but low ratings are leaving a second season in doubt.

Screen Rant will be watching for cast info and a timeframe for Desperado‘s pilot.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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