ThunderCats & G.I. Joe Renegades Season 2 Cartoon Network Fates? Plus Young Justice Invasion, Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated, Beware The Batman & Superman Man of Steel Movie Cartoon Tie-In?

Columns, Features, News, Top Story

Since Young Justice: Invasion Season 2 us back from hiatus with last week’s Episode 8 called Satisfaction and this week’s Episode 9 titled Darkest, I thought it was time to determine what is going on with my other fave Cartoon Network series: ThunderCats.

Sadly, the show is not on Cartoon Network’s current schedule. :(

Even at San Diego Comic Con 2012, DC Nation execs were non-committal. See that aspect of the DC Nation panel at SDCC 2012 on YouTube below.

Every bit of internet research I’ve done is riddled with speculation and fans clamouring for an official word.

A Facebook group called Save the New ThunderCats!! appears to be the best way to connect with creators who worked on the series. (They are accepting new members. Feel free to join this open group.)

On that page, Daniel Norton the new ThunderCats Art Director was compelled to clarify earlier comments that have been reported by multiple sources to have indicated that no one was working on the new series anymore and that if they got the green light for a second season it would take a lot of time to put together.

Add to that, that Norton is currently working on Beware the Batman, DC Nation’s / Cartoon Network’s next Dark Knight cartoon series. His time would appear be accounted and spread thin with this new project.

Norton’s September 4, 2012 post included the following two comments:

“Hey guys, I can see now how my words have really made an impact. This wasn’t really my intention. If you look at what I said, it doesn’t say anything more than what it means. The show remains in hiatus. Period. The reality is we are not currently working on the show. Which is what hiatus means. What is said between WB to CN or Bandai is between them. Until there is an official post or disclaimer from any of those people, the show has not been officially canceled. I don’t have the authority to make any such statement. Again, I can only say I’m on a different project at the moment, which is Beware the Batman. I did a few drawings on my deviant art site for fun for tcats fans to enjoy. I would feel terrible if fans never got any kinda notice that the show would end one way or another. I hope there is talks of continuing the series, I’d love to finish the story. That’s it, much love….”

“I just see a lot of folks twisting in the wind and I think I needed to be more clear. I think somehow the perception was that there was progress being made production wise on the show and it could spring back on tv when that wasn’t the case. I wanted to point out that the reality of hiatus meant the production was at a stand still. I am not the official spokesman for the show, but I care very much about everyone who took the time to watch and enjoy the journey together. I am a fan like the rest of you but I’m lucky enough to be on the inside. I’m doing my best to keep you guys up to speed. I hope like the rest of you there is going to be on official word soon.”

Clearly we’ll need to wait for Bandai and/or Cartoon Network’s official announcement, one way or another, but the silence is disturbing.

The G.I. Joe: Renegades Season 2 is also in a similar shroud of mystery with nary a word from Hasbro. The series has been in limbo likely due to the next G.I. Joe movie, Retaliation. The movie release is expected in March 2013. While there has no word at all about Season 2 “officially”, it could surface around the movie’s release. That said, the movie plot seems awfully close to the cartoon’s premise, so maybe another new iteration of a G.I. Joe cartoon could be out around the movie to replace the series. Renegades developer / executive Henry Gilroy as early as January 2012 wasn’t holding his breath for more Renegades:

“There’s been talk of maybe… doing something to tie up the series, which may or may not happen…we can always hold out hope for Renegades.”

Since we’re on the topic of movies, there is also a strong possibility of a cartoon tie-in for the June 2013 debuting Superman: Man of Steel film. DC Comics Executives have indicated they plan to full realize the potential of the new Superman movie. Will a Cartoon Network series be part of that?

Back to the fate of ThunderCats, there has been at least one prominent example that I am aware of concerning a cartoon series that was cancelled and returned to TV (after solid DVD sales). Remember Seth McFarlane’s Family Guy? A show with great pop cultural references and cutting humour.

If there is a huge difference between an indefinite hiatus and a cancellation, I haven’t encountered it yet. Sadly, ThunderCats and G.I. Joe: Renegades are likely gone for good. Well, at least I still have Young Justice: Invasion and the upcoming Beware the Batman. Perhaps we’ll have a Superman: Man of Steel one too plus I can always stop and visit Marvel’s Avengers cartoon. So, my sadness is marbled with some delight about the offerings out there, but I am still disappointed.

P.S. Before you pepper me with questions about whether I regularly watch DC Nation’s Green Lantern Animated series, let me save you time. :) The short answer is “no”. While I watch it infrequently, and find some of his sci-fi and super-heroics intriguing, the computer generated nature of the show isn’t for me.

So, I’d rank my Top 5 contemporary cartoon series for 2011/12 follows:

5. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

4. ThunderCats 2011 Reboot

3. G.I. Joe: Renegades

2. Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated

1. Young Justice: Invasion

Thanks for reading. As always, all feedback welcome.


Staying Connected

For my contact information, please see my profile below “related articles”.

Please follow me on twitter and kindly friend me at Facebook too.

BabosScribe is the handle. :)


John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!