A BRIEF HISTORY OF DC CARTOONS IN THE 90S AND 2000S

Today, comic book properties are inescapable, with DC, in particular, hitting it big with the recent release of the "Aquaman" film, which has become the highest-grossing DC film to date. The company has also released plenty of awesome animated films based on famous storylines adapted from the comic books. Much of this success can be traced back to the 1990s when DC had a slew of incredible cartoons both children and adults could enjoy. Here are some of everyone’s favorites from back in the day.





Batman: The Animated Series

Considered by many to be the greatest superhero television show of all time, “Batman: The Animated Series” introduced an entire generation to a new kind of Dark Knight. The original series ran from 1992 to 1995, and was brought back from 1997 to 1999 with “The New Batman Adventures.” Stylistically, the series was partly influenced by Tim Burton’s first Batman film, circa 1989, and heavily relied on Art Deco and noir imagery. Kevin Conroy’s voice has also gone on to become the golden standard for fans of “The Caped Crusader.”

Superman: The Animated Series

With the success of “Batman: The Animated Series,” DC went full steam ahead by producing “Superman: The Animated Series” between 1996 and 2000. It ran for three seasons on the children's network, Kids' WB, and there were plans for a fourth season until it was put on hold for the future “Justice League” animated series. Overall, it was an incredibly successful show, in part, as it managed to merge together different aspects of Superman's character while paying homage to classic stories with a modern aesthetic.

Batman Beyond

“Batman Beyond” showed us a different kind of Batman, an alternate kind, so to speak, which was a risky artistic choice that ultimately paid off. The series took place in a futuristic version of Gotham City, circa 2019, where we saw an elderly Bruce Wayne giving up the mantle of Batman, only to allow Terry McGinnis to take it on, despite being a high-school student who continually gets into trouble. The show received an unofficial series finale in the “Justice League” episode entitled “Epilogue,” where we learn that Bruce Wayne is actually Terry’s biological father.

Justice League

No list of you're childhood favorites would be complete without talking about Justice League. Not only because it continued the adventures of both Batman and Superman (with all of the main voice actors returning), but in addition to this, the series also introduced kids to Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and The Flash. The show was quickly followed by “Justice League Unlimited,” which introduced dozens of other DC superheroes into the mix, superheroes who've ingrained themselves into the minds of casual and hardcore comic book fans alike.


Anything Else?

This is not even getting into all of the other favorites that aired during this time period. “Static Shock” was a big hit, whereas “Teen Titans” did even better because the group still lives on in the current show, “Teen Titans Go!”. Now, from the looks of it, the one thing all of these shows from the 90s and early 2000s have in common is that they told good, solid, complex stories, with nice art, great characters, and an underlining message which could be appreciated by both adults and children alike.