When I saw the promotional adverts for Cartoon Network‘s new series The Secret Saturdays,I couldn’t help but feel intrigued. Part Johnny Quest, part Herculoids, it really got my old-school Hanna Barbera sense tingling.
It turns out that my instinct was right on the money, this is a superb new series.
Envisioned by cartoonist Jay Stephens (Jetcat, Land of Nod, Tutenstein), the series is a lover letter to the Alex Toth-designed cartoons of his (and my) youth. The series follows the adventures of the Saturday family who scour the globe in search of Cryptids (or mythical creatures), picking up mystic tools along the way. Part of a brain trust of ‘Secret Scientists’ in the vein of Marvel Comics’ Reed Richards, the Secret Saturdays is a cartoon full of adventure and humor the likes of which viewers have not seen in decades.
The cast of characters also includes TV personality V.V. Argost, a villain so flamboyant and charismatic you’d expect to be part Tim Curry. Argost exploits the mysteries of the ages in his program Weirdworld. Along with his Frankenstein’s Monster-like henchman Munya and the mercenary Leonidas Van Rook, he is an endless source of trouble.
An added bonus to the retro-style adventures are the bickering parents angle. This may be due to my impending fatherhood, but I laughed every time Zack Saturday‘s parents argued over what to do with him. If you missed out on this great premiere, be sure to set your VCR/TiVO/DVR for this series as it continues every Friday night alongside the Clone Wars series.
