From Mullet to Millennial: Captain Planet’s 80s Eco-Propaganda Gets Woke Makeover

by

Dynamite Entertainment has unveiled plans for a modern reimagining of the classic Captain Planet and the Planeteers cartoon from the ’90s. Originally, this show served as a pioneer in environmental/political messaging. The script for this revamp is being penned by a writer who previously worked in specialized journalism.

For six consecutive seasons, Captain Planet and the Planeteers stood out amongst superhero cartoons from the 1990s. Unlike many children’s shows during that time which primarily aimed to sell toys, Captain Planet instead championed environmental consciousness and activism. This Earth’s Greatest Champion provided suggestions to young viewers on how they could contribute to preserving the planet by encouraging them that “the power is in your hands!” Now, Dynamite Entertainment is revisiting this series with a new comic book every month.

As a movie enthusiast excitedly anticipating the new series, I’m thrilled to share that it’s being penned by none other than David Pepose, renowned for his stellar work on the 2024 Space Ghost reboot. Joining forces with him is Eman Casallos, the talented artist behind Vampirella, who’ll be bringing the comic to life through its captivating interiors. Dynamite has also revealed that Mark Spears, Christian Ward, and Ben Oliver will each contribute covers for the inaugural issue. Moreover, the first six issues of our series will boast a set of connected covers masterfully created by the dynamic duo of Jae Lee and June Chung.

They are updating Captain Planet’s image to better represent current trends by depicting him with a beard instead of the traditional mullet hairstyle.

In the new comic book adaptation, each of the five Planeteer characters will be distinctly represented with their specific nationalities, rather than being vaguely identified by continents. Furthermore, the storyline promises an exploration of individual emotional journeys for these characters as they tackle personal challenges to unite and strive for a brighter future ahead.

If it focuses on highlighting their nationalities and traditional customs such as food or recipes, it seems like a promising direction. However, the “better tomorrow” aspect feels overly reminiscent of changes DC is making to Superman’s catchphrase, which isn’t well-received. This is partly because, as reported by Newsarama in an overly enthusiastic manner:

– Instead of focusing on nationalities and local cultures, it appears that the product is emphasizing superficial aspects like skin color and LGBT ideology.
– The phrase “better tomorrow” seems to be a change similar to what DC has done with Superman’s slogan, which hasn’t been well-received by many.
– The Newsarama report was excessively positive, which may suggest that the product is focusing too heavily on these controversial aspects.

It appears that Lucian Plunder is the revised character of the initial antagonist, Lootin Plunder. Notably, his name is a witty reference to “loot” and “plunder,” activities he seemingly enjoys as a caricatured embodiment of ruthless capitalism.

If their plan is to stick with this approach for the new adaptation, it seems they aren’t open to examining whether socialists can commit wrongs. In that case, why remake the old cartoon at all if they won’t venture beyond its tired stereotypes? It appears they’re just using this as another opportunity to follow the progressive script of contemporary left-wing thought.

Read More

2025-01-26 19:00