Three Animated Comic Book Series Outshine Superhero Films
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- Supergirl (2026), the second film in James Gunn's DCU and one of the biggest box office bombs of an otherwise strong year for theaters, was criticized as a 'murky, brown-tinted eyesore' that stranded lead Milly Alcock in a generic sci-fi setting.
- My Adventures With Superman on Adult Swim reimagines Kara as a former brainwashed intergalactic conquerer atoning for her misdeeds, with Season 3 (airing its finale this Sunday) centering her charm, a romance with Jimmy Olsen voiced by Ishmel Sahid, and a meaty character arc.
- X-Men '97 on Disney+ concluded its divisive second season earlier this week, while Batman: Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime premiered its much-improved second season in late July—both pitched to teen+ audiences rather than children.
- Batman: Caped Crusader, developed by Bruce Timm as a spiritual successor to his 1990s 'Batman: the Animated Series,' uses 1940s Gotham period noir visuals and detective mysteries that the article argues work better than the recent 'The Batman' films' approach.
- X-Men '97 Season 2 was marred by the firing of head writer Beau DeMayo during production over sexual harassment allegations, contributing to unfocused storytelling, though a standout fourth episode ranks among the series' best.
- Marvel is allegedly prepping to debut its new MCU X-Men team at the D23 convention; the article closes by noting fans can 'stick with the cartoons' if the live-action film disappoints.
Why it matters: Three animated series demonstrate concrete advantages over live-action superhero films: serialized TV develops full ensembles (X-Men '97 rehabilitates Cyclops after years of movie relegation) and supports wildly varied art directions—from anime rom-com to 1940s noir—that two-hour films can't match. With Supergirl bombing and X-Men '97's production turmoil, the creative case for animation keeps building.
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