TVSquad

I am about to do something that is against all of my beliefs: I am going to give The CW network some credit. Not for the way they have handled their first season on the air, because it frankly stunk. I'm going to give them credit for keeping the Saturday morning block of cartoons that used to air on the WB, aptly named Kids' WB!, after that network and UPN merged to become one. Not only did they keep it but they added new programs such as Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue that have become favorites.

Now, they are about to add another animated program that will probably become an instant favorite. According to Betsy McGowen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Kids' WB!, a new Spider-Man cartoon will be gracing Saturday morning television screens in early 2008. Titled Spectacular Spider-Man, the series will focus on a 16-year-old Peter Parker has he juggles his new role as super-hero with the daily pressures of teenage life. The series will be produced by Culver Entertainment, a division of Sony Pictures Television.

This is a departure for Kids' WB!. Most super-hero cartoons that have aired since the cartoon block began in 1995 were culled from the world of DC Comics, which is logical since the comic book line is owned by Time-Warner. The most recent have been The Batman, which has focused on the early years of the Dark Knight, and Legion of Super-Heroes, which has been renewed for a second season. There is one exception to the list, though. X-Men: Evolution, the animated series about the early years of some of the X-Men (see a trend here with super-hero cartoons) aired from 2000 to 2003.