December 17, 2008.

Time to go hero.

Rating: 5
Let me start by saying that I grew up on the cartoons of the late 80's and basically the whole of the 90's. In the 90's we had a lot of great action cartoons. In fact, from the age of 6 I wanted to be a cartoonist. Cartoons are my life, and I'll always be an oversized child for it.

I remember waking up around 5:30AM so I could get ready in time to watch Reboot before going to school in the morning, or coming home and watching the Fox Kids lineup. I remember Saturday mornings full of decent quality choices in cartoons all the way from 6:00AM to noon. Heck, between Bill Nye and Beakman, we even had great science shows. And that was just the network channels!... But then that all went away...

I never stopped watching cartoons, it's just that I stopped watching action cartoons. Once Samurai Jack left me, nothing had my interest anymore. When Ben 10 originally premiered, I was positive it was another doofy kids action show that would be cancelled in a year. In fact, I only bought the first season because it was on sale for $5.00. I would have never given it a chance otherwise, but I'm glad I took that chance.

Ben 10 is more than just a good cartoon, it's a cartoon that reminds me of everything I loved in the cartoons I grew up on. This is the type of show I would have woken up early for. If you want good solid action and humor with aliens and explosions, you will find it here.

The dialogue is pretty well written, with great pacing and a great sense of humor. Some of the things Ben says when he first turns into Ghostfreak are just funny ("ninja old people!"). Something you will notice right off is that each show is its own adventure, but there is always a main plot stirring in the background. This is good because it means the season finale's get to actually mean something.

The most important thing this cartoon did for me is made me question what else I had missed. I ended up picking up Avatar, have been watching the Secret Saturdays and Clone Wars, and I've even gone ahead and started watching Ben 10: Alien Force.

Saturday morning is on its way back. Now the networks just need to get on board.

-Matt

December 07, 2008.

All the Heroics, None of the Darkness.

Rating: 5
My 5 year old is really into superheroes, but shows like The Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Spiderman are made for an older crowd; they're a little too dark for my young 'un.

Enter Ben 10. Good family values with Grandpa and older cousin keeping the impulsive Ben on track. One reviewer said this was the new Transformers and the new Voltron, and I agree, but Ben 10 is much higher quality. Plenty of comedy, plenty of heroics, and an all around good watch.

December 30, 2008.

Great price,easy deal!.

Rating: 5
This is hard to find in stores, and the price I got at Amazon was cheaper then it was going to on Ebay. You get 2 DVD's with a ton of episodes. You'll be singing the Ben 10 them song with your kids before you know it! Very cool and the boys love it.

December 15, 2008.

Ben 10- The Complete Season 1..........

Rating: 5
It wasn't until the new show, Ben 10 Alien Force, debuted that I ever took an interest in Ben 10 at all. My nephews, 12 & 14 years of age, had told me about it before but I let it slide past me somehow. Basically what Ben 10 is about is Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, and Grampa Max. Ben finds a bracelet called the Omnitrix. This bracelet allows him to assume the form of ten different aliens, each with different powers to use in any given situation. Sometimes; he changes into what he wants, while others times not. Then, after doing so, there's a time limit as to how long he can remain that way. Afterwards, the bracelets' power is drained for an unspecified amount of time before it can be used again. This puts Ben in a pickle, at times. In these first thirteen episodes, Ben & Company go up against the likes of Vilgax Dr. Animo, Kevin 11, and more. Vilgax is especially a pain in this first season as he wants the Omnitrix to conquer the galaxy. Being a comic book fan, the show itself reminds me of a DC comic called Dial H for Hero, in which one of the heroes dialed H-E-R-O on their watch to change them into a superhero. The series itself was created by Man of Action(a group consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle) and is voiced by Tara Strong(Teen Titans, The Batman), Dee Bradley Baker, Jim Ward, Meagan Smith, Paul Eiding, Richard McGonagle, Richard Steven Horvitz, Steven Jay Blum and Fred Tatasciore.

I honestly never thought I'd like this show but it's great. I'll admit, it might not have the same production values as, say, The Batman, Teen Titans or Justice League but it is just as entertaining and good.

If you're a big animation fan, check out Ben 10-The Complete Season One. You'll really like this show. I know I do.

December 15, 2008.

Ben Ten entertains.

Rating: 5
My wife and I found ourselves interested in the stories and my 4 year old loves them.
The monsters are "cool" but friendly and the stories are like x-files for kids.