There’s a story that the Saturday Morning Cartoons of the 60s were created as a vehicle for networks to serve up cereal and toy commercials to kids, who would then, in turn, nag their parents to buy stuff for them. I think the real reason about why Saturday Morning Cartoons started is more mundane and has to do more with networks complying with certain standards for a broad range of programing for various segments of the population. But I like that urban legend so much better.
For those of us of a certain age, Saturday Morning Cartoons and comics go hand-in-hand. The Adam West Batman TV show may have sparked an interest in superheroes for us, but it was reinforced for five glorious hours every Saturday morning back then. We’d thrill to the adventures of authentic comic characters like Superman, Aquaman, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Archie, and Casper, and kind-of-comics characters like Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, Birdman, and so many others. Of course, all those characters would have their own comics at one point or another too. Continue reading “With Further Ado #85: Saturday Morning Comics”
