I just realized that the new show from Nerd Corps called "Storm Hawks" is now airing in the US. It's showing on Cartoon Network and they'll be re-running the one hour pilot episode this Friday June 8th at 3:30pm eastern time. They're also running four or five of the regular half hour episodes over the next two weeks.

You can get a glimpse of the show on the www.stormhawks.com web site. The overall look of the show is clearly inspired by Dragon Booster and they've taken the animation and effects to the next level. I remember 3DPete saying they learned a lot during the production of DB and they're putting all that into Storm Hawks.

I haven't seen any of the episodes yet myself, but I'm looking forward to it and I wanted to let folks here know about it. Might be a nice follow-on to DB. I don't know much of anything about the storyline, so we'll see on Friday! :)

They don't have any information about showings in other countries, but it's supposed to be on YTV in Canada at some point.

It looks...okay. They appear to have ZOMGActualFemaleCharacters!, two good guys, the main bad guy and a henchwoman (four out of ten or thereabouts, it's a bit sad to get excited about near-parity in one show when general parity isn't even close, but hey, it's a start), and all the characters seem to be built much the same way in a design I find pretty appealing. But I don't know the plot sounds that interesting; maybe I'll have a peek if it ends up on YouTube and I haven't much else to do.

If DB's renewed, and since they used a lot of what they learned from DB to put in Storm Hawks, you think they would out some of that next level animation and effects in DB:A?

Anyway, I think Storm Hawks looks pretty cool. Animation-wise and basically just the way it sorta looks like DB. The only thing bugging me is the character's faces and heads. The eyes are too big, and I don't know, I don't like their faces. Otherwise everything looks pretty okay. I'll see if I can watch the first eppie when it comes on YTV.

This show looks cool. Im going to watch it, it also has Scott McNeil in it he plays Wolverine in X-Men Evolution and *Drum Roll* Cain from Dragon Booster.

Actually, Storm Hawks uses pretty much the entire cast of Dragon Booster. :)

Hard to say. DB has an established look and they may not want to change it now. Perhaps they'd use the special effects though.

So I've watched the pilot and a couple of episodes now. I really like the animation style. It's CG like Dragon Booster, but it doesn't have as much of the CG look. And it doesn't look like a Pixar movie either. It kind of has an organic look, for lack of a better word. In particular, all the backgrounds look painted as opposed to digital. Even the special effects look good.

I was particularly impressed with the aerial choreography and the camera work. It was just outstanding as was the pacing of everything.

The episodes are more light hearted than DB and there's more sight gags, which seems to fit well with everything else. The episodes are predominantly action, with very little in the way of exposition scenes. And of course, they don't bother trying to explain or justify how everyone keeps managing to repair their bikes so quickly from all the battle damage they take. :)

One big difference with DB is that the episodes all appear to be stand alone. It doesn't look like there's going to be any continuity and they haven't even hinted at any mysteries or secrets. So right now, it looks like there's no overall story arc or any character arcs.

It's great eye candy and very fun to watch, but I would like to see a continuing story line and some mysteries to keep it more interesting. I was also hoping Cartoon Network would show it in widescreen, but that's not the case. Oh well. At least it's something fun to watch. Outside of anime and DB, it's the only decent animated action show on right now.

Ive seen a couple of eppisodes and unless it has some big changes it looks like that with no continueing story line and being rather shallow in thought while to deep for little kids that show I think may somehow get DB:A started sooner.

Well thats pretty cool.

i have seen an episode and i'm not that impressed. DB is way better and there is not much of a plot

The plots are definitely thin. The focus of the show seems to be on action and aerial dogfights. I really admire the CG animation though. It's CG, but it doesn't really look like CG. There are a number of cartoons using CG for things like vehicles and stuff, and it looks really fake. But the CG that Nerd Corps turns out looks like it belongs in that environment with the characters and that really impresses me. Doing CG that looks organic like that is really hard.

I do wish the show had a grand story arc and a continuing story to unify the episodes and add depth. I like to see character development too, and it's looking like there won't be any. Still, it's fun to watch and it beats the hell out of Power Rangers. :)

OH your soooooooooooooo Right on that one!!!! I HATE power rangers. NO character evelpoment and annoying plot schemes. If its SH or PR Ill go with SH anyday.

Well It´s looks a bit like the dragon booster, I don´t now. Maybe if I will see some episodies.................

I think I'll give it a try. I mean, if it helps to get more recognition for dragon booster, why not? And I would love to see cartoon network get dragon booster.

That show is awesome, I mean not as awesome as dragon booster but It is really good! Stork Rules!!

Maybe that is what they wanted, think about it. Most cartoons are aimed at the younger audience. Dragon Booster might have been too complex for younger people to understand. I didn't understand some of it when I started watching it the first time around. What gear kind can be magged to a dragon, I still don't understand that to this day.

Storm Hawks will be airing on YTV in Canada coming this fall

i didn't actually take good notice of it until yesterday when i was looking for chips on ytv.com (a chip adds special stuff on your sitekick) then i saw the link for the show and ended up at their site
when watching the trailers about half a dozen times, i noticed Finn sounded like artha (of course they have the same voice actor)
after looking at the characters, i saw one that looked like steward and i said "OMGosh it's steward's grandpa!"

i also started making little things up like, "after kitt was turned into a wraith, she found it was too much fun being evil."

now i'm actually excited to see this show



---->

The episodes are kind of fun to watch. I've seen several more now and what I said above still stands: great animation (CG with an "organic" feel to it), really well done aerial dogfights, lots of action, great special effects and music, good pacing and a nice little bit of humor that flows through the whole episode (unlike DB which would be serious a lot of the time, then suddenly there'd be a gag). And the other things appear to be the same as well: each episode is stand alone with no continuity between them (no sign of any story or character arcs), and when you get down to it, not a whole lot happens plot-wise in an episode. The focus is definitely on the action.

Yeah, I'd say they definitely want the show to be this way. I guess the market can be pretty good for a show like this, though it doesn't work as well for me without an overall story behind the whole thing. While I do enjoy watching the action and eye candy, the plots are pretty thin and unconnected and I find them to be very forgettable as a result. It doesn't really leave any kind of impression on me afterwards.

So, can anyone figure out why Radarr can't talk? :) The other non-human characters like Junko and Stork don't seem to have a problem with language skills. Yeah, I know: he's the cute furry comic relief side-kick character, but if he's smart enough to be a co-pilot then he should be able to manage a few words at least. :D Part of the silliness of the show I suppose. I mean, they don't seem to even know what species he is. :D

Nearest I can figure is the same reason that the dragons on Dragon Booster cant talk. While they understand human speach the vocalization requirement(Voice box) is underdeveloped there fore they cant speak yet though I bet Raddarr could learn an alternate means of communication. My favorite character so far is Junko and Stork is cool also. Really funny looking feet though.

You'd think, wouldn't you. :) Radarr is intelligent enough to fly a cycle-plane (or whatever term they have for their rides) and has enough presence of mind to have modesty and realizes he should wear clothes, but he doesn't seem to be able to make the leap to express himself beyond squawking and chattering noises. Unless that is his language and the other characters haven't figured it out. :D

Yeah, Junko's the somewhat buffoonish strong man with a heart of gold. Hard not to like him. A bit of a cliche, but he's fun to watch. And Stork's paranoia and endless pessimism is a good running gag. I like what he said in the pilot episode, "I'm just here until something better comes along." Gee, what commitment to the team! :D

You mean Junko, Stork, Radarr, or all of the above? :)

Stork. I mean he has 3 fingerd hands for feet.

Well, he is non-human. :) And they did have fun with his character design, didn't they. They made him look like a cliched villain in that he's rather evil looking and has a cliched villain-like smooth talking voice. And he does seem to enjoy the darker side of things, even to the point of being happy whenever they're in danger. But he's a good guy! So much for the stereotype. :) Funny character.

I do like the quirky humor of the show. Like in one of the dogfight sequences, I think it was Finn who realizes one of the bad guys is following him and you hear the usual dramatic and urgent violin in the soundtrack. And as Finn turns around to look, we see the bad guy following him is playing the violin. :) Just silly.

I also like those aggressive looking faces they paint on their missiles. Makes it more fun to watch them shooting through the air and hitting their targets.

The weirdest scene so far had to be that brief shot of Junko in a Speedo. Very strange but an effective sight-gag. :D

Just thought I'd post that there's going to be a Storm Hawks marathon on Cartoon Network from 3-7:30 PM EST tomorrow. (Monday) I'll be out that day, but I'm going to tape it and watch the whole thing. I havn't seen any of the episodes yet, but they're airing every one they've made so far, including the one-hour pilot, so it'll be the perfect chance to catch up.

The newest eppisode Fire and Ice is a really great eppisode. The absolute zeroes are a blst and their sky night is very pretty in my oppinion. I love the humor they put in this show so much. The lizard getting his toung froze to the ice wall and all that gag stuff I just cant get enough of it. Any bdy heard of a Stom Hawks forum? That would be a lot of fun.

Now I REALLY want to see it! From the website I saw it looks flippin' awesome!
Storm Hawks forum? There probably is one somewhere. It does sound like fun though. :D

I luv this show(hint:avatar) and Stork and Dark ace(hint: avatar and sig).
I've only seen 3 1/2 episodes(I had to leave to a friends house in the middle of the third epp.)

I like the ep "Fire and Ice" when the Raptors are in the Condor about to attack Stork and they say "Any last request?" and Stork looks at where they're standing and says "Yes, get out of my ship" and he pulls the lever, bye bye Raptors.

Yeah, "Fire and Ice" was pretty fun. And The Blizarians are Canadians! :D OK, eh? :D The creators and writers are having a bit of fun, aren't they. :) The humor is pretty well done, though I wish the stories were more involved.

So how many sentient species do we have now?

1. assorted humans
2. Junko - a Wallop
3. Stork - a Merb
4. Raptors
5. Blizarians
6. Radarr - unspecified species

Did I miss any? I'm not counting the various monsters that appear to be non-sentient.

Not sure but Junko said his best friend was a gleep when he was a little Wallop. I am not sure though if thats like the friendship that developes between humans and dogs but thats it.(I think) Oh and even the creators dont know what Radarr is they say just dont call him Aerrows pet because he hates that. And for all you Artha bashers out there jump with glee because the person with his voice (Finn) is even a bigger jerk and has more character flaws. Hes a good shot but he has no leadership skills.

Finally I'm able to watch an episode! It's on youtube! :dance: Anyway, can someone post a list of who from DB is in Storm Hawks as well? I know Finn usees Artha's voice actor, but can you post the others?

Here are the DB voice actors that are also on Storm Hawks. The list goes by Storm Hawks character name, voice actor, then DB character in parens. Note that I only listed the actors who do roles in both series. Also, many of the Storm Hawks actors do multiple roles, but I only listed their major characters.

Aerrow/Dark Ace/Spitz - Sam Vincent (Stewardd/Dorsull/Vociferous)
Finn - Matt Hill (Artha)
Storkk/Harrier/Luegy/Repton - Scott McNeil (Cain)
Wren - Lee Tockar (Parmon/Khatah)
Capt. Scabulous - Mark Oliver (Word)
Master Cyclonis - Lenore Zann (Kitt/Spynn)
Starling/Suzy-Lu - Nicole Oliver (Pyrrah/Sentrus)
Oppinsaur/Carver - Brian Drummond (Kawake/Malto/Shayyn)
Billy Rex - Asaph Fipke (producer of DB)
Dove - Tabitha St. Germain (Spratt)

I watched an episode on YouTube. Well, part of an episode. I got bored and went off to something else.

I felt much the same. Two villains and token female on heroes' team slightly trump DB, but I found the third episode boring and that certainly isn't good enough for me to desperately want to see more. I wanted to smack Aerrow, his sidekick Finn wasn't just a jerk but a useless jerk in the episode as well (Artha's voice actor really fits him), some implicit sexism of Woman (a pet in this case) Wanting To Settle Down and Bloke Needing To Flee, the token female got a helicopter-thing for her aircraft rather than the cool-looking X-wing design of the others (although she did get to save the useless jerk from a falling death and do some planning)... Boring, and had something like the following hackneyed piece of dialogue.

I suppose at least Dark Ace didn't ask Aerrow to marry him?

Anyway, I agree with you, SilverDragon, though Wallop and Stork seem like they could be fun characters, and maybe the animation's really good off YouTube. And maybe I picked a particularly sucky episode.

think of it this way, its not sexism, just alien rights

And female aliens don't exist?

i'm saying, from my point of view, its not so much sexism as a point of alien rights. yes, female aliens do exist, but perhaps all such aliens, male or female, are employed as such as Radarr, who is described as Aerrow's close friend and co-pilot. also, she no likey being called a pet.

From my point of view, your point is utterly inane. Women are 50% of the population. A show which fails to represent this without a historical and social context that gives rise to exclusion of one gender (eg. set in a nunnery) is being sexist. (No, "it's for boys" is no excuse, and there's damn too many shows for boys already. The characters are riding mini-aircraft in an alternate universe. If the audience can identify with characters with one set of gonads and lives so different from their own, they can identify with characters with another set of gonads. Provide an explanation or something if you're so wedded to characters sharing your genitalia combination.)

Either Radarr is male, or episode three depicted an interspecies lesbian relationship. I cheer the show on if this is the case.

Aliens may have only one gender, which could just as well come off as female to us as male, be asexual, hermaphrodites or have more than one gender, but the key fact remains: sexism exists. Alien discrimination does not as yet, due to there being no aliens. Female aliens bringing the team up to 50% parity would solve both sexism and anti-alienism nicely.

i see what your saying. kind off. more than a little confused, too much in too little time, i must mull this over. and yes, Radarr is female.

What gave you that idea? Radarr is referred to as "he" numerous times in the show, plus there's this from stormhawks.com:

The writers have made his gender quite clear. The thing that isn't clear is how he can be so intelligent and not have come up with a way to talk. :)

But of course, he's cuter and more humorous if he doesn't talk, so I'm sure that's the reason. :D

Well Sarah Frost I guess we cant escape sexism where ever we go because its a sad part of humanity. If you se the eppisode 11 Fire and Ice youll see that at least the blissarans hold women in what appears to be higher respect than men. Oh and your complaint of Piper getting the Heliscooter I have to wonder though that if its a gender based thing then why does Snipe the biggest guy around ride a Helliscooter? Not to mention you make a smaller target.

Yeah I think you did. and I do agree with you that Finn/Artha are jerks and they fit together quite nicely.

According to wiki's assessment of him, Snipe isn't a very competent pilot either on the Heliscooter. I'd still have preferred Piper to be in one of the apparently more action-oriented vehicles. I guess at least she isn't quite as useless as Kitt.

We can't escape sexism--yet. Why is this an excuse for perpetuating it?

damn! wiki failed me again! guess i should go straight to the source................................hmmmm...............................................i leave to lurk in the shadows................................watching

Ill give you that. Though I would rather have a Helliscooter than say.......Finns ride. Helliscooters seem to be tougher and more manuverable. Repton has the coolest ride though. The Bone Wing.

Hmm. Never seen it, but it looks and sounds like a good show.