When I was somewhere around eleven years old, I remember having to read “The Lord Of The Flies” for my 6th grade English class. At first, it was like…”Yeah yeah, new assignment, more homework…great.” But I remember being SO blown away by that book back then! LOL!
You see, my mother used to say that when I was a baby she couldn’t wait for me to be old enough to watch Disney cartoons and stuff with her. Unfortunately, my ‘Disney Kid’ phase was short lived. I watched them all, loved them all, had a great time with them…but by the time I was eight, I was burned out on the wholesome kids and their harmless mischief idea. It sounds crazy to say it now, but I almost felt offended by it. “I know we’re kids, but we don’t just march around in our pajamas all day and look at clouds and chase frogs…” or whatever else those tame stories had us doing. If I was watching cartoons, it was Superman or Transformers or G.I. Joe or something. I wanted James Bond, and Star Wars, and Indiana Jones! And once I discovered horror movies and slasher flicks…I kind of left Disney behind. (Until Aladdin, that is! Still LOVE that movie!)
So, reading “Lord Of The Flies” was a big experience for me! FINALLY, kids that actually did something, felt something…got into something more dangerous than painting a fence, building a go-kart, or stealing a pie out of some old lady’s window. I think I read that book three times that year. Hehehe, I was hooked.
And, of course…enter the beauty of comic books!
I think, at the time, most parents looked at comic book covers, saw a few drawings of super heroes fighting bad guys, and figured they weren’t much different from your average Saturday Morning cartoons. But, these were 80’s/90’s comics. Cartoon drawings aside, they dealt with issues like rage, and relationships, drugs, murder, morality, alcoholism, bullying, gun violence…they were told in a comic book format, sure…but I can assure you that the themes were quite mature indeed. So, when I first found ‘Power Pack’? It was like comic book Christmas for me! Hehehe! Two of my favorite things, comic books and “Lord Of The Flies”, coming together for my entertainment! I was an instant fan!
Where The Fantastic Four is affectionately known as Marvel’s ‘first family’, Power Pack would definitely be its second! Four siblings, Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie, all blessed with amazing super powers and going out to use their abilities to help fight crime…it was little Comsie’s dream come true. These were kids who felt just like I did. They were young, but were written in a much more realistic way. It felt like it did when I was hanging out with my friends at the park, or arguing with my cousins, or just being bored in a math class. They had angst, and trouble choosing the right path sometimes, and could use their powers inappropriately to cause trouble. I loved every minute of it, and I was right there at that comic book store counter every month to find out what happened next.
Jump forward to 2018…and while they haven’t had a long running comic series in years, they DO have some short ‘event’ series that span for a limited number of issues…and they keep popping up from time to time. How come? I didn’t even know current readers even remembered Power Pack, or if they would know about them at all. Then came the whispers…
Little rumblings. Rumors? True? False? Who knows? But rumblings just the same.
With the downright unfathomable success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the past ten years, and their current plans to keep that train rolling for many years to come, it’s only a matter of time before the Power Pack teens get their time to shine! (FINALLY!!!)
What many fans may not know,is that Power Pack actually had a pretty huge fanbase (Me included) for years after its debut in the comic book world, giving teenagers a group of heroes that they could relate to and grow up with. Something that hadn’t been seen since the invention of Spiderman and the original group of X-Men. In 2005, when Marvel Studios went all out to grab a list of their properties to start building a universe that eventually became the cinematic juggernaut that it is today (Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Avengers, etc)…Power Pack was actually one of the FIRST ten properties to be added to that list! (Along with ‘Cloak And Dagger’, which has just recently gotten their own TV series!) And even though they’ve been pushed back again and again without any serious progress on a project in the past…the idea is constantly being talked about, rumors are constantly buzzing around the studio execs…and, ten years later, it appears that we may actually get the Power Pack adaptation that fans have been craving since we were ALL kids! YES!!!
The MCU is entering Phase 4 of its massive collection of successful films, and the time is JUST right for Power Pack to make its first real appearance on the silver screen. Originally, it might have come off as weird, having four kids receiving super powers from an alien from outer space. I can understand producers thinking that it might have been too early to introduce such elements into a world that was still, somewhat, based in ‘reality’. However, the Marvel Universe has expanded greatly since then. The growth was gradual, but now, having aliens and other worlds and cosmic adventures are the norm. Power Pack would fit perfectly into that space! So why not?
Already, producer Jonathan Schwartz has been put in charge of the Power Pack project! As a producer for movies such as “Thor”, “Captain America”, and both “Guardians Of The Galaxy” films, he seems like a perfect fit as well. not to mention that he’s stepped up to be producer of the new “Captain Marvel” film, coming in March of 2019! More cosmic, alien, goodness! I have to say, I’m definitely excited to see if they can pull this off!
Besides…::Blush::…I used that have a big crush on the older brother, Alex. LOL! WHAT? It’s true!
(Did I just publicly admit to having a romantic crush on a cartoon character back then? Give me a break! I was, like…TWELVE! And Alex was a cute blond boy in a skin tight latex suit! Sue me! Hehehe!)
Come on, Disney! Don’t pass up an opportunity like this! You’ll never get a better opportunity to make this happen than you do right NOW!
Now, a long long time ago…in a galaxy right here under our feet…Marvel attempted to turn Power Pack into a TV series. And let me tell you…it was the absolute example of studio execs getting EVERYTHING wrong! LOL! Oh God…noooooo!
WTF happened there???
First of all…Alex is blond!!! LOL! Cute kid and all…but Alex is one of my childhood sweeties, and you will do him justice, dangit! But that’s a tiny TINY nitpick when it comes to everything else wrong with this TV pilot! 😛
At the time, nobody took comic books or video games seriously at all. I mean, NOW? Sure! But back when this was made, corporate suits just figured, ‘throw some kids on the screen…have them act like babies, make a few jokes, and we’ll get paid.’ But that ruined everything that was cool about Power Pack! I mean, it wasn’t gritty and dark or anything. They were kids. They had to hide their abilities from their parents and go to school and learn the ropes of what it took to be a group of heroes. But this show was so condescending and offensive to other kids my age at the time, and it felt like a total betrayal. Honestly. Power Pack wasn’t some goofy, kiddie, sitcom. What were they thinking?
They never show the origin, there are no costumes, the parents are CLEARLY aware that their kids have super powers…it was hard to figure out why they took something so potentially cool and made it corny and weird. It’s supposed to be “Stand By Me” meets the “X-Men”! Not…”Leave It To Beaver” meets a Bugs Bunny cartoon!
“Lord Of The Flies” fans couldn’t have been more embarrassed!
They’re getting another legitimate chance at this one, folks! They can’t go wrong with this one! Power Pack has crossed over with almost every other Marvel comic book in the past. Spiderman to X-men, Avengers to the Hulk, Punisher to New Mutants! Let’s give them the outing they deserve and put them back to work…
I was actually surprised to find the Power Pack pilot on Youtube! But here it is! Hehehe, just in case there were any fans out there who didn’t get to share in my disappointment! Enjoy…I guess?
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Anyway, every few months, the rumor mill gets all excited about bringing Power Pack to the screen again, and I am SO ready! I honestly think that it’s going to happen this time! With “Guardians Of The Galaxy”, “Dr. Strange”, “Thor: Ragnarok”, and “Captain Marvel”, opening up the entire cosmic universe to the movie going audience…acquiring the rights to the “Fantastic Four” again (Franklin Richards…look him up!)…the amazing response to a true ‘high school’ Spiderman in Tom Holland’s ‘Homecoming’…and the incredible success of the teen-centered blowouts of shows like “Stranger Things”, “IT”, and DC’s upcoming “Shazam” movie…I honestly can’t see Marvel not throwing their hat into the ring with a beloved property that they’ve had faith in from the very beginning of this madness! So GO FOR IT! I’ll be waiting on pins and needles until you do!
Still love you, Alex! Hehehe! Always will! 😛
