A Great New 'Toon

As some of you may know, I am pretty big on a variety of cartoons from the past and present. Now I wouldn't call myself an expert quite yet because there are thousands of cartoons in existence, but it's never too late to start. I even created a fan website about the Rugrats cartoon spin-off that premiered nearly five years ago on Nickelodeon called "All Grown Up." To find it, all you have to search on the web is "Luke" and "All Grown Up" and it should be one of your first results to come up. Within the past month, a new cartoon has been catching my eye on the Cartoon Network. It doesn't happen very often where I become completely enthralled with a show, let alone a cartoon. But for this one, I certainly have. It's called "The Secret Saturdays" and new episodes have been airing at 8:30 PM (EST) every Friday on CN. It's about a family of cryptozoologists on the search for the latest cryptids, which are "creatures whose existence has been suggested but not confirmed by science (Wikipedia definition)." Examples of cryptids include Big Foot, chubacabra, and the Loch Ness Monster. They try to find these cryptids and confirm their existence, only to keep their identities secret to keep them safe from the public that may try to hunt them down. They have to deal with a slew of villains along the way who try to outwit the Saturdays. It's actually a brilliant idea for a cartoon, dealing with a subject that has never been done before. It's a comedy-adventure cartoon so it's certainly not weighed down by too much drama.

The Saturdays are comprised of two parents; the mother being Drew and the father being Doc. They are middle-aged, I would say, and are an interracial couple. How many interracial couples exist in cartoons in the past and present? None that I can think of. So "The Secret Saturdays" is rather ground breaking on that issue. They have an 11-year old boy named Zak who was born with the special ability to control cryptids. He is aiding in controlling most cryptid creatures with the help of the hand of Tsul Kalu, an ancient artifact not only used in controlling cryptid creatures, but also as a weapon against villains. He can't control all cryptids as witnessed in the episode "The King of Kumari Kandam," particularly creatures that are very large. He tried using his powers on a giant sea monster that was used in moving the lost city of Kumari Kandam. Zak is still honing his cryptid-controlling skills which will only improve with time. The Saturdays are part of a bigger group of cryptozoologists known as "Secret Scientists." They are allies to the Saturdays and help keep the existence of several cryptids secret. They also help fight back many of the villains that the Saturdays face from time to time.

Three cryptids also make up the Saturday household. Fiskerton is probably the most dominant cryptid of the Saturday clan, which is no surprise since he's seven feet tall. He's a gorilla-cat complete with glowing red eyes and part of the Fiskerton Phantom race of crypids that existed in England. Although he looks menacing and plays an important part in many of the Saturdays' battles, he actually can be pretty timid when not in the heat of the moment and often plays the part of a brother to Zak. Komodo is a genetically-altered komodo dragon that has chameleon-like abilities and can blend in with surroundings, which is especially useful in battles and secret operations. He is 250 pounds and usually never misses an opportunity for a free meal. He often spars with Fiskerton in a friendly fashion. And finally Zon, a pterodactyl-type creature that was thought to be extinct. The Saturdays discover her while crash-landing in the forests of Manaus, Brazil. Her nest gets destroyed by the Saturdays' air ship and begins attacking the family, even capturing Zak for a short time and nearly biting off Doc's head. But once Zak is able to control her with his cryptid powers, she becomes much tamer and comfortable with the Saturdays. They take her home with them and Zak builds her a new nest just outside of their home. Without these three cryptids, I just don't think the Saturdays would find life nearly as fun as it is now.

Unfortunately, there are people in the Saturdays' universe that are out to use the existence of cryptids for their own selfish reasons. V.V. Argost is the main villain in "The Secret Saturdays" and host of his own program, "Weirdworld." Argost is looking for all the secrets he can dig up in uncovering the most powerful cryptid of all, Kur. It is believed that this cryptid is capable of holding a source of unlimited power and everlasting life for whomever is able to capture it. If he ends up finding Kur and unlocking its power, he will likely control cryptid creatures all over earth and use them to take over the world. So it's no surprise that the Saturdays are trying to keep pace with Argost and to keep any secret about Kur away from him if they can. So far, they haven't been so lucky as he's managed to escape with just about every artifact the Saturdays have had their hands on. Fortunate for them, Argost isn't that close to finding Kur quite yet. And with the help of villain-turned-ally Doyle, who ends up being a long-lost brother to Drew, they are in even better hands as he knows many of Argost's secrets. There are still some questions about Doyle, whether or not he is truly an ally of the Saturdays or if he still holds some alliance with Argost as a spy. I guess we will find that out in future episodes. Argost is also aided with help by Munya, a giant Frankenstein-type creature who serves as Argost's manservent. He himself is half-cryptid, as he's been injected with the DNA of a Papuan Giant Spider. This allows him to turn into a giant beastly-creature, which only helps Argost during battles. And then there's Van Rook, a cryptozoologist-turned-bad. He's only out to discover cryptids for money and often helps Argost find a variety of cryptic artifacts. Doyle was once an apprentice to Van Rook.

The Saturdays cross the globe in their super-fast air ship, trying to stay atop of Argost and to keep the identity of cryptids safe. They've been to Brazil trying to uncover the last piece of the Kur stone which they secretly burried 11 years ago, only to have Argost and Munya take off with it in the end. They travel to Japan to take on a giant Hibagon creature, who ends up being the good guy in this situation and the bad guy gets put behind bars. The Saturdays have traversed near the boundaries of the North Pole to take control of a clan of Amaroks riled up after Van Rook and Doyle attempt to steal several ancient artifacts from mounds in which the Amaroks were buried. Zak, Zon, Fisk, and Komodo fight off an attack from a criminally-insane chef at their home - who was looking to feast on rare, exotic species; namely Fiskerton. This while Zak's parents were enjoying their anniversary and their babysitter was out trying to track down a new UFO sighting. They fly over to the other side of the world and take control of a situation created by Argost within the lost city of Kumari Kandam. Argost takes off with the king's Sumarian medallion, which ends up being another clue in finding Kur. But the Saturdays wind up creating peace in the lost city once again after Argost escapes. The also travel to Alkali Lake in an attempt to break off the lake monster's horn, which is another clue to finding Kur. However in the end, Van Rook and Munya take off with the horn. But this is where Doyle becomes a new member of the Saturday family. All this in just the first seven episodes of the series! Who knows exactly when and where the Saturdays will wind up next.

So this is my recommendation for everyone interested in cartoons, whether you're still a kid or a kid at heart. This is probably one of the best cartoons to come along in awhile and you won't be disappointed. It provides a lot of action, drama, and yes, quite a bit of comedy, too. It deals with a subject that I wasn't all that familiar with up until watching the show. Sure, I've heard of Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster, but I didn't realize they were referred to as cryptids. This show has opened my eyes up to the possibilities that these creatures do indeed exist. It's ground breaking on many levels and I have no reason but to believe that this show will be around for a long while to come.