Reliving 1980s Animated TV

The animated shows of the 1980s were memorable... but not always for the best reasons. Whether they were part of early morning Saturday television — a veritable "prime time" for viewing for millions of American children — or syndicated shows that aired after school, animated television was a pop culture staple throughout the decade.  

The animation was hand-produced, making it appear primitive by today’s standards, but also giving it a charmingly crude aesthetic. Often shows served as marketing tie-ins to toy lines, with Transformers and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe being prime examples. As such, storylines were as much about selling action figures as they were about entertaining young audiences and unfolded with simple, formulaic plots that were both familiar and comforting. And perhaps their simplicity was part of their appeal? After all, it didn't take much effort to follow your favorite shows each week — and there was never any ambiguity as to who was going to come out on top. No matter what dastardly scheme Mumm-ra came up with, we always knew Lion-O and the other ThunderCats were going to save the day. 

Invariably, the heroes of 80s animation were children, teenagers or very young adults and were usually pitted against adult villains. With a heavy emphasis on action, adventure, and fantasy, these shows left an indelible mark on an entire generation, shaping childhoods with their imaginative worlds and ultimately influencing movies, television, comics and books up to the present day. 

In fact, of all the ridiculousness that came out of the 80s, these franchises had remarkable staying power. (Consider the live-action Masters of the Universe movie currently under production and starring Nicholas Galitzine!) This is even more remarkable if you consider that most of these shows were only on the air for a few years! Yet today, I can't walk into a bookstore or comic book store without easily finding some rehash of a show I first watched 40+ years ago. As such, I thought it would be fun to collect some of the more current book and graphic novel titles together. 

RELATED FEATURES: Pop Culture Contributions of the 1990s  |  The Golden Age of Movie Novelizations  |  Writing the 1980s Arcade Experience  |  The Timelessness of Serial Storytelling

Gatchaman Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn, Carlos Lopez and Chris Batista

Gatchaman Vol. 2 by Cullen Bunn and Chris Batista

Gatchaman Vol. 3 by Sam Humphries

Gatchaman: Galactor by Steve Orlando

Masters of the Universe: Revelation by Kevin Smith

Transformers Vol. 1: Robots in Disguise by Daniel Warren Johnson

Transformers Vol. 2 by Daniel Warren Johnson

Transformers Vol. 3: Combiner Chaos by Daniel Warren Johnson

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero! Compendium 1 by Larry Hama

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero! Compendium 2 by Larry Hama

Codename: G.I. Joe Deluxe Edition Book One by Joshua Williamson

G.I. Joe Vol. 1: The Cobra Strikes! by Joshua Williamson

G.I. Joe Vol. 2: Bludd's Revenge by Joshua Williamson

Thundercats Vol. 1: Omens by Declan Shalvey

Thundercats Vol. 2: Roar by Declan Shalvey

Thundercats Vol. 3: Apex by Declan Shalvey and Drew Moss

Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years - Droids & Ewoks by Various Marvel Authors

Star Wars: Ewoks by Steve Orlando and Laura Braga

He-Man and She-Ra: A Complete Guide to the Classic Animated Adventures by James Eatock

Masters of the Universe/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles of Grayskull by Tim Seeley

Masters of the Universe: Masterverse Volume 1 by Tim Seeley

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 1 by Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 2 by Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 3 by Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 4 by Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 5 by Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 6 by Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 1 by David M. Boomer

Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures, Vol. 2 by David M. Boomer

Cobra Commander Volume 1: Determined to Rule the World by Joshua Williamson

The Real Ghostbusters: A Visual History (Deluxe Edition) by Craig Goldberg