For ten sidesplitting years, 1985-95, Chagrin Falls native Bill Watterson gave readers their daily chuckle with his Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, syndicated to more than 2,400 newspapers worldwide. The cartoon explored the imaginative mind of young Calvin, who regarded Hobbes as his living tiger pal, while everyone else saw only a stuffed animal. Comic writers are drawing comparisons between that classic strip and The CW’s new animated series, World of Quest. Its unique origin was the online comic “conduit,” Komikwerks.com, where writers and illustrators are invited to post their work without the many costs involved in printing. A full-length graphic novel soon followed, and then came the offer to create a network series. In a nutshell, former hero Quest unwillingly becomes bodyguard to Prince Nestor, a young smart-alec who knows the whereabouts to a powerful mystic dagger. Their search entails many obstacles from others who also want the weapon—as well as hilarious banter between the two. No matter your age, this is one cartoon show that’s worth getting up for on Saturday morning.

The new year will also bring a brand new animated series to WBNX: The Spectacular Spider-Man debuts March 1, it was announced at ComicCon, with an impressive slate of 26 original season one episodes. Spidey first appeared in a 1962 comic book, and his legend has grown thru decades of TV and big-screen exposure. This new cartoon will be the tenth television series for the webslinger, all but two of them animated. Anyone who grew up in the ‘60s or ‘70s can still sing most of the words to the first theme song, which trumpeted the “superhero-with-attitude’s” premiere in 1967. The Spectacular Spider-Man will pick up with 16-year-old Peter Parker entering high school juggling teen issues and his newfound powers, and he’ll be voiced by Josh Keaton — whose golden vocal chords are a fixture in today’s video game world. To some, he’s remembered as the lead singer of the ‘90s boy band, No Authority. You may have caught the Spider-man preview trailer during our Saturday morning kids shows, but if not click here to check it out…then give us your thoughts.

Got plans for tomorrow morning? Unless they involve pancakes and a 52-inch TV screen, change ‘em! Kids WB! on WBNX has added four great cartoons to an already-strong lineup: Will & DeWitt, Magi-Nation, Skunk Fu and Eon Kid. Returning favorites include Johnny Test, Shaggy & Scooby Doo Get a Clue, Legion of Superheroes, The Batman and Tom & Jerry. It always amazes our event crew how many college guys watch our animated shows every weekend! When they spin the Prize Wheel, they seem to know the cartoon characters, if nothing else. We’re all just big kids, I guess. This Sunday is also Premiere Day for our new season of 4 Kids TV shows, including a live-action game show, The Adrenaline Project, and the next level of anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Click here to see the schedule, and let us know which cartoons you think are worth rolling out of the sack for!