Much like the Watchmen Motion Comic that came out on iTunes and DVD in support of the motion picture, Marvel is introducing their own motion comics, except they have full voice acting casts, whereas Watchmen was more like a traditional audio book, with a single reader voicing all the characters. This is the “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted” motion comic trailer, available on iTunes starting October 28. If only they had thought of this years ago, I would not have had to learn to read.

Of more interest to me, of course, are these outtakes from the voiceover auditions, from the crew that brings you Marvel Super Heroes: What The-?!

Maybe I’m missing something, but how is this different from or preferable to a standard cartoon?

Motion comics are to animated cartoons as audiobooks are to radio plays.

I haven’t experienced the Marvel Motion Comics you’re recommending.  But I will say that I think the DC animated universe features on Green Lantern and Wonder Woman are AWESOME.  I like the continuity of animation for super hero features even more than the visual overload of a summer blockbuster version.  Well, not really.  I like it almost as much, I guess…  I really hope DC makes lots more of those videos…

The Marvel animated videos are good too.  I saw a Hulk vs. Thor that was very good the other day as well.

The Motion Comics are nifty enough I suppose, but much like digital comics that Marvel is pushing as well, it will never replace the excitement I get from getting new issues, nor the feel of a comic in my hands.
Also, it looks like bad anime despite Cassaday’s art and the voices don’t match up with the ones I make up in my head. I’ll pass.

I’m also happy with the full length, animated direct-to-dvd features we are getting from both Warner Bros/DC (Green Lantern: First Flight, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, etc.) and Marvel Studios (Avengers, Iron Man, Wolverine Vs.., etc.) that reflect the tone of current comics and aren’t just watered down versions to meet self-imposed “kid-friendly” or other misguided criteria. The motion comics do seem to be some sort of odd hybrid between the two media that seem more likely to inherit the weaknesses of each rather than the strengths.

I’m thinking the main selling point is that they can fit much more into a production than either a live action or animated movie can (even the extra-long director’s cut of The Watchmen couldn’t contain the entire book, page for page, the way the one-disc motion comic did) and they are easier to digest for people who either don’t like to read or do not have access to the actual comics. Whether or not this niche is needed or will prove to be successful will remain to be seen I suppose.

It’s an interesting stylistic experiment, at least. It kind of reminds me of the semi-animated storyboards film directors sometimes use in visually demanding films. (Peter Jackson did a version of “The Fellowship of the Ring” like this, with a full crew of voice actors.) It also kind of reminds me of those old, stilted Marvel cartoons from the early 1970s.

Oh, look. Somebody found a copy of Adobe After Effects!

Wow, someone agrees with something I wrote on MtnX Forums! 

Yes, BreBo….  the coolest part of those direct-to-DVD cartoons is the adult tone.  Like the fact that Wonder Woman’s modern-day, American male counterpart gets drunk and hits on her.  And how the character’s in Hulk vs. Thor are bleeding and dying….

Now if only we could get the studios to capture this tone in the full-length live action/CGI superhero features…. 
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Disney now owns Marvel (in addition to many, many other media outlets), so it’s probably only a matter of time before they start experimenting with in-house animation. If they’re smart, they might go for an older teen market. Given the success of Marvel’s grittier films, and Disney’s own track record with the style (think “Gargoyles”), it’s not impossible.