Tell us about cartoon characters that didn’t get their due!  Whether from comic books or TV or movies, anywhere from a few years ago to the dawn of animation and comic books.  Who deserved better than to be left behind?

Here’s a few of mine…

Doyle Blackwell from The Secret Saturdays.  A mercenary who changed sides when he discovered his target was his long-lost older sister and her family, Doyle proves to be a great addition to the Saturdays family, with his unsurpassed combat abilities and his nurturing relationship with his nephew Zak.  (Also, he’s hoootttttt.)  Unfortunately the show only last two seasons (due to poor toy sales, from what I’ve heard) and has largely been relegated to the dustbin of unsuccessful cartoon series.

Bobbi Harlow from Bloom County.  The feminist school teacher from the big city who takes no chauvinist shit from the small-town hicks, Bobbi was perhaps the only Bloom County female character who was sane, strong,  AND likeable.  However, as with every other female character in the comic strip, Bobbi eventually vanished without explanation, and was replaced (briefly) by much less sympathetic token female characters like Yaz Pistachio, Quiche Lorraine, and Lola Granola.

Rook Blonko from Ben 10: Omniverse.  Basically serving as a replacement crime-fighting team for 16-year-old Ben Tennyson when his cousin Gwen and her boyfriend/his rival-turned-buddy Kevin moved out of town, Rook was calm, competent, and cautious, i.e., the perfect complement for Ben.  Sadly, Cartoon Network rebooted the entire franchise (turning it into a puerile, inane version of the original series) and Rook has been forgotten.

Louisa “Lou” Dem Five from the indie comic book series Buck Godot.  Smart, gorgeous, and about as liberated as one can be, Lou is Buck “Zap gun for hire” Godot’s best friend and the owner of a chain of intergalactic brothels in the far-distant future.  After the absolutely amazing 8-part mini-series “The Gallimaufry”, the Buck Godot franchise seems to have been utterly abandoned by its creator, Phil Foglio, in favor of his and his wife’s long-running webcomic Girl Genius.  Damn shame, as it would have made for an incredible movie.