SUPERMAN - THE COMPLETE ANIMATED TV SERIES(1996):
The complete series of the Superman cartoons from
1996-2000!! These starred Tim Daly(Superman) who does
wonderful here, and Dana Delany as Lois, along with
Clancy Brown as Lex! These are all much longer than
the earlier Superman animations! All-in-all a great animation
of the Man Of Steel! Although beware, these are
considerably more violent than previous incarnations
of Superman!!
This has several bigger names in show biz in it:
Mark Hamil(Star Wars!) in The World's Finest 1, 2 and 3;
Jonathan Harris(Lost In Space) in Target;
Kevin Conroy(Batman animated TV series) in The World's Finest 1, 2 and 3 and others;
Sarah Douglas(Superman: The Movie, Superman II) in Absolute Power;
Shelley Fabares(The Donna Reed Show, Coach, Singer[Johnny Angel]) in Last Son Of Krypton Pt. 1 & 2 and others;
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.(77 Sunset Strip, Remington Steel) in World's Finest Pt. 1, 2 & 3 and others;
Jennifer Lien(Star Trek: VOY) in The Hands Of Fate;
Michael Dorn(Star Trek: TNG & DS9) in Father's Day and others;
David Warner(Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) in The Demon Reborn;
Malcolm McDowell(Star Trek VII: Generations, Heroes) in The Last Son Of Krypton Pt. 3 and others;
Charles Napier(Star Trek TOS episode "The Way To Eden") in The Prometheon and others;
Ron Glass(Star Trek VOY episode "Nightingale", Barney Miller) in Blasts From The Past Pt. 2;
Ron Perlman(Hellboy) in Blast From The Past Pt. 1 & 2 and others;
Dean Jones(MANY Disney movies, including The Love Bug) in Monkey Fun;
Paul Williams(Composer[We've Only Just Begun, et al]) in Knight Time;
Ed Asner(Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant) in Little Girl Lost Pt. 1 & 2 and others;
Marion Ross(Happy Days) in Speed Demons;
Mike Farrell(M.A.S.H.) in Last Son Of Krypton Pt. 1 & 2 and others;
Brad Garrett(Everybody Loves Raymond) in Live Wire and others;
William H. Macy(Air Force One, Jurassic Park III, Shameless) in Where There's Smoke;
Richard Moll(Night Court) in The Main Man Pt. 2;
Robert Hays(Airplane!) in Target;
Joanna Cassidy(Boston Legal, Murder She Wrote) in Bizarro's World and others;
A couple of anomales in this one, such as Superman
having to wear a space suit in space!!!: wearing a deep
sea diving suit underwater!!, ect!! And they decided to
make Supes more "human" by making him more vulnerable
to many kinds of attacks!! One more big deviance, in this
Clark doesn't know he's from another planet 'til he's
Superman!!!!!!! This really goes against the whole
Superboy story line!!!
As an aside here, the packaging on this one is really
cool!!!
DISC 1:
EPISODE 1: THE LAST SON OF KRYPTON PT. 1:
Along with part 2, a complete telling of the saga of
Superman's appearance on Earth, starting from Jor-El's
discovery of Krypton's impending doom to Kal-El's
flight to Earth!!
While very well done, there are several discrepencies
the least not being Lara's unbelief in Jor-El's predictions!!
Also as an interesting side twist that isn't part of lore is
the use of Brainiac as a computer on Krypton!!
However, even with these minor flaws, this is VERY
well done, and worth the price of the DVDs!! A
EPISODE 2: THE LAST SON OF KRYPTON PT.2:
Part 2 picks up with the landing of Kal-El's ship on
Earth, and the discovery of the ship by Jonathan
and Martha Kent!
Showing his discovery of who he is and where
he came from!
Then goes on to the first appearances in Metropolis
as Clark Kent, the new reporter at the Daily Planet
and, of course, Superman! Meeting up with Lois,
Jimmy and Perry White!! And of course, Lex Luthor!
And that's the start of this series, with the intrepid
team of reporters now dealing with Lex and his
evil empire!! (another deviance here, Lex is not
shown as having ever met up with Clark/Superboy/
Superman!! This is a huge deviance, as anyone
who actually knows the saga of Superman knows
that Lex's hatred of Superboy/man began with
the accident that made Luthor bald way back
in Smallville!!!
The music in these is wonderful, voice acting is
great, and the animation is light years beyond
the early Superman animation incarnations! A
EPISODE 3: THE LAST SON OF KRYPTON PT. 3:
Continuing on from the previous episode, Superman
has now shown himself to the public, and has just
run across Luthor and his "war machine" that had
been stolen by people unknown!
This one is a little more personal, with Lois
on a mission to find out all about this new
hunk in her life!!
And now, back to Lex and the suspicions
that Clark has about him and his "stolen"
armored suit! A
EPISODE 4: FUN AND GAMES:
The introduction of Toyman to this series!!
He's out to take over "Mr. Mannheim's" territory!! A
EPISODE 5: A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME:
Lex Luthor opens a new museum which is more
than what it appears!! And after offering a "deal"
with Superman that he of course refuses, Lex
goes after him with Kryptonite!! A
EPISODE 6: FEEDING TIME:
While being fitted for a suit that helps Superman
negate the affects of Kryptonite, some dudes steal
a couple of drums with waste material in them,
and one of them gets a full dosage from them!!! A
DISC 2 SIDE A:
EPISODE 7: THE WAY OF ALL FLESH:
An escaped con who has a fatal desease gets
help from Luthor, who fixes his problem by
making him made out of metal!!!! A
EPISODE 8: STOLEN MEMORIES:
Lex Luthor meets up with Brainiac, who now
is in human form and makes a pact with him
to trade all the information on Earth for all
the information that Brainiac has accumulated
throughout the galaxy!!!! A
EPISODE 9: THE MAIN MAN PT. 1:
The "Main Man" refers to a bounty hunter from
outer space!! He is hired by a dude who wants
the last living being from Krypton!!
This is one of the lesser outing in this series!! B+
EPISODE 10: THE MAIN MAN PT. 2:
With Superman and Robo("The Main Man") in cells,
they have to join forces to escape!! B+
EPISODE 11: MY GIRL:
Lana Lang has re-appeared in Clark Kent/Superman's
life!! And she's flirting with Lex!! And trouble!! A
EPISODE 12: TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
A couple of dudes in a RBT(really big tank)
attack the gold depository in Metropolis,
and, of course, Lois and Clark just happen
to be nearby! A threat by a group called
Intergang, who are headed up by Mr. Mannheim,
who have suddenly got a benefactor who
says he wants to help them out!! Introduces
a new character, Darkseid! A
EPISODE 13: TWO'S A CROWD:
The authorities are being blackmailed by a
dude that use to work for Starlabs, who stole
an isotope and threatens to use it to make
a bomb!!
As a last ditch effort to avoid destruction,
the powers that be turn to an old nemesis
Rudy(The Parasite![from "Feeding Time"])! A
EPISODE 14: THE PROMETHEON:
An asteroid headed to Earth(actually, the
story says Metropolis) is slated for destruction
when a living entity is discovered!! A
There is a special feature on this side
called "Superman: Learning To Fly"! With
the talents of Paul Dini(Producer), Dan
Riba(Director), Bruce Timm(Producer),
Glen Murakami(Art Director), Alan Burnett
(producer) and James Tucker(Character
Designer) A
DISC 2 SIDE B:
EPISODE 15: BLASTS FROM THE PAST PT. 1:
The good professor has discovered a viewer
in Kal-Els spaceship that allows them to view
the Phantom Zone! Unfortunately it also allows
inhabitants to come to our Earth!!
With the ability to view into the Phantom
Zone comes a plea for justice as one of
the inhabitants says that her time is
up and she need to be freed!! A
EPISODE 16: BLASTS FROM THE PAST PT. 2:
Continuing on from the previous episode, Mala
has released her old partner from the Phantom
Zone, and now Superman has to battle both of
them!! A
EPISODE 17: LIVEWIRE:
A "Shock Talk" radio dj has it in for Superman
for reasons unknown!! While Lois and Clark are
being interviewed by this hack, there is an
accident where Superman saves several people!
Then she holds a party at the park and the
police are trying to warn them at this party
that there's going to be a bad storm and that
they should all go home, when there is an
accident!
Enter a new villainess, a kind of female Elctro,
Livewire!! A
EPISODE 18: SPEED DEMONS:
The now famous race for charity between
Superman and "The Fastest Man Alive",
The Flash!!!!!
Of course there's always more to a story than
meets the eyes, as one of those who "help" at
the race start, is calling himself The Weather
Wizard and is out for who-knows-what!!!! A
Another special feature here: Building The Mythology:
Superman's supporting Cast. This has the talents
of James Tucker(Character Designer), Dan Riba
(Director), Paul Dini(Producer), Bruce Timm
(Producer), Glen Murakami(Art Director),
and Alan Burnett(Producer)! A
DISC 3:
EPISODE 19: IDENTITY CRISIS:
There's a new Superman in town, and it's, um
confusing!?! It all becomes clear soon enough
after we see that Lex Luthor has a hand in all
of this! A
EPISODE 20: TARGET:
Lois wins an investigative reporter award, and
is immediately targeted for death!!! A
EPISODE 21: ACTION FIGURES:
There's a new "hero" in town, Steelman!!
It's really John Corben(Metalo) from The
Last Son Of Krypton, and he's lost his
memories! A
EPISODE 22: MXYZPIXILATED:
Yep, one of my least favorite characters in
all of DC lore is back!! B+
EPISODE 23: DOUBLE DOSE:
Livewire's back!! Freed by a pretty dumb dude
by accident, she's out for revenge(SURPRISE!!)!!
And she decides she needs a partner, and proceeds
to break Rudy "The Parasite" out of prison! A
EPISODE 24: SOLAR POWER:
Another returning villain, Edward Lietner(now calling
himself Luminus), is out of prison and after
Lois and Superman!! A
Another Special Feature, "Menaces of Metropolis"
with the talents of: Bruce Timm(Producer), Alan
Burnett(Producer), Paul Dini(Writer/Producer),
James Tucker(Storyboard Artist), Dan Riba(Director)
and Andrea Romano(Voice Director)! A
DISC 4 SIDE A:
EPISODE 25: MONKEY FUN:
As a young child Lois and her younger sister
Lucy have made friends with a chimp that is
set for space exploration! Things go wrong(as
you would probably expect) and the rocket is
lost in space! Meanwhile, 20 years later, while
cleaning up some asteroids Superman stumbles
upon the lost ship! and it appears that Titano
has picked up a few tricks! And the story
continues! B+
EPISODE 26: BRAVE NEW METROPOLIS:
While Professor Hamilton is working on some
Kryptonian technology Lois is sent into another
dimension!! A
EPISODE 27: GHOST IN THE MACHINE:
Luthor wants to show off a new anti-missle defense
system when something goes wrong, and an old
nemesis shows up to ruin his show!! A
EPISODE 28: WORLD'S FINEST PT. 1:
This starts out like an episode of the Batman
animated series!! We first see The Joker who
is stealing a jade statue! Hmmmm!
Quickly however, we learn of his plan to make
a deal with Lex Luthor to get rid of Superman
for a mere billion dollars!! A+
EPISODE 29: WORLD'S FINEST PT. 2:
The plan continues as The Joker, armed with
Kryptonite, goes after Superman! Meanwhile,
Bruce Wayne/Batman shows up in Metropolis
to find The Joker and put him and his cute
accomplice back behind bars! A+
EPISODE 30: WORLD'S FINESST PT. 3:
The conclusion of this 3 parter has Superman
and Batman teaming up for the first time to
take on The Joker and Lex!! This is a great 3
part showing of Superman and Batman!! A+
DISC 4 SIDE B:
EPISODE 31: FATHER'S DAY:
Darkseid, Mr. Mannheim, Desaad and Kalbak
have apparently joined forces to destroy Superman!
Meanwhile, Kent's folks are in town for Father's
Day! This one is full of incongruencies, such as
why would Superman WALK while trying to save
Jonathan Kent?!?!?! A-
EPISODE 32: THE HAND OF FATE:
While pulling a heist at the Metropolis University's
Archeology department, a thief brakes a vase,
finds a tablet, and when he reads what's written,
changes into the evil demon Karkull! Superman
is stymied so he enlists the help of Dr. Fate!!!! A+
EPISODE 33: BIZARRO'S WORLD:
Bizarro's back, and looking for his home! His search
takes him to Superman's Fortress Of Solitude!! This
is another of the lesser entries in this series! B+
EPISODE 34: PROTOTYPE:
Lex Luthor is back, and this time he has developed a
"battle suit" to "help" the police in their battle for
justice!! But, as usual, all things are not as they
seem! A
EPISODE 35: THE LATE MR. KENT:
While working on a case of a condemned "killer"
Clark gets too close to the truth, and becomes
the target of the real culprit!! A+
EPISODE 36: HEAVY METAL:
Back to the prototype suit and the Inter-Gang,
with the considerable help of Metallo, is causing
havoc in Metropolis and the new owner of the suit,
John Henry Irons suits up to help out Superman!
Irons has come up with a new name, "Steel"! A
DISC 5:
EPISODE 37: WARRIOR QUEEN:
Queen Maxima of a Almarak is looking for a mate, and
she has decided that Superman is the perfect match!! A-
EPISODE 38: APOKOLIPS...NOW PT. 1:
Mr. Mannheim and his cronies rob the evidence holding
area and in the process police chief Maggie gets injured!
Comes to find out there's more to this story than meets
the eye, as Darkseid makes his appearance!! A
EPISODE 39: APOKOLIPS...NOW PT. 2:
With Darkseid's plan now plain to see, Superman tries
to call once again upon Orion, only to find the device
broken! What's to do? A
EPISODE 40: LITTLE GIRL LOST PT. 1:
While researching his doomed planet, Superman
discovers a desolate planet with one remaining
city, Argo City! He triggers an automatic hologram
of a doctor Kala In-Ze who tells the tale of how
her planet had been decimated by the destruction
of Krypton leaving one survivor!!
Enter another new character, SUPERGIRL! A
EPISODE 41: LITTLE GIRL LOST PT. 2:
Jimmy and Kara, doing some research on "Granny's
Gang", get discovered and find out that 'Granny"
is really part of Apokolips!!! A
EPISODE 42: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE:
Another new baddie here, Volcana!! She starts a fire
at the Metropolis Yacht club for reasons unknown, and
Superman gets "hot" on her trail!!
This takes him to a special school for para-normal
students!! Shades of X-Men, black eye patch and
all!!!! A
And on this disc we have a special: "Superman:
Behind the Cape"! With the talents of: David
Kauffman(Jimmy Olsen), Glen Murakami(Producer),
Bruce Timm(Producer), Paul Dini(Producer) and
Alan Burnett(Producer)! A
DISC 6 SIDE A:
EPISODE 43: KNIGHT TIME:
Batman has disappeared, and Gotham City is running
rampant with crime! Superman decides, "What The
Heck", and takes over as Batman! A
EPISODE 44: NEW KIDS IN TOWN:
In the year 2979, Brainiac has built a time machine
that he uses to go back to the past and change
history!! Three of the Legion of Superheroes
(Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, and Cosmic Boy)
follow him back to find out what's going on!!
This is set in old Smallville, with Superboy being
the focal point! A
EPISODE 45: OBSESSION:
While covering a swimsuit fashion show, Clark and
Jimmy are among the guests who are surprised by
a sudden attack on the show where they try to
kidnap the main model!! Another episode with
Toyman! A-
EPISODE 46: LITTLE BIG HEAD:
Back to Bizarro! And Mr. Mxyzptlk! And Mxy's out to
pit Bizy against Superman!!! Yep, double stupid!! C+
EPISODE 47: ABSOLUTE POWER:
While observing a black hole, Superman saves a
ship being pulled into it!! Taking the survivors
back to where they came from, Superman runs
into a lot more problems that he can't explain!!
This brings back Jax-Ur and Mala from the episode
"Blasts From The Past"! A
EPISODE 48: IN BRIGHTEST DAY:
While Clark and Lois are covering a "routine"
shuttle return, there's an accident when a
"meteor" hits it and and knocks it off course!
However, the meteor was really a spaceship
that crashed here on Earth, and Green Lantern
is born!
There are many discrepancies here: Superman
did not find the ship, Hal Jordan did!; the ring
did not go to Kyle Rayner, it went to Hal Jordan!!!!
Why they took such absurd liberties on this is
way beyond my comprehension!!!!! Still, a decent
enough story, just not historically accurate! A-
Another special feature here: an excerpt from
"Look, Up In The Sky!: The Amazing Story of Superman"!
There are many GREAT talents in this: Bryan Singer
(Director - "Superman Returns"), Jack Larson & Noel
Neill(Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane in the first television
show "Superman"), Margot Kidder(Lois Lane in "Superman
The Movie" ect.), Richard Donner(Director - "Superman
The Movie"), Dean Cain(Clark/Superman - "Lois and
Clark"), Annette O'Toole(Martha Kent - "Smallville") &
Brandon Routh(Clark Kent/Superman - "Superman
Returns")! A
DISC 6 SIDE B:
EPISODE 49: SUPERMAN'S PAL:
While being interviewed, Jimmy eludes to the
fact that he's "Superman's Pal"! And then he
continues the ruse and keeps digging himself
deeper in trouble!
This introduces the signal watch! B
EPISODE 50: FISH STORY:
This introduces Aquaman to the DC lore! Lois and
Jimmy are out for an excursion on their friend
Bibo's boat when they get attacked by some big
whales!
Turns out, all the trouble is being caused by none
other than Lex Luthor!! A
EPISODE 51: UNITY:
Supergirl returns! And there's a new resident in
Smallville, and he's determined to get control
of all of Smallville! Kinda weird show, like Night
of the Living Weird!!!! B
EPISODE 52: THE DEMON REBORN:
Some Indian artifacts are hijacked en route to
Metropolis! Superman goes to stop the deed,
and must let them go so he can save the train!
Batman shows up to help out, and together
they try to stop the mastermind, Ra's Al Ghul! A
EPISODE 53: LEGACY PT. 1:
Darkseid is back for the final 2 episodes, and he's
Hell bent on universal conquest!! And it appears
that he's now got a new ally, Superman!! A
EPISODE 54: LEGACY PT. 2:
Continuing from the previous episode, it appears
that Superman has finally been killed off by Lex
Luthor, just when it also appeared that the only
one able to get into his head was Lois! And as
collateral damage, Supergirl is also out of commission!
Even after he comes partially to his senses, it
looks like the end of both Superman and Supergirl! A
It is apparent that the producers expected this
series to continue on for at least one more season,
as it end pretty up in the air! Too bad too, cause
it would have been fun to watch how Superman
gains back the trust of the people of Metropolis!
DISC 7:
The only thing on this is a special feature:
The Despot Darkseid...A Villain Worthy of Superman!
With the talents of Paul Dini(Writer/Producer), Bruce
Timm(Writer/Producer), Rich Fogel(Writer), Alan
Burnett(Writer/Producer), James Tucker(Character
Design, Storyboard, Actor), Stan Berkowitz(Writer),
Charles Hatfield(Dept. of English- California State
University, Northridge), Glen Murakami(Producer) &
others! A
From an IMDb.com customer
The first time I ever saw these cartoons of both
Superman and Superboy was when I was 11 years
old.At the time, it was on the Bozo Show on WGN
around 1983 I believe it was. Anyway, I liked the
character designs. I felt the Superman characters
fit the look designed by Curt Swan, the definitive
Superman artist of the Silver Age. Well, I did my
research and found out about when it originally
aired and what format it was in. But for me, I
remember the Bozo Show airing Batman on
Mondays and Thursdays, Superman on Tuesdays
and Fridays, and Superboy on Wednesdays. I
never really cared for Bozo the Clown or the
like. Heck the only reason I watched it was
just to see these Filmation cartoon shorts of
the World's Finest.
Bud Collyer did a super job as his dual voices
of Superman and Clark Kent, but unlike the 40's
Fleisher cartoon classics, Collyer has more
speaking lines as Superman since the Man of
Steel was mostly silent in the 40's shows. And
I was just given a surprise to learn that Joan
Alexander wasn't the only voice over for Lois
Lane. (Read the trivia above the comment line).
In comparison, I liked the Superman shows over
the Superboy shows, though Superboy can be
fun. Animation wise, the shows suck by today's
standards. But I loved the character designs
and voice overs not to mention the awesome
musical scores. These cartoons helped me pick
up and read some Superman comics from the
50's and 60's and enabled me to hear the voices
of Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander in my mind.
If you love the Silver Age Superman, I highly
recommend this series and I really wish WB
would consider releasing these shows on DVD
along with the other DC titles by Filmation. And
yes, Superboy too. - voicemaster71