Superman: Animated Series Comp

I'm going to be honest, I seemed to missed the big "DVDs-as-Frisbees" craze. Call me old fashioned, but my DVDs go from their case to the DVD Player and back to case, and that's the way I likes it. And I'm sure the "Real America" agrees with me. Double-sided DVDs are not any easier to scratch than a normal DVD, that's my experience.

But I guess if you are buying these for kids, the double-sided DVDs might be an issue. I've seen my niece scratch up The Little Mermaid with her carelessness. A competent adult can make double-sided DVDs last as long as normal DVDs. What are we supposed to do? Not buy our favorite programs because they were unfortunately released on double-sided DVDs? I gots to watch The Riches Season 2.

Allow me to explain the contents of this DVD re-release. This is a partial re-packaging of the original release of Superman the Animated Series. Originally, they were released in three 3-Disks sets. What they did here is transplant the first disk from those DVD sets, then the second and third disks are made into a double sided disk. And you can tell because they still have "Volume 1, Disk 1," "Volume 2, Disk 1," etc. on them. So it's a single-sided disk, a double-sided disk, single, double, single, double, and the seventh "Bonus" Disk.

The 7th "Bonus" Disk is disappointing. It features a few trailers for DCs other animated movies, which is quickly becoming their "go-to" material for padding out bonus content, (And for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. WTH?) and a new Featurette "The Despot Darkseid: A Villain Worthy of Superman." It's mildly entertaining, but at around 15 minutes, it's hardly a deal breaker. I wish they had spotlighted Superman's current events in the comics, like they did for Green Lantern with The Blackest Night. Or a documentary on the Man of Steel's representation in other media.

I should warn about the packaging, though. It may not be the case for every version, but my case was gripping on to the DVDs like they were it's children. I guess it's to make sure they don't get knocked loose during shipping, but it can be very troublesome once you get them home. I was lucky enough to have a different 7 Disk set that I don't plan on watching too often, so I was able to switch them. Don't be afraid to get creative with your DVDs either.

Despite this, if you've never owned Superman: The Animated Series this is an okay collection. If you see this at your local retailer, don't be afraid to pick it up. If you're buying it from Amazon, you might want to consider different options. For instance, you can still get Superman - The Animated Series, Volumes 1-3 (DC Comics Classic Collection) for a reasonable price. (EDIT: Or you could get them for cheap, back when this review was first written.) So, shop smart, and don't listen to the clearly biased 1 Star reviews.

Superman is truly one of the greatest superheroes ever to bear the title. He also happens to be one of the most maligned. There's even an entire website dedicated to proving he's a jerk. Few things make a mean-spirited comic geek smile more then seeing The Man of Steel getting his rear end handed to him. Some of the reasons for this are innate to the nature of the character, and some are based on the way the character has been handled by writers in the past (what with the racist WWII propaganda and all). Supe's reputation as "The Big Blue Boy Scout" makes him a fairly lame goody-two-shoes kind of hero, which is really hard to get away from without changing the character entirely. Modern sensibilities prefer darker heroes like Batman. Also, the fact that Superman is ridiculously overpowered makes him hard to root for. We like underdogs. Underdogs generally aren't invincible with superspeed, heat beams, x-ray vision, plus immortal with infinite strength. Most great heroes are flawed and are often at a disadvantage against their villains, but Superman was always portrayed as flawless and indomitable. Unless you had a green rock that is. That's what we call an uninteresting weakness. Also, Supes has become a massively utilized deus ex machina device for DC comic writers. Write yourself into an impossible situation in a Green Arrow story? No worries, Ollie can just shout Clark's name and all's taken care of. Ugh. But when you get down to it, we all grew up with him and we all love him. He's as American as apple pie and 10 times more iconic. He's also one of those characters whose moral compass is always clean. It may make him boring, but it also makes him a perfect hero. After the massive success that was Batman: The Animated Series, where else would DC's amazing animation team go? And they did an amazing job with a hero whose kiddie comic legacy gave them little to work with. Here's the textbook for writing great Superman stories, right here.

Now, Supe's God complex was the first thing that needed to go. No turning back time at light speed or moving planets out of orbit for this Superman. This is a powered down version of the character who retains all of his powers from the comics, but has them amped down just enough to make him vulnerable and more relatable. He regularly has to use his brain to outwit villains, which is great. Second, the characters needed work. The shallowness of The Man of Steel's rogues gallery is legendary. Plus his legacy is layered with more cheese then a Chicago-style pizza. While there are numerous winks and references to the old school (Krypto and Bepto even get nods), this iteration really brought a hipper attitude and presentation of the denizens of Metropolis while walking the line between respect to the source material and updating outmoded devices flawlessly. This show is quite simply the definitive Superman. It pays tribute to the Golden Age with a sly sense of humor, but makes bold strokes to set itself apart from every past version of the character and the result should please all fans old and new.

Pretty much the entire "Batman" team returned for this show, which accounts for the quality, and the voice acting was again as impressive as the fluid animation and great character designs. Dana Delaney is the perfect Lois Lane. She plays the character as cynical and snarky but lovable and entirely fearless. It's still annoying to me that the best reporter on the planet can't figure out that her closest co-worker is Superman with glasses on, Especially considering she finds out who Batman is in a day or two. I'd prefer that relationship just be out in the open already. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far. Other awesome contributions to the show include Michael Ironside as planet conquering overlord Darkseid, the fantastic Malcolm McDowell as kryptonite-fueled terminator Metallo, Lori Petty as Livewire (who was created for this series and proved to be one of the more memorable villains), and Brad Garrett as The Main Man himself, Lobo. A great cast goes a long way to making a good animated endeavor an unforgettable one. Like "Batman" the show also featured episodes co-starring many other DC regulars including Steel, Dr. Fate, Aquaman, The Flash (who challenges Supes to a footrace), Green Lantern, and others. The centerpiece of the series is an epic three episode arc teaming up The Dark Knight and The Man of Steel in a perfect melding of the two series. Bruce Wayne sweeps Lois off of her feet, Harley Quinn has a catfight with Lex Luthor's bodyguard Mercy Graves (another of several character created for the show that ended up being adapted to the comics), The Joker owns Supey and Luthor alike; the whole thing screams "WE LOVE YOU!" to fans of both shows. It was the first time they would cross over, but not the last. Eventually the entire DCAU would be united in the flawless Justice League series as a result.

While "Superman: The Animated Series" is not as good as the Batman and JLA series, the difference in quality is negligible. This is a remarkable cartoon show that is probably even more enjoyable for adults then it is for children due to the sly humor and occasional darkness that marks this as the best adaptation of the character ever. Obnoxious interdimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk (voiced by Gilbert Goddfried, no less) being outwitted in seconds (he has to say his own name backwards to be sent back to his own dimension) by Clark and then spending 3 months plotting his next scheme while ignoring his Jessica Rabbit-looking sexpot of a wife only to be outsmarted in seconds again is too funny. And the evil irony of a murderer deducing Superman's secret identity exactly one second before he is executed is black comedy at it's finest. And let me tell you, the final arc shows us a seriously dark side to the Kryptonian boy scout. However, I honestly find it hard to believe that they went three full seasons without General Zod and his crew. They had a pair of Kryptonian criminals that were similar, but I think it's safe to say we would have rather seen updated versions of the villains from The best Superman film.

While the cynic in me still likes to see Supes get owned now and again, this show made me realize just he much fondness I still have for the character and what he stands for. He holds a unique role as the prototypical American superhero who was and is the ideal champion to children everywhere. The 70's films with Christopher Reeve will remain cherished classics for generations to come. Big Blue deserves his props and this is where he really got it outside of comics it for the first time since Reeve wore the cape and refused to kneel before Zod. Fans of "Batman: The Animated Series" or comic book superheroes in general need to check this out. This is how you adapt The Man of Steel.

4 1/2 stars, rounded up for degree of difficulty.

I remember watching this show as a child and loving it, although not as much as the famous Batman series that allowed this series to come to fruition. I became a comic book fan a couple of years ago, and started to catch these episodes on Toon Disney. They seemed pretty low quality in terms of animation. However, I picked this up because I remembered that there were several episodes worth checking out...

I am happy to say that the animation quality has far exceeded my expectations. Toon Disney apparently edited this show in some way or another. These episodes are pretty solid with the exception of a few stinkers. As I recall, the same could be said about Batman. Although I wouldn't rate this as high as the Batman series, I'd put it in a close second. The voice acting is, quite frankly, inspiring at times. Tim Daly made a great Superman, Clancy Brown practically transformed Lex Luthor... I could go on and on, but I would highly recommend this purchase if you are a fan of DC or Superman at all.

There is some squabble about the packaging and double sided discs. If that's a turn off, you are unfortunately out of luck; no completely single sided packaging exists. I haven't experienced any problems at all. Just be careful! Not something to let your kids handle at all.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 31 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars