|
Rating:  -
"Superman the Animated Series" Season 2 is yet another animated hit by the team that brought us "Batman the Animated Series" and "Tiny Toon Adventures". These animated shows were targeted primarily at children, but contained enough intelligent drama and comedy for adults to enjoy as well.
In addition to introducing such recurring villains as Bizarro Superman and Mister Mxyzptlk (pronounced Mix-yes-spit-lick), this season of Superman the Animated series includes a multi-episode crossover arc with the writers and voiceactors of "the Batman Animated Series" called "World's Finest". The plot of this 3-parter will have any Batman/Superman fan aching to see it: Lex Luthor teams up with the Joker (voiced by legend Mark Hamill) to kill Superman. Sensing that Joker's up to something, Batman (the one and only Kevin Conroy) follows him to Metropolis where he teams up with the man of steel to keep Luthor and Joker from making Metropolis their own criminal playpen. Without giving anything away, this 3-part arc contains some of the best moments in the series, not to mention a much-welcome encore performance by the voices of the Batman Animated Series, which had been off the air for a while when these episodes were made.
The other episode that really stood out for me was "Brave New Metropolis", in which Lois accidentally travels to another dimension (using Phantom Zone Technology) in which Superman has become fascist and evil, teaming up with Lex Luthor to police the citizens of Metropolis out of their freedoms. Much darker than the rest of the season, this episode shows a Superman that has been shaped by pain and tragedy into a numb, uncaring juggernaut. Luckily, Lois sees the good in this dark, broken Superman and guides him back to the good path. This episode contains the death of Lex Luthor (only in the alternate universe), one of the few explicit deaths to occur in the show. "Brave New Metropolis" also contains the first Lois/Superman kiss of the series, though it is with Alternate Dimension Superman as opposed to the "real" man of steel.
If you liked season one of "Superman the Animated Series", there's no reason not to check out season two. It's more of the same consistently high-quality animation that was spawned in a generation of lame attempts and dismal failures. This season will be especially enjoyed by fans of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, "Batman the Animated Series", "Powerpuff Girls" (which often parodies Superman) and "Smallville" (a reimagining of Clark Kent's youth).
Rating:  -
Excellent series all the way through. You get to learn Mxyzpltk is actually pronounced :Mix-L-Spit-Lik: and other fine things about the man of steel. This includes the Superman and Batman crossover which runs through 3 episodes.
Rating: -
I watched the animated BATMAN with my daughter when she was a small child, when it was coming out for the first time. I recently watched the Justice League cartoons that were done by largely the same people. I should have watched SUPERMAN before watching JUSTICE LEAGUE and JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, and so should you if you haven't seen them all yet. SUPERMAN, like BATMAN, is not at all a bad show. It is, in fact, a very decent one. The problem is that the Justice League shows are extraordinary and they make all of the others look weak in comparison. On the other hand, watching SUPERMAN after JUSTICE LEAGUE really brings how brilliant the latter truly was and how much both the writing and the animation techniques improved as they worked on it.
Still, SUPERMAN is all in all a pretty decent cartoon series. While the writing isn't nearly as strong or as innovative as the writing on JUSTICE LEAGUE would be, it was still quite above normal for children's programming and the voice talent, like all of the DC cartoon shows, is top notch. It is all quite watchable, but I never, ever got the sense that I was watching something remarkable as I did with JL.
I also did not care much for the general "dumbbing down" of the DC stories. And some of the revisions of traditional DC storylines were unnecessary and arbitrary. For instance, they do a Green Lantern origins episode in Season Three, several traditional elements are changed. Abin Sur is shown as having been pursued by Sinestro, whereas in most origins stories Abin Sur is deeply upset at the death of his colleague. And Sinestro is shown already a fully blown bad guy upon the selection of the earthling Green Lantern for Section 2814. The successor of Abin Sur is in this version Kyle Raynor, while there is a bizarre nod to the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan in the episode. Why Kyle Raynor instead of Hal Jordan? Perhaps because Jordan's back story as a test pilot is too well established, while it was easier to work with Raynor? It was all just odd and I'm confused at nearly all of the narrative choices in this particular episode. But the same kind of oddness afflicts several episodes. Not to beat too often on the same drum, but these kinds of changes were much better handled in the later JL series.
I don't recommend skipping this episode, but I definitely recommend watching the three DC series in the order that they were made, BATMAN, then SUPERMAN, and then JUSTICE LEAGUE. While the first two series are of a similar quality, the third grew into something truly special.
Rating: -
This is it fans of Superman! Every fantastic episode of Season 2. A must have for the Superman Collector!
Rating: -
If you like superheroes you have to like Superman because he stands for truth, justice and the american way. Since he first came on tv either in live, animated or in comic book. He always find a way to beat the bad guy. And watching this dvd you can see why. He shows a side that few even knows about such as stand up for a friend or just helping out a person in need, he will be there.
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Most Popular TV collectibles
|
|
Home
Articles
Images
Forum
Search
Shopping
TV Trivia
Watch TV
Wallpaper
