Superman - The Animated Series, Volume One (DC Comics Classic Collection)

Rating:
Summary: The animation was so awful.
Review: It's hard to see Superman drawn in the anime/manga style but he is here, and it really stinks.Voice acting was terrible. Tim Dailey played a terrible voice for Superman. Dana Dalany's Lois Lane accent was awful, and the Lex Luthor actor sounded like a wimp.Do not buy this product.

Rating:
Summary: Caped Wonder
Review: Following the success of Batman: The Animated Series, the highly talented team decided to put another star of DC Comics in the same format. The end result is another winner of a show that appeals to both young and old alike. While sharing a few similarities with the Batman, in terms of creative staff and certain stylistic choices, Superman: The Animated series has enough standing on its own to be just as good.

The origin of The Man Of Steel gets yet another retelling, with the three part launch, The Last Son Of Kryton. Placed in a rocket from the doomed planet Krypton, by his parents Jor-EL (voiced by Christopher MacDonald) and Lara (voiced by Finola Hughes), little Kal-El lands on earth. Raised by parents Jonathan (voiced by Mike Farrell) and Martha (voiced by Shelly Fabares) Kent, from Smallville, the young baby will be called Clark Kent but the world will know him as Superman (voiced by Tim Daly of the sit-com Wings). Using the continuity started by John Byrne in the late 80's, our hero regularly goes up against arch-villian business tycoon Lex Luthor (voiced by Clancy Brown). Clark Kent's Daily Planet job has him metting the love of his life Lois Lane (voiced by Dana Delaney) Editor Perry White (voiced by George Dzundsa) and photographer Jimmy Olsen (voiced by David Kaufman).

The series entire first season of 13 episodes, plus 5 from the second, are spread over the 2 disc DVD set, along with some good extras. The Metropolis marvel not only battles wits with Luthor, but he also has a run in with the Toyman (voiced by Bud Cort) in Fun And Games, Parasite (voiced by the late Brion James) in Feeding Time, Metallo (voiced by Malcolm McDowell) in The Way Of All Flesh, Braniac (voiced by Corey Burton), Lobo (voiced by Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond), Livewire (voiced by Lori Petty) and Phantom Zone villians Jax-Ur (voiced by Ron Pearlman) and Mala (voiced by Leslie Easterbrook) in a two parter called Blasts From The Past. If that were not enough the set also has Superman meeting up with The Flash (voiced by Charlie Schlatter) in Speed Demons. The animation uses a classic style-reminicent of the 40's "toons" and it works. The voice cast is just great too--making things even better.

The extras include audio commentaries on 4 episodes. The participants include producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, episode directors Dan Riba, Curt Geda, and art director Glen Murakami. The team knows their stuff, making for informative tracks, that are never dry or boring. There's also a trivia pop-up track for the episode A Little Piece Of Home spicing things up a bit. Two featurettes, totaling 20 minutes, take viewers behind the scenes. Superman: Learning to Fly: Explores the creation of the show including interviews with talent, creators and DC Comics staff. Building The Mythology: Superman's Supporting Cast looks at the evolution of the supporting cast, including Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and Jonathan and Martha Kent.

The series sits as a fine counter-point to the Batman show. I just wish that Volume One had more episodes in the set.

Rating:
Summary: The animated Man of Steel
Review: From the producers of the smashing Batman: The Animated Series, this DVD set includes the first 18 episodes of the all too short lived Superman animated series. Beginning with the three part "Last Son of Krypton" origin where the viewer witnesses the birth of the Man of Steel (voiced by Tim Daly), to the Superman 2-inspired "Blasts From the Past" two parter in which Supes dukes it out with two imprisoned Kryptonians (one of which is voiced by Ron "Hellboy" Perlman), and concluding with a nicely done charity race between Supes and the Flash; this animated series draws from it's source material very well by displaying the awe and wonder of the iconic character. Supes' supporting cast is nicely done as well, including Dana Delaney and Lois Lane, and his rogue gallery is here full blast as well, including Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown), Metallo (Malcolm McDowell), Brainiac (Corey Burton), Livewire (Lori Petty), and even intergalactic fan favorite Lobo (Brad Garett). It's not as dark or full of brilliant ideas as the Batman animated series, but Superman is still loaded with animated goodness that both kids and fanboys will admire.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a little disappointed!
Review: I bought the DVD today only to see that they took the cheap way out. There are two discs in the set but only one of them has a picture on it. The other one is blank and playable on both sides. Why didn't they just make it three discs, each with a picture on them? Both Batman volumes have pictures on each disc, so why now the cheap way out? I wouldn't have minded paying a couple of dollars more for a nicer presentation of discs. Either way, the series is great and that's what really matters. Do us a favor and do the job right for the future sets.

Rating:
Summary: Good Content, Bad Presentation
Review: I was pleased with the content of this DVD. I think the Superman: TAS, like Batman before it, was a good modern superhero cartoon. I think it has something to offer Superman fans of all ages. The stories and characters are simple enough for kids to enjoy as well as rich enough for adults.

What disappoints me is the presentation. Primarily the DVD navigation. One chapter is one episode, this doesn't allow one to skip over the opening sequence for episodes. As episodes are less than a half hour, this makes for a lot of opening sequences in a short period of time. Furthermore, I am pleased that WB has a play all feature (not all TV episodes offer even that), but I am severely disappointed that when playing all you are forced to sit through not only both opening and closing credits on multi-part episodes, but also the "Last time on ..." sequence as well. I think whoever put this together must not have been thinking. I OBVIOUSLY know what happened last time because the episode just ended.

If WB would take multi-part episodes and make them run through with no interruption for credits and no "Last time..." sequence, I think I would have easily been able to give this review 5 out of 5. I just hope WB addressed this problem when they release Justice League, because EVERY episode is a multi-part episode.

Rating:
Summary: Just Good
Review: I'll make this short becuase there are many other detailed reviews. Superman: TAS is every bit as good as Batman:TAS. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Personally I like Batman better as a character (He has more depth and is a more interesting character), but the Superman series was just done so right from the first season on. Because Bruce Timm and Paul Dini had already perfected the Batman cartoon after years of working on it, Superman didn't need 2 seasons to be perfected. The Voice acting, animation, villains, and plots were all fantastic. Buy the DVD. You won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Warners' Animated SUPERMAN On DVD: Overdue, Most Welcome!
Review: Like the proverbial bolt from the blue, the first season of the
highly-acclaimed SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES has finally been
gathered onto a 2-disc, 3-sided DVD set; one long awaited by
animation fans, comic page enthusiasts, and lovers of good
solid drama. Its extra featurettes and occasional commentary
adds an extra treat to what is easily one of the most
eagerly-anticipated DVD releases from Warner Home Video.
Amidst a sterling array of cartoon series which distinguished
the 1990s (from THE SIMPSONS to GARGOYLES and more),
the animated SUPERMAN is a standout classic. Fresh from
the success of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, the ingenious
energies of Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett and
associates were focused upon rendering the saga of the
legendary Man of Tomorrow as the serious action-adventure
presentation that SUPERMAN was conceived to be over a
half-century ago.

Rendering SUPERMAN as a serious tale for tube and screen has
been no small order over the years. Consider the various
efforts to trivialize the character, and one can only wonder
how the character can continue to hold full interest and
inspire vehicles as well-struck as the current series
SMALLVILLE, or imaginative movie-makers such as Bryan
Singer, who is currently preparing a long-awaited
blockbuster promising to be as thrilling and evocative as
his pair of X-MEN epics.
From a mid-1960 Gilbert & Sullivan-esque Broadway musical
borne from the camp-ridden hokum of that era's so-called
BATMAN series, and the half-hearted efforts of the SUPERMAN
films of the 1970s and 1980s (hamstringing the superb work
of actor Christopher Reeve), to the even-cheesier camp of
the 1990s LOIS & CLARK series, the presentation of SUPERMAN
on screen has too often been the image of an ineffectual clod
in tights, a lantern-jawed strong man mouthing moral
platitudes which would have embarrassed even Dudley Do
Right.
For all the superlative efforts of Kirk Alyn, George Reeves,
Mr. Reeve (despite lackluster producers), and the Fleischer
brothers in capturing the power and fortitude of the Man
of Steel, the overwhelming image most have of SUPERMAN on
screen is the wooden bilge of SUPER-FRIENDS, its voice
actors mumbling dead lines masking as derring-do, its
studios ripping off American myth & folklore with stolid
four-color blow chow odiously passed-off as "nostalgia",
"pure entertainment" or, perhaps most contemptuously,
"popular culture".

Thankfully, Mssrs. Dini, Timm, Burnett, Glen Murakami and
crew would have none of this nonsense. The animated SUPERMAN
is a class act from the get-go, its rendition of the legendary
origin a heart-stopper in itself. From its brief-but-telling
look at the planet Krypton (featuring the most chilling
portayal of nemesis Brainiac to date), to the injection of
a young Clark Kent fleetingly wondering if he might be some
sort of freak, "The Last Son Of Krypton" delivers the point
of the series' compelling drama for all to see.
In fact, the theme of participation vs. alienation is a
running topic of this saga. Nowhere is this presented more
effectively than in the consistent intolerance of the saga's
arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (superbly voiced by Clancy Brown).
His ominously-smooth tones dripping with snide racism, this
Luthor is the perfect foil to Kal-El's humble tolerance, and
sets the stage for the discomforting paranoia which will
frequently confront SUPERMAN in later episodes (from "The
Prometheon" in this collection to -most exceptionally- the
series' finale in the third season , the gripping "Legacy").

As the series' creators created a classic film noir setting
for the animated BATMAN, so do they conceive a Metropolis
whose sun & spires are worthy of the Fritz Lang epic of
the same name. Just like that film's METROPOLIS, the famed
home of SUPERMAN bears its hidden flaws and arrogant
by-products, awaiting the chance to manipulate or usurp
what is best for all.
A superb team of composers delivers an ever-evolving
score which portrays the grandeur and gravity of the
drama as magnificently as the best work of big screen
composers such as John Williams and Danny Elfman. Led
by the amazing Shirley Walker (whose SUPERMAN theme is
among the finest works ever conceived for symphony
orchestra), this team ably continues the grand tradition
of Warner cartoon composer Carl Stalling in their ability
to meld modern thrust and timeless taste into a musical
juggernaut which can sweep you into the heart of the story,
or touch your sensibilities with the delicacy of a feather.
One would hope that Warner and Rhino will finally collect
this work onto a CD collection, especially considering
that the animated SUPERMAN is fast approaching its 10th
anniversary.
Not enough can be said about the voice-acting, easily
among the finest to grace any cartoon. Highest compliments,
once more, to Executive Producer Jean MacCurdy and Voice
Dircetor Andrea Romano for their uncanny ability to
assemble the finest artists around to bring such gripping,
versatile expression to bear in such a consistently
wonderful manner.
I'll leave it to you stalwart readers to discover the vast
array of dramatic talent contained here, but special
mention must go to the lead work of Timothy Daly and Dana
Delany. Daly, best known for his work on WINGS and a brief-
but-well-rendered FUGITIVE series, is exceptional as both
SUPERMAN and Clark Kent; delivering a strong, flexible
heroism and warm, perceptive humanity. None of Dean
Cain's sappy diffidence here.
Likewise, the star of CHINA BEACH and TOMBSTONE brings
home a Lois Lane who's rat-a-tat pro, hapless target,
and vulnerable friend all rolled up in one. Sharp, saucy,
and full of heart, Delany puts Teri Hatcher's bubble-
headed depiction of the intrepid reporter to shame.

Aptly reflecting the finer changes of the DC comic series
since the late 1980s, the classic Fleischer cartoons of
the 1940s, and the thematic wallop of Sequential giant
Jack Kirby, the animated SUPERMAN is a stirring narrative
of awe-inspiring delight. This collection is but the first
of three projected packages, taking the storyline from wit
and peril to pathos and the ability to prevail, from the
deadly whimsy of The Toyman to the mainipulative menace
of Darkseid.

Here is a SUPERMAN to eagerly watch, gain ethical wisdom
from, and heartily enjoy. If, like this reviewer, you've
been waiting almost 10 years for Warner Home Video to get
on the case, the wait is finally over.
If you never saw this series, and your only image of
SUPERMAN is cheesy corn more fitting for UNDERDOG, then
consider yourselves encouraged to begin your re-evaluation
of a major fictional icon here.

Heed the lightning. Catch the wonder.



Rating:
Summary: Good...but not Batman good
Review: Superman is THE most overdone character in comics history. Movies, toons, TV shows, books, etc it is no wonder we are not sick of him by now... Which is why I give this show praise. It re-invented the character and made him more interesting than he has ever appeared before (until Smallville came along). From this first volume I enjoyed the episodes featuring LiveWire, Parasite, Metallo, Brainiac and the brief introduction to Darkseid. These episodes were all extremely well done and in the same mold as the much superior Batman: The Animated Series. However there are a few clunkers, too. The Prometheon is torture to sit through, as our the ones with the released Phantom Zone inmates and (I know I'm in the minority here) the Lobo episode.

I do have to give much kudos though for the Toyman! What an excellent and frightful interpretation of that character! Bravo! That face/mask alone would give any kid nightmares!

Again, I rate this beneath Batman because the writing and characters seem subpar. In the Batman universe you connect with his villians because each one has an emotional scar (much like Bats himself) that propels them to be who they are. Mr. Freeze and the love for his sick wife, Harley and her obsession with the Joker, Mad Hatter and his quest for love and Ivy and her inability to have children...all of these characters are so muli-dimensional that they make the Superman villians pale in comparison. Lex Luthor is a rich guy who wants power, Brainiac wants to collect information, LiveWire got shocked, Parasite got doused with toxic chemicals, etc. There is no human connection. The only one who remotely achieves this is Metallo.

In all, I cannot wait for volume two!

Rating:
Summary: Superman the animated Series
Review: Well done set. The two sided disk didn't really stike my fancy, but it did its job. The packaging could have been better, overall very good.

Rating:
Summary: NEW LIFE FOR THE MAN OF STEEL
Review: With the latest Big Screen Superman film stuck in seemingly endless mud, Warner at least had the good sense to follow their successful Batman Animated series by giving one to the Man of Steel, and its the best thing that happened to Superman on-screen since Superman 2, even if it is the small screen.

This set collects 18 episodes in all, 13 from season one and 5 from season two. It features the same great, yet simple animation that made the Batman series so popular, although it's strikingly brighter and the colors bolder than that grittier series. In the three part opener, We see young kal-El sent to earth before his some planet of Krypton is destroyed. We see him grow into manhood and go to Metropolis and assume his role as Superman. Tim Daly provides the voice of Clark/Superman with Dana Delany as Lois Lane and Clancy Brown (Carnivale) as Lex Luthor.

I'd be hard pressed to say which is my favorite episode but here are a few of them:

"A Little Piece of Home" Lex Luthor discovers Superman's vulnerability to Kryptonite, and attempts to exploit this weakness to rid himself once and for all of the Man of Steel.

"The Way of All Flesh" - Lex Luthor poisons a terrorist named John Corben and withholds the antidote until he has extracted a promise: that Corben will become Metallo, a flesh and metal Kryptonite-hearted cyborg with evil intent and no emotions. His only mission is to destroy Superman.

"The Main Man" - One of DC Comics most popular characters the Intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo is employed to capture the Man of Steel, but thanks to a double-,cross by the rare-species-collecting Preserver, both Superman and Lobo end up trapped in the Preserver's personal zoo.

"Speed Demons" The Flash guest stars as he and Superman team-up to battle 'The Weather Wizard' who holds Metropolis hostage with the threat of unleashing a killer hurricane.


"Tools of the Trade" Bruno Mannheim and his Intergang terrorize Metropolis with high-tech weapons supplied by Kanto, an agent of the Darkseid who strikes a devil's bargain with Bruno, leaving him deeply indebted to Darkseid yet well equipped with weapons that can destroy Superman.

The thing so great about both the Supeman and Batman cartoons is seeing guest appearances by so many other characters from the DC comic universe. This never used to happen in cartoons from way back when. The stories stick pretty well to comic continuity and really have the look and feel of golden age stories with a modern edge. Highly recommended!