Superman: The Animated Series Vol. 3
This is Superman at his best. Superman: The Animated Series Volume 3 has some of the best Superman stories and action you’ll see anywhere; small screen, big screen, or on the printed page. After the first two seasons, the producers fine tuned all the minor problems and enhanced all the things that worked to create one of the best animated shows on TV. It doesn’t quite live up to Batman, but it still outshines just about any other super hero cartoon out there. With Superman enjoying a sudden resurgence in popularity thanks to the new movie, the timing for this release couldn’t be better, and hopefully super-hungry fans will dive in and experience Superman at his best.
Producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami and the rest of the crew that were responsible for the bringing us the excellent Batman: The Animated Series went all out for this final season of Superman. The stories were edgier, the action more intense, and the whole show was much more serious. It didn’t become darker, perse, for Superman isn’t a dark character, but there were definitely some dark moments that help set a new standard for Saturday morning cartoons. One of the first on-screen deaths takes place in this set, a moment that forever redefines the character of Superman. We see Superman pushed past his limits by one of Darkseid’s schemes, and the repressed relationship between Superman and Lois finally bubbles to the surface. This set also has some of the most fun episodes of the series. One of my favorites has Batman missing and Superman comes to Gotham to help find him. To do so, he has to impersonate Batman. Seeing Superman dressed in the costume trying to find the right pocket on his utility belt is great fun. We also get to see some sweet guest stars as the seeds are planted for the future Justice League show. Aquaman and Green Lantern make an appearance, as does
Batman and Robin, and of course we get our introduction to Supergirl in this season as well.
One of my favorite parts of the Superman Animated Series has always been its portrayal of Clark Kent. He isn’t the bumbling baffoon as he was portrayed in the Movies, but rather he’s just a genuinely good guy; nice but otherwise unremarkable. I think this works extremely well for the character. Much has been made of Clark’s simple disguise; after all, how could a pair of glasses be enough for anyone not to recognize Superman. What I think the animated show does a good of demonstrating is why the disguise is so effective. In the animated show, Clark is so normal that it would be incomprehensible for one to believe that he’s Superman. After all, Superman is a god-like being who has almost unlimited power, why on Earth would such a being choose to masquerade as a normal human being. That’s the genius of the Clark’s disguise, and especially when his character is a kind, average, unassuming person, it is truly effective. In many ways it reflects the same reason many people can’t accept Jesus as God. Why would immortal God lower Himself to the state of mortal being; even to the point of allowing said mortal beings to kill Him? It’s completely irrational to our minds. But unlike Superman, Jesus wasn’t God trying to disguise Himself, rather He was trying to reveal Himself to mankind; a difficult concept to be sure, but one that ultimately leads to freedom and life.
Unfortunately, Vol.3 follows in the footsteps of previous sets by not offering up enough extras. While we do get some excellent commentaries from the producers, I would have enjoyed a few more on episodes such as “Knight Time� where Superman dresses up as Batman or on the episodes where we get a glimpse of some of the other future League members. “Superman: Behind the Cape� is an enjoyable roundtable discussion with the producers in a comic shop (geek heaven) and it gives some great insights into the direction the show’s creators wanted to take with this final season. We also get some brief excerpt from the new documentary Look, Up in the Sky from director Bryan Singer, but seeing as how this extra is on just about every Superman release in the past month, it doesn’t really feel all that special. We also get a preview of the new direct-to-video Superman movie Brainiac Attacks, which quite frankly shows just how good this show is when compared to other efforts.
Compared to some of the early Batman sets, Superman: The Animated Series Volume 3 looks pretty good. The picture is much cleaner than in previous sets, and some of the animation looks pretty amazing considering this was still before the time of digital effects. The set is also presented in Dolby Digital, so it sounds great. From explosions to punches to dialogue, everything sounds crisp and clear.
.
Although most people are currently enamored with the new movie version of Superman, it would be a shame to dismiss Superman: The Animated Series 3 as not being worth the time to view it just because it’s a cartoon. As with the Batman series, Vol 3 of Superman shows that an animated show can be apart of the Saturday morning line-up without necessarily being just for kids. Fans of all ages will enjoy this Superman who, in my mind at least, is the defining standard for every other interpretation of Superman.
Producers Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami and the rest of the crew that were responsible for the bringing us the excellent Batman: The Animated Series went all out for this final season of Superman. The stories were edgier, the action more intense, and the whole show was much more serious. It didn’t become darker, perse, for Superman isn’t a dark character, but there were definitely some dark moments that help set a new standard for Saturday morning cartoons. One of the first on-screen deaths takes place in this set, a moment that forever redefines the character of Superman. We see Superman pushed past his limits by one of Darkseid’s schemes, and the repressed relationship between Superman and Lois finally bubbles to the surface. This set also has some of the most fun episodes of the series. One of my favorites has Batman missing and Superman comes to Gotham to help find him. To do so, he has to impersonate Batman. Seeing Superman dressed in the costume trying to find the right pocket on his utility belt is great fun. We also get to see some sweet guest stars as the seeds are planted for the future Justice League show. Aquaman and Green Lantern make an appearance, as does
Batman and Robin, and of course we get our introduction to Supergirl in this season as well.
One of my favorite parts of the Superman Animated Series has always been its portrayal of Clark Kent. He isn’t the bumbling baffoon as he was portrayed in the Movies, but rather he’s just a genuinely good guy; nice but otherwise unremarkable. I think this works extremely well for the character. Much has been made of Clark’s simple disguise; after all, how could a pair of glasses be enough for anyone not to recognize Superman. What I think the animated show does a good of demonstrating is why the disguise is so effective. In the animated show, Clark is so normal that it would be incomprehensible for one to believe that he’s Superman. After all, Superman is a god-like being who has almost unlimited power, why on Earth would such a being choose to masquerade as a normal human being. That’s the genius of the Clark’s disguise, and especially when his character is a kind, average, unassuming person, it is truly effective. In many ways it reflects the same reason many people can’t accept Jesus as God. Why would immortal God lower Himself to the state of mortal being; even to the point of allowing said mortal beings to kill Him? It’s completely irrational to our minds. But unlike Superman, Jesus wasn’t God trying to disguise Himself, rather He was trying to reveal Himself to mankind; a difficult concept to be sure, but one that ultimately leads to freedom and life.
Unfortunately, Vol.3 follows in the footsteps of previous sets by not offering up enough extras. While we do get some excellent commentaries from the producers, I would have enjoyed a few more on episodes such as “Knight Time� where Superman dresses up as Batman or on the episodes where we get a glimpse of some of the other future League members. “Superman: Behind the Cape� is an enjoyable roundtable discussion with the producers in a comic shop (geek heaven) and it gives some great insights into the direction the show’s creators wanted to take with this final season. We also get some brief excerpt from the new documentary Look, Up in the Sky from director Bryan Singer, but seeing as how this extra is on just about every Superman release in the past month, it doesn’t really feel all that special. We also get a preview of the new direct-to-video Superman movie Brainiac Attacks, which quite frankly shows just how good this show is when compared to other efforts.
Compared to some of the early Batman sets, Superman: The Animated Series Volume 3 looks pretty good. The picture is much cleaner than in previous sets, and some of the animation looks pretty amazing considering this was still before the time of digital effects. The set is also presented in Dolby Digital, so it sounds great. From explosions to punches to dialogue, everything sounds crisp and clear.
.
Although most people are currently enamored with the new movie version of Superman, it would be a shame to dismiss Superman: The Animated Series 3 as not being worth the time to view it just because it’s a cartoon. As with the Batman series, Vol 3 of Superman shows that an animated show can be apart of the Saturday morning line-up without necessarily being just for kids. Fans of all ages will enjoy this Superman who, in my mind at least, is the defining standard for every other interpretation of Superman.
3 Comments:
it really is amazing that brainiac attacks was so bad, when its inspiration was so good. STAS volume 3 was fantastic. my favs are In Brightest Day, Knight Time, and Legacy.
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I haven't seen Brainiac Attacks myself, but even from the previews I could tell that it wouldn't be the same. It's unfortunate, because the Batman animated movies were all pretty good. I was hoping they would do the same with Superman.
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