Review- Superman: The Animated Series

I recently watched the first season of Superman- The Animated Series on DVD.  This series started in 1996 and ran until 200. I have recently stated that I often find the character of Superman too difficult to relate to.  However, I think in this case the character is handled very well.  Allow me to extrapolate.

In the Superman animated series they do a good job establishing Krypton and its importance to Superman, both in his origin and in his adopted parents explaining to Clark why he’s different than his peers.  This creates a little bit of angst for Clark as he’s portrayed as a person torn between his love for his adopted world and his desire to discover more about his birthplace.  In the half-hour cartoon format, there doesn’t need to be more angst than this.  Most of the fun is in watching Superman use his neat powers to solve problems.  The supporting cast is good but a little underused.  Lois is presented as a rival of Clarks in their chosen profession, and the romance angle is downplayed about as much as it should be for a cartoon.  Jimmy and Perry don’t do too much in season one beyond filling their usual roles.  Professor Hamilton does a good job informing both Superman and the viewer of the science fiction elements.  I particularly like Dan Turpin, drawn as an animated Jack Kirby!  It’s a great tribute to the King!

Of the villains, we have the crooked businessman version of Lex Luthor, who controls everything in Metropolis except Superman, and says he built the city.  It looks like he did, since the city looks like it has technology a year or two ahead of our time!  The others I particularly like are the Parasite and Brainiac.

I’d rate the show a “B” overall, which means it is worth getting if it’s not too expensive.  It’s not too amazing but it is a lot of fun!