Review: June 20 Animated Superman DVD Offerings
Reviewed by Craig Byrne
Want us to review a new TV-show related DVD at KryptonSite? E-mail us!

As part of their "Year of Superman," Warner Home Video is releasing SEVERAL Superman-related DVD sets on Tuesday, June 20, 2006. We posted our review of Lois & Clark: The Complete Third Season here; now here's a look at the animated offerings that were released on the 20th.

Stay tuned for our review of The Adventures of Superman Seasons Three and Four, coming soon!

Note: While supplies last, each of these DVD sets comes with a free pass for $10.50 off a ticket to see Superman Returns! So, be sure to order your copies as soon as you can, especially when you consider most of these sets register in for under $20 as it is!

Superman: The Animated Series: Volume Three
Website: classiccartoonsdvd.com
Click here to order a copy

Kind of like Justice League, Superman: The Animated Series, to me, seemed to get better as it progressed. The mythology expanded to include characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics; more guest stars appeared; and the creators really seemed to be hitting their stride.

Superman: The Animated Series Volume 3 has some bonus features that make it more than your ordinary "kids' cartoon set." There's a sit down interview/discussion with the show's creators filmed at the House of Secrets comic book store in Burbank. In it, they talk about the highs and lows of the later episodes, and they do point out things including the previously-mentioned Kirby influence. (Certainly as a tribute, Inspector Dan Turpin bears a resemblance to "King" Kirby himself. It's great.)

One of my favorite episodes on this set is "New Kids in Town." In it, the Legion of Super-Heroes travel back in time from the 30th century and team up with a high-school age Clark Kent. Not only is it a way to see Smallville animated-style, it also introduces some great characters. I am just very disappointed the WB is using such a crude and lame Krypto-like animated style for their Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon later this year, because this was near-perfect.

If you do watch the Legion episode, watch for an inside joke that, at the time, wasn't an inside joke: Martha, trying to give Clark and Lana some alone time, tells her husband that they should go because "The Dukes of Hazzard is on." This was about three years before John Schneider, Bo Duke himself, took the role of Jonathan Kent. (In Animated-land, Jonathan Kent is voiced by another TV veteran, BJ Hunnicutt himself, Mike Farrell).

There are commentaries on selected episodes, which is also a bonus. Even though no one bothered to comment on the Dukes of Hazzard crack, which means they didn't catch it, or they just didn't find it all that funny.

One other weird comment: The first disc in this set is one-sided; and then Disc Two is double-sided. I hate double-sided discs in general, but I felt it was weird that one was one way, and the other was different.

Final Verdict: 9 stars out of 10. I think you'll like this one, and it's probably my favorite of the three Superman animated volumes.

Justice League: Season Two
Website: classiccartoonsdvd.com
Click here to order a copy

Because of Michael Rosenbaum's voice work as The Flash, Justice League has always been a favorite of fans here at KryptonSite. The second season features 26 more episodes of the fan-favorite series.

While I do love the "major" characters of the animated Justice League, I'll admit I've never been too fond of the early episodes. In my mind, Justice League Unlimited with its dozens of characters and 1-part episodes is much more palatable, and like Superman, the stories seem to get better with later seasons. But that may just be me.

There are some highlights, like guest appearances from heroes like Aquaman, and there's even an episode where Superman takes the Martian Manhunter back to Smallville to visit. "Paradise Lost," the 3-part season finale, is another favorite of fans.

Like the Superman set, there are commentaries and some featurettes on the disc, so again, this is great for the DVD collector as well as being good entertainment for the whole family.

But for me... I'm just anxiously awaiting Justice League Unlimited. That's where the fun really begins, and the really obscure DC Comics characters begin to take flight.

Final Verdict: 6 stars out of 10. Perfectly good set and all, but I prefer the later stuff.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks!
Website: classiccartoonsdvd.com
Click here to order a copy

Sadly, Superman: Braniac Attacks! was not the same experience as the two sets mentioned above.

First off, this movie is clearly aimed at a much younger demographic than where I fall. A demographic where they apparently think kids won't notice that Lex Luthor is no longer voiced by Clancy Brown and instead sounds really wimpy. Where a lot of the more external intricacies of the characters are just kind of missed.

Lex Luthor wasn't the only voice replacement on this direct-to-DVD movie. Lance Henriksen takes over the voice of Brainiac. This is both good and bad for me. I'm a HUGE Millennium fan and will acknowledge that Henriksen a very unique voice. But again, why the voice change? It is way cool to hear "Frank Black" saying the word "Krypton," though.

One voice change did make me happy, however. After a few years of George Newbern on Justice League, Tim Daly is finally back as the voice of Superman. No slight meant to Newbern; it's just that Daly's voice works better for me. (And hey, Tim Daly is cool - WB, when is The Fugitive going to be on DVD already? Please?)

The story in Brainiac Attacks! wasn't bad; it was just incredibly average. I expect more from my Superman, especially when in two weeks we get Superman Returns, which I feel will be a much better use of my time than this film was. If you have small children, this is great and totally all right to leave the kids to watch; but if you want something sophisticated, this isn't the place to look.

I will say the animation is really good in this project, and the team of artists did a great job. Also, there's a bit (spoiler warning) where Superman kisses energy into Lois which makes me think someone's been watching a little too much Doctor Who. Does this make Lois Lane the Bad Wolf? Discuss.

The final 5 minutes or so are classic Superman and I enjoyed them a bit more.

It's sad, because other movie releases of DC animated properties, like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm or Return of the Joker were SO much better so my expectations were a lot higher.

There are no bonus features on this disc aside from some trailers, which promote the DVD releases and the new movie. And it's in *gag* fullscreen, further cementing its aim at being focused on children. If you think it'll keep the kids busy, also be warned that it clocks in at only around 75 minutes.

Final Verdict: 4 stars out of 10. I respect the work that the animators and creative people did on this movie, but I really couldn't get into it. Maybe if I were about 20 years younger, I'd be a bit more enthusiasic.

Note: The views of Craig Byrne don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.

Want us to review a new TV-show related DVD at KryptonSite? E-mail us!