Superheroes Two: Part 1.5, Superman (Part 2)

*Diacanu is wearing a bath towel cape, punching random people, breaking furniture, and appliances, and singing "Pow! Bam! Zonk!", from "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman".*


Diacanu- Gee, it's funnyyyy!! But only a moment agoooo!!!! Pow! Bam! Zonk!
I doubted myself! And all that was riiiiight!
But now!!  I see!! The light!!

Little girl- Mommy, why is the man like that? :-(

Mother- Don't look at him!!

Diacanu- (still going non-stop with the hitting, and the breaking) Gosh, I'm hungryyyy!! I'd sure like a T-bone steeeaaak!!! Pow! Bam! Zonk! I haven't felt this goooood!! Since Krypton knows wheeeen!!
Don't you!! Do that!! Again!!

Homeless man- (Neck broken) *Death rattle*

Diacanu- Good night, sweet dreams!! So sorry to mess up your plan!!
But now you know - Pow!
Can't fool around - Wham! Zow!
With Suuuuuupermaaaaan!!!!!!!

*Gets knocked cold by a guy with a ball-peen hammer*


Superman (1941)

The Fleischer Supermans.
See here.
As we'll see, they were the groundwork for...everything.


The New Adventures Of Superman (1966)

With Bud Collyer as Superman again, and featuring Superboy shorts with Bob Hastings as Superboy.
By Filmation, who would go on do do "Superfriends".


The Superman-Aquaman 
Hour Of Adventure (1967)

 

And, here started Filmation's practice of changing the format and title of one show every season....

So, it was a half-n-half of Superman and Aquaman, but, it would also feature Justice League, The Atom, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Teen Titans.

Atom, GL, and Hawkman were also in the JL shorts.
Oddly, not Aquaman.

Totally the prototype for "Superfriends".


The Batman-Superman Hour (1968)

The Batman half, of course, being the "Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder", mentioned in the animated Batman entry.

Bud Collyer remained Superman through all these incarnations.


SuperFriends (1973-1985)

See here.

Bud Collyer died in '69, so from here on out, for the whole SuperFriends era, Danny Dark was Superman.
And, that's the one I grew up on.
Well, besides Christopher Reeve.


Superman (1988)

So, SuperFriends ended after 13 years, and then, Superman's 50th birthday came along, and someone in TV-land must have said "hey, Superman is turning 50, and there's no Superman cartoon on? How the fuck did we let that happen? Someone make a fucking Superman cartoon, you dummies!".

And they did, and it was pretty good, actually.

Known as "Ruby Spears Superman", you can get these on DVD.

Check out the opening.



I loved it, it totally nailed the look and feel of the 80's comics, and, it even had the John Williams theme.
It was perfect.

...and it was gone too soon.
Only one season.

Then, an 8 year drought, and then....


Superman: The Animated Series (1996)

The Tim Daly era.
Set in the same universe as "Batman: The Animated Series".

Okay, now, the style of BM:TAS was actually based on the Fleischer Supermans.

You go back, and watch those, and watch the first season of BM:TAS, and it totally matches up, right down to the painted title cards, the painted closeups, the detailed closeups, the painted backgrounds, the retro-40's setting,  etc, etc.

Then...the paintings must have been expensive, and took too long, so, those drifted away, and BM:TAS evolved its own stripped-down minimalist style, by necessity, if nothing else.

So, then, it comes time for Superman, and, he's done in this neo-Fleischer style, and it all comes full circle.

Aanyhoo...this series spawned the 3-part episode "World's Finest", which got re-packaged as "The Batman Superman Movie", and which paved the way for "Justice League".

So, when I said Fleischer was the foundation for everything, well, there it is.

The film "Brainiac Attacks", is also set in this universe.

A future incarnation of this Superman guest starred on "Batman Beyond", in 2000.

Then, the following year...


Justice League (2001)

...premiered.

See here.

George Newborn was Superman instead of Tim Daly, even though it is the same character from the same universe.

And, during the run of this...

....Supes guest starred on "Static Shock".

As did Batman, and Terry McGinnis Batman.

"Static Shock", ended up having a bunch of DC guest stars.

And, then....


Justice League Unlimited (2004)

See here.

And...he was in the premiere episode of...


Krypto: The Superdog (2005)

...which, he would need to do to establish the character, wouldn't he?

And...he was in....


Legion Of Superheroes (2006)

...as Superboy, time-warped to the distant future.

Making that both a prequel, and a sequel to "Justice League".

Superman also guest starred on...

..."The Batman", in 2007.

As did a bunch of Justice League members.
Why aren't these episodes gathered up as "a movie"?

You've got "The Batman Superman Movie II", right there!

Aaand, he was on...

"Batman: The Brave And The Bold", multiple times during 2010-11.

And, he played an important part in...


Young Justice (2010)

See here.


*Adds them all up*

22, just 2 more than Batman.

You'd think Superman would clear the finish line on Batman further out than that!

And then, of course, you've got the various Superman/JLA animated films.

Aaand, that's all of Superman in cartoons.
A lot, but it is a finite amount.
One may think it would be "kajillions", but nope, just those.
Well...it's a kajillions of episodes, yeah.

Up next....how about...the rest of Marvel?