World Superman: The Animated Series appreciation thread

[afan]

A greater admiration exists for BTAS, because it is IMO the only truly satisfying depiction on film of The Batman.

Superman though has been satisfyingly presented many times, across many mediums. STAS being one of those efforts, but not the sole effort.

Gets me to thinking ain't it a shame that Fleischer's studios never made a Batman cartoon.

The Max Fleischer Superman was nearly overpowered by thugs with gas bombs and circus animals.

However in the very first short he could catch and right a tumbling skyscaraper. Keep in mind that the production quality and budget that these shorts recieved was reduced greatly from the very first short to the last.

Well, that's because the show came out when Superman couldn't even fly.

He flew in the Fleischer cartoons.

 

[C. W. Saturn]

He flew in the Fleischer cartoons.

But not in the comics.

 

[afan]

But not in the comics.

Quite right.....originally(1938), however I believe by the time the Fleischer cartoons appeared(1941) he was also flying in the books.

 

[Nirvana]

This show, for me is the definitive take on Superman. It was so incredibly epic and well rounded and it's most certainly impossible not to love it. I have all three seasons (along with the entire DCAU) on DVD. The show is one of the reasons I love Superman so much. In my opinion, I enjoyed STAS more than BTAS, and if Superman films follow in the same route as the series, they could truly be epic rivaling The Dark Knight as the Best Superhero Movie ever.

 

[NotFadeAway]

This show, for me is the definitive take on Superman. It was so incredibly epic and well rounded and it's most certainly impossible not to love it. I have all three seasons (along with the entire DCAU) on DVD. The show is one of the reasons I love Superman so much. In my opinion, I enjoyed STAS more than BTAS, and if Superman films follow in the same route as the series, they could truly be epic rivaling The Dark Knight as the Best Superhero Movie ever.

Agreed

 

[Saved]

Yeah, for sure. I'd love to see some of the arcs used in the show adapted into a big screen movie.

 

[C. W. Saturn]

Quite right.....originally(1938), however I believe by the time the Fleischer cartoons appeared(1941) he was also flying in the books.

The first time he explicitly flew in the comics was (about) in 1943.

 

[RogueDK]

Good show but Ruby Spears was better.

Absolutely. I'll be glad when/if Warner Bros. ever puts out the episodes on DVD.

I loved that series back in the late 80s. And 8 years later we're graced with the Timm version.

 

[p4poetic]

I admit, my memory of STAS is very fuzzy. I remember the Spider-Man and Batman TAS a lot vividly. I should rent them again.

 

[NotFadeAway]

This show is the reason I like Supes so much.

Same here. This show made me love Superman more than Batman. Ever since this show came out, I hoped and prayed that the next Superman flick would use the TAS as a template. I think it is the most enjoyable Superman created, and the stories and characters are awesome.

Now they need to make a solo Flash Animated Series.

 

[RogueDK]

Now they need to make a solo Flash Animated Series.

Man, that's long overdue...

 

[NotFadeAway]

Man, that's long overdue...

I know it is. With WB currently all about making a big screen Green Lantern movie, this would be a perfect way to get more mainstream publicity for The Flash.

 

[Dr. Fate]

I know it is. With WB currently all about making a big screen Green Lantern movie, this would be a perfect way to get more mainstream publicity for The Flash.

Solo cartoons for Green Lantern & the Flash would ROCK.

 

[Alien Anal]

I watched Supermanoomsday last night and i dont get it

DC isnt a small time company
they have money and lots of it
they are there to provide great superhero stories

why is it we cant get a decent cartoon

i want to see a Superman cartoon drawn like the comics
heck make that the next Superman movie

 

[RogueDK]

I watched Supermanoomsday last night and i dont get it

DC isnt a small time company
they have money and lots of it
they are there to provide great superhero stories

Well DC's hands are tied since Warner Brothers has say over what gets made and they own DC Comics.

why is it we cant get a decent cartoon

i want to see a Superman cartoon drawn like the comics
heck make that the next Superman movie

I miss old school animation; cartoons in general have really gone down in quality over the last few years.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Well DC's hands are tied since Warner Brothers has say over what gets made and they own DC Comics.

Unfortunately.

I miss old school animation; cartoons in general have really gone down in quality over the last few years.

I agree. I miss old school animation as well.

 

[NotFadeAway]

Solo cartoons for Green Lantern & the Flash would ROCK.

Damn right they would. It continues to baffle me that it has not been done yet. I get the impression that Warners is scared to make a GL or Flash film because they do not see the characters as independtly known. First off, thats bs. Second, an Animated Series would be a great start for some more mainstream attention for the two characters.

 

[NotFadeAway]

Also, for some reason, depending on how the man looked bald, I think Paul Johansson could play a live action version of the TAS Lex Luthor very, very well.

 

[SuperMike335!!]

This show, for me is the definitive take on Superman. It was so incredibly epic and well rounded and it's most certainly impossible not to love it. I have all three seasons (along with the entire DCAU) on DVD. The show is one of the reasons I love Superman so much. In my opinion, I enjoyed STAS more than BTAS, and if Superman films follow in the same route as the series, they could truly be epic rivaling The Dark Knight as the Best Superhero Movie ever.

Agreed x 10.

I had a few criticisms of it, such as superman and his villains not being quite as powerful as I liked them to be, but by the time JLU rolled around, Supes was about where he needed to be. That being said, they were pretty close to as powerful as I would have liked them to be, and I understand why they down powered him story writing wise. Sometimes he suffered from power level of convenience, and his super speed tended to be underutilized.

However what the series really did, that I loved was it took a lot of the comics, where stories had gotten overly complicated over the years, and streamlined them into iconic versions of those characters. Sort of like putting the best story elements of several versions of Brainiac into one. They managed to simplify over complex stories, without dumbing it down.

I liked how Jor-EL and Lara were not depicted as geriatrics too, neither were the Kents when they found Kal. I don’t know any people as old looking as previous versions of them who had a 9 month old baby. The STAS version made far more sense.

They displayed Superman’s villains as more than mere nuisances too. Villains have to be seen as powerful themselves in order to make the hero.

The series is so good, IMHO, that if someone needs to be introduced to the modern version of Superman and the world he exists in, then STAS would actually be a better place to start than any movie or comic book series, that tend to get overly complex, and can burn out a reader who would have to read for 3 weeks non-stop to get caught up on who is who.

I give it a 9.5 out of 10 overall, and feel it is the best material for the definitive modern Superman.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Damn right they would. It continues to baffle me that it has not been done yet. I get the impression that Warners is scared to make a GL or Flash film because they do not see the characters as independtly known. First off, thats bs. Second, an Animated Series would be a great start for some more mainstream attention for the two characters.

I agree.

 

[Sawyer]

Also, for some reason, depending on how the man looked bald, I think Paul Johansson could play a live action version of the TAS Lex Luthor very, very well.

Paul Johansson as Luthor would blow my ****in' mind.

 

[Cowmaster94]

Superman the Animated Series and Batman the Animated Series were awesome

 

[hockeyboy89]

This show, for me is the definitive take on Superman. It was so incredibly epic and well rounded and it's most certainly impossible not to love it. I have all three seasons (along with the entire DCAU) on DVD. The show is one of the reasons I love Superman so much. In my opinion, I enjoyed STAS more than BTAS, and if Superman films follow in the same route as the series, they could truly be epic rivaling The Dark Knight as the Best Superhero Movie ever.

Yeah that show was great for me to introduce my some to the Superman world. He enjoys Justice League more because there's more heroes, but it's still a great series. I love the way they incorporate other characters into it.

 

[Duskbyday]

I've always prefered this show than Smallville.

 

[Mistah K88]

Define 'dignity'?

There's nothing worse than an over-powered, indestructible Man-God Superman who can just kick the moon out of orbit.

And people wonder why the characters popularity wanes sometimes!

That's because it sees that everyone is into Batman because he's just a man...people often tend to forget that he's a man who is a BILLIONAIRE... But that's beside the point...

Anyway, I feel that the series was very VERY good. Toyman's revamp on that show is my favorite interpretation of him. Also, they made belivevable original villains out of Livewire and Luminous (often overlooked).