World Superman: The Animated Series appreciation thread

[Sawyer]

I've always prefered this show than Smallville.

I have to agree. SV is so extremely hit or miss for me, it actually makes me mad.

 

[FVD]

Gotta agree on all counts that Timm's take on Superman is as definitive as you can get. I only watched a handful of episodes when it came out back in 97 and now I'm finally catching up.

Just started Volume 2. Couldn't believe I was actually feeling sorry for Bizarro. Timm and Co seemed to depict him not being evil at all. Can't say much about the Smallville version.

I did buy the Batman/Superman movie on VHS years ago so it's cool to see this in the series again.

The Last Son of Krypton story would really make for an rebooted Origin movie as some others have already mentioned. Just add another 45+ minutes to the story and we'll hopefully have our epic Superman.

And wow I can't get over Lois. Not only does she look hot (must be the legs) but her voice too. I know it's Dana Delany but to me she sounds more like Marg Helgenberger. Might be a China Beach thing.

 

[Spiderine]

Edit

 

[Spiderine]

I've noticed that STAS tends to be the sort of under-rated gem of the DCAU. Batman gets the accolades because the writing and darkness of the episodes and how it was sort of revolutionary at that time and Justice League and JLU get alot of credit for including so many of the DC universes characters, while STAS tends to just kind of fall into the middle between those series'. I love it just as much as BTAS, JL and JLU. I mean...
It is very underrated

The character designs were awesome. Brainiac was kickass, Luthor was pretty much the perfect Luthor. As was Supes and Lois.

The designs were amazing.

 

[FVD]

Another thing I can't get over in the show is the amount of damage that Metropolis takes everytime Superman gets into a tough fight. Buildings get smashed bridges etc. That's action for ya. Why can't we see that kinda carnage in a Superman film?

 

[bulletbillx]

Same here. I mean, I liked Richard Donner's Superman as a kid, but definitely not as much as Batman. But Superman: TAS kicked ass!

That's why I say, even though they should not copy the series for a movie, they definitely should find their own way to make Superman "cool" again for the big screen.

this is why i wish they'd get Paul Dini/the DCAU writers to write a superman movie. they wouldnt necessarily copy the show, but they know how to write the characters.

also I wish clancy brown could be a live action luthor. he was awesome as the kurgan.

 

[Sawyer]

Here's what i want.... "Superman: The Man of Steel (tenative title)"
No, not the Superman Returns sequel. A sequel series to Superman: TAS (like Batman: Gotham Knights was a sequel series to BTAS). It would take place after JLU ended and it would reunite Tim Daly, Dana Delaney, David Kaufman and other assorted actors from the old series. The animation and character designs would be updated a bit, but not straying too far from the old designs (since I, for one, kinda disliked some of the redesigns for the Bat-characters, like the Joker, Riddler and Catwoman). What I would want to see in terms of plot would be a much, much truer adaptation of The Death and Return of Superman, spanning about 5 or 6 episodes. Changes would have to be made (Steel already being a pre-existing hero, for one), but overall it would be more faithful to the story than "Superman: Doomsday" was. I would also think that the return of Lex Luthor could be a great story to tell. Other than that, there are plenty more stories to be told. I would love to see Timm, Dini and all the rest re-visit Superman someday.

 

[Sawyer]

Thoughts?

 

[Homer J. Fong]

A sort of TNBA-esque sequel series would be cool, but I would prefer seeing the gap between the end of STAS (that is, Legacy part two and the fallout of Darkseid's brainwashing Superman) and the start of JL, seeing Supes regain Metropolis' trust and all. I've always been bummed out that Kids WB canceled the show after what could've been the start of a great new dynamic.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of STAS; overall, it's probably my favorite version of the character. I don't think it ever reached the heights of its predecessor, BTAS, but still. Tim Daly was a great Clark and Superman, and it's a shame he didn't continue into JL/JLU. (George Newbern was quite good once he settled into the role, however.) And Clancy Brown and Dana Delany have offered the best takes on Lex and Lois to me, no contest. The show also had the right atmosphere and style about it: enough of a Fleischer influence, optimistic and fun but still mature and sober when needed.

 

[Sawyer]

A sort of TNBA-esque sequel series would be cool, but I would prefer seeing the gap between the end of STAS (that is, Legacy part two and the fallout of Darkseid's brainwashing Superman) and the start of JL, seeing Supes regain Metropolis' trust and all. I've always been bummed out that Kids WB canceled the show after what could've been the start of a great new dynamic.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of STAS; overall, it's probably my favorite version of the character. I don't think it ever reached the heights of its predecessor, BTAS, but still. Tim Daly was a great Clark and Superman, and it's a shame he didn't continue into JL/JLU. (George Newbern was quite good once he settled into the role, however.) And Clancy Brown and Dana Delany have offered the best takes on Lex and Lois to me, no contest. The show also had the right atmosphere and style about it: enough of a Fleischer influence, optimistic and fun but still mature and sober when needed.

That'd probably be good, too. But I think I'd like to see it post-JLU, so that they could make Funeral For a Friend and incorporate that into his death arc. God, I really wish Timm/Dini/etc. would do this...

 

[Dark Guardian]

I love S:TAS.
I really truly like it better than the JL or JLU. 9/10 episodes in the Justice League series were forced to portray Superman as... dumb, clumsy, slow and a magnet for every beam, missile, projectile fire and laser beam in existence. This was obviously because they had to fit seven other (and then alot more in JLU) heroes into the action. But seriously, Clark was portrayed the way he deserved to be in S:TAS. Just like Batman was portrayed the way he deserved in B:TAS. TNBAS ruined what they'd done before, and JL semi ruined poor Clark.
I miss Tim Daly, he did such an excellent job, he did Superman better than George Newbern ever could, and I was sad to see he'd been replaced for Justice League.
Metallo was handled perfectly, and the Animated Series Lex Luthor is my second favorite portrayal of Lex in any media ever (after John Shea in Lois and Clark). Brainiac was really a great villian, unlike most of the time in JL, where he just kept coming back over and over again!
My favorite episodes have to be Mxy's episode, Brave New Metropolis (what a deep episode!) and the Darkseid Arc.

 

[RogueDK]

It looks like the Ruby Spears Superman series is coming to DVD....finally!

Here's the link:

http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Superman-Ruby-Spears/12402

I truly hope that this news holds up. The dvd has been long overdue.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I like that show... but for me it does pale in comparison to Superman: The Animated series!

 

[TheWatcher]

Amazing show-great storys,cast,guest stars,villains,etc,etc

 

[SuperAl]

when are we gonna get a new superman show?! its crazy, batman has had like 3 new shows, batman beyond, The Batman, Batman Brave and the Bold. Spiderman keeps getting new shows even tho most of em fail. Iron man just got one. Whoever drew superman on that one episode of the batman needs to develop a superman show, i loved that look.

 

[Sawyer]

when are we gonna get a new superman show?! its crazy, batman has had like 3 new shows, batman beyond, The Batman, Batman Brave and the Bold. Spiderman keeps getting new shows even tho most of em fail. Iron man just got one. Whoever drew superman on that one episode of the batman needs to develop a superman show, i loved that look.

How could you forget BTAS?

And Spectacular Spider-Man has been great.

 

[Diamondhead]

well...some episode was insulting to the character
I guess the writers were just trying to make the character more vulnerable and "interesting"
but I find it downright insulting to a Godlike being like Superman.
even more so with that stupid JLA animated series.
well what can I say ,this was made for a new generation ,just like comics nowadays are made for a new generation
and I've decided to stop buying them ever since I saw Loki transformed into a woman.
I guess some idiots saw the animated CGI movie ("unhappily ever after") and decided to transform Loki into a Cinderella stepmother kind of character
they didn't have to because I think in the world of Thor there enough of plenty interesting female characters and transforming Loki into a female is downright insulting.

 

[RogueDK]

well...some episode was insulting to the character
I guess the writers were just trying to make the character more vulnerable and "interesting"
but I find it downright insulting to a Godlike being like Superman.

You know it's funny you should say that; I remember prior to STAS I would talk to friends in my little comic circles on how much they detested Superman for being too powerful and found him terminally uninteresting.

The minute Timm's version airs, it wasn't two good episodes before those same friends of mine were complaining that the character was too weak.

Not knocking what you think, my friend but your post brought that to mind for me... I just found that funny.

 

[Panthro]

You know it's funny you should say that; I remember prior to STAS I would talk to friends in my little comic circles on how much they detested Superman for being too powerful and found him terminally uninteresting.

The minute Timm's version airs, it wasn't two good episodes before those same friends of mine were complaining that the character was too weak.

Not knocking what you think, my friend but your post brought that to mind for me... I just found that funny.

Superman's power levels have been all over the place for a while now in all media. Look at the Christopher Reeve movies - in #1 he restores the notorious fault line that causes California's earthquakes, in #4 he actually moves the moon itself, yet in #2 he gets floored by a bus and in #3 he gets eaten by a computer. And of course in TAS his strength is all over the place, as they pointed out in their World's Finest commentary, how in Last Son of Krypton Part 3 Supes had to really wrestle the plane down while in WF he handles the plane with relative ease. I guess they'll never completely conquer this issue.

 

[CLARKY]

I do not like the idea to power down Superman (not that I call that an insult, especially considering all they have done right about the character) but I perfectly understand the difficulty of writing 50 adventures of the character and find original way to make him face a villain each week. At the same time I do not like to see Superman as an all mighty god.

And honestly I came to love the fact that Superman had to fight for the victory. Like the Fleisher cartoon or the first comic. Good stuff.

 

[The Batman]

honestly, this show was middle of the road at best, and there's definetely a reason why its not as well liked/good as BTAS and JL. It's also far from being a definitive version of Superman, but does have the best lex luthor and Darkseid that I've seen

 

[SuperMike335!!]

One thing I really likes about STAS was its streamlineing of Comic Superman story, where the Comics continuity does tend to fork, and can be hard to follow, with several different versions of characters.

STAS took much of the best and made things easier to follow for the audience.

STAS should really be the template for any future live action project as well, as it gets the characterization of Superman, Clark, and the presence right as well, because it is such a good introduction to the comic world.

Yes the comic world is confounded and complex, but if you are up to date on STAT it could save you a lot of confusion. Sure you would notice some differences, but over all you would get the idea.

The same was BTAS is a good introduction to Batman.

 

[Superman 1265]

I really liked this series. The only complaint I have is how powered down Superman was in the show.

 

[Micromind]

STAS is a very good series and a good introduction to Superman, I feel that they should have uesd STAS as a template for the Live action movie, just increase the power levels of superman.

Overall, STAS is my favorite Superman show , taking into account all shows so far - animated or Live.


In STAS we can see that as the series progresses Superman gets more powerful by the time of Justice League animated series Superman is more powerful than he was in the STAS, and he is even more powerful in JLU series.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

It bothers me that a lot of the episodes involve Lois in danger. I love the show, but come on.