 Superman: The Animated Series occupies an odd place in DC history. It came on the heels of the legendary Batman: The Animated Series and set the stylistic and thematic tone for the later Justice League and Justice League Unlimited shows. It laid the foundations for a coherent, integrated DC Animated Universe, and introduced versions of Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Steel, Supergirl, Dr. Fate, the Legion Of Superheroes, Darkseid, and Lex Luthor. It even cast its influence backwards, as the producers chose to animate new Batman episodes in the Superman style rather than the original BTAS look.
There's no doubt this is the most solid of Superman's animated interpretations. The Ruby-Spears Superman was a rather confused entry in the franchise. Superfriends was at best an entertaining joke. The Fleischer Superman, while strongly animated, treated the character as an undeveloped cipher. In fact, this was the last cinematic series to thoroughly explore Superman's world. Smallville has focused on Clark Kent's teenage and young adult years, and his appearances in the Justice League and subsequent Batman series took him out of Metropolis altogether.
There's not a lot to say about the stories in Superman: The Animated Series, which are "classic" in a very "classic Superman" kind of way. Luckily, the producers mixed things up. The plots bounce around, from original-era "Superman versus some superpowered goons" to a Kirby "Superman versus Darkseid" arc, and even to more world-building "Superman and an ally versus a revised villain." Given that Superman's rogues gallery is rather weak, a little reinvention here and there is appreciated.
Visually, the series does show its age. Batman's flowing character designs looked great hand-colored; Justice League's crisp lines and bright cast benefit from digital coloring. Superman falls somewhere in between. But the voice cast is great, with Tim Daly as a terrific Superman and Clancy Brown as an iconic Lex Luthor.
The Complete Animated Series brings together all the discs from the three earlier Superman: The Animated Series sets. The discs haven't been reprinted or rearranged, so that each one is labeled "Volume Two" or the like, and three of them are still annoyingly double-sided. On one you can even find the old DC logo.
There is a seventh disc, exclusive to this set, that features "The Despot Darkseid: A Villain Worthy of Superman" that looks at Jack Kirby and one of his more notable DC creations. It is less than twenty minutes long, though, and while it's a nice feature, it in no way justifies purchasing the new set if you already have the previous ones. In a better world, Warner Bros. would have included it on another disc, broken up the double-sided discs, and released a nine-disc set. Couple it with an art book, and you'd have had a set fit to stand next to Batman: The Complete Animated Series. And (insult to injury), the holographic/imprinted box art just looks cheesy, and the booklet that lists the episodes sports images from The Legion of Superheroes.
Batman: The Animated Series was more high brow. Batman Beyond was more creative. Justice League was more fun. But Superman: The Animated Series was a solid show, and while it pales slightly next to its sister series, it is still better than much that is out there.
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