The F-Word: Superman Reccomendations

As the holiday season approaches, it's still not too late to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the greatest superhero of all time. This year marked Superman's return to the movies, as well as his third-quart-centenial. So if you've ever wondered how to sink your teeth into the character, I hope this is the blog for you.

Of course it would be ludicrous to claim that everything the character's been a part of has been great. It's also not worth sending you on a wild goose chase to find some rare back issue or toy that's off the market, so let's instead talk about things you're likely to want to pick up: graphic novels (most of which are actually trade paperbacks, but we'll call them graphic novels in case you're wandering around Barnes & Noble) which is easier to collect for noobs and encompasses the medium for which the character was created. And yet, the character's influence has been profound in movies and television, so a list of DVDs is also a must.

Graphic Novels

1. Superman: the Greatest Stories Ever Told Vols. 1&2: I had to bundle these two together even though they're sold separately. Each one's too slight on its own and yet, the best way for a new fan to get a handle on Superman is in broad strokes. Between these two volumes, they encompass a range of stories along all of Superman's history. While some people like to make the mistake of trying to pinhole the character in terms of the golden age or the silver age, or even the iron age (more often known as the "dark age" by comic book enthusiasts) and there's something for everyone. Also, if you see a trade from the late '80s called The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, be sure to pick it up as well. It was my exposure to many of the great tales of the character during the first 50 years.

In the first volume, we begin with the very first Superman story followed by an early tale that's been copied an awful lot: Superman taking on three villains from Krypton. Maggin's "Must There Be a Superman," is an interesting look at whether Superman's doing more harm than good, while Steranko's "The Exile on the Edge of Eternity," takes the character into the realm of speculative science fiction. It ends with the 2001 story "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way," which attempts to show why it's important that Superman not kill even the more dangerous enemies, though I think it sometimes confuses real logic with comic book logic.

The second volume gives us the first appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk, a very controversial villain in Superman mythos, due to his sheer ridiculousness. The classic "Superman Breaks Loose" is present, though not its cooler-than-cool epilogue which, yes, is a cliffhanger but just has a chilling sense of forbidding all on its own. The second issue of Superman Vol. 2 is also a great issue, showing the Byrne era in its essence, as for once, Lex Luthor defeats Superman… but unfortunately, greater damage is undone with a truly contrived copout. It's also fitting that the final story in this volume is another Mxyzptlk story, as the magical imp takes Superman though a journey of what fatherhood would be like. It also has its share of Silver Age imaginary stories, to which I direct you to page 42 to see the funniest look that has ever fallen across Batman's face.

It also includes a story about Jonathan Kent having a heart attack and seeing Superman in Heaven which was from The Adventures of Superman, the deluxe edition of which introduced the four contenders of Reign of the Supermen arguably begins. However, FYI, it's a complete red herring.

2. The Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 & 2: this is the bare essence of Superman and superheroes in general. There are a few other characters who proceeded him that you could call superheroes, but in this volume is what codified the trope, so-to-speak. I also hesitated to--again--recommend two volumes, but the second one has probably the greatest Superman story of the '30s: the one where he takes on an orphanage that's been abusing children.

Oh, we never see Superman fly, and none of his famous foes are anywhere to be seen; but what it lacks in those kinds of stories, it makes up for in social relevance, not just for its influence in comics, but also because of the ills of society against which it pitted Superman.

3. Man of Steel: During my generation, this was the definitive retelling of Superman's origin. That's not to say it was necessarily the "best" but it's what the comics were following at the time, and the TV adaptations of the '90s used it as a source. In the mid-'00s, D.C. reprinted early post-Crisis issues as subsequent volumes of a Man of Steel TPB series, of which I'd recommend Volume 4, which explains how Superboy fit into the post-Crisis era as the inspiration of the Legion of Super Heroes, but only for more hardcore fans. For noobs, let's just stick with this one.

There have been a number of versions of Superman's origin in the comics since: Superman For All Seasons, Birthright, Earth One, Secret Origin and Superman and the Men of Tomorrow, not to mention pre-Crisis versions and the many film & TV adaptations. They mostly brought something to the table, but Man of Steel stands out historically because it made some definitive changes that influenced the mythos for generations. Before, Lex Luthor was always an avowed criminal whereas in Man of Steel, he was reintroduced as what everyone thought was a benevolent philanthropist. In essence, they made him an evil Bruce Wayne. Speaking of Bruce Wayne, the third issue redefined the friendship of Superman and Batman, sadly, as a trumped-up rivalry.

Finally, the decision to spare Jonathan and Martha Kent their deaths was such a radical departure that, when I read the death issue in 1992, I was actually confused to see them alive-and-well having just gotten back into Supes mostly through the movies and my dad's old comics. They've been used to good effect, but lately, most new versions have had Jonathan Kent die before Clark becomes Superman, for better or worse. As well, Lana Lang comes off as more of a central character in Superman's upbringing than just Lois-as-a-ginger.

4. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? It came down between this and All Star Superman, but since I'm already recommending the DVD for All-Star, and this two-issue story available as one in prestige format, was intended as the actual ending of the pre-Crisis Superman (sort-of), and as such, they're taking some of the concepts of the prior thirty years and turning it into a tense story, then showing us what life is like for Lois without Superman.

Basically, little by little, thing start going wrong: Bizarro goes crazy, taking out innocent people then killing himself, the Toyman and Prankster invent tiny Superman toys with heat vision which end up unraveling Clark Kent's disguise, and the Daily Planet is taken over by an army of Metallos. And that's just the beginning.

Not to give too much away, but I'd also like to note that this story gives us an early variation of a topic that's been under a lot of scrutiny during this past year: what happens when Superman kills? Again, I don't plan to go into much detail beyond that, but there's a much different outcome from what we've seen recently, and what some fans might agree with.

While the story was never in canon (it was billed as an imaginary story, and anyway, the pre-Crisis continuity was on its way out), it does serve as a fitting end to that period and, dare I say, is the superior of a certain Batman story that also speculated on the hero's final days. The title is also fitting in that, while the Man of Steel miniseries boosted sales in comics, it put a bad taste in some longtime fans' mouths, Superman IV and the first season of Superboy, a very unpopular NES game and even an overrated short-lived animated series turned away fans at the movies and on T.V. It was a dark time for Superman and, sadly, the only way D.C. could revive his popularity… was by killing him.

5. The Death of Superman and The Return of Superman: Okay. In 1992, the Superman books had a saga called Doomsday in which Superman and a big monster called, well, Doomsday… punched each-other to death. The world mourned. Now that you know that… it still might be a little confusing, but it's still the greatest epic of my youth. In Superman's absence, four other beings lay claim to being Superman either cloned, reincarnated or resurrected. Oh, the story has its share of problems, and in some ways the ending might be something of a cop-out. Nevertheless, it had us ten-year-olds guessing and gave the character a much-needed shot in the arm when he needed it the most. The four Supermen are basically commentary on trends of the industry at the time (think of Superman as a ruthless anti-hero, a "hip" teenager, a blacksploitation character, or a cybernetic character) and obviously, should one of them turn out to be a villain, any one of them could be very dangerous, not to give too much away.

There's also a prose version of this called The Death & Life of Superman by Roger Stern, and if you're more into literature, I'd recommend that instead, as it tells you all you need to know about this version of the Man of Steel. But I assume most of you are more into comics, so we'll go into that.

I'd also like to point out that the Supergirl in this saga (and all material from this time) is not the Supergirl we all know and love--Superman's cousin from Argo City--but a synthetic being capable of changing her form and with a miscellaneous set of powers. She went on to have an acclaimed run of comics by Peter David and Gary Frank (back when he was a way better artist) but I just wanted to clear that up in case it was confusing. As well, Lex Luthor had faked his death, and put his brain into the body of a clone, thereby masquerading as his own son. And you thought Superman couldn't do confusing.

Since The Death of Superman is the biggest selling graphic novel of all time, you might prefer to buy it first, as well as the interim story Funeral for a Friend a.k.a. World Without a Superman; but Reign of the Supermen or The Return of Superman is one of the greatest epics to ever be printed in sequential format.

6. Superman and the Men of Steel: the current reboot that the comics are following, it's a bit of a radical departure for the character, but it's more-or-less required reading if you plan to follow the ongoing comics.

Predictably, the individual issues were very controversial when first released, because the character was depicted in a more aggressive manner, as well as being very much an establishment-hating leftist. While this was somewhat annoying, this was very much in keeping with Siegel & Shuster's original version of the character, as depicted in the editions of Superman Chronicles I listed above.

What makes Grant Morrison a great writer for Superman, as I've discovered, is that he realizes that the character has evolved over time, whether he be the leftist scrapper of the Siegel & Shuster era or the omnipotent renaissance man of the Mort Weissenger era.

Also, I'm grateful that they established a version of Superman I could be for Halloween, given my profound lack of pecs and six-pack.

7. JLA: New World Order: Disappointed by Geoff Johns & Jim Lee's 2011 reboot? Well, this is a much thicker story that reestablished the classic JLA line up (albeit, with the '90s versions of the characters) and while it marks the moment where D.C. began portraying Batman as this infallible strategist (at-least in Justice League stories), and he kind-of takes over the story, it still brought the team back properly in the modern era and proved that the League wasn't a relic of the early '60s, but THE ultimate superhero team and each of the seven members represents a trope of the modern superhero team.

While at first, it looks like D.C.'s six-billionth attempt at giving us a story about a team of anti-heroes where the tried-and-true old-timers have to put them down and show them the real way, it's not like that at all. It also manages to make all the members of the team seem meaningful rather than just coming off as a vehicle for Superman or Batman, or even using them to tell the tale of a less-compelling team of b-listers.

8. Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1: It's popular to take pot-shots at the era known as the silver age, when the books were under the rule of editor Mort Weissenger, but this really was the time during which many of Superman's most fantastic elements were introduced: the Fortress of Solitude, Brainiac, Supergirl.

The kid-friendly, often silly nature of the stories draws scorn from certain fans, but they should be reminded that it's as much a part of the character's history as the more sophisticated stuff. Take it in the right spirit: these comics can't be beat in terms of silly fun.

9. Superman in the '70s: An effective look at Superman in the bronze age. The cover alone (Neal Addams' classic illustration of Superman from Superman Vol. 1 #233 superimposed over a Warholesque background) is worth the price of the book in a used bookstore, and while the greatest story--"Must There Be a Superman"--is already in the Greatest Stories anthology I talked about earlier, but "Make Way for Captain Thunder," (a pastiche of Captain Marvel) and "The Man Who Murdered the Earth," are solid reads, and "Superman Breaks Loose" has its classic epilogue intact, unlike the version seen in the Greatest Stories anthologies. As well, the art is uniformly great and the more stark printing really suits it.

10. Superman in the '80s: 1986 was a pivotal year for Superman. Following the massive Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, Superman's backstory was altered, and this collection gives us a taste of both the late pre-Crisis Superman and the early post-Crisis Superman. Not surprisingly, the later half is more Earthbound, but the stories all work on an individual level.

The pre-Crisis stories include a two-parter about Jonathan Kent coming back from the dead, and the classic "If Superman Didn't Exist," which follows two young boys named Jerry and Joey creating a character named Superman to inspire others in the midst of an alien invasion.

Meanwhile, the post-Crisis stories include a more down-to-Earth story about Superman after being defeated by a super villain team called the Hive, and having to arrange Ma and Pa Kent's anniversary, while Döppleganger shows Superman facing off against the Matrix from The Supergirl Saga.

11. Crisis on Infinite Earths: this massive story marked the end of the bronze age and the beginning of the iron age for Superman and for D.C.'s entire stable of superheroes. A powerful being known as the anti-Monitor is destroying a number of parallel Earths while altering the past. While it's never explained exactly how this leads to most of the specific revisions in the backstories of Superman and Batman, it is used as the rationale for them if that makes sense. In other words, it's a big time-travel story, so that's why Clark Kent's parents were younger when they found him and lived into his adult years. As a story, it's very jumbled, but the sheer scope makes it a must-read for any serious scholar of D.C. Comics.

Sadly, a key moment in the book is when Supergirl dies, and yet, in the rebooted D.C. Universe, she never existed to begin with, causing not only story problems, but making it seem pointless to begin with. Still, as Linkara pointed out, it is an example of a well-done death of a superhero rather than the shock deaths Marvel and D.C. eventually got really fond of.

If I'm being honest, 2011's Flashpoint was a much better story, but Superman's part in it was very small and kind-of pathetic. It was a great and pivotal story,however, so I'll include it if I ever do a "greatest Flash stories" blog.

12. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies: With a story by Jeph Loeb and art by Ed McGuinness, the new Superman/Batman series did away with over a decade of, "Superman and Batman can't get along," tomfoolery, and brought back some of the magic of the classic World's Finest. While some aspects of the story are confusing (the "Supergirl" who appears in the story inspired a "where did she come from?" as I had shirked my comic book buying around this time) but there's a certain freshness and newness about this, especially since Jeph Loeb remembers what some writers forget: Superman is supposed to have a sense of humor.

The story comes off as incredibly silly as it goes along, but it's incredibly pivotal as it marks the undoing of President Lex Luthor, and really, when post-millenium D.C. Comics started to come into its own. I say "started" because it's had its bumps along the way, although we will no doubt argue what specifically those "bumps" were.

13. Showcase Presents: Legion of Super Heroes Vol. 1: I'm going to recommend this one mainly to remind everyone that what was once D.C.'s second biggest team--behind New Teen Titans, no less--began as a spin-off of Superman, or rather, Superboy. Yes, back when D.C. ran stories about Superman's early days when he was Superboy, they printed a story about a trio of superheroes visiting him from the future.

I'm gonna be honest and say I didn't exactly give this book my due diligence, but to the extent that I have read it and found the stories to be fun, and that it is a pivotal part of Superman's history, I'd say that it's worth checking out, although if I had a more streamlined, simple issue, I'd probably prefer to recommend that.

14. Kingdom Come: I had mixed feelings about whether or not I wanted to recommend this famous four-issue miniseries cum graphic novel, but I realized that it was a monumental chapter in the character's history. Earlier, I compared Whatever Happened… with The Dark Knight Returns yet this saga is more often considered Superman's equivalent to that story, because it sort-of replaced TDKR as the implied future of the D.C. Universe, until after Infinite Crisis where, not only was it confirmed to have taken place on a parallel Earth, but the Superman of this story became a recurring character in JSA.

What is remarkable about this book is the artwork by Alex Ross, including some of the great redesigns for characters. Red Robin, while an easy name to make fun of, is a design that carried over into the proper D.C. Universe eventually, and the story seemed to bring Power Girl back into popularity. That said, I just never really fell in love with it. At the end of the day, it always felt like another "the old, traditional heroes have to put the more violent new heroes down and teach them the true meaning of Christmas," stories. As well, I really hate the epilogue. Still: as far as influential Superman stories, this is a big one, so check it out.

15. H'El On Earth: a recent saga that's a little standard, but shows that there's still life in the old boy yet. A Kryptonian astronaut finds his way onto Earth, and manages to corrupt Supergirl into fighting alongside him against Clark. The saga more-or-less re-establishes Superman's relationship with both her and Superboy, as well as Wonder Woman who is his current love interest as of this writing.

It's also worth noting that after 2011's controversial "renunciation" of Superman's citizenship, that this rebooted, leftist Superman got up and said he believed in truth, justice and the American way and was willing to leave his job to prove it.

H'El on Earth is a bit routine in premise, but it's worth it just to get a taste of the current Superman and see that things aren't as bad as some people say in terms of the quality and tone of the current comics, even if you disagree with some of the choices.

DVDs

1. Superman: the Movie 4-disk set. I recommend the 4-disk set for a number of reasons: first, it has two cuts of the film, and while the extra scenes in the directors cut don't improve much, that print of the film is sharper and more consistent. The theatrical cut has commentary from producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler, while the directors' cut has commentary from director Richard Donner and screenwriter Tom Mankewitz. It also includes several installments of the Max Fleisher cartoons, the 1951 film Superman & the Mole Men which served as a pilot for his first TV series, and a butt-load of documentaries. This is THE essential first purchase for a budding fan.

Superman: the Movie may not be exactly what you expect from a superhero film. There's no real epic battle, and the film does play more like a biopic than an adventure. It also has a legendarily ridiculous ending. That said: it was one of the most influential films of the '70s.

2. Man of Steel: Superman's latest film was great, and the bargain DVD set has a few documentaries, although the blu-ray has much more in terms of features. I don't have a blu-ray player, so I can't speak to what's on there, but if you do, knock yourself out. I've already defended the film in the first installment of this blog, but I'll reiterate: it's what the character needs now, not because it's "dark," but because it serves as a reminder that Superman is about action and heroism after the lame Superman Returns and the plethora of superhero blockbusters that had been in theaters since, whether they be The Avengers or The Dark Knight. And with the upcoming crossover with Batman on everybody's mind, this is essential viewing. But I can assume that if you're reading this, you've already seen it and are hungry for more, so let's move on.

3. Superman Season 1-3. By this, I mean, the animated series, though it's official title was simply Superman, unlike its sister show Batman: the Animated Series. As with the Greatest Stories thing above, I couldn't pick just one, but the show was so glorious that it is a must-see for anyone who got done with Man of Steel and wants more OR anyone who was a fan from the days of old and wondered what ever happened.

As great as the series was, it wasn't very well-promoted, and that's a shame. It had Tim Daly as the voice of Superman, Dana Delany as the voice of Lois, Clancy Brown as the voice of Lex and a lot more top talent like Brad Garrett, Malcolm McDowell, Mike Farrell, Gilbert Godfrey, Michael Ironside and of course, Kevin Conroy reprising the role of Batman in an epic three-part crossover on Season 2. It's a shame it took Hollywood 17 years to come up with a movie that lived up to these animated exploits, but you must check them out.

Eventually, Darkseid took over as something of a Big Bad for the series, which makes sense. He's pretty much D.C.'s most powerful villain, and the fourth world characters were Jack Kirby's most enduring post-Marvel creations, with the police officer Dan Turpin retooled to resemble the King of Comics.

Whether or not you find this series the equal of its sister show, Superman proved that Superman wasn't some stiff old has been who couldn't be challenged, although it would have had more impact if the show had garnered more viewers.

4. Superman: the Theatrical Serials Collection: I have to give the original Superman his propers, lest the name Kirk Alyn be forgotten. This four-disc set includes both the 1948 serial with a well-done retelling of his origin, then gives us Atom Man Vs Superman, an epic of the atomic age, pitting Superman against Lex Luthor and his armored alter-ego Atom Man.

These serials also mark the first appearance of Noel Neill as Lois Lane (she reclaimed the role in The Adventures of Superman Season 2) and featured Tommy Bond, the original Butch from the Little Rascals series of films (of which future Perry White Jackie Cooper was also an alumnus) as Jimmy Olsen. Finally, Lyle Talbot--also the original Commissioner Gordon and who appeared in a number of Ed Wood films--was the original Lex Luthor and, debatably, still the greatest. Many of the special effects are handled using animation, which is kind-of cheap, and yet, is a clear taproot to the modern CG used in today's blockbusters.

5. Justice League Unlimited Season 1: not to be confused with plain old vanilla Justice League Season 1, this season marks the moment where the show made a huge jump in quality.

While the above clip was from an adaptation of Alan Moore's "For the Man Who Has Everything (Superman Annual 1985 edition), most of the stories here were original, which is good because the arc of the U.S. government setting up a program called Cadmus with the help of Lex Luthor, on the chance that the Justice League ever becomes as dangerous as their other-dimensional counterparts the Justice Lords, lead to what could have been an amazing climax in "Divided We Fall," until Warners decided to produce a tacked-on final season.

6. The Adventures of Superman Seasons 1 & 2: Filmed in glorious black & white, The Adventures of Superman was a cornerstone of the golden age of television, like I Love Lucy or Dragnet. Obviously, the show didn't have the special effects capabilities of later incarnations, and the plots were a little more thin, so an entire boxed set might be overkill for some fans, but if you have iTunes, definitely check out the episodes "Superman on Earth," "No Holds Barred," "Czar of the Underworld," "The Mind Machine," "The Human Bomb," "Crime Wave," "Five Minutes to Doom," "Jet Ace," "The Face and the Voice," and the ever popular, "Panic in the Sky." Later on, the series was produced in color, and the only real recommendations I have are, "The Big Freeze," and "The Perils of Superman," as the color stock came with a radical shift in tone, and not for the better.

George Reeves' died of a gunshot wound two years after the end of the series, and to this day, controversy brews over whether he killed himself, there was a hit on him for one reason or another, or a random burglar happened to shoot him. Nevertheless, his performance as an older, more rough & tumble Superman with an avuncular feel unseen in any Superman since continues to make him a favorite, while Jack Larson's comical performance made him the definitive Jimmy Olsen, and John Hamilton's grouchy curmudgeonly Perry White put him on par with any of the actors who have played the role since.

7. Superboy: Season 3: One of the more obscure outings in Superman's live-action history, Superboy (a.k.a. The Adventures of Superboy) began life as a sort-of holy grail of cheese. If you watch the first few episodes of Season 1, it's beyond amateurish thought it got better as the season progressed. The second season took a turn for the more fantastic, but was still mired in a cheap production that tried to recreate the magic of the earlier films, but be hip at the same time. The third season, however, was different. The visuals, the special effects, the music… everything just became richer, and episodes' plots became more sophisticated. The two-parter "Roads Not Taken" takes a look at two parallel Earths where Superboy had made different choices, leading to an anarchic dystopia and a dictatorial one respectively. It's a true precursor to the Justice Lords thread in the Justice League (Unlimited) series as well as the new game Injustice: Gods Among Us. As well, the episode "Road to Hell" gives us a similar device with Ron Ely of Tarzan fame playing an aging Superman in the future though he's not billed as such.

I haven't seen enough of Season 4 to truly recommend it, but they're all available at the Warner Bros store. Only the first season was ever released in stores, and it failed predictably enough, though I'll admit, I preferred the actor in the first season (John Haymes Newton) to the later one (Gerard Christopher) partly because I met him and he offered some hilarious commentaries with Salkind. The other three seasons don't even have any special features, but check 'em out anyway if you enjoy this season.

8. All-Star Superman: adapted from the 12-issue series of the same name, this epic is an homage to the imaginary stories of the '50s and '60s, with a scope only that version could ever grasp at, yet with a modern-day seriousness and depth that make this an enthralling story. In some peoples' opinion, it was the greatest Superman story ever told. That may be more true than I'd like to admit. Here, Superman learns he hasn't much longer to live and basically sets out on a bucket list, while daring Luthor to accomplish everything he'd ever hoped to had Superman not been around supposedly impeding him.

The animation is what you'd expect, but the music may actually be the best since John Williams' incredible score for the first of the Christopher Reeve films. The film covers an awful lot of ground, from Superman allowing Lois to experience a day with super powers, to battling other Kryptonians, to a climax I'm not going to give away, but let's just say it's what the world seemed to be waiting for.

Oh. For the noobs wondering about the title, well, D.C. put out a line of comics called All-Star, in which they'd planned to have the biggest talent in the comic book industry writing and drawing the books which would take place in their own continuities. While Superman's was a critical and commercial success, Batman's was not as successful critically and was late most of the time, due in part to the scripts being… how can I put this… terrible. A planned Wonder Woman series/GN never materialized as far as I know, and the line seems to have been somewhat replaced by the Earth One original graphic novel series.

9. Smallville: Season 1: I picked up this massive set for $5.00 at Half Price Books. Anyway, this was the seed from which the rest of the series spread, so if you check it out at this early point, that'll tell you whether or not you might want to see more. Besides: while these early episodes have been criticized for being somewhat formulaic "freak of the week," tales, that's true of a lot of shows, and just provides a cool urban fantasy with the premise of "Superman growing up."

I'm also going to recommend a couple of episodes from later seasons. In Season 4, an episode titled "Run" introduced a young Bart Allen as the series' version of the Flash (technically, a version of Impulse who called himself the Flash, but whatever) which heralded the beginning of a number of guest heroes, cumulating in the ever-awesome episode "Absolute Justice" from Season 9, which demonstrated everything good and everything bad about what the show had become. While, yes, it was fun to see several heroes teaming up, but seeing Hawkman and, for crying out loud, Stargirl in full regalia, it was safe to say the series had strayed from what had made it interesting in the beginning.

10. Superman Unbound: Despite a title that, well, just doesn't fit: this was another self-contained direct-to-DVD animated film from Warner Bros. When I first saw it, I felt it wasn't much of a story to warrant its own DVD, but taking it for what it was the second time I watched it, I really liked the overall style, and the voice acting. It's interesting to see a Superman in animation that looks more like Christopher Reeve and not a Schwarzenegger-like bodybuilder, and I enjoy the portrayal of Supergirl as a more bitter teenager. Overall, I actually think that if they did an animated series in this style, with this cast and in this continuity then I think that would be awesome, but lately, D.C. animated vehicles have had a short lifespan.

This was based on a saga called Brainiac which I never really read because it looked rather predictable and--well--this is as well. That's why I only put it at #10. I'd also like to point out that there were a lot of direct-to-DVD animated films: Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Justice League: Crisis on Earths 1 & 2, Superman/Batman: Apockolypse and Superman Vs the Elite, but this one won out mainly on style. I'd already recommended PE in graphic novel form and Vs the Elite is also based on something that can be found in one of the Greatest Stories compilations.

I'd also like to say that I wish I'd have been able to recommend Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman, a series that ran on primetime on ABC from 1993 to 1997. If you have iTunes, I'll recommend the episodes "Flyhard," "Vatman," "All Shook Up" (a remake of the 1954 episode "Panic in the Sky") "Metallo," "Big Girls Don't Fly" (Superman Vs Roger Daltry) and the first two episodes of season 4. All-around, it was an incredibly cheesy show and the cast deserved better, but it had its moments.

Now, again, the 4-disk set of Superman: the Movie contains some of the '40s cartoons (as does the 2-disk set of Superman II from 2006), and they're available in a number of cheap formats, since they're public domain, but I figured… why wait?

The F-Word

Monday, November 25, 2013

Superman Reccomendations

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