Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show - The Complete Series
BY Ryan LaMarca / 2008-05-16
The penultimate "Superfriends" series produced by Hanna-Barbera was the beginning of a new era for the Superfriends. The series became more respectable as the stories became a little more sophisticated by incorporating established DC Comics super villains, especially Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters, and a hero addition to the Superfriends in the form of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man. "Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show" has always been my personal favorite, from its connection to the popular 1980's Super Powers toy line to the sheer number of new characters, including the animated debut of such memorable DC villains like Darkseid, Kalibak, Desaad, Mirror Master, and the new Robot Brainiac design. The series was the stepping stone that paved the way for the even more critically acclaimed "Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians." Also adding to the show's quality was the presence of such creative forces as Alan Burnett and Rich Fogel who went on to greater fame in "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Justice League," and John Semper of "Spider-Man: The Animated Series." The series was made up of sixteen ten minute cartoons, totaling eight half-hour episodes. However, the show only lasted one season that ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC.
Every single episode in this set is pure 80's superhero fun. They aren't too goofy or silly, but yet not as serious as the final series, "Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians." Right off the bat, we are introduced to Darkseid along with Desaad and Kalibak. Darkseid is obsessed with Wonder Woman and wants to marry her. Darkseid establishes himself as the primary threat to the team this season and the majority of episodes feature him. He even teams-up with two of the Superfriends other major enemies Lex Luthor and Brainiac. One of my personal favorite episodes is called "The Case of the Shrinking Superfriends" and it features only the junior Superfriends members: Robin (even though Robin's been with the team since the beginning), Firestorm, and the Wonder Twins. All of the senior heroes are called away on a mission, leaving only the juniors. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor shows up and shrinks the Hall of Justice down to miniature size. It's very fun and gives Robin, Firestorm, and the twins a chance to prove themselves to the team. Another great one is "Darkseid's Golden Trap," a two-part episode featuring Darkseid's quest to obtain gold kryptonite, a special kind of kryptonite that can remove Superman's powers permanently.
Arguably, the only really bad episode in this series is, in my opinion, "Uncle Mxyzptlk." In it, Superman is exposed to Red Kryptonite and is transformed into a little kid. Mr. Mxyzptlk, the imp from the fifth dimension shows up to cause trouble and becomes a mentor for Super Brat and teaches him how to cause trouble. Regardless, any episode with Mxyzptlk is annoying, but along with Superman as a bratty whining kid, it's unbearable and unwatchable. Unfortunately, he shows up twice in the series' short run, and he ruins both episodes he's featured in. It's not so much the character, himself, but it's this particular characterization of him. The voice, especially, is gut-wrenchingly awful. However, I assume that's what the character was like in the comics during the time.
Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, was introduced this season, as well, and he stands out as the new star of the show. A relatively new character at the time, Firestorm is arguably one of the most powerful members of the team. He has the ability to transmute any inorganic substance into another. He has no power over anything that is organic. Interestingly, Firestorm is actually two people in one. He is the result of the experiment of Professor Martin Stein and college student Ronnie Raymond. During a lab accident, they became fused into one being: Firestorm, who eventually gets invited by the Superfriends to join the team.
Many classic DC Comics villains either make their debut or return this year, as well. The new kids in town this time are Darkseid and his crew and the Mirror Master. Darkseid, of course, had to be toned down a little and was not allowed to actually kill or incinerate anyone with his Omega Beams. And oddly, the Flash does not even show up in the Mirror Master episode. Lex Luthor returns with his new 80's Power Suit and Brainiac with his robotic design. These changes reflected what was going on in the comics at the time and the wishes of the toy company Kenner who wanted to market the series for their "Super Powers" line.
Once again, one of the best parts of any Hanna-Barbera cartoon is the voice acting. They always managed to get the best of the best in the business, and this series was no exception. Adam West assumes the mantle of Batman this time around replacing Olan Soule, who was then cast as Professor Martin Stein. Although I preferred Soule to West, West does manage to act a bit more serious as Batman compared to his live action performances. Long time Hanna-Barbera veterans Casey Kasem and Frank Welker of "Scooby-Doo" return as Robin and Darkseid, respectively. Constance Cawlfield replaces Shannon Farnon as Wonder Woman, and Danny Dark returns as Superman. And rounding out the cast is Rene Auberjonois as Desaad, a character he would later play in "Justice League" almost twenty years later.
The picture quality is excellent, except for the occasional dirt or grain on the cells. However, I must say that Warner Home Video finally got it right this time with the special features. The DVD contains five episode commentaries, and two featurettes. The commentaries all feature DC Comics writer and historian Mark Waid and the writer of that episode. They are all very fun to listen to and learn what they were thinking when they were making the series. The two featurettes are "Evolution: New Heroes, Viler Villains, and Ethnic Additions" which shows how "Superfriends" handles cultural diversity and "The Super Powers Collection" which showcases the popular toy line from the 80s. They're both very well done and informative and explain some behind the scenes factors of the show.
This season of "Superfriends" is one of the best the entire franchise has to offer. "Legendary Super Powers Show" helped to lead the way to the even better, darker "Galactic Guardians" season. Hanna-Barbera's Superfriends series will always have a place in my heart for their charm and simply for making a series that would help bring me into liking these characters and these concepts. Although some people will automatically say this is bad because its "Superfriends" or because its Hanna-Barbera, but these episodes are good and this set is excellent and I'm so happy to finally have these episodes at my disposal. This set and series come highly recommended.
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