Customer Reviews

Superman - The Animated Series, Volume Three (DC Comics Classic Collection)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the last volume of Superman: The Animated Series, and includes the last 18 episodes of the show's 54-episode run. It's scheduled to release alongside a slew of Superman-related shows and movie tie-ins, including Justice League season 2 and a new direct-to-video movie featuring Brainiac. This is also the set fans have been waiting for.

Roughly speaking, volume 3 can be divided into thirds. The first third of the set are your typical self-contained Superman stories. We get the introduction of Maxima the warrior queen and Volcana (Peri Gilpin of Frasier). Toyman, Mxy, Bizzaro, and Jax-Ur and Mala return. There is an odd episode involving an alien menace in Smallville, and a dud spotlighting Jimmy Olsen.

The next third are team-up episodes. Superman meets Aquaman and Green Lantern (the Kyle Rayner version) for the first time, and teams up with Batman again to fight Ra's Al Ghul. The Legion of Superheroes help young Clark Kent fight Brainiac in Smallville, and Robin also helps Superman masquarade as Batman when Bruce Wayne goes missing. These are all fun adventures. They predate the Justice League series, and its fun to see the DC animated universe slowly expand into what we know today.

It's the final third of this volume though, that will get fans pumped. These form the Darkseid saga, and are three two-part episodes. Besides the formal introduction of Supergirl, these episodes contain some of the most dramatic and shocking moments in the 10 years+ of shows that Timm and co. have created. This is Superman's darkest hour, and the series finale "Legacy" ended things on a very bittersweet note, the effects of which carried over strongly into JLU. Powerful stuff.

Like I said, there's so much Superman-related stuff coming out June 20th to tie into the movie. You'll probably have to make choices about what to buy and what to pass over. Don't let STAS: Volume 3 be passed over.

Celebrate the Man of Tomorrow's triumphant return today with Superman: The Animated Series - Volume Three! Introducing guest-star superheroes Supergirl, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Orion and the New Gods, Legionnaires Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy and Saturn Girl (plus new characters Maxima and Volcana), this 2-disc set contains the 3rd (and final) wave of 18 episodes from the show's 54-episode series run.

From the far reaches of Apokolips comes the ultimate threat to planet Earth as mankind faces its most powerful enemy, the evil lord Darkseid. Darkseid's obsession with humiliating Superman and dominating the Earth feature prominently in the three excellent multi-part arcs "Little Girl Lost" (Supergirl debut), "Apokolips...Now!", and "Legacy." Also paying tribute to legendary comics writer/artist Jack Kirby and his Fourth World is the underrated Jimmy Olsen episode "Superman's Pal" (a homage to the "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" comic which Kirby used to introduce the Fourth World concept and characters) featuring the debut of the special ultrasonic frequency Superman signal watch.

The Toyman returns with an "Obsession" for a Barbie-perfect supermodel (a storyline which later concludes in the Static Shock season three episode "Toys in the Hood"), while evil Kryptonians Jax-Ur (voice of Ron "Hellboy" Perlman) and Mala (voice of Sarah Douglas, "Ursa" from Superman II!) return with "Absolute Power." Mr. Mxyzptlk is the "Little Big Head" pulling Bizarro's super-strings in a revenge plot against the Man of Steel. The episodes "Unity" (featuring a Superman/Supergirl team-up) and "New Kids in Town" (featuring three members of the Legion of Superheroes) are fine tales that would translate well as special episodes of WB's Smallville, just as "A Fish Story" (introducing Aquaman) was tweaked for the Smallville "Aqua" episode. Superman takes a walk on the dark side (under Robin's tutelage) when he masquerades as Batman in "Knight Time," while villain Ra's Al Ghul takes on both heroes in "The Demon Reborn."

As always the voice casting is nothing short of brilliant. Steve Sandor, who was the voice of hero Darkwolf in the cult feature "Fire and Ice" supplies vocals for Orion in "Apokolips...Now!" Former TV heartthrobs Chad Lowe (Life Goes On), Jason Priestley (Bevery Hills, 90210) and Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) voice Legionnaires Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy and Saturn Girl respectively; Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue) channels her Gwen Leonard character from NBC's short-lived sitcom "Fired Up" for Maxima in "Warrior Queen"; Peri Gilpin (Frasier) lends her smoky vocals to Volcana in "Where There's Smoke"; "In Brightest Day" (introducing Green Lantern Kyle Rayner) features the voice of Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs) as the most menacing version of Sinestro to date; and Miguel Ferrer (Robocop) voices both ends of the spectrum as hero Aquaman in "A Fish Story" and villain De'Cine in "Warrior Queen".

Superman - The Animated Series, Volume Three is a 2-disc collection that features Full-Frame video, English Dolby Surround Stereo 2.0 audio, English, French, Spanish subtitles. The contents of this 3rd (and final) super-set are as follows:

Disc 1:
Warrior Queen
Apokolips...Now! Part 1
Apokolips...Now! Part 2
Little Girl Lost Part 1
Little Girl Lost Part 2
Where There's Smoke

Disc 2, Side A:
Knight Time
New Kids in Town
Obsession
Little Big Head
Absolute Power
In Brightest Day

Disc 2, Side B:
Superman's Pal
A Fish Story
Unity
The Demon Reborn
Legacy Part 1
Legacy Part 2

Special Features:
Commentary: On "Apokolips...Now! Part 2", "New Kids In Town," and "Legacy Part 2" by the series creators and directors

Featurette: "Superman: Behind The Cape": David Kaufman (voice of Jimmy Olsen) takes you behind-the-scenes on how a show comes together

Easter Egg: Bonus Commentary

Highly Recommended!

With the upcoming release of Superman Returns, we of course are being treated to a wealth of Superman related DVD's such as the Justice League sets, the old George Reeves set, Dean Cain, a documentary, even Krypto the Wonder Dog is purchasable. Well with it comes a great addition: the third and last volume in the Superman Animated Series set which features some great episodes including some teamups and an all-and-out brawl with Apokolips and Darkseid.

Disc I:
Warrior Queen: It's decent. A stuck-up ruler gets turned on by Superman and wants him for a husband, only his refusal doesn't exactly make her nice. 7.5/10
Apokolips...Now!: Darkseid is planning to assault Earth and a new addition decides to help Superman. 9/10
Apokolips...Now! Part II: It's war as Earth/Superman and Apokolips' warriors go head to head which results in a shocking end to a character. 9.5/10
Little Girl Lost: Exploring Krypton's ruins, Superman comes across a survivor on a nearby planet, who's a bit too eager to be a hero on Earth. 8/10
Little Girl Lost Part II: Superman is taken to Apokolips and Supergirl has to save him, as well as save the Earth on a global scale. 8/10
Where There's Smoke: Another decent episode as Volcana, a hot(literally) vixen causes some trouble. 7.5/10

Disc II Side A:
Knight Time: Batman's missing? And what's Superman doing impersonating him and helping Robin? Fun episode. 9/10
New Kids in Town: Brainiac wants to destroy Superman so he decides to time travel to when Superman was actually just an underdeveloped Clark Kent. 9/10
Obsession: I never liked Toyman as a villain and he's got a stalkerish obsession with a model. Bah. 6/10
Little Big Head Man: Mr. Mxypzptlk is back and he needs help taking down Superman so he recruits...Bizarro? 8.5/10
Absolute Power: Mala and Jax-Ur are back only they're in charge of a planet. 8/10
In Brightest Day: A great episode as a new Green Lantern is featured, unfortunately also being hunted. 9/10

Disc II Side B
Superman's Pal: Thanks to the press, Jimmy is "Superman's friend" which warrants uninvited attention. 8/10
A Fish Story: Aquaman makes an appearance and he's not to happy with Luthor. 8.5/10
Unity: Another decent episode as Supergirl and Superman have to stop a cult who worships a huge...thing. 7.5/10
The Demon Reborn: Superman has to reteam with Batman again when Ra's Al Ghul and Talia come back and they're after Superman. 8/10
Legacy: Darkseid has a new partner in crime...Superman, and he's taking the fight to Earth. 9/10
Legacy Part II: Untrusted by Earth, Superman decides to take the fight to Darkseid and end it...permanently. 9.5/10

Aside from those "decent" episodes, this is a great set. One complaint about the Superman TAS as opposed to Batman's is that the latter as more human drama in it, it's more compelling while Superman's more fun. It's true but still when Superman takes on Brainiac and Metallo and deflects comets, who cares right? I guess one complaint I can say about this season is that there's too many teamups, either it's with Supergirl, Green Lantern, Aquaman..., even Jimmy gets to be a sidekick. But still it's an almost flawless season. One tiny nitpick: the Superman/Darkseid fight? Toooo short.

In this volume, it features the four eppys that made me a Superman: TAS fan for life! I'll point them out later! Right now, let's get to the volume:

Disc 1

Warrior Queen - A spoiled but skilled fighter from another world comes to Earth to challenge Superman and make him her husband! Ending is rather comical!

Apokolips...Now!, Pt. 1 - Darkseid makes his first push towards domination of Earth and its up to Superman, Orion and policeman Dan Turpin to stop him!

BIG NOTE HERE! THERE IS HIDDEN ALTERNATE COMMENTARY ON THIS EPISODE! HARD TO FIND BUT WORTH THE LISTEN!

Apokolips...Now!, Pt. 2 - A war rages in the streets of Metropolis! Superman and his side triumphs but pays a big price as one of his closest allies dies! Very shocking for a Saturday morning show!

Little Girl Lost, Pt. 1 & 2 - In this two parter, we are re-introduced to Kara, better known as Supergirl! As she goes through the growing pains of adjusting to Earth, Granny (one of Darkseid's flunkies) makes a bid to take down the Man Of Steel but doesn't count on Superman's pesky cousin to get involved!

Where There's Smoke - Volcana, a telekenetic with the power to manipulate fire, wants revenge on the government agents that imprisoned her!

Bonus Features:

Commentary on Apokolips...Now!, Pt. 2 by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, glen Murakami, Dan Riba and James Tucker.

Superman: Behind The Cape - David Kaufman (the voice of Jimmy Olsen) takes you behind the scenes with the show's creative team.

Disc 2/Side A

Knight Time - When Batman goes missing, Superman shows up in Gotham City to team with Robin (Tim Drake).........as BATMAN! Rather comical but slightly scary episode!

New Kids In Town - The Legion Of Super Heroes, a group from the future, goes back in time to stop Braniac from murdering a young Clark Kent!

Obsession - Toyman returns and stalks a famous model but all isn't what it seems as the model is one of his creations!

PERSONAL NOTE: My knock here is that I wished WB would've put the Static Shock episode where Superman shows up because its actually a follow up to this particular episode! Would've made a good bonus feature but I digress!

Little Big Head - Myzlyklik returns and riles up Bizzaro into a rampage on Metropolis.

Absolute Power - While studying a black hole, Superman discovers a new Krypton that is ruled by the two criminals that he imprisioned into the Phantom Zone in "Blast From The Past."

In Brightest Day - Kyle Rayner, an artist, is given the legendary power of The Green Lantern with Senestro hot on his heels!

Disc 2/Side B

Superman's Pal - Jimmy Olsen experiences new celebrity as a friend of Superman's! This ends up working against him as Metallo returns to use him in a new plot against The Man Of Steel.

Fish Story - Aquaman makes his first appearance in his more classic outfit as he takes on Lex Luthor with aid from Superman and Lois Lane!

Unity - Superman teams with Supergirl when an alien takes over Smallville and mentally warps them including Johnathan and Martha Kent!

The Demon Reborn - Batman returns to Metropolis to find Ras Al Gul and discovers a plot involving Superman! We also see a tense moment between Bats and Lois Lane, keeping with the continum from "World's Finest."

Legacy, Pt. 1 & 2 - Superman goes on a rampage as Lex Luthor manipulates a rather paranoid general to kill him. However, there is more to this than meets the eye and when all is said and done, Superman will regain his goodness but will nearly lose it all in his showdown with Darkseid.

Bonus Features:

Commentary on New Kids In Town by Bruce Timm, Glen Murakami, Dan Riba, Butch Lukic and James Tucker.

Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story Of Superman - Excerpts from the new documentary. Produced by Bryan Singer & Kevin Burns. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY THE WAY BY THIS REVIEWER!

Commentary on Legacy, Pt. 2 by Bruce Timm, Glen Murakami, Dan Riba, Paul Dini and James Tucker!

Excellent end to the Superman series! The episodes that turned me to this show was Apokolips...Now! and Legacy! Very excellent story telling!

As I said earlier, I would've liked to have seen the Static Shock eppy where Superman appears and helps him fight Toyman and the rogue female robot from "Obsession" as a bonus feature but other than that, great buy!

Sadly this is the last season of this great cartoon series. This is by far the darkest of all of the Superman seasons. The finale ("Legacy") is done brilliantly, ending the season on a rather bleak note. Additionally the last episode leads straight into the first episode of Justice League season 2. The JL episode does a fantastic job of continuing the dark tone set in the "Legacy". Highly recommended.

I watched the animated BATMAN with my daughter when she was a small child, when it was coming out for the first time. I recently watched the Justice League cartoons that were done by largely the same people. I should have watched SUPERMAN before watching JUSTICE LEAGUE and JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, and so should you if you haven't seen them all yet. SUPERMAN, like BATMAN, is not at all a bad show. It is, in fact, a very decent one. The problem is that the Justice League shows are extraordinary and they make all of the others look weak in comparison. On the other hand, watching SUPERMAN after JUSTICE LEAGUE really brings how brilliant the latter truly was and how much both the writing and the animation techniques improved as they worked on it.

Still, SUPERMAN is all in all a pretty decent cartoon series. While the writing isn't nearly as strong or as innovative as the writing on JUSTICE LEAGUE would be, it was still quite above normal for children's programming and the voice talent, like all of the DC cartoon shows, is top notch. It is all quite watchable, but I never, ever got the sense that I was watching something remarkable as I did with JL.

I also did not care much for the general "dumbbing down" of the DC stories. And some of the revisions of traditional DC storylines were unnecessary and arbitrary. For instance, they do a Green Lantern origins episode in Season Three, several traditional elements are changed. Abin Sur is shown as having been pursued by Sinestro, whereas in most origins stories Abin Sur is deeply upset at the death of his colleague. And Sinestro is shown already a fully blown bad guy upon the selection of the earthling Green Lantern for Section 2814. The successor of Abin Sur is in this version Kyle Raynor, while there is a bizarre nod to the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan in the episode. Why Kyle Raynor instead of Hal Jordan? Perhaps because Jordan's back story as a test pilot is too well established, while it was easier to work with Raynor? It was all just odd and I'm confused at nearly all of the narrative choices in this particular episode. But the same kind of oddness afflicts several episodes. Not to beat too often on the same drum, but these kinds of changes were much better handled in the later JL series.

I don't recommend skipping this episode, but I definitely recommend watching the three DC series in the order that they were made, BATMAN, then SUPERMAN, and then JUSTICE LEAGUE. While the first two series are of a similar quality, the third grew into something truly special.

Apokolips...Now! is one of the greatest episodes of television ever done, not just animation. I cry like a little baby at the end of it every time I watch it and I am 30 years old. I agree the third season of this series was the best and it was ended way too early just as Gargoyles, Batman Beyond, Batman, Spiderman and all the great late 1990's cartoon series' were ended too early. These are cartoons that adults can get into due to the use of real actors (Michael Ironside rules) and intelligent stories.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, "Superman, the Animated Series: Volume 3" and "Superman: Brainiac Attacks" both come with a free movie pass to see "Superman Returns" on theaters.

Anyway, some reviewers have ranked this product low because their box-set did not come with the free movie pass. I don't know how this could have happened because I myself received the free movie pass inside the DVD case. Also, I really would not mind not receiving the free movie pass because I bought this for the episodes. Who would spend about $20.00 on this just because it came with a free movie pass? It's cheaper at the theaters! Like anyone who actually likes and enjoys watching Superman, I bought this because it contains the final 18 episodes of the animated television series.....not because it's supposed to contain a free movie pass!!! Plus - correct me if I'm wrong, but usually animated series end up being better than the live-action movies. Remember "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (great animated movie) and "Batman & Robin" (bad live-action movie). I'm not saying that "Superman Returns" is going to stink (I actually look foward to seeing it), but I'm just saying that you really, really, really should purchase this final superman box-set because it concludes the series we all loved as a kid.

Like I said before, the episodes are absolutely great, and they should be the true meaning on why you're spending your money on this product. Here are the episodes included on this box-set, a short description of them, along with the grade that I give them.

DISC 1:
1. "Warrior Queen" (A spoiled ruler from another planet intends on making Superman her husband). A
2. "Apokolips...Now! - Part 1" (Darkseid and his troops invade Earth). A-
3. "Apokolips...Now! - Part 2" (Superman must stop Darkseid). A
4. "Little Girl Lost - Part 1" (Kara becomes Supergirl). A+
5. "Little Girl Lost - Part 2" (Supergirl must foil Granny Goodness' machine in order to stop Darkseid from destroying Earth). A+
6. "Where There's Smoke" (Volcanna, a woman with the mental ability of starting a fire, is running away from the government and causing trouble). A

DISC 2, SIDE A:
7. "Knight Time" (When Batman goes missing, Superman must go to Gotham City to help Robin find him). A+
8. "New Kids In Town" (Brainiac goes back in time to destroy young Clark Kent, so he would never turn into Superman). A+
9. "Obsession" (The Toyman tries to kidnap a super model, but why?). A+
10. "Little Big Head Man" (Mr. Mxyzptlk convinces Bizarro into destroy Superman). A+
11. "Absolute Power" (After escaping from the Phantom Zone, Mala and Jax-Ur become the new rulers of a planet). A
12. "In Brightest Day..." (Superman must help a new Green Lantern from escaping Siniestro, a villain). A+

DISC 2, SIDE B:
13. "Superman's Pal" (Jimmy Olsen is believed to be "Superman's best friend," and that brings him to big trouble when an old villain shows up!). A+
14. "A Fish Story" (Aquaman is captured by Lex Luthor and must escape). A
15. "Unity" (Superman and Supergirl must save Smallvile from alien parasites that take over people's mouths!). A+
16. "The Demon Reborn" (Ra's Al Ghul, a villain from Batman, tries to steal Superman's strengh when he becomes old). A+
17. "Legacy - Part 1" (Darkseid brainwashes Superman, and tricks him into taking over Earth). A+
18. "Legacy - Part 2" (Freed from Darkseid's control, Superman goes to Apokolips to fight and destroy Darkseid once and for all!). A+

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Audio commentary on the episode "Apokolips...Now! - Part 2"
2. Audio commentary on the episode "New Kids In Town"
3. Audio Commentary on the episode "Legacy - Part 2"
4. "Superman: Behind The Cape," a behind-the-scenes with the show's creators and the voice of Jimmy Olsen.
5. "Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story Of Superman," a documentary on some different Superman shows.
6. Trailers/Previews
7. Spoken Lanuages: English & French (episodes only)
8. Subtitled Languages: French & Spanish (episodes only)

Overall, these episodes are fantastic! If you like Superman, or if you like Batman, or if you like comic books, or if you like The DC Animated Universe, or if you like good quality animation, or if you like old and great telivision shows, or even if you don't like any of these wonderful things - buy "Superman, the Animated Series: Volume 3." This is the kind of show that will be enjoyed by parents and children for centuries! With great plots, complex characters, and awesome action - this is definitely (without doubt) one of the best things that you can buy in the ENTIRE amazon.com website! Trust me. If you're looking for something good to buy, this it it!

Note: The "Apokolips...Now" 2-parter and the "Legacy" 2-parter as well as the episode "Unity" might be too strong for little children, in some parts.

I love this series. I don't know why I didn't buy this DVD before. If you are a Superman or even trying to get into watching Superman, you will enjoy this.

The third and final volume of Superman: The Animated Series has hit the shelves and it arrives with no shortage of excellent episodes and great special features. Included in this volume are fan favorites "Apokolips...Now!", "Knight Time", "Legacy" and "Superman's Pal." (Just kidding on that last one, but not as bad as some make it out to be).

While the set opens with a mediocre episode ("Warrior Queen") and certainly contains some of the worst animated Superman outings (aforementioned "Superman's Pal" and some would consider "Unity" poor as well), this is by far my favorite volume of the trio. "Apokolips...Now!" and "Legacy" are gems to be sure, but my favorite is still "Knight Time." Seeing this episode as a kid was just a real treat; seeing Superman act like Batman is great... I mean sure it's a simple story, but it is just a ton of fun to watch.

The packaging of this volume varies slightly from the previous sets. Instead of a whole fold out digi-pak setup, we get a similar set up as Justice League has been given. Two trays are still present (one for each disc), but the casing is slightly smaller (only by a few centimeters) than the previous sets. A beautiful shot of Superman soaring over Metropolis is the backdrop behind the two discs and it looks really, really nice.

Moving to the special features, we get an excellent comic shop roundtable hosted by David Kaufman (voice of Jimmy Olsen) on the first disc. "Superman: Behind the Cape" delves into the shows third season and even tackles some very fanboy sounding questions ("Favorite episodes?"), but for the most part the featurette is solid. The naming of poor episodes in this DVD set also surprised me, as I've noticed the crew generally shies away from calling anything "bad"--but "Superman's Pal" certainly got smacked in this round.

The remaining special features are four commentaries. I know what you're thinking and yes, the menus only show three. The fourth commentary is an easter egg on the first disc and was certainly a great surprise to me when I found it. Originally solicited as a deleted scene, this commentary really came out of nowhere. I'll leave the identity of the episode a mystery and let everyone hear it for themselves (though you may want to save it until you've listened to the other three, as it was recorded last).

Despite the lack of Jason Hillhouse on the set (hey, I've grown accustomed to the guy showing up!), it was still all extremely entertaining. Between the great episodes and the poor ones, this set packs it all in a nice slipcase.