The Challenge of the Superfriends
Classic Superhero versus Supervillain fun.
This is a guilty pleasure/nostalgia classic piece that I've been waiting for quite some time now. Warner Brothers finally released the first few episodes of this classic Superfriends cartoon on DVD, which first aired in the late 70s. Unlike the earlier DC Comics-based Superfriends series which saddled the heroes with teenage troublemakers like Zan and Jana (and their space monkey, Gleek), The Challenge of the Superfriends tackles the heroes' battles against their many arch-foes, banded together as The Legion of Doom. Let me tell you... this series is ALL about the villains. We're talking baddies like Captain Cold, Sinestro (He of the Yellow Power ring), Solomon Grundy (whom we learn has a Cajun accent), Bizarro, Giganta (evil jungle girl/growing woman), The Scarecrow, Toymaster, Grodd and more. This show was cool because it was all about heroes versus villains, evil plots hatched around a council room (complete with Lex Luthor banging a gavel) and some pretty wild scenarios. Most of the time the plan would seemingly succeed... at least until the Justice League finally figures out what's going on and turns the tables on the Legion. The fight scene at the end pretty much always has the Legion getting beaten (in non-violent ways, usually). However, in order to aid in show continuity, the baddies almost ALWAYS have an escape plan; of course the good guys don't care since if they caught the villains then, what would they do for the next episode? Heh.
It's all as I remember it; the funny voice acting, 'zooming-light' transitions, the cheezy voiceover blaring "Meanwhile... at the Hall of Justice..." and so much more. This is great stuff. The DVD comes with four episodes, and a couple of extras including some villain files (no hero files though; no big since the baddies are more interesting... heh), episode introductions by one of the series' producers, and a little guessing game. Not bad, but I would have wanted more episodes. Oh well.
I am hoping they come out with the rest of the series soon. Gosh, it's great to watch these cartoons... they don't make them like this anymore.
Classic Superhero versus Supervillain fun.
This is a guilty pleasure/nostalgia classic piece that I've been waiting for quite some time now. Warner Brothers finally released the first few episodes of this classic Superfriends cartoon on DVD, which first aired in the late 70s. Unlike the earlier DC Comics-based Superfriends series which saddled the heroes with teenage troublemakers like Zan and Jana (and their space monkey, Gleek), The Challenge of the Superfriends tackles the heroes' battles against their many arch-foes, banded together as The Legion of Doom. Let me tell you... this series is ALL about the villains. We're talking baddies like Captain Cold, Sinestro (He of the Yellow Power ring), Solomon Grundy (whom we learn has a Cajun accent), Bizarro, Giganta (evil jungle girl/growing woman), The Scarecrow, Toymaster, Grodd and more. This show was cool because it was all about heroes versus villains, evil plots hatched around a council room (complete with Lex Luthor banging a gavel) and some pretty wild scenarios. Most of the time the plan would seemingly succeed... at least until the Justice League finally figures out what's going on and turns the tables on the Legion. The fight scene at the end pretty much always has the Legion getting beaten (in non-violent ways, usually). However, in order to aid in show continuity, the baddies almost ALWAYS have an escape plan; of course the good guys don't care since if they caught the villains then, what would they do for the next episode? Heh.
It's all as I remember it; the funny voice acting, 'zooming-light' transitions, the cheezy voiceover blaring "Meanwhile... at the Hall of Justice..." and so much more. This is great stuff. The DVD comes with four episodes, and a couple of extras including some villain files (no hero files though; no big since the baddies are more interesting... heh), episode introductions by one of the series' producers, and a little guessing game. Not bad, but I would have wanted more episodes. Oh well.
I am hoping they come out with the rest of the series soon. Gosh, it's great to watch these cartoons... they don't make them like this anymore.
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