Coinciding with Superman's 50th anniversary (along with the live-action 'Superboy' TV series that year), Ruby-Spears Enterprises/Productions and Warner Bros. Television produced a Superman cartoon show which debuted September 17, 1988 with Veteran comic book writer Marv Wolfman as the head story editor (who had worked as one of the Superman comics writers with writer John Byrne in 1986's revamping of Superman - Wolfman was hired based upon his prior experience in animation doing a Superman parody for the Garbage Pail Kids series), and long time noted DC Comics book artist Gil Kane provided character designs. The cartoon series reflected the new comic book version of Superman, while also influenced by the 1940's Fleischer cartoons style. The series is also of note due to its use of re-orchestrated versions of John Williams' classic themes from 1978's Superman: The Movie, as well as an opening sequence that delivered the same narration as the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series.
It ran on the American network CBS on Saturday mornings. It was a half-hour show with each episode having one 18 minute Superman adventure, and one 4 minute segment - a continuing series called Superman Family Album that chronicled Clark Kent's life between his actual adoption by Ma and Pa Kent and his public debut as Superman. The idea for the Superman Family Album segments was CBS children's department head Judy Price. It was Wolfman's idea to change the portrayal of Lex Luthor from that of a criminal scientist to being a corrupt billionaire industrialist wanting to control Metropolis. Superman was voiced by Beau Weaver, who would also go on to voice Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic in Marvel's 1994 (not so well) animated series "the Fantastic Four".
Although well made, this series lasted only one season, in part due to poor scheduling and the high licensing fee being charged.
Complete series available on DVD from Warner Bros
In this episode, towards the end, General Zod gets his hands on Superman/Kal-El and holds him in a squeezing bearhug for a few seconds before throwing him aside, allowing the Hunter to retrieve the machine that opens the Phantom Zone.
* There is also a bit of animation where the Hunter picks up Superman by the chest to throw, it looks like a bearhug but it isn't. *
*pictures coming soon* |
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