SUPERMAN- the Fleischer Era

(1940-1943, Paramount Pictures, and later Famous Studios)

"Look!!!  Up in the Sky......"

This, Gentle Readers, will probably be a SpeakEasy first.... A review not laced with smart-ass banter (well...not much) which is generally positive and gushing with praise for it's subject.  And what a subject it is..... For, y'see....these are probably some of the best examples of animation from it's time, and sadly, some of the least remembered by the general public. I first discovered the shorts in the late 1980s, in my early teens, after reading about them in my dog-earred copy of Gary Grossman's wonderful (if only sometimes slightly inaccurate) Superman: Serial to Cereal (which I still own).  After some investigation, I purchased copies of several of the Cheap-Ass public domain VHSs (distributed by any numerous manufacturers at the time) of the Fleischer Bros.' contribution to the film legacy of the Man of Steel...and immediately fell in love.  It's a shame that these pieces of animation history are forgotten flashes on the  pop culture landscape  these days, after taking into account the time, effort,  and money (the first of the classic 17 shorts, entitled simply "Superman", or in some prints, "The Mad Scientist", had an estimated budget of 100 thousand dollars, an unheard of sum for an animated short in 1940, and garnered an Oscar nomination) that was put into them.  Much of the reason for this would probably stem from contemporary America's need for so-called "political correctness", I guess, for many of the war-time (WWII) contributions by the Fleischer Bros. studio contain several instances of derogatory stereotypes of German and Oriental people (or, as my late grandfather referred to them, "Japz an' Nat-zees").

Clark Kent- World's greatest actor?

Lois Lane- the stupidest f**kin' woman on the planet?

Even having said that, the animation is absolutely amazing, perfectly capturing the quasi-realistic look of the art of then-current Superman artists, which included co-creator Joe Shuster and his successor Wayne Boring.  Of special interest are the wartime shorts, looking past the pro-American, patriotic subtext...these contain some of the more complex plots of the series, as well as somewhat superior animation than the rest.  The best of these being "Mechanical Monsters" (1941, my personal favorite), whose influence can be seen on the robot designs in the upcoming 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow starring Jude Law as a Captain Midnight-esque aviator, and "Secret Agent" (1943) , a particularly violent piece about a female operative for the OSS being hounded by sabotuers, only to be assisted in her plight by Superman.

The first Goodtimes DVD collection, containing  8 shorts

The second, containing the remaining nine...

Guide to the Fleischer Bros. Superman "Superman" (1940) "Mechanical Monsters" (1941) "Billion Dollar Limited" (1942) "Destruction, Inc.," "Electronic Earthquake" "Showdown" "Terror on the Midway" "Artic Giant" "The Bulleteers" "Eleventh Hour" "Japoteurs" "Magnetic Telescope" "Volcano" (1943) "Jungle Drums" "Secret Agent" "The Mummy Strikes" "Underground World"

These animated one-reelers also served as a huge influence to the people behind the incredibly popular current crop of  shows based on the exploits of DC Comics' characters, starting with Batman: The Animated Series and continuing on today with the likes of the Cartoon Network's Justice League.  Fandom has even come to comment on such shows as the "DC Animated Style", and artists such as Alex Ross (best known to the general public for his work on TV Guide covers and the 2003 Oscar promotional poster, as well as the album cover for Anthrax's 2003 release, "We've Come For You All"...and if yer a comic fan who is unfamiliar with Ross' work...check out a couple of small works he did: MARVELS and KINGDOM COME) cites the Fleischer shorts as being an incredible influence on his works.  Do yerself a favor a check 'em out....you won't be disappointed.

For more info on the works of comic book artist extraordinaire Alex Ross, just click on the banner