My Review of Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006)

 

Written by Christopher Simmons And Duane Capizzi

Directed by Curt Geda

Clark: "What is it, Lois?"

Lois: "For a moment, you... reminded me of someone I know, that's all."

Being on something of a Superman role, I ended up watching this movie from Superman: The Animated Series. It's also the second animated one in the last week I've watched featuring a certain villain.

The villain in question being Brainiac (Lance Henriksen) posing yet another threat for Superman (Tim Daly) and of course being paired with Lex Luthor (Powers Boothe) and it's a fun story of sorts.

For instance, Lex Luthor has something of a character change here. Instead of the cold and calculated version we had in the animated show, this version's more playful and seems to be using right hand woman, Mercy Graves (Tara Strong) as a sounding board throughout the movie. 

As for Lex and Brainiac, their scheme involved getting rid of Superman and then Lex making himself looking the hero for the citizens of Metropolis. Needless to say, the pair end up betraying one another and Lex needed Superman to save the day, while trying to sidestep his own involvement in Brainiac's scheming.

Along with that, we also had Superman venturing into the Phantom Zone for answers while the romantic tension between Clark and Lois Lane (Dana Delany) also came to a head. Lois did spend a lot of the movie as a victim of poisoning but when she wasn't hospital bound, there was plenty of solid scenes with her and Clark/Superman.

As for Clark, he considered quitting the Daily Planet before ultimately changing his mind while Jimmy Olsen (David Kaufman) had his own subplot with Mercy that showed he had a thing for bad girls. As for Perry, he was largely exasperated by most of his staff while also deducing that Clark has feelings for Lois. Other than that, he didn't do much here.

- Lex Luthor, Mercy Graves and Brainiac were all voiced by different actors compared to the animated series.

- The last scene of the movie teased Mister Mxyzptlk with Lois racing off to get the scoop.

- Though we see no other heroes in this one, at least we got a mention of Green Lantern.

- Chronology: An undisclosed time since the end of the animated series.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks does a good job of staying within the DCAU continuity but in most regards, it's not treading anything too new with either Lex or Brainiac. It's fun though not the strongest animated movie. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 49-54 Reviews

I was going to split this for two blogs but decided to ultimately cover the last six episodes of this animated series in just the one.

Episode 49: Superman's Pal

Ah, Jimmy Olsen. He's not had many episodes focusing on him but as we head towards the final few episodes of the show, we finally get one where he's in the spotlight. Mainly because Angela Chen decided to misquote him and get him some notoriety as Superman's BFF. It's also enough to have intern Tina use him in Metallo's latest scheme to kill the Man of Steel. As an episode, it's mildly diverting, not the best use for Metallo but still rather decent though. 7/10

Episode 50: A Fish Story

With this episode, we can mark another League member off the list. I'd like to think had this series ran for another few episodes that maybe we would've seen either Wonder Woman or Cyborg but at least we got to see Aquaman (Miguel Ferrer) who spent the episode either being a prisoner of Lex Luthor or threatening to take vengeance on Earth dwellers for endangering Atlantis. I did like his rapport with Lois in this episode and at least they didn't make him and Superman too hostile towards one another, which is a good thing. 7/10

Episode 51: Unity

And she's back. Like Batman: The Animated Series with Batgirl, this show really did use Supergirl rather sparingly (and there's even a reference to Barbara in this episode) and that probably worked in the character's favour. In this episode we saw Kara being bored by Smallville and excited for her visit to Metropolis while at the same time also battling a parasitic alien named Unity with her cousin as well. It's a fun second outing for the character and I do like the bond we see Kara having with Jonathan and Martha in this one. 7/10

Episode 52: The Demon Reborn

So this is like the fifth episode we've had with Batman then? If this show had produced another season, we probably would've gotten another appearance, right? I'm not complaining though this one isn't quite as great as his previous appearances. Villain wise, this time around it's Ras and Talia (the former being mentioned in Knight Time) as they kidnap Superman in order to restore Ras back to full health. I did like the scenes between Batman and Lois and Superman playing on Ras's devotion to his daughter in order to outsmart him as well. 8/10

Episode 53: Legacy, Part 1

It's the series finale and who deserves to be the main baddie here? Zod? Doomsday? Brainiac? Lex? Nope, Darkseid as the episode opens up with him and Superman actually working together. It seems that off screen Darkseid got a hold of Superman and brainwashed him into believing that he's Darkseid's son with help from Granny Goodness. It's a pretty good scheme and one that nearly works as well when Superman decided to invade Earth with an army and only Lois and Supergirl to try and talk sense into him. There's a subplot with a Superman robot that Lex quickly sees through and decides to use Superman's sudden turn to his own advantage. 8/10

Episode 54: Legacy, Part 2

The last episode and it's an interesting one to end things on. For example, Superman takes his fight with Darkseid to Apokolips and beats the snot out of the latter, thereby liberating a planet of people who don't want to be free, given how they still embrace Darkseid while back on Earth, his relationship with humanity has been somewhat severed. There's a nice final moment with him and Lois but I can't help being slightly annoyed that she never figured out his real identity before the series ended. Lex got a few bad moments in there too and Supergirl showed her own maturity during one scene with her cousin. For a final episode, it does hit the spot though. 8/10

I guess that's it for the Superman reviews for now. Hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I did watching the series again.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 45-48 Reviews

More returns, a team up or two, a planet under hostile rule and a Lantern rises. Yup, more episodes of you know what.

Episode 45: Obsession

Two returns in this episode - first of all, Lana Lang, who opened this episode promoting her latest swimwear collection with the help of her best model, Darci. The latter then is nearly kidnapped, courtesy of the Toyman and the episode rather succinctly reveals that Darci is actually a robot that Toyman built for company. The ending is actually the most powerful of the episode as Superman assumes both Darci and Toyman have perished, only for that to clearly not be the case. 8/10

Episode 46: Little Big Head Man

A team up in this episode as Mxyzptlk decides on round two of his vendetta with Superman by turning impressionable Bizarro against the Man of Steel and reveling in the chaos of the both of them fighting in Metropolis. Unfortunately this course of action seems to be enough to anger Mxy's higher ups, who decide to strip him of his power in exchange for him performing a good deed. The punishment that Superman comes up with for Mxy this time around is rather fitting. 8/10

Episode 47: Absolute Power

Keeping with the return, this episode took us out of Metropolis and onto another world where Superman quickly discovered that Jax Ur and Mala have escaped their Phantom Zone fates and are now rulers under another planet. It doesn't take long to realise that they're more dictators with a sinister plan for Earth than peaceful rulers and there's a nice team up with Superman and Cetea (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh) but overall, it's a slightly weaker episode compared to the previous two on offer here. 7/10

Episode 48: In Brightest Day

Another episode to guest a DC hero and this time, it's Green Lantern. Surprisingly enough, not Hal Jordan though there's one scene where he's suitably name checked. Instead it's Kyle Raynor, who is a co-worker at the Daily Planet, a friend of Jimmy Olsen's and the latest to get a certain ring in his possession, which attracts the attention of Sinestro, who's desperate to get the ring himself. I do think this episode did a good job with Kyle and it was nice to see a few other Lantern members as well for a brief moment at the end. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Superman's Pal, A Fish Story, Unity, The Demon Reborn and Legacy Parts 1 and 2.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 41-44 Reviews

And now, a continuation of a heroine's debut, more time in Gotham and another baddies causes mayhem for two episodes.

Episode 41: Little Girl Lost, Part 2

The second part to this introduction for Supergirl shifts the focus a bit to Superman being captured by Granny Goodness and the Furies and forced to face Darkseid on Apokolips. It feels a little jarring as I don't think Darkseid was particularly needed for this story but there are some great scenes as Granny soon feels the consequences of failure. As for Supergirl, it's a good round off for her debut onto the series as she somewhat saves Metropolis from a meteorite. Also, there's Jimmy clearly falling for her like Lois has done with Superman. 7/10

Episode 42: Where There's Smoke

Like Granny Goodness and the Furies, I'm actually surprised that Volcana hasn't appeared on Supergirl yet (get on that, CW) and while I'm not hugely familiar with the latter character, this was a good opening episode for her. She could've gone the same way as Livewire but in spite of her crimes and fiery nature, I think this episode did a great balancing act between establishing how dangerous Volcana could be while giving her sympathetic backstory. I am however a little surprised that Superman did send Volcana to a nice beach instead of some kind of prison that could contain her abilities but not enough for the episode to jar though. 7/10

Episode 43: Knight Time

Not a lot of time has passed since the World's Finest three parter, so I was a little surprised that we got another venture into Batman territory but I'm not complaining though. This episode some impressive moments - the use of five Batman villains such as Roxy Rocket, the Penguin, Mad Hatter, Riddler and Bane, only for Brainiac to be the main threat of the episode, given that he took Bruce Wayne captive and was using nanites for his sinister purposes. I did like the team up of Superman and Robin and having the former impersonate Batman was pretty amusing as well. A very enjoyable episode. 8/10

Episode 44: New Kids In Town

With Brainiac being the main baddie of the previous episode, I was a little surprised that he was also the main baddie for this one but eh, whatever. This time around, he decided to back into the past and kill Clark Kent during his high school years. Only this time, he had other trouble as Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Chameleon Boy also went into the past to help Clark from stopping Brianiac with some pretty impressive fight scenes taking place at Kent farm. It's a nice enough episode, though there's the obvious case of wiping most of the characters memories and Lana isn't as well served here as she has been in previous appearances. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Obsession, Little Big Head Man, Absolute Power and In Brightest Day.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 37-40 Reviews

In this batch of episodes, a warrior queen makes her affections known, Darkseid shows he means business and Kara Zor El makes her debut.

Episode 37: Warrior Queen

We've been here before with a powerful female character wanting Superman as a mate and him not being so keen on the prospect but enough about Blast From The Past already. This time around, it's the rather bored ruler, Maxima who is keen on making the Man of Steel her husband and while she's busy making this happen, her handmaiden Sazu plotted with De'Cine to take over Maxima's home planet until everyone worked together to overthrow De'Cine with Superman's more merciful influence rubbing off Maxima a little bit. The final scene with Lobo showing up though was an unexpected delight. 7/10

Episode 38: Apokolips .... Now!, Part 1

Darkseid has had enough minor appearances that the next time he showed up, it needed to be something that actually demonstrated how much of a real threat he could be. This two parter certainly was aware of that and here, we saw him actually make an attack on Metropolis while also getting some interesting flashbacks to Orion being swapped at birth (who comes across as an ally to Superman here) via Granny Goodness. The episode's biggest strength is also Dan Turpin who takes on a bigger role when Maggie is taken out during the earlier attacks. There's also the arrival of Toby as well, which is another point for this impressive two parter. 9/10

Episode 39: Apokolips .... Now!, Part 2

If Darkseid wasn't enough for Superman to go up against, the addition of Steppenwolf was a good way to add to the tension of this story. This show hasn't always dipped into the darkness compared to it's Dark Knight couterpart but this episode really was one of the darkest we've had though. We got to see Superman somewhat subdued before he was able to drive off Darkseid with Orion's help but not before Darkseid went ahead and actually killed Dan Turpin in front of everyone. I genuinely didn't see that one coming and it was a masterstroke, although somewhat signposted given Turpin's larger role in this story as a whole. A brilliant two parter, possibly the best story from the series aside from the World's Finest three parter of course. 9/10

Episode 40: Little Girl Lost, Part 1

I think it makes a lot of sense that before debuting Kara Zor El/Supergirl (Nicholle Tom) that this show had made sure a lot of time had passed before adding her into the mix. Into the final story of it's second season was the right place to do it and while I wish they had gone for a costume that we've seen in the comics and Helen Slater's 1984 movie, the series does seem to get the character right so far. Kara's got a great rapport with Clark and seeing her and Jimmy work together to go up against the Intergang, Granny Goodness (who gets some shocking lines) and the Furies was pretty entertaining. A promising start for the Maid of Might. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Little Girl Lost Part 2, Where There's Smoke, Knight Time and New Kids In Town.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 33-36 Reviews

An interesting enough selection of episodes with some returns, an attempt to recreate an important piece of history, a fake out death and of course, a new hero added into the mix.

Episode 33: Bizarro's World

Following his debut, I was hoping for another shot of Bizarro. With this episode, there a daft and misguided plot on Bizarro's end to recreate and destroy Krypton but I do like that Superman was able to get through to him by using his concern for Lois's safety. Then there was also that creature Bizarro mistook for a dog who provided a source of comedy. Basically, Bizarro ended up with his own planet and pet to protect in this charming enough episode. 7/10

Episode 34: Prototype

Eh, not a favourite episode of mine. It gains points for the introduction of John Henry Irons, who will be Steel in about two episodes from now but other than that, it's rather formulaic. You've got Lex Luthor building a super suit and having cop Corey Mills putting it on and quickly becoming corrupted by the power his new suit gives him. In fact, Corey got corrupted a little too fast for my liking but there were some effective moments like Corey shaving his head to indicate turning evil and of course blinding Superman, so points for those I guess. 6/10

Episode 35: The Late Mr Kent

I actually thought with this title, it was actually going to be Jonathan Kent that passed away rather than everyone else (except the Kents) believing that Clark had died in an accident, following an investigation gone wrong. Having Clark actually be the focus of his other job was interesting for a change, even if it ended up being Lois who figured out that Bowman was a corrupt cop. The episode did have an interesting end scene as Bowman realised that Clark and Superman were the same person before being executed in prison and there was a nice welcome cameo from Lana as well as the renewed and amusing rivalry with her and Lois. 8/10

Episode 36: Heavy Metal

Given his brief introduction two episodes prior, this was a solid debut for John Henry Irons as Steel and along with his wonderfully snarky niece, they were an enjoyable double act to have here, along with being helpful as Superman and Metallo went at it for a third time. Metallo being back for the same episode to debut Steel in hero mode seemed appropriate and it was fun watching the two battle each other as well. I've enjoyed these team up episodes we've been having throughout this season. 8/10

Next blog I'll delve into Warrior Queen, Apokolips ...Now! Parts 1 and 2 and Little Girl Lost Part 1.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 29-32 Reviews

With this batch of episodes, there's a delightful three part crossover event while a certain Doctor also makes the rounds in Metropolis.

Episode 29: World's Finest, Part 1

Let's be honest, we all wanted to see both the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight share some screen time together and now we're at the latter half of the former's second season, the timing seemed perfect. The episode opened with the Joker and Harley Quinn breaking into an antiques place and stealing a dragon made of Kryptonite. They soon traded Gotham City for Metropolis and didn't waste time in striking a deal with Lex Luthor in order to kill Superman. It also didn't take long for Batman and Superman to initially butt heads over dealing with the Joker while figuring out each other's identities. There's also a romantic subplot with Bruce and Lois that I'm less keen on but overall doesn't spoil the enjoyment of this trilogy. 8/10

Episode 30: World's Finest, Part 2

The middle part of the trilogy sees Lois and Bruce's date getting interrupted as the Joker and Harley actually make a move, kidnap Lois and use her as bait to lure in Superman. Yep, the Joker has fun taunting the Man of Steel and even gets to weaken him with Kryptonite before he realises that Batman has actually followed him to Metropolis. There's a delightful fight in the background between Harley and Mercy (their rivalry in this trilogy is pretty amusing) as both Lex and the Joker try to deal with their superhero problems as the ending of this one puts both our heroes in various predicaments. 8/10

Episode 31: World's Finest, Part 3

The final part of the trilogy had both Batman and Superman's team up/rivalry strengthened as the two banded together to save Metropolis from being destroyed by the dissolved Joker/Lex partnership. It wasn't too shocking to see the two baddies turn on one another and while this episode ended with the Joker lost to the waters, Lex under hot water with Bruce Wayne and the media, at least Mercy got to have the last laugh with Harley being sent back to Arkham Asylum. I did like that Lois actually figured out that Bruce and Batman were the same as well as being content with her and Bruce calling it quits too. Now, does this mean she's not far off from learning the truth about Clark and Superman? 8/10

Episode 32: The Hand Of Fate

After a trilogy with the Dark Knight and his Clown Prince nemesis, I'm actually surprised the next episode featured another famous hero to be paired with Superman. This time around it's Doctor Fate (George Del Hoyo) who needed a bit of motivating from his wife, Inza in order to help Superman save the city from a demon named Karkull. It's a solid enough set piece as both Superman and Fate work well enough together but I think after the big trilogy we had just gotten, this episode feels a little underwhelming by comparison. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Bizarro's World, Prototype, The Late Mr Kent and Heavy Metal.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 25-28 Reviews

In this batch of episodes, we go into a different dimension, Lois catches up with a childhood pet after two decades and both Brianiac and Darkseid return to cause trouble.

Episode 25: Brave New Metropolis

A different world. One minute, Lois and Jimmy are looking at an Kryptonian experiment of Dr Hamilton's and the next one, Lois gets sent to another Metropolis where both Lex Luthor and Superman are working together in a dictatorship and everything else has gone to a handbasket in hell. In this world, Angela is on the street, Jimmy is a resistance leader of sorts and Mercy is still her rather mean self. I do think they could've explored a darker Superman a little better and Lex in this other world was no different to what he usually is but other than that, I really enjoyed this one. 8/10

Episode 26: Monkey Fun

This is the second Lois focused episode in a row and it's a pretty great one, beginning with a flashback of her and Lucy owning a pet monkey named Titano, who then was sent into space by her father for a mission that didn't quite go well. Twenty years later, Superman brings Titano back to Metropolis, Lois realises that looking after a pet as an adult is more stressful than as a child and Titano winds up growing quite a bit and causing chaos in the city before Lois is the one to save the day. Aside from a missed opportunity to introduce Lucy as an adult (though I'm sure we'll see her later on in the series), this was another enjoyable episode. 8/10

Episode 27: Ghost In The Machine

It's been a while since Brainiac has caused some trouble and this episode had him sabotage one of Lex's experiments before forcing the latter's hand in rebuilding him a new body. It's not the greatest episode for Brainiac as he doesn't seem to do anything really that earth shattering aside from trying to kill Superman when the latter catches up with him. If anything, the episode's strength is the grudging team up between Superman and Mercy as the latter revealed a bit more on her loyalty to Lex and even seemed to soften a little to Superman at the episode's end. 7/10

Episode 28: Father's Day

One of the weaker episodes for me but still it had it's good points. I did like seeing both Martha and Jonathan Kent show up in Metropolis and get acquainted with Lois over a spot of lunch. Then there was a second trip to Apokolips where after being doubted by his father for the last time, Kalibak arrives on Earth with the intent to kill Superman and win over his father's approval. Needless to say, he ultimately fails in this task but at least both Superman and Darkseid finally meet with each other, even if nothing exciting emerges from it as well. There's a brief update on Mannheim, who quickly managed to get himself into Darkseid's bad books but other than that, a somewhat weak episode. 6/10

Next blog I'll delve into World's Finest Parts 1-3 and Hand Of Fate.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 21-24 Reviews

Sorry, it's been a little longer than I wanted since my last blog but I've just sat through an interesting selection of episodes with a nice selection of returning baddies and the arrival of a new one.

Episode 21: Action Figures

The return of Metallo. I didn't mind his opening story and this one was rather interesting as it began with Angela Chen talking about some past baddies like the Toyman and Parasite before referencing Metallo being at the bottom of the ocean. Of course, it didn't take long for him to resurface on a volcanic location, befriend a few children, play nice for a bit before regaining his memories and going after Superman again. This led to an interesting scene where the Man of Steel got his face shoved into lava but it also ended on a slightly chilling note as an entrapped Metallo desperately tried to retain his memories this time. 7/10

Episode 22:  Mxyzpixilated 

The guy with the name even I have difficulty pronouncing but whose voice actor I largely recognise as Iago from Aladdin and who also has appeared in Superboy TV series  as well - Gilbert Gottfried. Here Mxy does his best to get the best of Superman and repeatedly gets humiliated, only to keep coming back every three months and you can see where I'm going with this. It's a fun episode, with Mxy being an amusing pest while his bored paramour provides some snarky background commentary but going by the end of the episode, a rematch is clearly inevitable between Superman and the interdimensional pest. 8/10

Episode 23: Double Dose

Livewire and Parasite. It's a great idea for a team up as the former tricked an unsuspecting janitor to give her a little charge while convincing the latter than the two of them could take down Superman together. However it didn't take much for Livewire and Parasite to actually turn on each other. I did like that Superman took some extra measures like covering himself in latex to deal with this double act but once again, it did seem like Parasite is back to square one, memory wise while Livewire found herself a little juiced out. 7/10

Episode 24: Solar Power

Another return as this time, Luminus is back but it's Superman rather than Lois he's out for revenge. I have to give the episode credit for the use of LexCorp and even Luminus finding a way to have a red sun in order to depower Superman for most of the episode while Lois and Jimmy were used as pawns in his game. The fight scenes with Superman and Luminus are pretty good in this episode as well and overall, it's not a bad returning episode too for the guy. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Braver New Metropolis, Monkey Fun, Ghosts In The Machine and Father's Day.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 17-20 Reviews

Onto a strong selection of episodes as a speedster shows up for a race, Lois gets a blast from the past and Superman faces two other entertaining enemies.

Episode 17: Livewire

Livewire is a pretty decent baddie and I was looking forward to seeing how this series handled the character as she popped up here before appearing in The New Batman Adventures. Here we get to see shock jock Leslie Willis (Lori Petty) revel in being controversial and generally anti-Superman, even more so when a lightning accident at a media event transforms her into Livewire and Leslie takes to being a new villain rather quickly by trying to blackout Metropolis and control it's media. Her defeat and eventual incarceration by Lex Luthor though is a rather dark way of ending this episode. 7/10

Episode 18: Speed Demons

Having an episode with The Flash was not something I was expecting seeing as Batman: The Animated Series seemed to keep the big heroes out of Gotham but we've got a race between Superman and the Flash (Charlie Schlatter) for charity that gets interrupted by Weather Wizard (Miguel Ferrer). I love the use of Weather Wizard here and his relationship with his brother, not to mention the snarky rivalry between Superman and the Flash, nicely played for laughs too. 8/10

Episode 19: Identity Crisis

I have a bit of a soft spot for Bizarro and this episode had me actively rooting for the poor guy too. He starts the episode genuinely believing that he's actually Superman and is shocked when the real Superman points out he's a fake. It also doesn't help the poor guy that Lex Luthor has a batch of Superman clones waiting to go and that Mercy takes pleasure in ridiculing his looks and giving him the name of Bizarro. At least Lois is kind to him and his heroic sacrifice, while predictable is pretty affecting to watch though. A fantastic episode, easily one of the series best. 9/10

Episode 20: Target

After three incredibly strong episodes, this one was rather weak by comparison. Basically Lois wins a journalist award and we learn that a former mentor of hers hates her guts while at the same time, someone is terrorising Lois and trying to kill her at different times. The person responsible also become a new baddie, Luminous and there's an okay enough fight scene between him and Superman but after the previous three episodes, this one wasn't as impressive. 6/10

Next blog I'll delve into Action Figures, Mxyzpixilated, Double Dose and Solar Power.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 13-16 Reviews

Capping off the first season finale with the first three episodes of the second season as Superman faces another encounter with the Parasite, people from Krypton's past and a monster.

Episode 13: Two's A Crowd

I liked Parasite's debut earlier in the season so having him back for a second episode where he's actually more of a grudging ally/slight pawn for another baddie was an interesting enough move. The baddie in question being Earl Garver (Brian Cox) who has hidden a bomb and tried to use Parasite for his own motives before the latter had a change of heart. Also despite the lack of Lois in this episode, I did enjoy the team up with Superman and Maggie Sawyer here. 8/10

Episode 14: Blast From The Past Part 1

Kicking off the second season, it was time to delve into something a little Krypton related and having Superman release former criminal Mala (Leslie Easterbrook) take her under his wing was always going to be a disaster. It didn't really take Mala long from wanting to be Superman's partner in crime to deciding to take over the Earth when he spurned her advances for Lois. This one then ended with Jax Ur (Ron Perlman) being released from the Phantom Zone and ready to cause havoc. 8/10

Episode 15: Blast From The Past Part 2

Ah, the second part of this story and the momentum is maintained pretty well with a brief trip to the Phantom Zone for Superman and a near victory for both Mala and Jax Ur. Of course, both are shortlived and the villainous duo are sent back to the Phantom Zone for their own good while Superman considers the name Fortress of Solitude for his sanctuary. Lois has some good one liners in this episode but ultimately there should be better stuff ahead for her. 8/10

Episode 16: The Prometheon

Aside from the fact that this episode set up a future problem for Superman with the character of the General (Charles Napier), I really didn't care for this one. Don't get me wrong, the humanoid creature thingy looked decent enough, there was some fun action scenes and the last bit was a little sinister but other than that, I just didn't really find the episode that engaging to be honest. Very much a filler one. 5/10.

Next blog I'll delve into Livewire, Speed Demons, Identity Crisis and Target.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 9-12 Reviews

Into my third venture of episodes and we've got the debut of an intergalactic bounty hunter, the return of a childhood sweetheart and the hint of something darker on a rather aptly titled planet.

Episode 9: The Main Man, Part 1

With this series opening with a three part story, I was a little surprised that they'd launch in with a two parter early again but here we are. In this one we've got intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo (Brad Garrett) capturing his latest bounty, Sqweek for his latest client, only to be snatched by the Preserver and given the job of capturing Superman for the latter's collection of sole survivors. This first part is a fun set up, giving us a great take on Lobo and it gets even better when after the latter succeeds in snaring Superman, he winds up being added to the collection as well. 8/10

Episode 10: The Main Man, Part 2

Keeping with the fun of the first part, this second part certainly adds to proceedings as both Superman and Lobo are inevitably forced to work with one another in order to defeat the Presever. It's a fun team up with both of them putting their differences aside to make for a solid pairing. There's also a great reveal of what the Preserver really looks like Lobo gets to keep his freedom, give Sqweek to his client and even laments about Superman's solution for the other captives. Definitely a fun story to watch. 8/10

Episode 11: My Girl

Briefly seen in the opening three parter, it was time to catch up with Lana Lang and a fair bit has changed since then. She now seems to be a successful fashion designer and is romantically involved with Lex Luthor. However this episode didn't waste time in having her realise that Clark and Superman are the same person and having her help her friend against an arms dealer associate of Lex as well for good measure, even when it put her in serious danger. There was a nice bit of foreshadowing with Clark and Lois towards the end of this one too. 7/10

Episode 12: Tools Of The Trade

The end reveal with Mannheim arriving on Apokolips and meeting Darkseid is the highlight in an episode that otherwise, I found something of a chore to watch. I didn't really care all that much for the rivalry between Mannheim and the Metropolis PD or even the rivalry between Maggie Sawyer (I think this episode marked her debut) and her fellow detective and even Superman didn't feel as well utilised in this one as well. A misfire for me. 6/10

Next blog I'll delve into Two's A Crowd, Blast From The Past Parts 1 and 2 and The Prometheon.

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 5-8 Reviews

Second blog for this particular animated show and within these episodes, Lex makes his hatred towards Superman known while Parasite, Metallo and Brainiac come out to play.

Episode 5: A Little Piece Of Home

Two big things in this episode. Okay three if you count the giant robotic dinosaur that Lex uses to try (and fail) to kill both Superman and Lois Lane in this episode. Anyways, the two other big things include the introduction of Lex's right hand woman, Mercy Graves (Lisa Edelstein), who wastes no time in proving her willingness to do anything her boss asks of her while the second thing was the introduction of Kryptonite, which Lex quickly realises can be used to weaken Superman and does so before the latter manages to get rid of it for now. 7/10

Episode 6: Feeding Time

Parasite isn't one of my favourite Superman villains but for an introduction episode, this was actually pretty good to be honest. We got to see the lowly Rudy constantly being trampled on by everyone before his transformation into Parasite and you could sort of get why he'd enjoy lording his new abilities, especially when he had the power to subdue Superman himself and keep him prisoner. This was also a great episode for Jimmy, who stepped in and helped Superman against Parasite while the ending nicely hinted that he hadn't forgotten everything. 8/10

Episode 7: The Way Of All Flesh

It didn't take long for Corben to be brought back into the show and I'm a little surprised (though not by much) that they went down the Metallo route so quickly with him. Lex was certainly at his most ruthless with the way in which he tricked John in agreeing to become Metallo and the fights between the latter and Superman, especially on Luthor's yacht were nicely done though. Of course Metallo meets a tragic end of sorts with the hint he'll resurface again while Lex has the upper hand on Superman, which he revels in pointing out. 7/10

Episode 8: Stolen Memories

Keeping with moving things along in a nice pace, Brainiac actually made his way to Earth and didn't waste time in forming an alliance and trying to tempt Superman into letting him take over the planet as well as destroying it. Of course Brainiac's great plan doesn't work out and while Lex might be seething at being duped by the intelligence, Superman found a good way to deal with him while at the same time, we got see the Fortress of Solitude for the first time. 8/10

Next blog I'll look into The Main Man Parts 1 & 2, My Girl and Tools Of The Trade.