Reign of the Supermen #207: WB's Animated Superman

Source: Superman Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, etc. (1996-present)
Type: TVAs good as the WB's Batman animated series was, it was great to see Bruce Timm's team exchange their trademark black paper for white and take on the Superman mythos. The WB Superman rarely gets the praise it deserves, though it lasted three seasons and was THE AWESOME. Very much grounded in John Byrne's version of the character (businessman Luthor, space plane and all), it still managed to create its own continuity which I sometimes prefer to that of the comics (indeed, to any other). Tying Brainiac to Krypton, in a way combining him with the Eradicator, was a stroke of genius and has produced one of the most viable versions of Brainiac I've ever encountered. This Superman also had the better Toy-Man and managed to make Lobo work as a cartoon character. The show owes a huge debt to Jack Kirby, as Intergang and the New Gods were integrated into the Superman mythos, producing some of the most kickass sequences of Bruce Timm's early years. Animated Dan Turpin even had Kirby's face!

I also have to praise the impressive voice cast. Tim Daly made for a likable (if young-sounding) Clark/Superman, Dana Delany as Lois Lane is one of my favorite castings ever, and Clancy Brown quickly became THE Lex Luthor voice. But there's more! Joanna Cassidy as Maggie Sawyer. Michael Ironside as Darkseid. Lisa Edelstein as Lex's bodyguard Mercy. Malcolm McDowell as Metallo. Michael Dorn as Steel (and Kalibak). Even Gilbert Gottfried as Mr. Mxyzptlk made sense.

Superman would eventually move on to co-star in Justice League, this time voiced by George Newbern. It was a low point for the character (though a high point for almost every other Justice Leaguer). In the first season especially, Superman's powers were downplayed to give other members a shot. Bottom line: They over-compensated. Superman would too often get pwned by a stray energy beam, sometimes from a henchman's gun. Though meant to show him as more of a veteran, the lines under his eyes and sunken cheeks simply made him look more tired and gaunt.
He got better attention in Justice League's second year, then on into Justice League Unlimited and the WB animated films that can reliably be considered part of the various shows' continuity, like the by-all-accounts awful Superman: Doomsday, and the much better Crisis on Two Earths.

If you'd like to learn more about Superman: The Animated Series, may I suggest blogger pal Max G. Robison's weekly watch'n'review at the Hive of Scum & Villainy?