Coming out tomorrow is the Ruby-Spears Superman series from the late 80’s. Join us for a first look at this action packed box set.

As a kid time can be such an abstract idea that it can become hard to follow.  Being under the age of ten when the Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon started, all I knew was if I got up early I might catch Superman on TV.  I never really knew when something was on and it was just by the luck of turning the dial, or hitting the number on the box that I would find my favorites.  Sure I knew what was on early morning and later towards noon, but being without TiVo, I was at the mercy of the dial. One I remember always being excited to see was the Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon.  It was, from what I remember, early in the morning and on CBS, but those memories are a little foggy.  

Watching this DVD brought back many of those memories though, and made me feel like a little kid again. This animation reflects the times, and still holds up by today’s standards.  It is not the animation used in the old Super Friends or the Scooby Doo shows that seem simple and a little corny.  Instead it is the more realistic anime look that I can remember from Thundercats and Bionic Six, and captures who Superman was in that decade. 

What the show was missing was the rich list of villains to antagonize Superman.  The show was run like a typical 80’s cartoon with the same villain used in almost every episode, watering down their importance.  The main villain for the show was Lex Luthor, and his assistant Miss Morganberry. Out was the power suit and science experiments and in was the power hungry businessman.  The more reserved villain wore a suit and an ascot, with his Kryptonite ring trying, in each episode, to increase his power and destroy Superman. There were appearances from the Prankster and Shadow Thief, and even a Doomsday like monster who worked with Zod, but there was no real underlying story line that linked all the episodes.  Each episode was self contained and was a new adventure for Superman to win over evil and save Lois and Jimmy in 18 minutes or less. 

The show also had input from Marv Wolfman, the writer who had a hand in reinventing Superman post-Crisis in the comic books. While there were no big name hero team ups during this cartoon except for Wonder Woman, this show is a fun watch.  The unfortunate part is that the cartoon had a rather short run, and we only get 13 episodes.   One additional part to each episode is the Family Album. Each one of these 4 mini episodes gives the history of Clark from his adoption by the Kent’s to his first adventure in Metropolis as Superman.  They are fun and cute stories that give you the origin of the hero without taking the time away from the action of the show.  The way the DVD is set up is very user friendly, giving to the option to watch each full episode and mini-sode separately. I know it was nice to be able to watch them all in a row without having to fast forward though each episode.  

While other DVD box sets are filled with extras, this one misses that mark, giving us only one feature and a bunch of trailers.  The feature on disc one is all about changing Luthor from the mad scientist villain to the greedy businessman.  It is an interesting look at how the real world influences and changes creators views on certain characters. The only other extras are trailers for Harry Potter, Green Lantern First Flight, and Secret Saturdays.  

Overall this is a great set for any Superman fan.  You can pick this set up at any of that major retailers for around $25, or less depending on the stores sales starting on November 3rd.