Mild spoilers ahead.
I saw the Fleischer "Superman" shorts from the 1940s recently, as part of my self-guided tour through WWII propaganda. It was an odd, but gratifying experience, seeing a major touchstone of superhero cartoons that has been so influential on so many pieces of animation that I'd watched over the years. The 1993 "Batman: The Animated Series," which set the template for the DCAU, drew heavily from it, and pretty much every cartoon version of Superman followed in its footsteps. Well, until 2023.
"My Adventures With Superman" is an anime retelling of the Superman story. Okay, technically the animation is from Studio Mir, a Korean outfit, but the visuals and storytelling are anime through and through. Nerdy Clark Kent might have been a disguise for other versions of Superman, but here it's not a disguise. This Clark (Jack Quaid) is just starting out as an intern at the Daily Planet with his best pal Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid), under a grouchy Perry White (Darrell Brown), and is still discovering his powers. Critically, though he's still a foundling who has been raised by Ma and Pa Kent (Kari Wahlgren, Reid Scott), and has taken up superheroing in a cape, he doesn't know anything about Krypton.
Then there's ambitious go-getter Lois Lane (Alice Lee), a more seasoned intern at the Planet. She and Clark immediately take a liking to each other, but are charmingly clueless about romance, and go about their courtship in the most endearingly awkward way possible. There is a lot of romance in the show, far more than other animated superhero shows. They move from "will they, wont' they" to coupledom surprisingly quickly. This might be the reason this "Superman" is premiering on Adult Swim instead of a more kid-oriented outlet. Next to MAX's aggressively bawdy "Harley Quinn" show, however, "My Adventures With Superman" looks positively family friendly.
The anime influences are the most noticeable in the various adjustments to our familiar characters, with Lois gaining giant eyes, a tomboyish hairstyle, and a comedically aggressive attitude toward becoming an ace reporter. In Clark Kent's case, the changes are less to do with his character design, and more to do with the amount of interiority he gains. This Clark is transparently insecure about his past, his relationships, and his place in the world. He angsts and worries constantly, though in a terribly wholesome way. There's something very old fashioned and appealing about the way Clark is such a forthright good guy through and through, and his nervous crush on Lois is terribly sweet.
For the nerdier viewers, the creators have indulged in both DC and anime references everywhere. The show's roster of villains trends toward the more obscure, so no Lex Luther yet. Instead, we have a version of Parasite (Jake Green) who wears power armor that looks an awful lot like an Evangelion mecha, a Mr. Mxyzptlk (David Errigo Jr.) straight from "Dragonball's" Planet Namor, and a Livewire (Zehra Fazal), who gets her powers from alien tech. Superman is also being investigated by the government's Task Force X, led by a sinister figure known as The General (Joel de la Fuente).
I was a little taken aback at first at how far some of these changes went, especially to Lois, who is so strident in the early episodes that she borders on being too much. However, the show finds its groove eventually, and the writing is good about letting the characters grow up significantly by the end of the first season. This is a very different version of "Superman," but ultimately it still feels like "Superman." It succeeds at feeling much more modern, and aimed squarely at the current generation of kids and young adults who have grown up on shonen action shows. There hasn't been an animated "Superman" show since the DCAU version from the '90s, so this reinvention may be overdue.
I'll look forward to future seasons of "My Adventures with Superman," and any other reboots of DC characters that Warners might want to try in the same vein. Magical girl Wonder Woman, anyone?
—
No comments:
Post a Comment