Growing up, I was a huge comic book fan, and most of my tastes leaned towards DC more so than Marvel (with the exception of Spider-Man who is my all-time fave super hero). I was totally into Superman and Batman, but most of my favorite issues involved team-ups, so of course I read all the Justice League comics I could get my grubby little hands on. I have fond memories of watching the old “Super Friends” animated series that aired way back in the 1970’s, but they are marred a little by additional memories involving characters known as Marvin, Wendy and Wonder Dog. Then I also seem to remember the Wonder Twins and their monkey. Yet these memories are vague, as if I was somehow traumatized when watching the series.

When the new Warner DVD release of the 1st season of “Challenge of the Super Friends” showed up at my house a few days ago, I was both elated and a little worried. For some reason I remembered enjoying the series way back in the old days (when we didn’t have electricity and I had to watch TV by candlelight…), but I had a lot of hesitation about seeing those other characters. Would they ruin the experience for me? Did they back when I was a child?

After I finally got up the nerve to put in the 1st disc, I got quite a pleasant surprise. There was no Marvin or Wendy. No Wonder Dog. No Wonder Twins. Not even a monkey (well, unless you count Gorilla Grodd… but don’t ever call him a monkey). It seems I had forgotten that there were several different incarnations of the “Super Friends” series, and this particular one, “Challenge of the Super Friends” didn’t have those characters. (“Can I hear an Amen?”) Here we had the Justice League as it should be: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Hawkman. The few new characters the series introduced (in the interest of political correctness - which I will not get into here), Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and Samurai, were a bit unusual but they fit in much better than the Wonder Twins.

What was even better was the fact that this particular version of the series introduced the Legion of Doom, so our intrepid heroes had some recognizable Super Villains to fight. Headed up by Lex Luthor, the roster included Brainiac Toyman, Bizarro, The Riddler, Solomon Grundy, Scarecrow, Cheetah, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold, Sinestro, and Black Manta.

The series also featured some of the best voice actors in the business, most of whom are still at the top of their game today. I’m sure if you’re into animation you’d recognize some of the names. Michael Bell, Don Messick and Frank Welker all lent their talents to the series. Even perennial favorite and American Top 40 host Casey Kasem and “The Addam’s Family” alumni Ted Cassidy do their share of the voice work.

“Challenge of the Super Friends” lasted only one season, initially airing in 1978. There were a few other incarnations of the Super Friends that followed, but then they eventually dropped out of site. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that Cartoon Network began running the series again and started using the characters in a slew of hysterically funny commercials for the network. Those commercials alone began to get an interest in the series going again, and of course now we have the opportunity to see them on DVD.

The new 2-disc set (one of the discs is double-sided) includes all 16 episodes from that single season, and though there aren’t a whole lot of extras, the ones they have are excellent. First off, we have two commentaries on the episodes, “Wanted: The Super Friends and History of Doom.” Though the names may not be familiar to everyone, comic book fans will recognize writers Geoff Johns and Mark Waid as they talk about the series. Both have a strong sense of humor and it makes their commentaries all the more entertaining.

There is also a documentary feature called “Saturday, Sleeping Bags & Super Friends: A Retrospective” that features a ton of interviews from some of today’s most popular comic book writers, artists and producers. Both Waid and Johns are present, as well as Paul Dini and Dan Didio. Best of all, we hear from Alex Ross, who is perhaps the greatest comics illustrator of all time. They all chime in about their favorite heroes and how influential the series was, in spite of some of its shortcomings animation-wise.

Finally, there are biographies for all the characters, both the good and the bad. These include listings of powers, enemies and clips from the series. It’s a nice little addition to the set.

If you have memories of watching the series as a kid, don’t be turned off the way I almost was. “Challenge of the Super Friends” was one of the best incarnations of the series, and even though the animation was rather rudimentary, it’s still quite fun to watch.

Episodes:
Wanted: The Super Friends
Invasion of the Fearians
The World’s Deadliest Game
The Time Trap
Trial of the Super Friends
The Monolith of Evil
Giants of Doom
Secret Origins of the Super Friends
Revenge on Gorilla City
Swamp of the Living Dead
Conquerors of the Future
The Final Challenge
Fairy Tales of Doom
Doomsday
Super Friends: Rest in Peace
History of Doom

Extras: Commentary on Two Episodes, “Saturday, Sleeping Bags & Super Friends” A Retrospective, Hall of Justice Character Bios, Legion of Doom Character Bios
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: 7/6/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
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We'll give Challenge of the Super Friends: Season 1 a B+.