Growing up, as I’ve mentioned before, I used to read comics. I loved comic books and often considered some of the better written ones to be as good as any novel. I had two favorite super-heroes as a kid, Marvel’s Spider-Man and DC Comics’ Superman. As a matter of fact one of my prize comics (until I stupidly sold it) was my oversize issue of Superman vs. Spider-Man. Seeing those two pitted against each other in this crossover issue was a dream come true for this kid. Of course, in the end they teamed up to fight the real villains, Lex Luthor and Dr. Octopus. As I’ve gotten older I moved away from reading comics like I used to, though this has nothing to do with the quality as much as it has to do with the expense. I miss the days when comics were under 50 cents. Nowadays, I’d spend five times as much for just one comic.

Economically speaking, if I want my fill of superhero adventures, I’d be better off turning to the animated versions. Some of the early versions of ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Superman’ were less then stellar, but ever since the release of “Batman: The Animated Series” a few years ago, there has been a steady improvement in the area of animation. The style, the writing and even the quality of voiceover actors have just gotten better and better.

Back in the mid-nineties, the producers of that “Batman” series decided to take a stab at “Superman.” The resulting series laid the groundwork for hat was later to become the look and style of Cartoon Network’s “Justice League”, which I highly recommend. This version of “Superman” brought with it the voice talents of Tim Daly (“Wings”) as Superman and Dana Delaney (“China Beach”) as Lois Lane, both of whom do a great job with the roles. Even better, the casting of Clancy Brown as the voice of Lex Luthor was absolutely inspired. Brown is one of those actors that you have seen in a ton of movies, but only fans of his work recognize the name. I first remember seeing him as the evil Kurgen in the first “Highlander” movie, and I’ve been a fan ever since. His work in “Superman” has made Brown THE voice of Lex Luthor in the animation world, much as Mark Hamill’s work in “Batman” made him synonymous with The Joker. It is interesting to note though, that Brown has actually become wuite the voiceover artist and has shown up in a surprising amount of animated series. I was even shocked to hear he does the voice of Mr. Krabs in the surprisingly hysterical “Spongebob Squarepants.”

The DVD of “Superman: The Last Son of Krypton” pulls together episodes from the series to present a full-length film about Superman’s origin. It is a newer version of the story of how as an infant Kal-El was placed in a rocket ship by his parents to escape the destruction of his home planet of Krypton. It follows this event with his growing up on Earth in the Kent Family household and eventual move to Metropolis to become a star reporter. It even introduces the aforementioned Lex Luthor, Superman’s top arch-nemesis.

The animation style in this film is terrific. Like the “Batman” series, it has that look of the 1930’s style of drawing, which gives it a kind of ‘timeless’ look. And speaking of the animation, one of the DVD extras offers up a look at how Superman was drawn for the series. The featurettes interviews artist James Tucker as he explains the direction he took when designing the look of Superman and gives you an ‘over the shoulder’ viewpoint as he shows you how it’s done. The other main extra on this disc is a kind of ‘who’s who’ of characters from the series. As you pick a character, you see a static screen with a picture and stats, while a voiceover tells you a little about them. Then you have the choice of looking at a short video about the character.

There is also a game included that is probably more for the older kids focusing on the escape from Kypton. I had a hard time getting past the first level. Not because it was especially difficult, but because I’m really bad at games like ‘Simon.’ You know… the one where you have to repeat the sequence of colors that the game shows you? Yeesh.

If for no other reason than the fact the Superman is an icon, I recommend Warner Brother’s release DVD release of “Superman: The Last Son of Krypton.” It’s a classic re-telling of the age-old story, combined with a few new twists and some top-notch animation.

Directed by: Curt Geda, Scott Geralds, Dan Riba and Bruce Timm
Starring (the voices of): Tim Daly, Dan Delaney, Clancy Brown, Malcolm McDowell, Christopher McDonald
Extras: Superman – Family, Friends and Foes, Portrait of a Hero – How to Draw Superman, Escape From Planet Krypton
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 2/3/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Superman: The Last Son of Krypton a B+.