It's a bird! It's a plane! It's… SUPERMAN, saving the day in the final animated series by Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor animators Fleischer Studios. This collection features all seventeen theatrical shorts produced by Paramount in 1941 and 42.
This series is classic Superman, and presents the character in his most iconic form: the supercharged man from Krypton who spends his time posing as mild mannered reporter Clark Kent. Any time fellow reporter Lois Lane manages to get in trouble with some form of mad scientist, criminal, natural disaster or science experiment gone wrong, Kent sheds his meek persona and becomes Superman, swooping in to save the day with his super strength, super speed, and various other super powers.
All of this is animated in a beautiful, vibrant and energetic style of animation, which is especially effective at rendering action sequences and the elaborate machines that continually torment Metropolis. Some of the character animation doesn't fare so well in the earlier episodes, appearing a little too stiff, but gets to be much more fluid and expressive as the series goes on. Additionally, the backgrounds and camera angles in the shorts set up an excellent atmosphere for the series.
Unfortunately, the stories of each short can get very repetitive. The first nine shorts all tell stories of scientists or criminal with some kind of advanced technology threatening metropolis or Lois Lane, following a strict formula that gets old if you try watching too many of the episodes at once. The second half of the series, animated by Famous Studios after Paramount restructured Fleischer Studios, adds some variety to the stories, and tones down a lot of the science fiction aspects, prefering to use more realistic stories, including several related to World War II, which, like most WWII propaganda of the time, contains imagery related to the war that might leave modern viewers slightly uncomfortable.
In addition to the seventeen short episodes, the collection comes with a couple of special features and a promotional sneak peak to an upcoming DC Green Lantern animated movie. The special features are both collections of interviews, one discussing Superman's basis in myth, and status as a modern American version of Hercules, while the other examines Fleischer Studios, their place in the history of animation and their execution of the Superman series. Overall, the special features complement the episodes well, and help add context towards why this collection is so notable.
Ultimately, this collection is perfect for fans of Superman or action oriented animation, as the remastered films look great, and provide some classic Superman action. The shorts aren't really suited to watching all together due to repetitive story elements, and none of the stories are particularly deep by modern standards, but they do capture the wonder of Superman in his original form. While some parts come off as corny or outdated, they demonstrate why the Man of Steel is a compelling character to this day.
ComicsOnline.com gives Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942 4 out of 5 stars.
