Posts Tagged ‘Bottle City of Kandor’

August 5th, 2014  Posted at   Superman & Batman

Superman & BatmanWelcome to episode 24 of SUPERMAN & BATMAN, featuring your two favorite heroes in one podcast together!

The show’s premise is simple: Each episode, host Michael Bradley celebrates seven decades of the World’s Finest heroes by looking at stories featuring the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, chosen at random mostly from the pages of World’s Finest Comics.

This episode

“The Colossal Kids!”

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION: World’s Finest Comics #152 (cover date September 1965)

WHAT TO EXPECT: Superman and Batman … stymied by children!

ALSO FEATURING: Robin, the Phantom Zone and just about every other Silver Age Superman and Batman trapping!

PLUS: A rundown of the book’s other contents and a look at what else was on the stands!

DOWNLOAD: Directly or via iTunes

Fine print

Subscribe to the show via iTunes or the RSS Feed! Got questions or comments? Additions or corrections? How about a story suggestion? Drop a line! Share your thoughts on the episode and the issue. Seriously, I want to hear from listeners. You also can connect with show on Facebook and Twitter to send feedback and get show updates!

Superman & Batman is a proud member of the Superman Podcast Network. And don’t forget to visit the Superman Homepage!

May 5th, 2013  Posted at   Super-Random Super-Panel
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Super-Random Super-Panel #106

February 17th, 2013  Posted at   News of Interest

I was guest-host on episode 259 of the Superman Fan Podcast, hosted by Billy Hogan. In the episode, we discuss SUPERMAN #149, featuring one of my all-time favorite Superman stories, Jerry Siegel’s “The Death of Superman,” as well as ACTION COMICS #282.

Billy’s show, which is always excellent, is one of the longest-running Superman podcasts on the Internet and I had a lot of fun being a part of this episode. So be sure to check out it and all the back episodes as well.

And thanks again to Billy for having me on the show!

March 16th, 2012  Posted at   Special Reports

Today we conclude our look at Superman and related characters in the “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” cartoon and its comic book counterparts. In part one, part two and part three, we looked at Superman references from the first two seasons, the premiere of season three and comic books released during that time. Today we continue on with the rest of season three and the final issues of the comic book, plus examine a few other appearances from throughout the show and comics’ runs of interest to Superman fans.

Despite the almost exhaustive list of Superman-related references to this point, particularly in “Battle of the Superheroes!,” the season three premiere, they were not yet done. More followed in the episodes and comics to come starting just a few episodes later with “Night of the Batmen!” which was written by Paul Giacoppo and directed by Ben Jones.

In the episode, Martian Manhunter mentions an unchronicled adventure when he infiltrated the Legion of Doom and specifically names Luthor as being among their ranks.

The episode also features a sly Superman movie reference when Captain Marvel, disguised as Batman, punches Killer Croc down the street. Blockbuster and Bane stare confused, thinking he actually is Batman. In reply, Captain Marvel says, “Been… uh… working out,” while making a “pumping iron” gesture with his arms similar to Clark Kent in the diner at the end of “Superman II.”

The teaser portion of the episode also contains a brief glimpse at a pair of street signs for Weisinger and Meskin Sts., in reference to Mort Weisinger and Mort Meskin.

While Weisinger was editor of the Superman family titles for more than 20 years during the Silver Age, the signs were in reference to his and Meskin’s creation of the Vigilante, who was the teaser’s guest star, rather than Weisinger’s Superman work. The Vigilante was a co-feature with Superman, however, in the pages of ACTION COMICS for 13 years, beginning with issue #42 in 1941.

Superman — in a fashion — made another return in “Shadows and Light,” written by Sholly Fisch with art by Rick Burchett and Dan Davis, from ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #7. The teaser portion of the story saw the entire Justice League, Superman included, transformed into infants.

This, of course, echoes not only the Super Jrs. and the infamous Superbaby stories, but similar events from comics past where Superman was transformed into a baby, such as “The Babe of Steel!” from ACTION COMICS #284 and “The Five Legion Orphans!” from ADVENTURE COMICS #356, as well as “Uncle Mxyzptlk,” an episode of “Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show.”

The one responsible for the League’s transformation was the Time Trapper, a second vague Legion of Super-Heroes reference. The Legion is not mentioned, of course, but the Time Trapper is historically considered among their most formidable adversaries.

While not responsible for any of echoed transformations of Superman, the Time Trapper did cause a similar plague to befall the several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes in “The Menace of the Sinister Super-Babies!” from ADVENTURE COMICS #338. Superboy was not affected in that story, however.

ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD presented “3:10 to Thanagar,” written by Sholly Fisch with art by Rick Burchett and Dan Davis. The story featured the first and only appearance in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon of Supergirl.

Her appearance is only a one-page cameo. So, unfortunately, we are given no information as to her relationship with Superman. However, she appears to be wearing a costume like that of the original post-Crisis Supergirl (Matrix) .

The following issue, ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #10, was “Help Wanted,” written by Sholly Fisch with art by Rick Burchett and Dan Davis. It was the sad story of man named Joe: henchman for hire. Thrown under the bus by a tanking economy, Joe scoured Metropolis for work with no luck, leaving him no option but to go to work as a henchman for the Toyman.

The character is still only called “Toyman” in the issue and, unfortunately, in this, his third appearance, the visual model for the character is different yet again. The character appears on the cover as well, with art by Rick Burchett and Dan Davis, bringing us a fourth model for the character.


Though to be fair, the cover and interior line art is pretty similar. The biggest difference is the hair color.

Thankfully, Superman, who also makes another appearance this issue (back to his adult age, thankfully), looks as close to the animated series counterpart as we have seen.

Though, again, he appears to be missing the S-shield on his cape, strangely.

In addition to Metropolis, Superman and Toyman, Green Kryptonite is once again used in the story.

The story’s dialogue and art also demonstrate that kryptonite radiation be blocked by lead, which was shown but not explicitly stated in “Battle of the Superheroes!”

While certainly not the last Superman-related reference (or even appearance) on the show or in the comic, the last epic hoorah came in the eighth episode of season three, and the 60th episode overall, with “Triumvirate of Terror!,” written by Paul Giacoppo and directed by Michael Goguen.

It began in the teaser portion, which found the Justice League, including Superman, squaring off against the Legion of Doom, including Lex Luthor, in a game of good ol’-fashioned American baseball! It was a throwback to classic tales like “The Great Super-Star Game” from DC SUPER STARS #10 as well as the covers to WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #3 by Fred Ray and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #15 by Jack Burnley.


Roger Rose and Kevin Michael Richardson reprised their roles as Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively. Luthor’s suit in the teaser tips its hat to the legendary “Super Friends” series (not to mention similar outfits worn in other continuities), adding yet another “era” of Luthor to the list of homages, with more to come.

Jimmy Olsen made a return appearance in the teaser, as well, again voiced by Alex Polinsky.

Dialogue in the teaser also gave tips-of-the-hat to former Superman (and Batman) editor Julius Schwartz as well as Frank Miller.

The main portion of the episode brought even more references as the story revolved around Lex Luthor, the Joker and the Cheetah teaming up to take on the “Big Three” of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.


Like in the teaser, Roger Rose and Kevin Michael Richardson reprised their roles as Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively. This marks the first pairing of DC’s Trinity in the animated show, though all had appeared in the main story from ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4.

While he again donned the “Super Friends”-esque gear from the teaser for a portion of it, for the majority of the episode, paying homage to yet another era of the character’s history, Luthor was clad in a suit of battle armor.

The suit was powered by a “perpetual energy source,” giving Luthor enough strength and protection to “counter any degree of power.” The suit, rather than being of Luthor’s own invention, was ostensibly stolen from S.T.A.R. Laboratories. (For more on S.T.A.R. Labs’ use in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” see the Lest We Forget addendum at the article’s end.

Green Kryptonite also made another appearance, as Luthor attempted to use it against Superman.

This time, unlike in “Battle of the Superheroes!,” it was specifically shown and stated that lead could block its effects.

Superman took a trip back to the Fortress this episode, as well, giving us another look at Superman’s arctic hideaway — as well as the first actual use of the giant key seen in other appearances as Superman used it to access the Fortress.

Inside the Fortress, we again see the Bottle City of Kandor — though, oddly, again, it is not called as such. Superman refers to it simply as “Kandor City,” saying it is “filled with Kryptonian artifacts.”

On the tour through the Fortress we also saw a new feature not seen in previous visits: towering statues of Superman’s Kryptonian birth parents holding up what is, presumably, a model of Krypton.

Neither of Superman’s Kryptonian parents are named or even referenced in the show’s dialogue — nor are the statues even referred to as being of his parents. But, they look very much like the Silver Age incarnations of Jor-El and Lara.

The episode also included Superman making reference to “his Smallville days” and the first mention and use of his vulnerability to magic. Clark Kent also performed the classic shirt rip, before ducking into a nearby telephone booth to finish the change before taking flight as Superman.

Other staples of the Superman mythology that were previously seen in “Battle of the Superheroes!” received brief cameo appearances, including the Daily Planet building and non-speaking appearances by Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White.


An epilogue also gave us a look at our heroes 50 years into the future. Unlike “The Knights of Tomorrow!” which was merely a “possible” future tale as written by Alfred Pennyworth, this epilogue scene is one of the only — if not the only — scene in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon giving a look at their real future. Certainly, it is the only one giving us a look at the future of Superman himself.

The visual depiction of the three seems to be a clear homage to the epilogue of KINGDOM COME, written by Mark Waid with art by Alex Ross. The greying hair of both Clark and Diana and Diana’s outfit are clearly similar to that classic storyline. Moreover, Bruce’s steel-frame supports are like those seen there, and his wheelchair later morphed into Bat-themed armor nearly identical to that worn by Bruce in KINGDOM COME.

The 62nd episode of the series and 10th of season three was “Powerless!,” written by Greg Weisman, Todd Casey and Kevin Hopps and directed by Michael Goguen. It presented a music number by Aquaman (again, don’t ask) titled “Aquaman’s Rousing Song of Heroism!” that referenced Superman — or “a superman,” as it were — in the refrain.

Who are you?
Just a man or a superman?
The man we turn to for the plan
Who are you?
Just a man or a superman?
The man we need to take a stand

The animation from during the song also gave direct nods to Superman, including showing Aquaman in a Superman costume soaring over the city.


The montage also showed Aquaman “dressed” as other heroes including Plastic Man, the Atom and Black Canary (yes, Black Canary). Aside from a line about “super-breath” (“Super-breath can come in fire, frost or just plain bad”), however, didn’t contain any further references to the Man of Steel.

In “Trick or Treat,” written by Sholly Fisch with art by Ethen Beavers, from ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #12, Batman made a trip to Metropolis to encounter once more the impish Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Mxy, perhaps surprisingly at this point, given the variances we’ve seen in the models for characters in the comics compared to the television version, looks pretty much the same as his appearance in “Battle of the Superheroes!” An editor’s footnote gives us a slightly different take on the pronunciation of his name, however.

A silhouetted Daily Planet globe in the background and a name-check of Superman are also featured in the story. With a snap of his fingers, Mxy sent Batman back to Gotham and disappeared soon after.

Superman was mentioned once more in “Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!,” the 11th episode of season three, and the 63rd episode overall, by Starman. In the offhand reference, the Golden Age hero merely mentioned he was looking forward to meeting the Man of Steel.

The 12th episode of season three, and the 64th overall, was “Four Star Spectacular!” It was a bit of a different episode in that it was divided into four short segments. Each focused on different character, with Batman only making a minor appearance or cameo.

The fourth segment, “The Creature Commandos in ‘The War That Time Forgot!,'” storyboarded by Adam Van Wyk and directed by Ben Jones, featured the Ultra-Humanite — but a significantly different take on the character than seen in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1, or in any comic book or multimedia appearance to date, for that matter.

Voiced by Jeff Bennett, the Ultra-Humanite here is seen as a sentient brain within a jar with robotic legs. As part of a bid to expand the Axis Powers’ bid for dominance during World War II, the Ultra-Humanite mind-controlled the dinosaurs of Dinosaur Island before being thwarted by Batman and the Creature Commandos. At the end of the episode, we was seen being backed into a corner by the dinosaurs he once controlled. No indication was given if this was intended to be the same character previously seen in the comic or not.

The television incarnation of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” ended its run with “Mitefall!” Written by Paul Dini and directed by Ben Jones, it was the 13th episode of season three, and the 65th episode overall. The episode ended with a “cast party” held in Batman’s honor, with many of the characters who had appeared in episodes over the three seasons in attendance. Included in these non-speaking cameo appearances were Superman, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Krypto, Metallo and Lex Luthor.




And with that apt ending, the animated version of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” wrapped, as did Superman’s involvement in it. The comics weren’t quite finished with the Man of Steel, however.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Vol. 2) #14 — renamed from ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, but retaining its numbering — featured a holiday tale, “Small Miracles,” written by Sholly Fisch with art by Rick Burchett and Dan Davis. In it, Superman was given one last tip-of-the hat as he was mentioned by Ragman as being an example of a “real superhero.”

The final issue of the series, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Vol. 2) #16. In “Love at First Mite,” written by Sholly Fisch with art by Rick Burchett and Dan Davis, gave another nod to comic book covers past as Batgirl, with a little help from Bat-Mite, briefly became “Lex Luthor’s gun moll!”

The scene is a recreation of an inset panel from the cover to SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #68 by Kurt Schaffenberger. (That comic reprinted a story, “Lois Lane, Gun-Moll!,” originally from SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #28.)

Later, Bat-Mite went digging into his comic book collection and retrieved what appears to be a copy of SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #37.

There are slight differences, but the the cover to Bat-Mite’s comic seems to pay clear homage to that issue’s cover by Kurt Schaffenberger.

Also making a cameo this issue, and his first appearance in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon, was the Reptile of Steel himself, Super-Turtle!

No information is given about him, other than that Bat-Mite would like to see a team-up between Super-Turtle and Batman (which, I’ve got to agree, would be pretty awesome sauce).

An early scene in this issue also paid homage to a splash page from BATMAN #1 which, while it didn’t feature Superman, did display an early Batman title logo clearly based on the Superman title logo that had been used since Superman’s first appearance in ACTION COMICS #1. (On Legends of the Batman, we have “lovingly” dubbed this the Superbat logo.)

And, with that, the comic book incarnation of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” also came to close, as did any involvement of Superman and his cast of characters.

 
Lest We Forget

While a majority of characters featured in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” episodes and issues were adapted from comic books, they did introduce a handful of original characters. One original character introduced seems to be a clear nod to the Superman universe.

“Invasion of the Secret Santas!,” written by Adam Beechen and directed by Brandon Vietti, the fifth episode of the show, though only the fourth to air, introduced the villain known as Fun Haus, voiced by Gary Anthony Williams.

In the episode, Fun Haus attacked the city with toy spaceships and, later, infiltrated homes with Presto Playpal action figures that soon turned on their owners. He also used a variety of toy-themed bombs and weaponry, much like the Toyman.

The character’s visual appearance, motif and gimmick seem clearly inspired by the multiple incarnations of the Toyman, particularly the Bronze Age Jack Nimball version who first appeared in ACTION COMICS #432 and the Winslow Schott Jr. version from “Superman: The Animated Series.”

Show-runners seemingly made no comments to indicate whether it was an intentional homage or mere coincidence, however. And, as mentioned earlier, both the Winslow Schott and Hiro Okamura versions of the Toyman made appearances in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” stories (though Fun Haus’s first appearance preceded any Toyman appearance).

Fun Haus later had a non-speaking, cameo appearances in “Night of the Huntress!,” “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” and “Night of the Batmen!” He also appeared as a hologram in “Sidekicks Assemble!” He never appeared in the comics in any capacity.

The Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories, or S.T.A.R. Labs, is a research facility first introduced in “Danger — Monster at Work” by Len Wein from SUPERMAN #246. While it initially appeared in a Superman story, use of the facility, particularly in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths facilities, have made it so use of it can hardly be seen as an explicit Superman reference.

However, because of its roots in the Superman comics, it is only fitting that appearances and use of S.T.A.R. Labs in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” be chronicled here, as well.

The facility was first referenced in “Invasion of the Secret Santas” when hazmat employees were seen loading remnants of the Red Tornado into a S.T.A.R. Labs truck.

The location of the facility of origin of the truck is not specified. However, the scene took place in Gotham.

The 18th episode of the cartoon, “The Color of Revenge!,” written by Todd Casey and directed by Michael Chang, introduced S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Blüdhaven.

A S.T.A.R. Labs facility was also seen in “Sidekicks Assemble!”

The location of this facility was not specified. However, it appears to have been the same one seen in Blüdhaven. However, this might not have necessarily been the case, as seen later.

The S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Star City was introduced in “The Siege of Starro! Part One.” This episode, the 13th of season two and the 39th overall, was written by Joseph Kuhr and directed by Ben Jones

Batman and associated used the facility to study remnants of Starro the Star Conqueror.

The S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Hub City was seen in “Menace of the Madnicks!,” written by Jim Krieg and directed by Michael Goguen.

Note the oddity that the Hub City facility looks identical to the one in Blüdhaven and the one of the unspecified location. The buildings in the background are identical, as well, despite at least two different locations being shown.

The S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Gotham was finally seen in “Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!,” 53rd episode overall and the first episode of season three, but the second to air.

The episode was written by Jim Krieg and directed by Ben Jones.

A S.T.A.R. Labs truck was also seen in the teaser portion of “Darkseid Descending!,” the 24th episode of season two and the 54th episode overall, as officials took Killer Frost into custody.

The episode, which was written by Paul Giacoppo and directed by Michael Goguen, did not specify the truck’s facility of origin or the city in which the scene took place.

And finally, as mentioned earlier, the Metropolis S.T.A.R. Labs facility appeared in “Triumvirate of Terror!”

This marks the first and only appearance of the Metropolis S.T.A.R. Labs in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon.

 
From the mind of Jerry Siegel

While only peripherally related to Superman by way of their shared parentage, three other characters with a connection to Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel also made their way into the “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” universe.

The Spectre, voiced by Mark Hamill, first appeared in “Chill of the Night!,” written by Paul Dini and directed by Michael Chang.

In the episode, the Spectre tries to tempt Batman into seeking vengeance against the man who killed his parents. Unsuccessful, the Spectre ultimately orchestrates events himself so the killer dies.

Again voiced by Mark Hammill, the Spectre then appeared in the teaser portion of “Gorillas in Our Midst!” The episode, written by Todd Casey and directed by Michael Goguen, found the Spectre teaming with Batman to defeat Professor Milo.

The Spectre had cameo appearances in issues of the comic book incarnation in “The Bride and the Bold” from ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4 and “Trick or Treat” from ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #12. He also had non-speaking appearances in “Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!” and “Mitefall!”

Unfortunately, none of the appearances give indication as to who is host of the Spectre, though his visual appearance most closely resembles that of the original Spectre, Jim Corrigan, who was created by Jerry Siegel with artist Bernard Bailey.

Like Superman, the Spectre was also given a nod in montage during “Aquaman’s Rousing Song of Heroism!” in the episode “Powerless!,” with Aquaman appearing “dressed” as him. The lyrics do not specifically reference the Spectre or any of his abilities, however.

The Spectre also received a figure as part of the “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” McDonalds Happy Meal toy line. Neither Superman or any other Superman-related characters were released as part of the line.


Oddly, while the character’s gloves and boots were factored into the toy’s mold, they were not painted as his cloak and trunks were. The figure was part of the eighth and final set from the line, and came with a Gentleman Ghost figure and Haunted Coach vehicle. It does not have any moving parts or special actions.

Also worth mentioning is Stargirl who, voiced by Hope Levy, appears in the teaser portion of “Cry Freedom Fighters!,” written by Thomas Pugsley and Steven Melching and directed by Ben Jones.

While the character of Stargirl was not created by Jerry Siegel or Joe Shuster, in then-current DC Universe continuity, she is Courtney Whitmore. She originally went by the name Star-Spangled Kid and bore the mantle of the original Star-Spangled Kid, Sylvester Pemberton. She is also the step-daughter of the original Kid’s adult sidekick, Pat Dugan, a.k.a. Stripesy. Both the original Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, Pemberton and Dugan, were created by Jerry Siegel and artist Hal Sherman.

In the episode, she teams with the Blue Beetle to combat Mantis. She is called Stargirl in the credits, though not in the episode itself. Neither Pemberton or Dugan are mentioned or even alluded to in the episode, unfortunately.

And finally, there is Doctor Occult who, like Superman, was co-created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He appeared in teaser portion of “The Tale of the Catman!,” written by Landry Walker with art by Eric Jones, from BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #9, where he and Batman team up, along with Doctor Fate, Sargon the Sorcerer, Mento and Zatanna, to battle the Void.

The character is not named in the text, but is seen wearing a trenchcoat and fedora and wielding the Symbol of Seven.

Doctor Occult is one of the first published creations from Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, having appeared along with Henri Duval in NEW FUN #6 in 1935. While as of this writing Doctor Occult has yet to be seen in the “New 52” continuity titles, prior to the relaunch (and at the time of the comic’s publication), he was the oldest character still in use in DC’s shared universe. This makes his inclusion, along with the multiple references to Superman and his family of characters, a fitting tribute not only to Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and Superman — but to DC Comics history as a whole.

“Batman: The Brave and the Bold” may always be remembered as Batman’s show, and rightly so. However, it should not be forgotten that no small part in the show was played by comics’ foremost hero himself, Superman, and the wellspring of characters and concepts that came from his stories and creators.

February 24th, 2012  Posted at   Special Reports

In part one and part two of this series, we looked at Superman-related appearances and references in seasons one and two of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” the 22 issues of the BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD comic and first four issues of ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD. In this installment, we begin our look at season three of the show.

Season three started off in high form with Superman’s most epic appearance throughout all of the “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon with “Battle of the Superheroes!” The episode, the fifth of season three and the 57th overall, but the first to air as the episodes were aired out of production order, was written by Steven Melching and directed by Ben Jones. And it featured, finally, the first full animated appearance of Superman!

A full Superman appearance in the cartoon had been a long time coming, and the episode’s creators pulled out all the stops to create a tour-de-force with an almost non-stop string of eye candy. Treats for Superman fans covered a wide range, including character appearances, both in full supporting roles and cameos; homages to classic stories and covers from the a wide range of eras; and send-ups to classic Superman tropes.

The Man of Steel, is, obviously, front-and-center in the episode. Voiced by Roger Rose, the character evokes equal parts the models used in the Fleischer and Famous Studios Superman shorts and “Superman: The Animated Series,” with hints of George Reeves’ and Christopher Reeve’s portrayals thrown in for good measure.



Like his cameo in “Sidekicks Assemble!,” but unlike his appearances in the comic books, Superman’s cape does sport a yellow S-shield. The episode sees Superman exhibiting a full range of classic Superman abilities, including strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, super-breath, X-ray vision, heat vision and super-ventriloquism.

Yes, even super-ventriloquism.

The “big three” of Superman’s supporting cast, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and Perry White, all played prominent roles in the episode. And, with exception to the possible appearance of Lois in “The Knights of Tomorrow!,” it marked the first official appearance for all three in any “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” story. All three characters were portrayed at their most classic and iconic Silver Age bests.


Jimmy Olsen, voiced by Alex Polinsky, is clad for most of the episode in his trademark green suit and red bow tie. Many times throughout the episode, he is seen wielding his camera, taking photos in his role as photographer for the Daily Planet. During the episode, Jimmy is also in possession of not one but two different signal-watches.


The original watch is activated by spinning the dial on the outside frame of the watch, causing it to emit a high-pitched chirping sound, alerting Superman. No information is given in the episode as to how the second watch works.

Lois Lane is voiced by Sirena Irwin and works as a reporter for the Daily Planet. In a throwback to her classic Silver Age portrayal, at one point Superman makes a comment about “all the love schemes” Lois has pulled in order to try and trick him into marrying her.

Perry White is voiced by Richard McGonagle. Portrayed as the sometimes affable and sometimes gruff and blustery editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, during the episode Perry utters the classic Perry White-isms of, “Don’t call me chief!” and “Great Caesar’s ghost!”

The Daily Planet’s signature rooftop globe first received a cameo appearance in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #2. However, here, we see the globe in full.

Two issues of the Daily Planet are also seen in the episode, giving us a look at the paper’s nameplate (or masthead).


The second issue also gives us another tribute, paying homage to the book that featured Superman and Batman team-up stories for the majority of its run from 1941 to 1986 and is a term that, even today, is used to refer to the pairing of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight: World’s Finest.

Speaking of Daily Planet employees, though, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent also has a brief appearance, marking his first appearance in the series, outside of the cameo in the possible future from “The Knights of Tomorrow!”

Like his alter ego, Clark is voiced by Roger Rose. Rose softens his voice somewhat for the role, but doesn’t seem to go out of his way to distinguish between Clark and Superman. Clark’s time in the episode amounts to only one scene, unfortunately, so we don’t get much with which to gauge his personality or relationship with Lois, Jimmy or Perry beyond that Clark is portrayed as somewhat clumsy.

Krypto the Super-Dog also had a bit part in the story, complete with cape.

He looks rather unfriendly here, but the episode showed him being (Super)man’s best friend, and we even got a small sampling of Krypto’s powers as he and Superman engaged in a short game of fetch, sending Krypto in to outer space. During the episode’s climactic battle, Krypto also got a chance to shine, hitting his opponent with a blast of heat vision.

Superman’s friends weren’t the only ones to make appearances in the episode, though, as cameos were made by an entire line of Superman villains, ranging from the well-known to the obscure.

First up was Lex Luthor, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. Richardson had previously held other Superman-related voice acting roles, including that of Darkseid in the “Superman: Shadow of Apokolips” video game.

Luthor is considerably different, both visually and in characterization, in his appearance here compared to his previous comic book appearance in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1. In fact, the Luthor presented here is much closer to Rohtul from “The Super-Batman of Planet X!” Though, while it may not have been intentional, it is interesting that the comic book appearance pays tribute to Luthor’s Golden Age incarnation, while the appearance here pays tribute to both his Silver Age and post-Crisis incarnations, given that in the episode, Luthor is seen wearing gray prison togs as well as a business suit.

Also here, Luthor sports a piece of jewelry very much associated with this post-Crisis incarnation: a ring studded with Green Kryptonite.

This episode marks the first actual appearance in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon, after previously being mentioned in the show in “The Rise of Blue Beetle!” as well as in the comics in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #2. Green Kryptonite seems to cause immediate weakness and pain in Superman and, according to Luthor himself, eventual death.

Red Kryptonite, making its first appearance and the first and only form of kryptonite other than green to be seen in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon, also plays a role in the episode, being used by Luthor against the Man of Steel.

According to Batman, Red Kryptonite has unpredictable effects on Superman, lasting approximately 24 hours before wearing off on their own. In this particular instance, the Red Kryptonite caused Superman’s personality to change, making him, as Jimmy Olsen put it, a “rude, selfish, sadistic creep.”

Luthor’s hideout also holds another treat for those familiar with the Silver Age of Superman, in that it is located within an astronomical observatory on the outskirts of Metropolis. (The city of Metropolis also makes its first appearance true appearance in this episode, though its skyline was seen in the distance in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #2. The majority of the episode is set in the city, so much of its architecture and people are seen throughout.)

Luthor had many hideaways pre-Crisis, with this one, often designated “Luthor’s Lair II,” introduced in SUPERMAN #167. Inside, we see statues of Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun as part of Luthor’s twisted “Hall of Heroes,” another nod with roots in the Silver Age.

Other statues pre-Crisis included Nero, Blackbeard, Benedict Arnold, Captain Kidd and Al Capone, though these are not seen in the episode. Traditionally, the statues were life-size and in full color. Here, though, while they are not full color, they appear to be at least twice life-size.

One final tool in Luthor’s arsenal that seemed to be an Easter egg is that of the aircraft he used at the episode’s beginning in order to stage an attack of the Hall of Minerals in Metropolis.

With a change in paint, the ship is identical to the Supermobile, complete with fist-shaped battering rams. The firsts are made from titanium, according to Lex Luthor. No word in the episode on how much, if any, of the ship is comprised of Supermanium, sadly.

The Toyman, complete with armies of toy soldiers and lethal toy tanks, also makes an appearance in the episode. He is voiced by John DiMaggio, who had previously voiced the character — though a much different take on him — in “Superman: Doomsday,” the direct-to-video feature that very loosely adapted the death and return of Superman storylines.

Toyman looked somewhat different than in his previous appearance in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #2, though that likely owes to the different artists and that the model sheets for the animated version were not available when the comic book was produced. Like with his comic book counterpart, he is only called Toyman, but he resembles the Winslow Schott version. No mention is made of the other Toyman that appeared in BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #17.

Other villains making appearances, though only in the form of cameos, included Metallo, who was first seen as an action figure, again complete with Green Kryptonite “heart.”


The character is not named in the episode and has no dialogue (and thus no actor portraying him), He seems to draw visual inspiration from the Bronze Age Roger Corben version as well as the post Crisis (circa 1990s to early 2000s) John Corben version.

Also not named, but making a non-speaking cameo appearance, was a character who seemed to be El Gar-Kur, perhaps the most obscure reference of the episode.

First appearing in “The War Between Jimmy Olsen and Superman!” from ACTION COMICS #253, El Gar-Kur was a criminal from the Bottle City of Kandor who is able to free himself from the city and sets about in an attempt to conquer Earth, only to be ultimately thwarted by Superman. If he looks a bit familiar, it’s because El Gar-Kur was, amazingly, a perfect look-alike for Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen. El Gar-Kur wore an outfit similar to the one seen in the episode in his original ACTION COMICS appearance, though with a different color scheme.

Speaking of Kandor, this episode also featured a cameo appearance by the villainous Brainiac and his alien pet Koko (though both were unnamed in the episode).

Richard McGonagle, also the voice of Perry White, voiced the character, who threatened to subject Metropolis to the “shrinking process,” causing Superman and Batman to go into action once more.

First alluded to in “Legends of the Dark Mite!,” Mr. Mxyzptlk (pronounced by Superman as mix-yiz-pit-lick) makes his first appearance here.

Mxyzptlk was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, also the voice of Lex Luthor, and plagues Metropolis, not only by bringing the Daily Planet globe to life in his own image, but by triggering a series of transformations in Jimmy Olsen, including turning Jimmy into…

…the shape of a human balloon with ears and teeth like a mule (a reference to “Jimmy Olsen, Freak!” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #59):

…a human octopus (a reference to “The Human Octopus!” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #41)

…a gorilla’s groom (a reference to “The Bride of Jungle Jimmy!” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #98; including an homage to that issue’s cover by Curt Swan and George Klein)

…a genie (a reference to “Jimmy the Genie” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #42)

…a wolf-man (a reference to “The Wolf-Man of Metropolis!” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #44 and “Jimmy Olsen, Wolf-Man!” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #52)

…a Bizarro (a reference to “Jimmy Olsen, the Bizarro Boy!” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #80 as well as the Bizarro Jimmy Olsen that first appeared in “Jimmy Olsen’s Kookie Scoops!” from ADVENTURE COMICS #287) and constituting the only Bizarro reference in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” canon)

…a giant-head version of himself (a reference to “The Super-Brain of Jimmy Olsen” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #22)

…and a human porcupine (a reference to “The Human Porcupine” from SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #65).

These direct references to stories and homages to covers from the comics were not isolated incidents in the episode, as many other classic covers and scenes were paid homage to throughout the duration of the episode via flashbacks or in-story happenings.

A scene early in the episode paid homage to the cover of SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #121 by Curt Swan and Neal Adams. And, yes, the scene involved the exact scenario presented on the cover (Jimmy trying to trick Superman into revealing his secret identity).

A brief dream-sequence brought an homage to the cover of SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #23 by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye. Note the attention to detail in Lois’ wardrobe, the placement of objects on the blanket as well as the rocks in the foreground.

A flashback scene gave us a look an homage to the classic cover of SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #53 by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, which itself was inspired by the cover of the July 1940 cover-dated issue of “Thrilling Wonder Stories” (Mort Weisinger had a hand in both books). The dialogue on the comic’s cover was also used verbatim in the episode.

Another classic cover, SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #30 by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, also got a send-up.

The cover of SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #26 by Curt Swan and John Forte was also paid homage to in a scene that, unlike its original comic book counterpart, was not an “imaginary story.” Again, note the attention to detail.

This scene also marks the first an only appearance of Lana Lang in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” continuity (aside from a possible cameo in “The Knights of Tomorrow!”). She is not named in the episode, but is clearly meant to be Lana, as it was on the original. She had no dialogue in the scene, and thus no voice actress portraying her.

And finally, the cover to ACTION COMICS #311 by Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff was recreated. Unlike the Turtle Man cover, the dialogue was not verbatim in the episode, but similar dialogue was.

Though these are all Silver Age covers penciled by Curt Swan, another distinctly different story was paid homage: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT by Frank Miller. In the climactic final battle between Batman and Superman, Batman dawns a suit of armor nearly identical to the one worn in the final issue of that series, and two of the show’s recognizable “freeze frame” scenes paid direct homage to iconic panels in the issue, when Batman punches Superman and later kicks him in the face.


Just because they moved on to more-recent stories, however, they weren’t done with Curt Swan. The legendary Superman penciler was also payed tribute to in the name and likeness of the mayor of Metropolis.


While not an exact likeness, the mayor does very closely resemble Swan in his latter days. Many creators were paid tribute to throughout the series by having streets or buildings named in their honor. However, to my knowledge, Curt Swan is the only comic book creator to get a nod like this on the show — something not even done for Bill Finger or Bob Kane, the creators of Batman. Quite an honor!

Superman’s arctic getaway, the Fortress of Solitude, was seen very briefly in ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1. It makes a return appearance here, with its door looking slightly different. However, we also got a look at the famous giant key! Superman is not seeing using the key in the episode, though. As well, there is seemingly a way to access the Fortess without using it, as Batman was able to enter the Fortress on his own.


By stitching together several frames from the episode, we get an extended look at the arctic landscape surrounding the Fortress.

The interior of the Fortress also brought more treats, including another look at the Bottle City of Kandor (though, in the episode, it is oddly only referred to as “the shrunken city of Kandor”).


We actually get two shots of it, with the bottle looking slightly different each time. And both are somewhat different than in its earlier appearance in the comics. But, again, models sheets were likely not available for the comic book’s artists. Note the detail that in the second shot the bottle’s artificial sun is visible — and further note that is is indeed a red sun, as traditionally was found on Krypton.

Other mementos in the Fortress also provided nods to two other classic takes on the Man of Steel.

The giant robot over Batman’s right shoulder is nearly identical to the ones unleashed by the unnamed scientist in the second Fleischer Studios Superman short, “The Mechanical Monsters.” Over Batman’s left shoulder are the imprisonment, rings as first seen in the Krypton scenes from “Superman: The Movie,” as well as what might be the Phantom Zone prison itself.

While she was not seen, Ma Kent was also spoken of by Batman near the episode’s conclusion.

Other Superman references in the show included classic Superman phrases, such as, “Up, up and away!” (said by Superman while leaping out of a window).

A crowd of people, seeing Superman soar overhead, echoed the classic opening to the radio serial and “Adventures of Superman” television show with “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” And Lois, reporting on Superman, stated that he “has powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.” And shortly later, Superman claimed he is “faster than a speeding bullet,” “more powerful than a locomotive” and “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound” [sic].

Further references to “Superman: The Movie” and Superman II” came when Superman told the citizens of Metropolis to “Kneel before… King Superman” (a take off on “Kneel before Zod”) and later referred to Luthor as a “diseased maniac.”

And finally, as almost no take on Superman is complete without it, we got a great scene of Clark performing the classic shirt rip as he ducked into a nearby storeroom, before taking flight as Superman.

All in all, it was an episode chock-full of Superman references and tips-of-the hat to almost every era of the Man of Steel both in comics and other media. No other character on the show (save for Batman himself) received such numerous and wide-ranging tributes, despite many characters making multiple appearances over the three seasons. Clearly, the show’s creators had a deep love for the character of Superman and really wanted to give him his due.

We will finish up this series Friday, March 16, with a look at the rest of season three and comic books released during that time, as well as a brief look at some other appearances of interest. Don’t miss it!