Classic Cartoon Goodness
The Super Friends are comprised of a group of classic DC Comics characters: Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, as well as three junior heroes (Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog). Together, these heroes stop evil doers and protect mankind on Earth. Throughout the season, they’ll encounter several other DC heroes, like Plastic Man and Green Arrow. These episodes ran for forty-six minutes, which was ample time for Hanna-Barbera, the producers, to weave an interesting tale from start to finish. Plots generally pit the Super Friends against aliens or (evil) scientists, sometimes who are misunderstood, but normally they’re simply up to no good.
While the show has a lot of action, involving the heroes’ powers of course, there are also clear attempts to educate its intended younger audience. For example, the first episode in this second volume, The Balloon People, seeks to inform viewers that they must do their part in taking care of the Earth. The Balloon People had to leave their planet because its inhabitants abused it, making it unsustainable. These ‘lessons,’ if you want to call them that, while obvious to my adult eyes, are succinct and integrated well enough into the show that they don’t take away from the pace of the story. They also don’t feel ‘preachy,’ which I think is important.
So the first volume contained the first eight episodes, and this second volume has the final eight episodes. Those episodes are:
09. The Balloon People
A family of aliens, capable of shrinking and expanding their size, come to Earth after their home planet becomes uninhabitable due to pollution. The Super Friends welcome them, but an evil scientist wants to study them and take their powers, including telepathy.
10. The Fantastic FRERPS
King Plasto wants to turn everything into plastic with the help of FRERPS. The Super Friends can’t let that happen.
11. The Ultra Beam
Two misguided scientists use a blue beam, the ultra beam, from their secret ship to destroy gold. They believe gold is the root of all evil, and if they can just destroy it all, the Earth will be better off. Unfortunately, they’re also damaging many other Earth minerals and elements.
12. The Menance of the White Dwarf
Raven, an evil scientist and former nemesis to Superman, is back. He manages to escape prison and kidnap the Washington Monument and the three junior heroes. Superman must face him to set things right.
13. The Mysterious Moles
An underground population is behind a series of air conditioning thefts. Minimus and Maximus Mole are stealing the AC units to help cool down a crater so that they can harvest the diamonds contained within.
14. Gulliver’s Gigantic Goof
Dr. Gulliver wants to save the world’s hunger problem by shrinking everyone down to 2″. The Super Friends have to show him the error of his ways.
15. The Planet-Splitter
Two scientists want to split the planet in half. When the junior heroes are captured, the Super Friends must stop the villains and rescue Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog.
16. The Watermen
Two stranded aliens are stuck on Earth. To get their ship going again, they are stripping silicon out of the ocean, but in doing so they are creating red tides that threaten life on Earth.
The format for each show is generally the same throughout the season. The first few minutes get viewers acquainted with who the villains are and what it is they’re doing. The Super Friends are then called into action. At the Hall of Justice, they often analyze existing and new information, forge a plan, and split up to tackle the problem. It’s a tried and true format, and I never got tired of it.
Animation is realistic and great. I’ve always thought much of the animation from 70s cartoons, and this is no exception. Voice acting is also great, sporting a variety of tones and pitches. Sometimes the dialogue is stiff, but the voice acting stays consistently good.
On DVD, this two disc set comes nicely packaged in a colorful and neat looking box. Inside you’ll find a single, two disc keep case. The episodes look and sound just fine; they haven’t been touched up or altered in anyway that I’m aware of. The second disc also contains the set’s sole extra feature: a trivia game. Using your DVD remote, you can challenge yourself or play with another person, or team. Your Super Friends knowledge will be put to the test with multiple choice questions from a variety of categories. Categories include specific questions on characters and events from episodes. The questions encompass all of season one, not just the eight episodes on this disc.
With that, let’s get to the summary…