Superhero Rewind: Fleischer Superman Cartoons Commentary Week 1

Commentary on the first five Max Fleischer Superman cartoons-- Vince guest co-hosts. Cartoons:
Superman (The Mad Scientist)
The Mechanical Monsters
Billion Dollar Limited
The Arctic Giant
The Bulleteers

Next week we'll be sharing a commentary on four more cartoons. Regular reviews to follow!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• geekvolution
• superhero rewind
• fleischer
• superman
• cartoons

[alexander3062]

am i the only one who noticed the parallel of how the secret passage in the mountain opens and lets the vehicle out, and how in the batman animated series they did the same basic thing with the secret passage, bruce timm wasnt kidding when he said these cartoons influenced him

[Geekvolution]

@alexander3062 Yeah, good call!

-CL

[ComicReviewer1994]

But in the arctic giant he does fly out the building doesnt he cause thathats how he flys usually. no?

[Geekvolution]

@ComicReviewer1994 Yeah, it looks the same, but he's actually just jumping really high. We never see him actually suspended in the air in the episode-- if he goes up, he's coming right back down.

-Captain Logan

[Cobracatcommander]

heard the phantom was the first to wear a costume.

[shadowspider9]

lol. I remember watching this when it came out on VHS when i was really young. I think it was what really got me into super heroes.

[diddymuck]

Studio Ghibli genius Hayao Miyazaki used the Mechanical Monsters robot in the last episode of Lupin the Third (2nd season) and later in Laputa, Castle in the Sky.

[alexander3062]

why does the superman symbol have black in it in this version?

[xJoeEDangerouslyx]

@Geekvolution In the comics, the origin was told twice in the earliest years. After the first issue did I think 3 pages on the origin, the daily strip told the origin in its continuity as well. Both tellings involve Clark Kent being discovered and sent to an orphanage. He was not raised by the Kents at all. Interestingly, the strip started with scenes on Krypton and named and showed Supes' parents before they were ever done in the books. In the daily, they were called "Jor-L and Lora."

[WhiteMamba824]

IMO that is the only legit time Superman should show up, is when there is absolutely no one that can stop a disaster, a force of nature, a terrible act from a terrorist, etc I also like how he's a public figure, yet mysterious enough that he isn't "talky" and it keeps the character from falling into the problem of the suspension of disbelief of Superman just being Clark w/o glasses. The less that people of the universe know about Superman, the better.

[1truemisfit]

I forgot to mention that when Fleischer and his partners approached DC about Superman flying, there was some heavy disagreement at first by DC about him flying. Siegel and Shuster stepped in, heard the pitch, and actually agreed. Superman was supposed to not have any outright powers, but rather was just a strong guy that could jump high due to strength. Flying was the beginning of his superpowers... Then came X-ray vision.

[1truemisfit]

Interesting! You know, Superman often changed in the store room in the old radio shows, early comics and the George Reeves TV series.