Rating:

After the success of Bruce Timm’s reinvention of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series, it was simply a waiting game before Timm applied his magic touch to another character in DC’s stable of characters. Four years later fans were lucky enough to have DC’s big two (Batman and Superman) on air at the same time when Superman: The Animated Series debuted in 1996.

Both a fan favorite and a critical success—it was nominated for an Emmy—Superman: The Animated Series presented a Superman slightly tweaked for this new animated audience. Slightly depowered—much like his post 1986 comic book counterpart, this Superman was quiet and confident hero that plunged headfirst into danger.

The series lasted for 3 seasons and a total of 54 episodes. Fans were treated to Superman’s origin, a great collection of classic and new villains (Darkseid, Toyman, Parasite, Metallo, Lobo, Mala, Jax-Ur, Livewire, Titano, Maxima, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, and many more). Many heroes made guest appearances, especially in the 3rd and final season. Look for the Flash, Green Lantern (and Sinestro), Supergirl, Aquaman, and even Batman and Robin.

Superman and Batman pair up in the their first Timm-verse crossover for the excellent three part story World’s Finest, which also features Lex Luthor and the Joker working together. For years there has been talk of a live action Batman/Superman film and personally, I think this storyline is ripe for adapting. It’s visually simple and the plot is easy enough to follow. The characterization of all four main characters is perfect—which can be attributed to frequent Timm collaborator Paul Dini who penned this three-parter.

The multiple guest stars in the third season readied fans for the animated version of the Justice League, which would appear in 2001 after Superman: The Animated Series ended in 2000.

There’s no denying the quality and appeal of this series. Any DC fan who doesn’t own the series should do themselves a favor and pick this release up. But, what if you already own the single season releases? Is this Complete Series release worth picking up?

The only additional content is a 17-minute feature on Darkseid. It’s an interesting look at this Kirby created villain that was turned into a major Superman nemesis in this series. It’s a rivalry that would continue into the Justice League animated series and culminate in the series finale of Justice League Unlimited incarnation.

Sadly, the DVDs in this set are the same double-sided discs that many DVD fanatics dislike. To make this a worthy upgrade, Warner Home Video should have created new single-sided DVDs and packaged them in a nice, metal slipcase—like the recent Justice League: The Complete Animated Series set.

Like that set, I’ll highly recommend this set if you don’t already own the series. However, there’s not enough here to warrant an upgrade—unless you’re going to pass your old set on to a friend.