Review by Craig Byrne
Warner Home Video has recently released another DVD full of episodes of the original incarnation of Superfriends. For historians or those folks like myself with a nostalgic streak, this set is a must; for others, it might be so good.
I first encountered the original Superfriends episodes on summer afternoons in the mid-1980’s. This is the pre-Wonder Twins, pre-Legion of Doom incarnation; mostly focusing on the four main heroes plus Robin, Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. It still bugs me to this day the opening narration mentions the four greatest heroes and “three junior Superfriends” completely forgetting Robin.
The animation is kind of crude, and I don’t think it was meant to be seen with perfect clarity. There are moments where the character cels might even have scratches which might have been naked to the eye on a small, fuzzy TV when this show first aired — not so much now. The creators of these episodes at least had fun, creating characters with such silly names as “Noah Tall.” (Say that out loud.) I believe it’s Mary Tyler Moore‘s Ted Knight providing the narration at this point, so that’s cool.
This set of episodes features the only appearance of Green Arrow during the series run. As mentioned before, these are the “Wendy, Marvin, and Wonderdog” episodes and some episodes rely [perhaps too much] on them. They’d soon be replaced by the Wonder Twins.
The artwork on the DVD cover, sadly, is not representative of the show inside. Instead it’s something prepared by DC Comics’ marketing team most likely. The Flash is on the DVD cover but I didn’t see him in any of the episodes. Extras include a “trivia challenge” but honestly, the target audience for a set like these wants commentary, not games.
Something more modern like Batman: Under The Red Hood might be more appealing to younger viewers, but as a time capsule… Superfriends Season One, Volume Two delivers. It’s now available in stores everywhere; you can order from Amazon.com and support this site!
