ust in case you
have never watched TV, read a book, seen a movie, or looked at
the comics, here is a brief history of Superman:
Shortly before the planet Krypton exploded, Superman (then
known by his birth name, Kal-El) was put into an escape rocket
by his parents and sent off into space. After crash-landing on
Earth, he was discovered by John and Martha Kent, who raised
him as their son, Clark Kent. As young Kal-El/Clark grew, he
discovered his various talents, such as incredibly powerful
strength and the ability to fly. Relocating to Metropolis,
Clark began to live a dual life, working as a reporter for the
Daily Planet, but turning into Superman whenever trouble
surfaced.
The character of Superman first left the comics pages in
the 1941, starring in several animated theatrical shorts. He
then moved on to enjoy a successful radio show during the 40s,
a popular live-action TV version starring George Reeves in the
1950s, and even a 1966 Broadway musical.
Almost ten years after the live-action TV show was
cancelled, Superman returned to the small screen in The New
Adventures of Superman. The series utilized the same basic
cast as the 1940's radio version, and consisted not only of
stories about Superman's world-saving exploits, but also of
segments that showed him as a boy in rural Smallville. One
Superboy cartoon played between two Superman episodes each
half-hour show. Bud Collyer, who had provided Superman's voice
for both the Fleischer cartoons and the radio broadcast,
reprised his role in this version, too.
The strong point of this version was its faithfulness to
the comic book. The show featured villains from the printed
stories, like Mr. Mxyzptlk and Brainiac.
In the show's second season, Superman shared time with an
array of DC heroes in The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure.
Regular episodes of Superman and Aquaman aired alongside a
rotating lineup of extras, including The Flash, Hawkman, Green
Lantern, The Atom, Justice League Of America, and The Teen
Titans. In its last season, Batman was added to the show,
resulting in The Batman/Superman Hour
Sadly, Superman was as vulnerable to bad ratings as he was
to Kryptonite. Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost finally proved to
be too much competition for the Man of Steel, who left the
cartoon airwaves in 1969.
Superman retained his membership in the Justice League,
which kept him employed on Saturday morning's Super Friends
well into the 80s. CBS gave him another solo shot in 1988, but
this version went the way of Krypton, destroyed after one
season.
The most recent incarnation of the man with the "S" on his
chest came in 1996, with The New Superman Adventures. Animated
in the angular, darker style of Batman: The Animated Series,
this Superman caught on with 90's kids, becoming a mainstay of
Fox Kids' afternoon lineup.
