by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
DC’s animation division has, for a long time, been considered streets ahead of their live action counterparts. Ever since the Batman: The Animated Series, I have been in love with their output. They haven’t always batted 1.000, but for the most part, their wins far outweigh their losses. However, in recent years I fell off the bandwagon a bit when it came to keeping up with the new animated projects. I would catch them when they released on HBO Max, and only if they we featured when I turned on the app. Additionally, I preferred either the projects based on either Batman, or the team-up projects; I suppose I was trying to make up for the lackluster live action movies. Why bother being disappointed with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League when you can watch more entertaining versions of the same story in animated form? I particularly enjoyed 2018’s The Death of Superman, and the 2019 followup, Reign of the Supermen, even though Superman was never really one of my favorites to watch by himself. I enjoyed them so much that when they announced My Adventures with Superman as a new series, I was intrigued. I was even more so intrigued when I learned they hired Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Jack Quaid to provide the voice to our titular Man of Steel. This was a combination with great potential; however, I was still skeptical, as the last time I watched a Superman property in its entirety was Smallville, and that show has tons of ups and downs.
My Adventures with Superman tells the story of Clark Kent (Quaid) living in Metropolis with his best friend and roommate, Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid). They are both starting their new job as interns for the Daily Planet, and are teamed up with another intern, Lois Lane (Alice Lee). Right from the start, the show gives off great energy. Clark has not told anyone about his powers, which we learn he discovered as a child, and he is very concerned about people finding out that he is an alien. He is also quite smitten with Lois right from their meet cute. Jimmy has his own YouTube-like channel where he is a big believer of supernatural and extraterrestrial events, even though no one believes him. And Lois is every bit the spunky go-getter that you should come to expect from her character. However, she is also incredibly green, which is not something we see a lot in past Lois iterations past. I also really love how she is just as attracted to Clark as he is to her, which is rare, as will-they-won’t-they stories don’t typically appeal to my tastes.
Right off the bat, the three leads find themselves, against their boss’ wishes, chasing a story involving a heist and stolen robots. Clark is shown right away to be every bit the naïve boy scout that he should be, but what I love is how he is able to stand up for himself. When he realizes that Lois has lied to them regarding their boss’ permission, he is not afraid to tell her that she is wrong. This version of Clark is confident as well as shy, and it is a perfect combination for Superman to have. What I really enjoyed about our three leads is how well they get along, and how they are each integral in the story. Oftentimes, Superman shows or movies focus on Superman, but here we have a true ensemble that allows each character their own moments to shine.
After several episodes, I started to equate My Adventures with Superman to a modern-day spiritual successor of Smallville. In many ways, it does exactly what Smallville did, in that it is an origin story for Superman, he has to face off against people getting powers in several episodes, and there is an air of mystery surrounding his past, as well as a shadowy organization. Where My Adventures differs is its presentation of a more traditional Superman origin story. It starts with Jimmy and Lois, it’s set in Metropolis, and it is more equipped to build the world around it in a greater DC universe. One of my favorite parts of the show is its ability to seamlessly integrate characters and places that exist among all of DC’s properties that live action shows and movies seem to have problems doing naturally. When presented in live action, it is almost always meant as a tease for a tie-in property, but in this show, we can have, for example, Vicky Vale shows up, and it’s not a point-at-the-TV moment. The existence of Task Force X, Amanda Waller, Cadmus, Livewire, Gotham, Central City, and many more familiar names and places never take away or draw the attention from the main focus: Superman and his friends.
Another part of the world building I respect is how they handle the Krypton side of Clark’s past. The destruction of Krypton is iconic, but like Martha’s pearls or Uncle Ben lifeless body, it’s a story that’s been done to death. However, here it would seem as though they might be taking some liberties, and it is being presented as a mystery. The show only drops a few hints here and there as the season progresses, yet I never felt like it was leading to a reveal of the same tired story. I am very curious to see how Clark learns of his origins and discovers his heritage. Without spoiling anything, I will say that the show leaves his background as a hanging thread which will most likely be a main focus in Season Two.
Another small moment I really appreciate is that when Clark does go into his spaceship and meets Jor-El, they are unable to communicate because Clark doesn’t speak Kryptonian. It’s a fun little change; in every Superman story I have ever seen, Jor-El always speaks English for some reason. It would seem as though the ship is slowly learning the language, because by the end of the season, he is able to say a few English worlds. Overall, the world building and storytelling style of this show is off the charts great, and I had a blast with every episode.
I would be remiss if I didn’t call to light a few of the show’s elements that I didn’t find out of this world. First, I very much disliked the ending of the final episode, as well as some other moments in a few of the later episodes. The reason being, I feel like their time management was mishandled. In one of the later episodes, I had the very distinct feeling that it was meant to be at least 40 minutes long, and some story was cut to keep the episode under 30 minutes. Several times throughout the season, I felt the show could have built upon some interesting thematic and character moments that were introduced, but were ultimately never explored. The finale is the worst offender, in that the story is cut off without there being any real closure. If this show ends up being a casualty of the WGA/SAG strikes, the way it ends is very disappointing. My anticipation level to see where it goes is quite high, and it would be a shame to lose it. Similar to my recent feelings about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, I wish there were more than 10 episodes a season. Yes, you got me: My biggest complaint about the show is that there wasn’t more show to watch.
My Adventures with Superman is a fun, lighthearted, entertaining entry in the Superman pantheon and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the character. I also think that the show is the perfect starting point for anyone interested in seeing what this Superman fella is all about. With great voice performances, aesthetically pleasing anime style animation, and interesting heroes and villains, watching it would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Rating: Loved It
My Adventures with Superman is currently streaming on Max
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