Superman (1988)

Superman is a 1988 American animated Saturday morning television series produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises for Warner Bros. Television that aired on CBS featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name (coinciding with the character's 50th anniversary, along with the live-action Superboy TV series that year). Veteran comic book writer Marv Wolfman was the head story editor, and comic book artist Gil Kane provided character designs.

## Format

This series is the third animated Superman series (the second was the Filmation-produced *The New Adventures of Superman*). It is also notable for being the first appearance of the Superman mythos following John Byrne's major relaunch of the character. The series reflected the new conception with a measured fidelity, such as having his major recurring enemy, Lex Luthor, as a corrupt billionaire industrialist as in the comics. Like the comics, Luthor is fully aware that the ring he wears is fashioned with a kryptonite stone, which he uses to keep Superman from attacking or apprehending him (although this required very close proximity to work).

Other characters include Cybron (a pastiche of Brainiac whose Post-Crisis conception was still undecided at the time) and an appearance of Wonder Woman, which was her first non-print appearance since George Pérez's reworking of William Moulton Marston's superheroine for the post-Crisis era. Syrene the Sorceress of Time was portrayed by voice actress B. J. Ward, who had previously provided her voice as Wonder Woman in the final season of the *Super Friends*, which was called *The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians*.

Classic characters included Jimmy Olsen, bow-tied in appearance, and Perry White's gruff exclamations of "Great Caesar's Ghost" both fulfilling their classic concepts. Lois Lane maintained being an assertive woman with initiative, both in style and business attitude, although her dress and hairstyle were more reflective of the 1980s. A new character to the series, inspired by Miss Tessmacher of the live-action Superman movie from 1978, was Jessica Morganberry who appeared to be the ditzy blonde live-in girlfriend of Lex Luthor with whom he fully confided his schemes.

Superman/Clark Kent was voiced by Beau Weaver, who would later go on to voice Mister Fantastic in the 1994 Marvel animated series *Fantastic Four*.

### The "Superman Family Album"

The final four minutes of each Superman episode were devoted to a brief snapshot from the "Superman Family Album". These biographical segments deviated from the contemporary comics to have Clark have his powers fully developed since infancy as opposed to developing as he matured, which causes problems as in the earlier episodes he uses his powers whenever it suits him, and in the later episodes as he gets older he lessens the use of his Kryptonian superpowers, preferring to use his mind to solve problems first. These stories depicted the Smallville misadventures of the young Kryptonian immigrant as he faces typical childhood trials with his first day at school, grocery shopping, an overnight scouting campout, getting a driver's license, his first date, graduation from high school, and ultimately his premiere as Superman.

## Cast

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* Beau Weaver – Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent
* Ginny McSwain – Lois Lane, Jenet Klyburn (in "Fugitive from Space"), Ursa (in "The Hunter"), Faora (in "The Hunter")
* Michael Bell – Lex Luthor, Patron (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
* Tress MacNeille – Martha Kent
* Alan Oppenheimer – Jonathan Kent
* Stanley Ralph Ross – Perry White, Starrok
* Lynne Marie Stewart – Jessica Morganberry, Young Clark Kent
* Mark Taylor – Jimmy Olsen
* Bill Woodson – Opening Narration

### Additional voices

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* Jack Angel – General Hawkins (in "Cybron Strikes")
* René Auberjonois – General Zod (in "The Hunter")
* Brandon Bluhm – Scout Kid (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
* Don Bovinglough – Coach (in "To Play or Not to Play")
* P.L. Brown – (in "Night of the Living Shadows")
* William Callaway – Defendroids (in "Destroy the Defendroids"), (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Joey Camen – Short Henchman (in "Triple-Play")
* Darleen Carr –
* Pat Carroll – Queen Hippolyta (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
* Nancy Cartwright – Melissa (in "At the Babysitter's")
* Cathy Cavadini – Barbara (in "Bonechill"), Co-Ed (in "The Driver's License"), Maria (in "The Driver's License")
* Townsend Coleman – Teenage Clark Kent, Ted Kline
* Christopher Collins – Minotaur (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time"), Cyclops (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
* Danny Cooksey – George (in "The First Day of School")
* Peter Cullen – The Hunter (in "The Hunter")
* Keene Curtis – Bonechill/Chilton Bone (in "Bonechill")
* Gabriel Damon – (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time"), Jessik (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Victor DiMattia (in "The First Day At School" and "Overnight with the Scouts")
* Shawn Donahue –
* Jeff Doucette – Sideshow Barker (in "The Circus")
* Jeannie Elias – Mrs. Murphy (in "The Supermarket")
* Ron Feinberg – (in "Night of the Living Shadows", "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Ben Ryan Ganger – Scout Kid (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
* Linda Gary – (in "Graduation")
* Liz Georges – Teenage Lana Lang
* Ellen Gerstell – Madame Nikua (in "By the Skin of the Dragon's Teeth")
* Ed Gilbert – Shuttle Captain (in ""The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Dan Gilvezan – Dr. Morpheus (in "The Beast Beneath These Streets")
* Barry Gordon – (in "The Driver's License")
* Patrick Gorman – Ship Computer (in "Fugitive from Space")
* Edan Gross – Scout Kid (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
* Kenneth Hartman –
* Darryl Hickman – (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Jerry Houser – (in "To Play or Not to Play")
* Dennis Howard – (in "Wildsharkk")
* Erv Immerman – (in "Night of the Living Shadows")
* Danny Mann – (in "Bonechill")
* Kellie Martin – Young Lana Lang (in "The Birthday Party")
* Ron Masak – (in "Wildsharkk")
* Mary McDonald-Lewis – Wonder Woman (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
* Cindy McGee – (in "Graduation")
* Howard Morris – Prankster/Oswald Loomis (in "Triple-Play")
* Ron Palillo – (in "Night of the Living Shadows")
* Diane Pershing – Anne White (in "Wildsharkk")
* Pat Pinney – Scout Leader (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
* Henry Polic II – Captain Wildsharkk (in "Wildsharkk")
* Hal Rayle – (in "The Big Scoop", "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Kathy Ritter – (in "Bonechill")
* Jennifer Roach –
* Stu Rosen – Catcher Henchman (in "Triple-Play")
* Neil Ross – S.T.A.R. Labs Security Guard (in "Fugitive from Space")
* Will Ryan – Conroy (in "The Adoption")
* Susan Silo – Xelandra (in "Fugitive from Space")
* John Stephenson – Driving Instructor (in "The Driver's License")
* Carl Steven –
* Lynne Marie Stewart – (in "The Big Scoop", "Graduation")
* Andre Stojka – Professor Gerber (in "Bonechill"), Bowling Alley Manager (in "Bonechill")
* Cree Summer – (in "Bonechill", "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
* Eric Suter – (in "Bonechill")
* Russi Taylor – Young Lana Lang (in "The First Day of School")
* B.J. Ward – Syrene (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
* Frank Welker – Cybron (in "Cybron Strikes")
* Tom Williams – Judge Cook (in "Triple-Play")
* Stan Wojno – Fat Henchman (in "Triple-Play")
* Patric Zimmerman – (in "Bonechill")

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## Crew

* Ginny McSwain – Voice Director
* Lynne Batchelor – Talent Coordinator

## Ties to other Superman adaptations

The series is also of note due to its use of re-orchestrated versions of John Williams' classic themes from 1978's *Superman: The Movie*, as well as an opening sequence that delivered the same narration as the 1950s *Adventures of Superman* television series (but by the narrator from *Super Friends*).

## Home media

Warner Home Video, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment released the series as a 2-disc set on November 3, 2009.

1. ↑ Template:Cite news
2. ↑ 1988 Animated Theme – RM
3. ↑ 1988 Animated Theme – MP3
4. ↑ 1988 Animated Theme: Version 2 – RM
5. ↑ 1988 Animated Theme: Version 2 – MP3
6. ↑ Template:Cite news