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List Price: $26.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 22429
Released: June 20, 2006 |
| Our Price: $15.49 |
| Used Price: $11.98 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Alien warships instantly appear and attack Metropolis. Superman flies into action to save his beloved city, but his powers are not enough. This enemy is greater than any other Superman will ever know: the malicious Darkseid, a vicious dictator intent on controlling the universe and the one villain Superman is willing to kill ...or die trying. Darkseid vows to Superman, "If you will not be my knight, then you will be my pawn." No idle threat, he manipulates the Man of Steel to take over Earth in a plot that ultimately changes Superman's life forever! With this 2-disc, 18-episode collection, experience the colossal showdown of two titans from the very first punch!
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentaries on select episodes with the creators and the directors.
Easter Eggs:Easter Egg: A never seen before deleted scene with introduction by Bruce Timm.
Featurette:Superman: Behind The Cape -- David Kaufman, voice of Jimmy Olsen, takes you journey on how a show comes together.
Description of Superman - The Animated Series, Volume Three (DC Comics Classic Collection):
Superman: The Animated Series, Volume Three, would sadly be the final run of this great animated series before getting cancelled. In this season the show was beginning to take on a daring new direction, which some might say was more grim (like the episode "Unity") and a bit darker than past Superman incarnations. The stories were also becoming more challenging and interesting, ending with Superman and Lois Lane locking lips. But the change to the formula was definitely an asset to the series giving Superman yet another modern facelift. The most notable change was the addition of the super villains from Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. Since Superman was such a "superhero" it was really tough to find villains to fight him on an equal playing field. Kirby’s Darkseid and Planet of the Apokolips characters provided some cool villains that could compete with Superman punch for punch, adding a mysterious, dark element to the Superman mythos. These characters make up some of the best episodes of the season including the great two part episodes "Apokolips…Now!," "Little Girl Lost" and " the series finale "Legacy." Other notable changes were the inclusion of some superguest stars such as Aquaman and Green Lantern, as well as the introduction of Supergirl to the series. --Rob Bracco
Superman - The Animated Series, Volume Three (DC Comics Classic Collection) Reviews:
Superman - The Animated Series, Vol 3 
2009-09-14 - Excellent volume that I did not realize I missed most of these episodes when they came out. Superman as Batman - A Knight's Tale was excellent. Worth completing the Superman series and adding to the Batman Animated Series.
Superman Vol. 3
2009-08-30 - This is a fantastic dvd which nicely rounds out the Superman storyline given to us from producer Bruce Timm. It is a must have for all Superman fans, and a staple for the DC animated universe.
An above average children's show 
2009-08-08 - I watched the animated BATMAN with my daughter when she was a small child, when it was coming out for the first time. I recently watched the Justice League cartoons that were done by largely the same people. I should have watched SUPERMAN before watching JUSTICE LEAGUE and JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, and so should you if you haven't seen them all yet. SUPERMAN, like BATMAN, is not at all a bad show. It is, in fact, a very decent one. The problem is that the Justice League shows are extraordinary and they make all of the others look weak in comparison. On the other hand, watching SUPERMAN after JUSTICE LEAGUE really brings how brilliant the latter truly was and how much both the writing and the animation techniques improved as they worked on it.
Still, SUPERMAN is all in all a pretty decent cartoon series. While the writing isn't nearly as strong or as innovative as the writing on JUSTICE LEAGUE would be, it was still quite above normal for children's programming and the voice talent, like all of the DC cartoon shows, is top notch. It is all quite watchable, but I never, ever got the sense that I was watching something remarkable as I did with JL.
I also did not care much for the general "dumbbing down" of the DC stories. And some of the revisions of traditional DC storylines were unnecessary and arbitrary. For instance, they do a Green Lantern origins episode in Season Three, several traditional elements are changed. Abin Sur is shown as having been pursued by Sinestro, whereas in most origins stories Abin Sur is deeply upset at the death of his colleague. And Sinestro is shown already a fully blown bad guy upon the selection of the earthling Green Lantern for Section 2814. The successor of Abin Sur is in this version Kyle Raynor, while there is a bizarre nod to the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan in the episode. Why Kyle Raynor instead of Hal Jordan? Perhaps because Jordan's back story as a test pilot is too well established, while it was easier to work with Raynor? It was all just odd and I'm confused at nearly all of the narrative choices in this particular episode. But the same kind of oddness afflicts several episodes. Not to beat too often on the same drum, but these kinds of changes were much better handled in the later JL series.
I don't recommend skipping this episode, but I definitely recommend watching the three DC series in the order that they were made, BATMAN, then SUPERMAN, and then JUSTICE LEAGUE. While the first two series are of a similar quality, the third grew into something truly special.
Crowning moment in the Superman cartoon series
2009-01-30 - This is the series that collectors must have! Seeing this before watching the Justice League Animated series will answer a lot of questions new viewers might have about some of the decisions that Superman makes and the world around him. The best season of the 3.
Definitely worth seeing, but not par with Batman 
2008-07-20 - I've liked Superman ever since Doomsday walked into the scene. I loved the Batman cartoons as a kid, but never saw the Superman episodes. Since I knew they were done by the same team, I decided to give them a try. My final reaction after watching all 3 seasons: it was okay. I'd give it three and a half if I could, but oh well.
DC could have done things much better with Superman. Some of the voices of the villains were downright annoying, particularly Livewire and Volcana. The animation is at least a step down from the Batman series, at one point toward the end of this season I thought I was watching an old Scooby Doo episode (Superman's Pal). And I hated the way the show ended. The episodes were good, yes, but it made earth and us humans look like a bunch of racist, small-minded goombas.
Superman's weaknesses get VERY old. No kidding, Superman gets electocuted in 8 straight episodes. The writers got so tired of thinking of ways to hurt him, they just started shocking the heck out of him and playing the same sound byte over and over again. I almost got to the point during all this where I gave up on the show. Superman shows no will or grit like Batman does. He comes across as a wuss. He hardly ever uses his super-speed, he hardly ever uses his heat vision or super breath, it's pathetic how these writers just couldn't come up with better storylines to give him full use of his powers. He gets baled out time after time, and you'll start to wonder, is Superman even that strong? But then he'll go and stop a space ship from getting sucked into a black hole or saving a giant airplane from crashing. It's VERY inconsistent with his powers.
It was very disappointing that the writers never gave a full season to the Doomsday arc, instead they passed the story off to a lame-brained, crappy plotted movie that I don't recommend. After seeing Spider-man do full season arcs, DC should have taken a leaf from them. Many missed opportunites in this show.
Funny as it is, the best episodes are the ones that bring in Batman. They do a wonderful job with the Superman/Batman relationship. The episode where Supes dons the cowl is hands down the best of the whole series. If you love Superman, buy it, if you just want to see more Batman, check it out from your library or download the episode. However, if you plan to watch Justice League, you'll need to know the storyline of the third season.
