Challenge of the Superfriends

Apache Chief and Aquaman are trapped in the past in the episode “The Time Trap.”

For most of my Saturday Mornings, I would get up and watch cartoons. Been doing that most of my life. A lot of you out there are going, “You’re forty and you still watch cartoons.” To which I say, “So what?” I love cartoons. I am fascinated by the way they are made, the creative process, the artistic direction, and the story. Many of today’s cartoons are created by people my age. Get over it and enjoy it for what it is.

So I try to watch the stuff they have on now, which includes “Power Rangers Lost Galaxy,” a live action show that reminds me of the shows from the 1970’s like “The Secret of Isis,” “Jason of Star Command,” and “Space Academy.” They have a rather simplistic plot, fight aliens or some such threat, and the heroes win or pass some form of moral judgment on us impressionable youths.

There are some Japanese anime airing now in the states, heavily toned down in violence and graphic depictions, with plots that I don’t much care for. They are based on card games or cock fighting with strange monsters that you somehow can store in some sort of tennis ball sized container. Some of the episodes are fine to watch, some of them are dreck.

On one such Saturday morning, after staring at the screen dumbfounded by what I saw, I pulled out a DVD of “Challenge of the Superfriends.” This DVD had four episodes of the show, spotlighting the adventures of the Justice League of America versus The Legion of Doom. Itt harkens back to a simpler time, where comics were telling implausible stories of heroes defying the laws of physics.

The animation was simple, made by the great studio Hanna Barbara. Essentially the same folks that created “Scooby Doo.” The animation was simple, the stories not so complex as they are today. They showcased Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and other DC Comics heroes working together, being friends, beating the bad guys who didn’t go medieval on anyone.

This particular DVD sports four favorite episodes: “Wanted: Ten Super Friends,” “Invasion of the Fearians,” “The World’s Deadliest Game,” and “The Time Trap.” All these episodes have had heavy rotation on ABC’s Saturday Morning lineup. I must have seen these episodes dozens of times growing up, and didn’t quite get bored with them.

My favorite episode, “The Time Trap,” has this time travelling plan that seems to work. Gorilla Grodd creates this time doorway to commit crimes in the past. Apache Chief and Aquaman are transported 70 million years in the past (!) by a scheme carried out by Black Manta and Giganta.

Another scheme is executed by Captain Cold and Sinestro, which Green Lantern and Samurai intercept. This time, they are transported to the time of King Arthur. The villains have stolen King Arthur’s treasure and trapped Green Lantern and Samurai there.

Batman and Robin are dealing with Solomon Grundy and Gorilla Grodd, who take them to ancient Rome. Batman and Robin are captured  and blamed for stealing Ceaser’s treasure and sentenced to the Arena.

In order to save themselves, Aquaman and Apache Chief bury an emergency radio at the precise location of the future site of the Hall of Justice. This gives Superman the idea of using a tracking device to detect the radios of the others. Superman uses his abilities to travel through time to rescue the others.

The Superfriends unite to stop the villains’ last theft, at Sutter’s Mill where gold was discovered in California. Green Lantern transports them back to that time period to stop them. Grodd manages to orchestrate an escape after being defeated.

The other episode that I thoroughly enjoyed was the “The Invasion of the Fearians.” Here the Legion of Doom negotiates with an alien race, the Fearians from the planet Venus.  They asks the Legion to change the climate of the world so that it is like their world. If successful, the Fearians would then take care of the Superfriends.

The Legion of Doom carry out climate changes by using their schemes to increase the temperature and environment. The Superfriends manage to stop them, but do not notice the sudden climate change. The Fearians (really just one, a three headed green alien) use their advanced technology to trap the Superfriends.

Tricking the Fearians to thinking that they escaped, the Fearians deactivates their trap and allows the Superfriends to escape and to change the environment back to normal. They then proceed to defeat the Legion of Doom, where they escape once again.

These episodes are pure escapism. They do not have complicated plots, but are so much fun and simplistic. For a young child, this was a time to jump in and imagine being that hero. They continued to keep the heroes of the DC Universe alive.

Watching these episodes made for a half hour of entertainment. They made kids happy and excited to want to be the next Wonder Woman or Superman. These heroes were making a difference in their world. They combined the animated sensibilities of the old Warner Bros. cartoons with DC Superheroes.

So, next Saturday, I am going to try and catch some of the more ‘smarter’ Saturday Morning Cartoons that I find more appealing. A lot of it is not good, but if you look you can find some real gems. They could be classics like “The Challenge of the Superfriends.”