Superman Adventures – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Rich Burchett — Flesh and Steel

September 9, 2021 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Superman Adventures #2, December 1996

As discussed previously, the Superman animated TV series, living in the shadow of its older, more popular brother, Batman Animated, never really garners the respect it deserves.

In fact, all the 90s DC “all ages” comics based on the animated series are not appreciated enough.

Give the current interest and investment in YA and kids comics by nearly all publishers, those Superman and Batman series were likely, and unfortunately, too far ahead of their time.

I hope someday it makes commercial sense to collect all the Superman and Batman material into complete collections. They are delightful comics.

Also, similarly discussed, is the fact that Rich Burchett is a vastly underrated storyteller and artist. Pages like this are standard examples of his creative storytelling and imaginative use of composition and camera angles.

And Metallo? Finally something that is not underrated. He is a terrific member of Superman’s modern rogue gallery, especially the version that appears here, following up a classic episode on the TV series.

John Byrne featured a revamped scary Metallo as the first foe in his revamp of Superman — quite a different character than the earliest version that appeared way back in Action #252 (1959). Of course, hardly anyone remembers that Metallo was introduced in that issue, since it is upstaged (understatement) by the introduction of Supergirl in a separate story.

Rich Burchett — Mechanical Monsters

March 20, 2021 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Superman Adventures #1, November 1996

The Fleischer Studio Superman Cartoons — the very first time Superman appeared on the big screen — continue to be regarded as animation legends.

Watching them today, 80 years later, they appear more astonishing than ever. This is especially true when you realize how much the studio was able to accomplish with the technology of the day.

The best known — and perhaps highest regarded — of these 8 original Fleischer shorts is the second one, “The Mechanical Monsters.”

Superman vs. an army of robots?

What’s not to love?

So it’s only fitting that the first issue of Superman Adventures, adapting the contemporary (1996) animated series, features Superman battling… an army of robots.

Writer Paul Dini and artists Rich Burchett and Terry Austin provide us with an action-packed “all ages” adventure, which includes Superman fighting a fairly powerful Superman robot.

Superman vs. Superman?

What’s not to love?

Side note: Superman The Animated Series, coming in the shadow of the phenomenal Batman animated series, doesn’t get enough love. My daughter and I watched them all. It’s a terrific version of Superman. Trust us on this.