SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 6 Hours, 5 Min.
Though it’s slightly confusing, Super Friends, Volume Two features sixteen 1978 twenty-minute installments that served as the first half of an ABC-TV Saturday morning Super-Friends double-feature. Hence, Volume Two’s adventures feature Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman & Robin, Aquaman, and The Wonder Twins only, with the remaining Justice Leaguers conveniently ignored.
The hour-long block’s second half was Challenge of the Super-Friends. Featuring the complete Justice League/Super-Friends TV roster (minus The Wonder Twins) during that time, Challenge’s own sixteen episodes were released on DVD first in 2005.
Several months later, this two-disc Super Friends, Volume Two set was released in mid-2006, which was later followed by a 2018 re-release. In standard-screen only, Volume 2’s sixteen adventures are:
Disc 1: 1 – Rokan: Enemy from Space
2 – The Demons of Exxor
3 – Battle at the Earth’s Core
4 – Sinbad and the Space Pirates
5 – The Pied Piper of Space
6 – Attack of the Vampire (guest-starring Dracula)
7 – The Beasts Are Coming
8 – Terror from the Phantom Zone
Disc 2: 9 – The Anti-Matter Monster
10 – World Beneath the Ice
11 – Invasion of the Brain Creatures
12 – The Incredible Space Circus
13 – Batman: Dead or Alive
14 – Battle of the Gods
15 – Journey Through Inner Space
16 – The Rise and Fall of the Super Friends.
Note: The Super Friends: The Lost Episodes DVD set includes a sequel to “Terror from the Phantom Zone;” it’s entitled “Return of the Phantoms” with guest stars Green Lantern & Superboy.
REVIEW:
For the Late 70’s, this program’s production values were the best the Hanna-Barbera factory had; by comparison, rival Filmation’s rudimentary competition looked utterly chintzy. Though perhaps forgotten, Volume Two’s scripting includes surprisingly good storytelling in several episodes (i.e. Attack of the Vampire; Terror from the Phantom Zone), though some others (i.e. The Pied Piper of Space) may be considered duds. All in all, it’s ample compensation given the excessive screen time Hanna-Barbera’s Wonder Twins & Gleek were allotted.
Then again, Zan & Jayna (even Gleek, for that matter) actually exhibited distinctive personalities. By contrast, this bland incarnation of the primary Super-Friends (Wonder Woman, Batman & Robin, Aquaman, and Superman) often mirrored talking cardboard with interchangeable ‘I’ve got to act fast!’-style dialogue, aside from a few obligatory catchphrases each character possessed. Still, the program’s welcome entertainment value isn’t compromised much.
Though Challenge of the Super-Friends has long overshadowed this season’s episodes, Super Friends, Volume Two retains its own nostalgic charm closing in on a half-century later.
BONUS FEATURES:
Languages and sub-titles available are English, French, and Spanish.
Entitled “The Ballad of Zan and Jayna,” Disc 1’s featurette is a tongue-in-cheek music video/montage tribute to The Wonder Twins. As to the mystery vocalist’s identity (beyond the obvious pseudonym credited), it sounds like voice actor Michael Bell (yes, “Zan” himself).
With commentary by a mini-assortment of celebrities and ‘cultural enthusiasts,’ Disc 2’s featurette is a “Pajama-Rama Super Friends Retrospective.”
PACKAGING:
Despite some deceptive imagery (specifically, Challenge’s Flash, Hawkman, & Apache Chief aren’t in these sixteen episodes), the DVD’s are safely encased. Each disc’s contents are accurately listed.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
