Superhero Cartoons on television have been popular for well over thirty years. While not everyone reads comics, nearly everyone can at least name the superheroes Batman, Spiderman, and the all American superhero, Superman. The past few years have brought many different superheroes back into children’s television. Some include old favorites like Batman on the hit animated series, The Batman, and Superman who is one of the primary characters of Legion of Super Heroes.

Legion of Super Heroes was developed by the geniuses at Warner Brothers Animation. The show, which can be seen regularly on the Kids WB’s (CW Network) Saturday morning cartoon lineup, is just about to start its second season. The first season of the show debuted on September 23, 2006. Season One of Legion of Super Heroes contained 13 episodes. An additional 13 episodes have been produced for the second season of the show, which debuts this Saturday, September 22, 2007 in its new time slot, at 11:00 AM.

To commemorate the beginning of the new season, Warner Bros. has released Legion of Super Heroes: Vol. 1. This DVD contains four episodes from the first season of the show. There are also bonus features in the form of upcoming kid-friendly Warner Brothers trailers and a special feature, “We are Legion”, discussing the making of the show and its transformation from comic books to television.

The plot for Legion of Super Heroes centers on a group of futuristic superheroes from the 31st century who go back in time to bring the legendary superhero, Superman, into the future to help them defeat evil in the present day world. Through some type of intergalactic time travelling mix up, the group heads back to a time prior to Superman’s existence, when young Clark Kent was just about to leave Smallville to work in Metropolis for the Daily Planet. Clark is aware of his powers and his differences, but he has yet to realize his superhero potential.

The first episode on this disc is “Man of Tomorrow”, also known as episode 1.1. In this episode, we are introduced to the legion of super heroes, which include Lightning Lad, Triplicate Girl, Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Bouncing Boy. The Legion is a group of superheroes fighting for the good of the world and the safety of the people in it. This is the episode where they first recruit a young Clark Kent, promising to return him to the past within moments of his departure from it, after he has helped them. He is also promised a glimpse into his past, while in the future, which will ultimately reveal his fate as the superhero of Metropolis.

In episode two, 1.2 also known as “Timber Wolf”, Superman has decided to stay on to learn more about his future self, and in turn, help the Legion defeat the forces of evil that remain. It is here that the Legion comes across a type of were-wolf/man hybrid with superpowers. He is the son of a famous scientist on a distant planet, who has transformed him into a were-creature through weird experiments that were done on the boy. This is the first introduction to future Legion member, Timber Wolf.

Episode three is known as “Legacy” or 1.3 in the first season of the show. In this episode, we meet a reflection of Superman’s past, Alexis Luthor. This girl is the self-proclaimed ‘richest girl in the world’ and is so spoiled when she doesn’t get what she wants, trouble ensues. Alexis has her heart set on spending all of her time with Superman. His obligation with the Legion gets in the way of that, and Alexis quickly defines herself as a Superman villain. If she can’t have his time, no one can!

Episode four is the only episode that does not air in order during the first season. “Phantoms” debuted as episode 1.6. In this episode, Superman is saddened because he can only know so much about his past through the Superman museum in New Metropolis. He knows he was an important superhero, but most of the information on his past was lost. Superman spends much of his off time at the museum and his curiosity gets the best of him, as he uses an ancient device in the museum, releasing an enemy from his past that creates havoc in 31st century New Metropolis.

Legion of Super Heroes is an interesting and entertaining show based on the Legion of Super Heroes comic book series that has been around for nearly 50 years. This show is kid friendly and actually has a fairly enjoyable plot. Parents can be assured the content of this show is not questionable and will provide entertainment for any superhero fan, no matter what their age is.

Legions of Super Heroes was released by Warner Bros. on 8/28/07. You can find out more at the Warner Bros. website for classic cartoon DVDs.

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