One of my favorite shows from last year is Back – My Adventures with Superman, the Adult Swim animated DC superhero series with a modern retelling of the early days of Superman and the budding romance with Lois Lane in Metropolis. Season one ended less than a year ago, with Clark, Lois, and Jimmy having the worst Thanksgiving ever in Smallville and shadows of new threats to come. Adult Swim is doing a two-episode season premiere at midnight on May 25th and will be streaming the next day on MAX. The new season starts a few months after the end of season one; with our core relationship still intact and Clark still having his best pal, there’s nothing the trio can’t handle. Little status quo changes in our heroes’ professional lives have happened, but you never feel lost one bit.
(Note there could be some light spoilers for the end of Season One.)
The Season Premiere episode, More Things in Heaven and Earth, deals directly with Clark after the stuff he learned at the end of the season when the Kryptonian technology went haywire, not helping the threat of Amanda Waller and Task Force X problem much. Clark is having dreams and must go on an adventure to the North Pole. Most Superman fans should have an idea of what he might find. The Episode does a great job of getting you back into the world of this RomCom Superhero show. Clark’s anxiety over heritage, while juxtaposed with it being Valentine’s Day and what to do with for his date with Lois, adds some great humor to the adventure plot as the trio has to deal with good old Task Force X. At the same time, Clark learns some significant things about his past. He sets up some primary goals for the season. One of which is kind of spoiled by the key art. One thing I didn’t expect was for the showrunners to use the character Damage, not the classic one, but the one from 2018, after the Dark Nights: Metal event. This doesn’t add much for many, but it was a pleasant surprise for those of us who read a lot of DC Comics. The animation by Studio Mir is still as excellent as it was last season, and the designs of the new character we get in this Episode are great. The Episode overall has a lot of heart as Clark deals with some pretty big revelations of his past; I also like how it keeps the Lois and Clark stuff connected to the whole plot, along with Jimmy being the right amount of levity in these wild situations. All the voice actors are great, but I’d like to acknowledge how Debra Wilson is starting to become THE Amanda Waller in my head now between this show and playing all those hours of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League earlier this year. Amanda Waller is having a good run in these times, and this show continues the solid push as a great antagonist in the DC canon. Episode One of Season Two is a great stage setter.
Score: A
The second Episode of the premiere Adventures with My Girlfriend has Clark having to help Lois find her Father, General Sam Lane, who’s been missing since the season finale of Season One. This Episode has a lot of other plotlines that are surprisingly not confusing and none that feel short-changed. While we have the central issue of Clark and Lois searching for General Lane, we also have the whole Boyfriend and Father not getting along with the added dynamic of the classic Clark/Superman dynamic of people not knowing they are one and the same. The humor plot is good, with Jimmy and Perry needing him to do more with Flamebird, so Jimmy has to figure out how not to slack off on responsibilities but also join up with Clark and Lois on the adventure. There are some solid jokes in this, which also capture the spirit of Jimmy Olsen comics. The last plotline that connects to the main one is a young kid who asks Superman to find his dad, and Clark and Lois summarise that it’s connected to her father. The Episode wraps something that happens in the real world into the story very well. I was very impressed with how it navigated this with Superman, his reaction, and Waller’s mentality with her part in it all. This Episode also has some great action set pieces with solid pacing throughout the whole Episode. The Episode also does great in continuing the season’s long story angles.
Score: A
Overall, this two-episode premiere is a fantastic start to this new season. While there is Amanda Waller, there are enough character clues that Superman’s Rogues gallery is going to build up to the iconic heavy hitters quickly. My Adventures With Superman hasn’t lost a single step, and I feel we’re ready for a banger of a new season.
RIOTUS 