All-New Super Friends Hour: Rampage (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the final episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon Superman and Green Lantern team up to save the day when a wild elephant is loose in India.  

This is a fun cartoon. Superman and Green Lantern have to save the day without harming the elephants making saving the day feel like a real challenge. The elephants have a great design, and the background art of India is very eye pleasing. The climatic action scene is done quite well. There is some of that very corny superhero dialogue that I love. While there may not be anything new here there is still enough to enjoy. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Ghost (1977)

 

This is the third segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, the villainous Gentleman Ghost (a real comic book supervillain who is called Gentlemen Jim in this episode) once again rises from the grave. He wants to get revenge on Superman and Wonder Woman who stopped his evil deeds the last time he rose from the grave. All the Super Friends team up together to stop him. 

This is a wonderful episode. There is a real atmospheric feel here that gives the whole segment a great Halloween-y feel. This is especially seen very well in the great gothic background art. This artwork is reminiscent of the best Scooby-Doo episodes. Gentleman Ghost is a wonderful villain here. He is actually kind of creepy for a Super Friends villain. The way he turns people into ghosts makes him especially creepy. He also feels like a real threat to our heroes here, creating a great sense of suspense throughout. The climax is especially exciting and effectively creepy. Though the villain's plan is aimed against Superman and Wonder Woman, this episode makes great use of each Super Friend. 

This is simply a very exciting and atmospheric episode. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Stowaways (1977)

 This is the second segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon two teenage girls get in trouble when they stowaway on a yacht. The Wonder Twins must save them.

This is one of the better Wonder Twins cartoons. While the dialogue can still feel overly didactic, the action is pretty fun here. This is thanks to some strong artwork, including some great effects animation. The climax is actually kind of exciting. The two teenage girls though are as bland as can be and speak only in forced dialogue that drives the message home further.   

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Protector (1977)

 

This is the first segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, Batman, Robin and Aquaman team up to stop a villain named The Shark who steals valuables from various ships with his immobilizer ray. He does this to keep ships from going out to sea and because of this he views himself as a protector of the sea. 

This is an excellent episode. The use of fog out at sea creates a great sense of atmosphere and helps it stand out. Beyond this the background art (especially aboard the ship) is typically excellent. The Shark is a fun villain with a very memorable design and a great voice. His immobilizer ray is a good gimmick and makes him a believable threat to our heroes. The action is quite fun as well. The story is simple, but it is just the kind of simplistic superhero fun that I love. 

  

All-New Super Friends Hour: Cable Car Rescue (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, Wonder Woman and the Atom team up to save passengers stranded on a cable car in the Rocky Mountains. 

This is a wonderful cartoon. Taking place at the Rocky Mountains, there is a great sense of atmosphere throughout. The background art of the rugged and snowy terrain is fantastic, with great detail that makes it feel real to us. The effects animation with the lighting also adds to this sense of atmosphere. All this also works together to create a real sense of danger. You really feel the danger all the passengers are in and the episode gets a good amount of suspense out of this basic premise. The superhero action is pretty basic as well. However, it is also quite effective and exciting. 

This episode may be very basic, but it is also Super Friends doing a great job at what it does best. 

-Michael J. Ruhland 

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Mummy of Nazca (1977)

 

This is the third segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this episode, our heroes must save the day when the evil Professor Korloff brings an ancient mummy to life for his own nefarious reasons. 

As a fan of superheroes and the old Universal monster movies, this episode is a pure delight. The whole episode has a delight spooky Halloween-eque feel to it that I find tons of fun. The mummy's design is simple but very effective and his muffled vocal noises give him a delightful spooky feel. On top of this the mummy proves to be a very fun Super Friends villain, feeling like a real threat to our heroes. To name the professor leading the mummy Professor Korloff is a very fun nod to the classic Universal monster movies and to Boris Karloff who was the star of the horror classic, The Mummy (1932). The action scenes are a lot of fun here as well. 

If I had one complaint it is that this episode takes place mostly in the daytime. A spooky themed episode like this would have been even more fun and effective with a nighttime setting. 

All in all, though, this is a delightful episode. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Dangerous Prank (1977)

 

This is the second segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, the Wonder Twins must help when a prank goes very wrong and a teenage girl ends up trapped in an avalanche.

This is another rather lame Wonder Twins cartoon. Once again, the message takes precedence over any actual entertainment. Once again, this message is presented in a very didactic way with dialogue that is much too on the nose. The supporting characters again seem to only exist to drive home this obvious moral.

I will say that the background art is lovely in this cartoon though. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Frozen Peril (1977)

 

This is the first segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon Superman and Aquaman team up to stop the evil Sculpin, when he freezes all the world's oceans. 

This is a fun cartoon. Sculpin has a wonderful design and voice that makes him a fun and memorable villain. With his freeze way and other technology, he truly does feel like a real threat to our heroes. This leads to some very fun action scenes, especially one involving a whale helping Aquaman. The cartoon also very much benefits from great background art, which gives it a great sense of atmosphere and fun. The story itself is simplistic and breezy, which creates just the kind of corny superhero fun I love. 

The only real complaint I have is the obvious didactic dialogue at the end but that was par for the course for a TV cartoon at this time.  

The All-New Super Friends Hour: Tibetan Raiders (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the thirteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, Superman and Flash team up to save passengers on a stranded aircraft when they are attacked by Tibetan Raiders.

This is a very well-made cartoon. A Himalayan setting allows for some incredibly atmospheric background art. This atmosphere is enhanced by a great pitch-black sky and some snow effects in front of all the action. Though the villains are no match for Superman or the Flash, the action scenes are well done and fun to watch. This is an extremely simple story but that is its charm. Sometimes we don't need something complex or on a large scale. Sometimes a simple story of superheroes saving the day is all we need and that is exactly what this episode provides.  

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Tiny World of Terror (1977)

 

This is the third segment of the thirteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, a group of scientists create a shrinking way. All but one of these scientists seek to use the shrinking ray to help better the world. The other scientist seeks to use it for personal gain. This evil scientist uses the ray to shrink his collogues, so that he can use it the way he pleases. The super friends stop him. 

This is a very fun episode. I have always had a fondness for these episodes with a typical person as the villain rather than some great supervillain. I especially love when these villains can actually feel like a threat to our super powered heroes. This is done very well here. There is especially a bit of suspense in the climax. The cartoon really gets good when the Super Friends must shrink themselves to save the other scientists. Seeing them deal with seemingly giant versions of smaller animals and insects is simply the type of corny superhero fun that I love. The design work on these creatures is wonderful and helps make the sci-fi feel even more fun. This episode also once again benefits from some strong background art that enhances the sci-fi feel. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Man-Beast of Xra (1977)

 

This is the first segment of the thirteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, Superman, Batman and Robin must stop Dr. Xra, who has created half-animal, half-man beasts. 

This is a delightful cartoon. The whole episode has a wonderful halloween-y look to it. The nighttime lighting and the wonderful background art (especially the swamp leading to Dr. Xra's mansion) create a wonderful sense of atmosphere that can hold its own with the original Scooby-Doo series in this area. The designs of the creatures are also wonderful. They are delightfully creepy and imposing without being too scary to take away from the lighthearted fun. The action scenes are also quite well done and exciting. 

This is a wonderful cartoon that provides some great spooky superhero fun. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Day of the Rats

 

This is the fourth segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, Batman, Robin and Black Vulcan team up team up to stop a rat infestation in Gotham City. 

This is a fun little episode. We see Gotham City too little in this series and seeing it here truly helps give this episode a unique feel. The dark lighting and the urban setting give this episode an almost film-noir type of look that fits this storyline perfectly. The background art and lighting are perfect here, truly bringing the setting to life. The design of the rats here is also perfect, as they have a delightfully creepy look that helps give this almost a light horror vibe that works quite well. This cartoon also has some great action and suspense scenes. The scene with the elevator is especially exciting and well handled. 

If anything works against this cartoon, it is that the short runtime work against it. The segment seems to end as soon as it begins, and this makes the conclusion feel rushed and too easy. 

All in all, this is a very well-made cartoon.  

All-New Super Friends Hour: The Lionmen (1977)

 

This is the third segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon an alien race called the Lionmen want to carve up the planet Earth to sell its resources to the highest bidder. 

This is a delightful episode. The villains are a lot of fun. Their designs are excellent as they truly feel other worldly and creative. The voice of their leader is also a great and fun super villain voice. The Lionmen also feel like a real threat to our heroes, and this leads to a good sense of suspense and excitement. The scenes aboard the alien spaceship are especially exciting. The action scenes are a lot of fun as well, providing just the type of superhero fun we have come to expect from this series. These action scenes also do a great job utilizing each and every one of the Super Friends. This episode also benefits from some great artwork. The background art is as wonderful as ever, giving the cartoon a great sci-fi feel. The effects animation is especially excellent here, often giving the episode a larger than life feel. 

This is a wonderful episode.   

All New Super Friends Hour: Pressure Point (1977)

 

This is the second segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest. 

In this cartoon, the Wonder Twins help when a teenage motorcyclist attempts a dangerous jump in order to prove to his friends that he is a good motorcyclist. 

This is another lame Wonder Twins cartoon. This serves as a very obvious and unsubtle PSA about being safe. The dialogue simply comes off as too didactic and the teenagers simply exist to convey this very basic message. The action scenes lack the excitement of those in cartoons starring the more popular DC heroes and the few attempts at humor fell too forced.   

All-New Super Friends Hour: Forbidden Power (1977)

 

This is the first segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.

In this cartoon Batman and Robin team up with Wonder Woman team up to save Professor Zarkov from mutants from outer space. 

This is a fun little sci-fi episode. The outer space setting is delightful and allows the artists to be very creative. The background art is not only wonderful to look at but feels completely other worldly. The designs of the alien creatures are also excellent. They are very creative and add delightfully to the other worldly feel to this episode. The storyline is simple but there is something charming in its simplicity. There is something simply quite satisfying about watching superheroes deal with a sci-fi environment and sci-fi creatures and this episode takes full advantage of this.  

This is simply a fun little superhero adventure.

All-New Super Friends Hour: Attack of the Killer Bees (1977)

 

This is the final segment of the eleventh episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.

In this cartoon Aquaman and Samurai help a small village in Africa, when it is overrun with killer bees.

This is a delightful episode. This is heavily because the African setting allows for some great artwork. The background art is wonderful as always. The setting allows the artists to depart from their usual more urban and Amercian artwork and they take full advantage of this. The artwork on the animals in the opening scene also look fantastic, making one wish that we were able to see more exotic animals over the course of this series. Because of this artwork, right from the opening scene this episode has a unique atmosphere that helps it stand out. The action scenes are also quite well done, and it is very impressive what the animators were able to accomplish here with such limited animation. 

The one real problem with this episode is that it is hard to believe that killer bees could be taken seriously as a threat to Aquaman and Samurai. 

All in all, great artwork and a sense of atmosphere really enhance what is otherwise a standard superhero adventure. 

All-New Super Friends Hour: Exploration Earth (1977)

 This is the third segment of the eleventh episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.

In this episode, the Super Friends must stop some alien robots, who are stealing various objects and kidnapping people to take them to their masters. 

This is a delightful episode. Once again there is something just simply satisfying about watching these superheroes fight giant robots. This is such a simple premise, but it is one that is very charming and fun. This allows for some fun action scenes. The design of the robots is very effective and there is a good amount of suspense as they feel like a legitimate threat to our heroes. I also appreciate how the action scenes make good use of every single member of the Super Friends and none of them feel wasted. The episode also features some great and atmospheric background art as Superman travels to the alien planet towards the climax. This episode also features a great twist about the villains behind the robots that is very clever. 

A great episode.   

-Michael J. Ruhland

All-New Super Friends Hour: Cheating (1977)

  This is the second segment of the eleventh episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.

In this cartoon a teenager tries to cheat by taking a shortcut in a foot race. However, he discovers a couple of cub scouts caught on a ledge. He decides not to help the small kids because if he did everyone would find out he was a cheater. 

This is another lame Wonder Twins short. The story and characters, only exist to teach the moral. The result is a didactic and forgettable short. However, this is better than some of the other Wonder Twins shorts due to some great background art and effects animation. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

All-New Super Friends Hour: Fifty Foot Woman (1977)

 

 This is the first segment of the eleventh episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.

In this short, Professor Amy Zahn creates a formula to make women as physically strong as men. The formula makes her turn fifty feet tall. The experiment affects her mind as well and she goes on a rampage. Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman team up to return her back to normal. 

This is a fun episode. The idea of superheroes fighting a giant is something so simple yet charming. This leads to some great action scenes and a good sense of suspense when she captures Batman. The villain herself is again very simple but there is a lot of fun in her simplicity. The moral of this story is a great one about how women and men are already equals and women don't need to change themselves to prove that. The delivery may be a bit didactic but not in a way that distracts from the fun of this cartoon. I will admit though Wonder Woman's joke at the end is a bit of a groaner.  

All-New Super Friends Hour: Alaska Peril (1977)

 

Note: This review contians spoilers. 

 This is the final segment of the tenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.

In this cartoon Batman, Robin and Apache Chief work together to help save some scientists in Alaska from an ice monster. 

This is a fun cartoon. There is something that is always satisfying about watching superheroes fighting big monsters. The premise is so basic and simply but also really fun. The monster here has a fun design with his glowing red eyes. Yet at the same time there is something in his design that makes him look very sympathetic at the same time. This is a great idea that pays off at the end. This short ends with the monster turning out not to be a bad guy but simply feeling threatened and trying to protect himself and his home. This is a delightful twist that works very well. This episode also benefits from some fun action scenes. The snowy setting allows for some great atmospheric background art.