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Super Friends
Showcase Presents: Super Friends, Vol. 1
This new, value priced Showcase Presents collection features tales of TV's Super Friends from the 1970s based on the hit animated TV series "Super Friends." Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow and other heroes battle the evil of The Riddler, the Time Trapper and many other DC Universe villains in these kid-friendly stories.
Collects SUPER FRIENDS #1-34.
Collects SUPER FRIENDS #1-34.
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2014
About the author
E. Nelson Bridwell
287 books9 followersEdward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine (writing the now-famous catchphrase, "What you mean...we?" in a 1958 parody of The Lone Ranger in Mad) and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics. He has been called "DC's self-appointed continuity cop."
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 6, 2026
This was THE SHOW all my comic friends and I watched as a kid. Great collection of the comics. Recommended
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April 9, 2019Collecting the first 24 issues of the Super Friends comic, this book is actually not bad. Super Friends is basically a punchline by now. But these comics are surprisingly substantive and fun. The series borrows heavily from Silver Age JLA stories: our heroes work together to thwart bombastic and weird sci-fi (and magical) threats, all the while slinging cheesy dialogue back and forth. But the lighthearted attitude and variety of threats makes Super Friends a fine all-ages comic.
I was pleasantly surprised at how little narration the stories have, putting them at odds with most comics at the time. It’s mostly dialogue, I suppose to mimic the show. Oh, there’s the usual redundant recounting of action, but writer E. Nelson Bridwell (plus Dennis O’Neil for three issues) imitates the show’s dialogue as well as possible. It comes across as slightly less clunky than narration-laden comics.
We also get a lot of cameos, from JLA members like Atom and Flash, to villains like Doctor Mist and Time Trapper. I suppose these stories exist in the universe of the TV show, but I noticed several references to main DC continuity. Silver St. Cloud’s breakup with Bruce Wayne, for instance, and Van-Zee and Ak-Var as Nightwing and Flamebird. But it’s probably best to ignore the continuity and enjoy these stories on their own.
I didn’t mind the much-maligned Wonder Twins, whose origin shocked me by being deep and emotional. Their introduction alongside the Global Guardians was neat. This is the Guardians first ever appearance before merging into mainstream continuity several years later. The Guardians are underused at DC, and I like when they show up.
Having recently binged some Silver Age DC comics, I have a better sense of where Super Friends came from. Like comics from that era, Super Friends holds up as goofy and kind of forgettable. But if you’re in the mood for stories like this, it's very fun.
I was pleasantly surprised at how little narration the stories have, putting them at odds with most comics at the time. It’s mostly dialogue, I suppose to mimic the show. Oh, there’s the usual redundant recounting of action, but writer E. Nelson Bridwell (plus Dennis O’Neil for three issues) imitates the show’s dialogue as well as possible. It comes across as slightly less clunky than narration-laden comics.
We also get a lot of cameos, from JLA members like Atom and Flash, to villains like Doctor Mist and Time Trapper. I suppose these stories exist in the universe of the TV show, but I noticed several references to main DC continuity. Silver St. Cloud’s breakup with Bruce Wayne, for instance, and Van-Zee and Ak-Var as Nightwing and Flamebird. But it’s probably best to ignore the continuity and enjoy these stories on their own.
I didn’t mind the much-maligned Wonder Twins, whose origin shocked me by being deep and emotional. Their introduction alongside the Global Guardians was neat. This is the Guardians first ever appearance before merging into mainstream continuity several years later. The Guardians are underused at DC, and I like when they show up.
Having recently binged some Silver Age DC comics, I have a better sense of where Super Friends came from. Like comics from that era, Super Friends holds up as goofy and kind of forgettable. But if you’re in the mood for stories like this, it's very fun.
November 9, 2017
This was a trip down memory lane. I remember watching the cartoon on Saturday Mornings and I even remember having some of the comics included in this collection. This is basically like reading Justice League comics from the Silver Age where everything was a little more simple and light hearted. I did think it was a little cold the way Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog got pushed aside by the Wondertwins and Gleek but I guess that's the cutthroat world of comics. I also thought it unsual that the Superfriends were Superman, Wonderwoman, Aquaman, Batman and Robin, but no Flash or Green Lantern even though they appear in the series from time to time. Once again, politics of the 70s I suppose.
If you remember the cartoon you should like the comics. And if you're a fan of Silver Age Justice League, give this a try.
If you remember the cartoon you should like the comics. And if you're a fan of Silver Age Justice League, give this a try.
January 6, 2019
This Showcase book contains the first 24 issues of the 1970s Superfriends comics. If you can make it through the first three issues they get weird with a Capital W at least for the time these comics were made. Which I must remind you was the era of Brother Power- The Geek and Prez.) Superfriends the TV series wasn't using many actual DC villains. The comic series started in late 1975 did. (The Legion of Doom season wasn't until September of 1977.) There are six very strange things about the series that made it much better than it had any right to be...
1. They started using both The Superfriends and The Justice League. Plus a lot of elements of the then current Earth-One DCU. Justice Leaguers who weren't on the Superfriends who had been part of other DC shows about a decade earlier were in it. Hawkman, Green Lantern The Flash and The Atom were both on the Superman/Aquaman Hour. Filmation got the rights to repackage those shorts (but not Superman and Batman) for syndication which is- at least according to what I read- the official explanation was to why none of them appeared in the early seasons of The Superfriends. But both main writers E. Nelson Bridwell and (writing under a pseudonym) Dennis O'Neil used characters like Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado and Zatanna. Good luck getting Zatanna or Black Canary through 1975's network standards and practices or character design approval for Hanna Barbera. The guy at my comic store said one of the issues not in this collection has Swamp Thing. Green Arrow made ONE appearance on the Superfriends TV shows up two or three times in a support role. There is a story in here that uses two even more obscure characters: Dynamite and TNT. Yes, either Crisis of possible Roy Thomas's run on Young All-Stars retcons it out but it's still kind of a cool story. This is another story that was filled with nods to Legion of Super Heroes and even focused on The Time Trapper. They give a nice twist to Mirror Master.
2. There are occasional references to actual DC Comics stories, some current for the time (like Clark Kent leaving the Daily Planet for WGBS News) and others that were old like the aforementioned Dynamite and TNT story. The Superfriends TV show pretends the comic books don't exist. But considering this was 1973-1986 and they were trying to do a Saturday Morning cartoon around the time DC was trying to catch up with Marvel by experimenting with titles like Deadman, Green Arrow, Dennis O'Neil's run on Batman, Swamp Thing etc. it might have been a good call.
3. While the full explanations were not reprinted as the letter columns aren't included, the series makes something clear that never was on the TV series. The first junior Superfriends Marvin and Wendy were NOT siblings no matter how much Geoff Johns claimed otherwise in his second run of Teen Titans. The two are very much in love but both of them are afraid it was unrequited, sort of things that 50s to mid 70s DC was super fond of doing especially with teen heroes. It's pretty much the only type of romance you can do in a kid centered book. Not only that but we actually find out what happened to Marvin and Wendy. Wendy went to study with Queen Hipolyta. Marvin went to college and later the Gotham Police Academy.
4. At least until Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, Superfriends ignored the hero's supporting cast and secret identities. Superfriends the comic uses not only Diana Prince, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson but supporting players such as Alfred, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White, Steve Trevor, Steve Lombard, Jim Gordon and even Carter Nichols who hadn't appeared in actual Batman comics for at least a decade.
5. Unlike the TV show a full origin is given for The Wonder Twins and Gleek. But that creates its own set of problems. The first few storylines they appear in are supposed to be prequels to the revival of the Superfriends. So why can Zan and Jayna do a zillion different shapes there and only do the same three or four water or animal shapes on the show? Now, we know the real world reason. The comics were limited by what the artist, usually Ramona 'Metamorpho' Fradon, could draw with an artist of her talent had few limits. While Hanna Barbera was stuck with what limited animation they could do or could swipe from the vault without costly restorations. (Ever notice how the same green monster is used on Space Ghost as Zorak, made lighter green and used on Bird Man, made blue of Galaxy Trio which aired with Birdman, made darker green on Superfriends and lime green on Scooby-Doo. That sort of thing.) The comic doesn't have that problem. While it makes the Wonder Twins a lot cooler but it still doesn't make a lot of sense.
6. None of the characters created by Hanna-Barbera diversity appear in the Superfriends comics. No Samurai, Black Vulcan, no Rima (who was actually not a DC character but a pulp character who had fallen into public domain), etc. E. Nelson Bridwell created a whole different group of international heroes. Some of whom actually got brought in to the real DCU. (The most notable of these are Fire, Icemaiden 1, Rising Sun, Tasmanian Devil and Dr. Mist.)
Now, I'm not saying these comics aren't goofy and out and out campy at times. Just that they are quite different than what I was expecting. In a way there are very reminiscent of older issues of Justice League prior to Dennis O'Neil coming in and trying to do his usual 'let's make it hip and relevant' approached that worked so well for him on Green Arrow and Batman. Maybe the remiscience shouldn't be to surprising since the writers for all these comics was either E. Nelson Bridwell or the aforementioned Mr. O'Neil. That being said the goofy stories are at their best when they bask in their weirdness but the Superfriends comics are really at their best when they try their hardest not to the Superfriends.
1. They started using both The Superfriends and The Justice League. Plus a lot of elements of the then current Earth-One DCU. Justice Leaguers who weren't on the Superfriends who had been part of other DC shows about a decade earlier were in it. Hawkman, Green Lantern The Flash and The Atom were both on the Superman/Aquaman Hour. Filmation got the rights to repackage those shorts (but not Superman and Batman) for syndication which is- at least according to what I read- the official explanation was to why none of them appeared in the early seasons of The Superfriends. But both main writers E. Nelson Bridwell and (writing under a pseudonym) Dennis O'Neil used characters like Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado and Zatanna. Good luck getting Zatanna or Black Canary through 1975's network standards and practices or character design approval for Hanna Barbera. The guy at my comic store said one of the issues not in this collection has Swamp Thing. Green Arrow made ONE appearance on the Superfriends TV shows up two or three times in a support role. There is a story in here that uses two even more obscure characters: Dynamite and TNT. Yes, either Crisis of possible Roy Thomas's run on Young All-Stars retcons it out but it's still kind of a cool story. This is another story that was filled with nods to Legion of Super Heroes and even focused on The Time Trapper. They give a nice twist to Mirror Master.
2. There are occasional references to actual DC Comics stories, some current for the time (like Clark Kent leaving the Daily Planet for WGBS News) and others that were old like the aforementioned Dynamite and TNT story. The Superfriends TV show pretends the comic books don't exist. But considering this was 1973-1986 and they were trying to do a Saturday Morning cartoon around the time DC was trying to catch up with Marvel by experimenting with titles like Deadman, Green Arrow, Dennis O'Neil's run on Batman, Swamp Thing etc. it might have been a good call.
3. While the full explanations were not reprinted as the letter columns aren't included, the series makes something clear that never was on the TV series. The first junior Superfriends Marvin and Wendy were NOT siblings no matter how much Geoff Johns claimed otherwise in his second run of Teen Titans. The two are very much in love but both of them are afraid it was unrequited, sort of things that 50s to mid 70s DC was super fond of doing especially with teen heroes. It's pretty much the only type of romance you can do in a kid centered book. Not only that but we actually find out what happened to Marvin and Wendy. Wendy went to study with Queen Hipolyta. Marvin went to college and later the Gotham Police Academy.
4. At least until Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, Superfriends ignored the hero's supporting cast and secret identities. Superfriends the comic uses not only Diana Prince, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson but supporting players such as Alfred, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White, Steve Trevor, Steve Lombard, Jim Gordon and even Carter Nichols who hadn't appeared in actual Batman comics for at least a decade.
5. Unlike the TV show a full origin is given for The Wonder Twins and Gleek. But that creates its own set of problems. The first few storylines they appear in are supposed to be prequels to the revival of the Superfriends. So why can Zan and Jayna do a zillion different shapes there and only do the same three or four water or animal shapes on the show? Now, we know the real world reason. The comics were limited by what the artist, usually Ramona 'Metamorpho' Fradon, could draw with an artist of her talent had few limits. While Hanna Barbera was stuck with what limited animation they could do or could swipe from the vault without costly restorations. (Ever notice how the same green monster is used on Space Ghost as Zorak, made lighter green and used on Bird Man, made blue of Galaxy Trio which aired with Birdman, made darker green on Superfriends and lime green on Scooby-Doo. That sort of thing.) The comic doesn't have that problem. While it makes the Wonder Twins a lot cooler but it still doesn't make a lot of sense.
6. None of the characters created by Hanna-Barbera diversity appear in the Superfriends comics. No Samurai, Black Vulcan, no Rima (who was actually not a DC character but a pulp character who had fallen into public domain), etc. E. Nelson Bridwell created a whole different group of international heroes. Some of whom actually got brought in to the real DCU. (The most notable of these are Fire, Icemaiden 1, Rising Sun, Tasmanian Devil and Dr. Mist.)
Now, I'm not saying these comics aren't goofy and out and out campy at times. Just that they are quite different than what I was expecting. In a way there are very reminiscent of older issues of Justice League prior to Dennis O'Neil coming in and trying to do his usual 'let's make it hip and relevant' approached that worked so well for him on Green Arrow and Batman. Maybe the remiscience shouldn't be to surprising since the writers for all these comics was either E. Nelson Bridwell or the aforementioned Mr. O'Neil. That being said the goofy stories are at their best when they bask in their weirdness but the Superfriends comics are really at their best when they try their hardest not to the Superfriends.
December 30, 2017
I collected the Super Friends comics as a boy. It was a pleasure to see the first 24 issues in this collection- brought back pleasant memories of reading these and comparing them to what I saw on the Saturday morning cartoon :-).
This was a pleasant reprieve from the "dark, grim and gritty" comics of today, and also a less goofy look at Wendy, Marvin, Wonderdog and when they arrived, the Wondertwins and Gleek.
The first six issues were with Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog as the junior superfriends. They helped Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin and Aquaman against a group of villains and their young proteges (Penguin, Cheetah, Toyman and the Human Flying Fish), saved the planet from the threat of the World Beater, helped against Skyrocket and the Riddler, helped take down Greenback and then the Menagerie Man. Their farewell came when Zan, Jayna and Gleek came to Earth to warn whoever they could about the threat of Grax and the bombs he planted all over the planet. Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog were the ones to meet them, and took them to the Super Friends. They and the other Justice League members teamed with international superheroes (The Seraph, Tuatara, Tasmanian Devil, Rising Sun, Godiva, Owlwoman, Impala, Little Mermaid, the Olympian, Thunderlord, Icemaiden and Jack O'Lantern) to defuse the twelve bombs, but it fell to the teenagers to stop Grax when he invaded the JLA satellite looking for revenge. He was familiar enough with the Wondertwins to counter their powers, but Marvin, Wendy and Wonderdog used the fighting skills learned from Batman and Robin to overpower Grax and hold him until the Super Friends and JLA members returned. The Super Friends pronounced them graduated and ready to become full time superheroes. They declined until after college- each of them had been accepted to the university of their choice. They left the team, and the Super Friends took on Zan, Jayna and Gleek to replace them.
The rest of the issues were equally fun. They fought a super hero team from another world who looked like classic horror monsters, battled the Kingslayer and a group of elemental heroes, all of whom worked for the mysterious Overlord, learned the origin of the Wondertwins, met Dr. Mist, helped TNT and Dyna-Mite deal with their out of control powers, fought off sky dwelling aliens determined to occupy the Earth, dealt with the Time Trapper and the return of the Menagerie Man and even went to Exor to battle a pair of criminal shape shifters who could take on human forms and chose to impersonate the Super Friends, two at a time to commit their robberies. They also fought the Mirror Master and a pair of ancient Exorian criminals who looked just like Zan and Jayna.
The biggest difference between the comics and the TV show was that the TV show was nonviolent (no punching or even major threatening language). The comics had no such limits, as evidenced by Marvin, Wendy and Wonder Dog beating the snot out of Grax when he invaded the JLA satellite :-). I enjoyed reading these again, and hope they do a Volume 2 with the rest of the 47 issue run.
This was a pleasant reprieve from the "dark, grim and gritty" comics of today, and also a less goofy look at Wendy, Marvin, Wonderdog and when they arrived, the Wondertwins and Gleek.
The first six issues were with Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog as the junior superfriends. They helped Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin and Aquaman against a group of villains and their young proteges (Penguin, Cheetah, Toyman and the Human Flying Fish), saved the planet from the threat of the World Beater, helped against Skyrocket and the Riddler, helped take down Greenback and then the Menagerie Man. Their farewell came when Zan, Jayna and Gleek came to Earth to warn whoever they could about the threat of Grax and the bombs he planted all over the planet. Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog were the ones to meet them, and took them to the Super Friends. They and the other Justice League members teamed with international superheroes (The Seraph, Tuatara, Tasmanian Devil, Rising Sun, Godiva, Owlwoman, Impala, Little Mermaid, the Olympian, Thunderlord, Icemaiden and Jack O'Lantern) to defuse the twelve bombs, but it fell to the teenagers to stop Grax when he invaded the JLA satellite looking for revenge. He was familiar enough with the Wondertwins to counter their powers, but Marvin, Wendy and Wonderdog used the fighting skills learned from Batman and Robin to overpower Grax and hold him until the Super Friends and JLA members returned. The Super Friends pronounced them graduated and ready to become full time superheroes. They declined until after college- each of them had been accepted to the university of their choice. They left the team, and the Super Friends took on Zan, Jayna and Gleek to replace them.
The rest of the issues were equally fun. They fought a super hero team from another world who looked like classic horror monsters, battled the Kingslayer and a group of elemental heroes, all of whom worked for the mysterious Overlord, learned the origin of the Wondertwins, met Dr. Mist, helped TNT and Dyna-Mite deal with their out of control powers, fought off sky dwelling aliens determined to occupy the Earth, dealt with the Time Trapper and the return of the Menagerie Man and even went to Exor to battle a pair of criminal shape shifters who could take on human forms and chose to impersonate the Super Friends, two at a time to commit their robberies. They also fought the Mirror Master and a pair of ancient Exorian criminals who looked just like Zan and Jayna.
The biggest difference between the comics and the TV show was that the TV show was nonviolent (no punching or even major threatening language). The comics had no such limits, as evidenced by Marvin, Wendy and Wonder Dog beating the snot out of Grax when he invaded the JLA satellite :-). I enjoyed reading these again, and hope they do a Volume 2 with the rest of the 47 issue run.
June 26, 2020
Based on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, this black and white edition collects the first 24 issues of Super Friends.
The cartoon and the comics started off with the teens Marvin and Wendy and their pooch Wonder Dog all learning to become crime fighters. Marvin was a sort of Shaggy arch-type. Wendy could kick serious butt like Daphne, but nowhere near as clumsy. And Wonder Dog was like Scooby-Doo in that he could talk. But Wonder Dog was much more braver.
Like the Super Friends cartoon, Wendy and Marvin left only to be replaced by alien siblings, Jan and Zan: The Wonder Twins and their space-monkey Gleek. Unlike the TV show, the comics explained why Wendy and Marvin left. And it was done properly having the earthling kids graduate from their training instead of just being replaced without a word like what happened to Tiger on The Brady Bunch.
DC's Super Friends had one more thing going for it than the Hanna-Barbera version. The comic book had legitimate villains. The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Chronos, and Cheetah all rear their ugly heads to make life miserable for the Super Friends. We also get heroes chipping in to help like The Atom, and The Flash.
Another interesting element involves Aquaman. He's often been the butt of decades of jokes as being the most worthless Super Friend. Well, in this book, Aquaman often wonders why he's been chosen as part of the team. And in issue #24 he must overcome his own inadequacies of a water-bound hero when a mystery requires the heroes to head to the deserts of Egypt.
In some ways I like the comic book version better because it really rounded out the series with better explanations as to why characters disappeared and it had more guest stars and it even tackled the Aquaman problem.
Sadly, while this is considered Volume 1, this is the only volume of Super Friends as done as a Showcase Presents. DC Comics shortly shelved these treasuries shortly after this volume was published. The series ran until 1981 for a grand total of 47 issues. Thus, there's a whole another volume's worth of issues out there to collect and read... someday.
The cartoon and the comics started off with the teens Marvin and Wendy and their pooch Wonder Dog all learning to become crime fighters. Marvin was a sort of Shaggy arch-type. Wendy could kick serious butt like Daphne, but nowhere near as clumsy. And Wonder Dog was like Scooby-Doo in that he could talk. But Wonder Dog was much more braver.
Like the Super Friends cartoon, Wendy and Marvin left only to be replaced by alien siblings, Jan and Zan: The Wonder Twins and their space-monkey Gleek. Unlike the TV show, the comics explained why Wendy and Marvin left. And it was done properly having the earthling kids graduate from their training instead of just being replaced without a word like what happened to Tiger on The Brady Bunch.
DC's Super Friends had one more thing going for it than the Hanna-Barbera version. The comic book had legitimate villains. The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Chronos, and Cheetah all rear their ugly heads to make life miserable for the Super Friends. We also get heroes chipping in to help like The Atom, and The Flash.
Another interesting element involves Aquaman. He's often been the butt of decades of jokes as being the most worthless Super Friend. Well, in this book, Aquaman often wonders why he's been chosen as part of the team. And in issue #24 he must overcome his own inadequacies of a water-bound hero when a mystery requires the heroes to head to the deserts of Egypt.
In some ways I like the comic book version better because it really rounded out the series with better explanations as to why characters disappeared and it had more guest stars and it even tackled the Aquaman problem.
Sadly, while this is considered Volume 1, this is the only volume of Super Friends as done as a Showcase Presents. DC Comics shortly shelved these treasuries shortly after this volume was published. The series ran until 1981 for a grand total of 47 issues. Thus, there's a whole another volume's worth of issues out there to collect and read... someday.
December 30, 2023
Super Friends started life out as a cartoon from Hanna/ Barbara which featured kid friendly simplified versions of DC Comics main heroes. Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Batman & Robin stopping global disasters and teaching lessons to misguided villains and new junior heroes like Wendy & Marvin and Zan & Jayna.
It later featured villains like the Legion of Doom, basically the top tier bad guys of DC and an expanded roster of heroes. Characters like Green Lantern and Flash became series regulars.
The comic book stories featured in this volume are a hybrid of both of these styles.
The main five heroes: Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Batman & Robin are training younger heroes like Wendy & Marvin, and Zan & Jayna. Most of the stories are quickly resolved, but some require the help of the entire Justice League, as well as international heroes like the Global Guardians( some of those Guardians would eventually join the Justice League).
Sometimes the villains are one off characters created for the comic book, but sometimes well known villains like Penguin, Poison Ivy, or Mirror Master will be featured.
The other main difference between the cartoon and this comic book is in how the junior heroes are portrayed. On the cartoon these junior Super Friends were often played for laughs, the comic book shows them as competent heroes who save the day in interesting ways.
This is worth the read for fans of both the Justice League and the Super Friends.
It later featured villains like the Legion of Doom, basically the top tier bad guys of DC and an expanded roster of heroes. Characters like Green Lantern and Flash became series regulars.
The comic book stories featured in this volume are a hybrid of both of these styles.
The main five heroes: Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Batman & Robin are training younger heroes like Wendy & Marvin, and Zan & Jayna. Most of the stories are quickly resolved, but some require the help of the entire Justice League, as well as international heroes like the Global Guardians( some of those Guardians would eventually join the Justice League).
Sometimes the villains are one off characters created for the comic book, but sometimes well known villains like Penguin, Poison Ivy, or Mirror Master will be featured.
The other main difference between the cartoon and this comic book is in how the junior heroes are portrayed. On the cartoon these junior Super Friends were often played for laughs, the comic book shows them as competent heroes who save the day in interesting ways.
This is worth the read for fans of both the Justice League and the Super Friends.
April 3, 2025
This obviously is the comic adaption of the Saturday morning cartoon series, starting at its roots with the Wendy and Marvin era. But thing is, the comic version is not as dumbed down as the initial season of the show, nor is it a near-total kiddie version like the Spidey Super Stories that coincided with Spider-Man on The Electric Company. Actual DC villains appear instead of the 1973 season's misunderstood aliens and scientists. There's also more appearances by the other Justice League members besides the Core Five, and references to the DCU in general (Robin, for instance, has his Teen Titans membership mentioned). Wendy and Marvin even get backstories that explain why they have tie-ins with the other heroes. The Wonder Twins do eventually appear, and there's a transition/explanation for the switch between Wendy and Marvin, to Zan and Jayna.
It's a decent medium between the show and the comics continuity. Being a Showcase collection, you don't get any color versions of the comics, though.
It's a decent medium between the show and the comics continuity. Being a Showcase collection, you don't get any color versions of the comics, though.
December 31, 2025
La colección inspirada en el dibujo animado de Hanna-Barbera nunca ocultó su propósito: Extender la franquicia con una producto simple orientado a lectores de cualquier edad. Sin embargo, el guionista E. Nelson Bridwell (ocasionalmente cubierto por Dennis O'Neil) juega contra sus limitaciones para entregar algo más que una proyección de la anodina caricatura sabatina. Curiosamente, quienes resultan favorecidos son los héroes juveniles Marvin, Wendy y Super Mascota (a la sazón reemplazados por los Gemelos Fantásticos, como sucedió en la televisión), con un perfil más acabado que supera las opaca e impersonal versión de la Justice League. Los dibujos de Ramona Fradon rematan una serie digna dentro de sus pretensiónes.
January 18, 2021
This loses a star for the black and white presentation. While I typically can roll with the Showcase format, this is all wrong for Super Friends. The show was all about splashy color and without that it just feels like low watt silver age fluff.
I will say, I enjoyed the care the writers took in streamlining some of the goofiness of the show. I appreciated them establishing that the Hall of Justice was a training center as well as explaining the transition from Wendy and Marvin to the Wonder Twins.
The stories are great to revisit, but hold out for color!
We discussed this more over on Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW-r_...
I will say, I enjoyed the care the writers took in streamlining some of the goofiness of the show. I appreciated them establishing that the Hall of Justice was a training center as well as explaining the transition from Wendy and Marvin to the Wonder Twins.
The stories are great to revisit, but hold out for color!
We discussed this more over on Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW-r_...
February 6, 2017
Enjoyable tome of all ages adventures. Though it does Mary Sue the Wonder Twins a bit, I did think it a worthwhile read
October 11, 2014
I was not expecting to like this Showcase as much as I had. I did enjoy the Superfriends cartoon as a kid, but really, the book shows Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog on the cover. While the Wonder Twins were not that much better on that show, those three were hanging around for reasons that were never really explained when the show started and most adventures were about some misguided scientist trying to do some sort of social good and having it backfire spectacularly. Factor in that even after the Junior Superfriends left, Standards and Practices would not allow any of the superheroes or villains to actually punch each other to keep the violence down, and you're not left with much.
So, why did I like this book at all? Well, a couple reasons.
First, it filled in the blanks. The "Superfriends" was mostly a young superhero training group from within the Justice League (plus Robin) that was helping youngsters become superheroes. Apparently, that was why Wendy and Marvin were there with that dang dog. They left and the Wonder Twins took their place. Why did they leave? They...graduated from high school and went to college. They didn't look old enough to do that, but there ya go.
Second, this wasn't the TV, so Standards and Practices need not be followed. The Superfriends were allowed to subdue bad guys by doing more than simply standing behind them. Punches were thrown. The Wonder Twins were actually competent, too.
Third, the series actually had some connections to the DCU at that time. The rest of the Justice League makes occasional appearances, including the three-part story line that introduced the Twins, saw the exit of Wendy and Marvin, and introduced the Global Guardians, international heroes that later found their way into the regular DCU, and some of them didn't even have stereotypical powers based on their nationality (that's right, only SOME of them). This connection also means regular DC bad guys could appear, such as the Mirror Master, Chronos, and the Time Trapper.
Fourth, there are a number of shout-outs to past DC characters, and the occasional other character. During a telethon issue, Superman got to meet another Siegel and Shuster creation, Funnyman, acknowledged with a wink by saying the two had some mutual friends. Bruce Wayne mentioned how Tony Stark is a business rival of his, but Tony isn't a superhero like he is (sure he isn't, Bruce). A United Nations adventure refers to the missing ruler of Latveria, and most of the kings and such the Superfriends deal with are old DC characters like Vulko and Solovar.
And finally, the creative teams were actually fair good. Most of the artwork was done by the great, underappreciated Romona Fradon, co-creator of Metamorpho the Element Man, and considered by many to be the definitive Silver Age Aquaman artist. Denny O'Neil wrote a few stories under an alias, while E. Nelson Birdwell seemed to know how to make stories intended to tie into a kids superhero show fun, much like some of the better Silver Age Justice League stories. The bottom line is, this collection was much better than the cartoon that inspired it.
So, why did I like this book at all? Well, a couple reasons.
First, it filled in the blanks. The "Superfriends" was mostly a young superhero training group from within the Justice League (plus Robin) that was helping youngsters become superheroes. Apparently, that was why Wendy and Marvin were there with that dang dog. They left and the Wonder Twins took their place. Why did they leave? They...graduated from high school and went to college. They didn't look old enough to do that, but there ya go.
Second, this wasn't the TV, so Standards and Practices need not be followed. The Superfriends were allowed to subdue bad guys by doing more than simply standing behind them. Punches were thrown. The Wonder Twins were actually competent, too.
Third, the series actually had some connections to the DCU at that time. The rest of the Justice League makes occasional appearances, including the three-part story line that introduced the Twins, saw the exit of Wendy and Marvin, and introduced the Global Guardians, international heroes that later found their way into the regular DCU, and some of them didn't even have stereotypical powers based on their nationality (that's right, only SOME of them). This connection also means regular DC bad guys could appear, such as the Mirror Master, Chronos, and the Time Trapper.
Fourth, there are a number of shout-outs to past DC characters, and the occasional other character. During a telethon issue, Superman got to meet another Siegel and Shuster creation, Funnyman, acknowledged with a wink by saying the two had some mutual friends. Bruce Wayne mentioned how Tony Stark is a business rival of his, but Tony isn't a superhero like he is (sure he isn't, Bruce). A United Nations adventure refers to the missing ruler of Latveria, and most of the kings and such the Superfriends deal with are old DC characters like Vulko and Solovar.
And finally, the creative teams were actually fair good. Most of the artwork was done by the great, underappreciated Romona Fradon, co-creator of Metamorpho the Element Man, and considered by many to be the definitive Silver Age Aquaman artist. Denny O'Neil wrote a few stories under an alias, while E. Nelson Birdwell seemed to know how to make stories intended to tie into a kids superhero show fun, much like some of the better Silver Age Justice League stories. The bottom line is, this collection was much better than the cartoon that inspired it.
July 5, 2014
Back in the 1970s, there was a Saturday morning cartoon titled Superfriends. It featured several superheroes from DC Comics,, plus “Junior Super Friends” Wendy and Marvin, trainee superheroes with their pet Wonderdog. Each episode taught valuable life lessons to kids across America. While reruns of the cartoon continue even today, younger fans may not be aware there used to be a tie-in comic book as well.
Because the Comics Code of the time was surprisingly less restrictive than the Standards & Practices Board that governed children’s broadcasting, the writers of the comic book had more flexibility to put in story elements that explained how the team worked, and the full range of the heroes’ powers. The book took place in a close parallel of the DC universe, so other superheroes could guest star.
Now, I said the writers could be more flexible than the TV show, but I am still amazed that they got away with mass murder as a plot point in the third issue. Some of the deaths even happened on panel! And they weren’t even reversed by the end of the story. To explain, a mad scientist captures over a hundred supervillains (none of whom were established characters) and disintegrates them to create the World-Beater, which has all their powers combined.
After a few issues, the comic book explained (as the show never did) the change from the first season’s Marvin and Wendy, to the later Wonder Twins, aliens named Jan and Zayna. This was a truly epic plot which also introduced a slew of international superheroes who later joined the mainstream DCU as the Global Guardians. (It also gave the comic some much-needed ethnic diversity.)
Many creators worked on the series, but the distinctive art of Ramona Fradon is perhaps most representative.
Aside from the mass murder, this is a kid-friendly title; there are some dated attitudes that parents might want to discuss with their children. The writing is typical for the time period, and certainly better than the television show.
Recommended for fans of the Superfriends cartoon and nostalgic comics fans.
Because the Comics Code of the time was surprisingly less restrictive than the Standards & Practices Board that governed children’s broadcasting, the writers of the comic book had more flexibility to put in story elements that explained how the team worked, and the full range of the heroes’ powers. The book took place in a close parallel of the DC universe, so other superheroes could guest star.
Now, I said the writers could be more flexible than the TV show, but I am still amazed that they got away with mass murder as a plot point in the third issue. Some of the deaths even happened on panel! And they weren’t even reversed by the end of the story. To explain, a mad scientist captures over a hundred supervillains (none of whom were established characters) and disintegrates them to create the World-Beater, which has all their powers combined.
After a few issues, the comic book explained (as the show never did) the change from the first season’s Marvin and Wendy, to the later Wonder Twins, aliens named Jan and Zayna. This was a truly epic plot which also introduced a slew of international superheroes who later joined the mainstream DCU as the Global Guardians. (It also gave the comic some much-needed ethnic diversity.)
Many creators worked on the series, but the distinctive art of Ramona Fradon is perhaps most representative.
Aside from the mass murder, this is a kid-friendly title; there are some dated attitudes that parents might want to discuss with their children. The writing is typical for the time period, and certainly better than the television show.
Recommended for fans of the Superfriends cartoon and nostalgic comics fans.
May 26, 2023
Loved this cartoon as a kid and this series is probably one of the best comic tie ins every produced.
It takes the basic set up of the cartoon and then builds on it.
It fills in gaps and brings in more DC comic history/characters.
We learn why Wendy and Marvin left.
We learn how the Wonder twins came to earth.
There's a great balance between comic villains and ones created just for the comic, as well as done in one stories and multi-part stories.
Plus, it's just a straight forward fun read with art that perfectly suits the vibe they are going for.
Loses a star as I thought they collected the whole series, but there is no volume 2, so I'm still missing 20 issues and there's no Apache Chief.
It takes the basic set up of the cartoon and then builds on it.
It fills in gaps and brings in more DC comic history/characters.
We learn why Wendy and Marvin left.
We learn how the Wonder twins came to earth.
There's a great balance between comic villains and ones created just for the comic, as well as done in one stories and multi-part stories.
Plus, it's just a straight forward fun read with art that perfectly suits the vibe they are going for.
Loses a star as I thought they collected the whole series, but there is no volume 2, so I'm still missing 20 issues and there's no Apache Chief.
March 20, 2015
Not sure how to review this. I have memories of watching the later seasons of the Super Friends when I was younger. The cartoon and this comic were some of my earliest introductions to the DC Universe. To me, it was a natural progression of wanting more of the characters I'd grown to like, particularly Wonder Woman. I didn't appreciate how great this book was until much later. Ramona Fradon's art is still so classic. And for ostensibly what we'd call a tie-in book now it was clearly part of the 1970s era DCU with references to the satellite JLA and Steve Howard. I was really pleasantly surprised how good the continuity was.
September 4, 2014
I used to watch these cartoons when I was much younger. The comics do capture the flavor of the original series. I always was annoyed by Marvin, Wendy, and the wonder dog. They were a lot more bearable in print than on tv. What was good about this series is that the comics filled in some of the gaps from the series. The comics showed Marvin, Wendy, and the wonder dog leave. I don't recall that from the tv version. It also showed the Wonder Twins landing and working with Marvin, Wendy, and the wonder dog for a couple of adventures. It is worth reading for fans of the old Superfriends cartoons.
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