The Super Friends are flying at you!
Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Robin, Green Lantern, the Flash, El Dorado, Black Vulcan, the Atom, Apache Chief, Samurai, the Wonder Twins, and others are back for more adventures. When the world is threatened by the criminals of the Legion of Doom, the antics of Mxyzptlk, or threats from space, the Super Friends are there! From deep in the Hall of Justice to deep space, they stand for truth and justice!
Super Friends!—Season 7 is a DC Comics animated superhero series. The season aired from September 9, 1983 to October 29, 1983. The season is often referred to as “The Lost Episodes” (and was released on DVD with this title) because it didn’t regularly air during its original run (it did run in Australia, but the episodes were part of the syndication.
Super Friends was not only a show I watched all the time, but it was a show that all my friends watched as well (pre-cable). We wouldn’t play “super heroes” or “Justice League”, but we’d play Super Friends. It was this generation of Super Friends we usually played and I can remember playing Gleek, Green Lantern, Wonder Twins, and Apache Chief…you just had to call your “hero” before you started playing. Rewatching Super Friends is a lot of fun nostalgia, but nostalgia doesn’t always make for a great series.
I think we need more Superfrog and his friends
The stories for Super Friends are about as bad as you remember. Even as a kid, I thought they were a bit ham-handed and obvious. The Super Friends face a problem, learn a lesson, and everyone is very civil at the end…even the villains. Trying to get a younger kid to watch Super Friends today might be a challenge since there isn’t any continuity…it is just story after story (so really young kids might like it better).
The stories sometimes are a bit odd as well. There are a lot of stories that feel like they tie in to events that were happening. There was an episode where Wonder Woman, Samurai, and Superman were pulled into Bizarro’s video game where they were chased by a very “Pac-Man-esque” enemy through a maze. There is also an episode featuring an archeologist who looks remarkably like Indiana Jones. My favorite of the group has to be where a boy and his dog Moosie are pursued by a bear. The boy falls in a ravine and is eventually found by the Wonder Twins. The boy learns Moosie “ran away” and finds he can’t walk because it is psychological and he won’t walk with Moosie again. Superman stages a giant robot attack with fake Kryptonite to force the boy to walk to save him. I kept expecting Moosie to show up at the end and everything to be good, but Moosie never comes back…implying that the bear did make Moosie his lunch (which is incredibly morbid for Super Friends).
Hey, Moosie…maybe if I wasn’t a crappy owner and hit a bear with a stick, you’d still be with us
The art is also so-so. With VCRs being pretty new, no pausing, and harsh examination, the animation doesn’t feel very detailed or consistent. There are always coloring issues and the framing of shots is bizarre with tons of open space in the frame. Even cleaned up, some of the images are kind of grungy as well.
Kids are jaded today when it comes to superheroes. In 1983, you had the Super Friends, Hulk and Wonder Woman reruns, and the occasional Superman movie…and you had to be happy and excited about it. Now, there are superheroes all over the place from network TV, to the internet, to video games, and of course the movies. Not all superhero material is kid aimed, but something like Super Friends still is a decent “intro to superheroes”…just don’t expect your children to hold onto it with nostalgia when they start seeing some of the other superhero options out there. Super Friends!—Season 7 was followed by the retooled eighth season called Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show.
Super Friends!—Season 7 Complete Episode Guide:
“Mxyzptlk’s Revenge”
“Roller Coaster”
“Once Upon a Poltergeist”
7.1 Mxyzptlk’s Revenge/Roller Coaster/Once Upon a Poltergeist Airdate: 09/10/83
Mxyzptlk’s Revenge—Superman and Batman are pulled into Mxyzptlk’s world where they face danger. Roller Coaster—The Wonder Twins and Atom try to save kids from a condemned roller coast when they try to use it as an initiation. Once Upon a Poltergeist—When a Native American spirit begins attacking a building Batman, Robin, and Apache Chief try to stop it.
“Warpland”
“Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One”
“Bulgor the Behemoth”
7.2 Warpland/Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One/Bulgor the Behemoth Airdate: 09/17/83
Warpland—An asteroid headed toward Earth has Superman and Batman investigating…but pulled into a dimension ruled by animal versions of the Justice League. Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One—The Justice League is planning a gathering and realizes that it will bring out its villains. When Gorilla Grodd replaces Gleek with a robot version, the Justice League could be doomed! Bulgor the Behemoth—A lightning strike turns the writer of Bulgor the Behemoth into a living version of his creation and only Apache Chief and Superman can stop him!
“The Krypton Syndrome”
“Invasion of the Space Dolls”
“Terror on the Titanic”
7.3 The Krypton Syndrome/Invasion of the Space Dolls/Terror on the Titanic Airdate: 09/24/83
The Krypton Syndrome—Superman finds himself pulled to Krypton just before its destruction, but his decision to save it could change everything. Invasion of the Space Dolls—Alien dolls invade Earth and the Super Friends must stop them from taking over. Terror on the Titanic—The discovery of the Titanic turns dangerous when a strange fungus animates the ship into a monster.
“Revenge of Doom”
“A Pint of Life”
“Day of the Dinosaur”
7.4 Revenge of Doom/A Pint of Life/Day of the Dinosaur Airdate: 10/09/83
Revenge of Doom—The Legion of Doom is back and targeting the Super Friends for destruction. A Pint of Life—An accident leaves the son of a scientist in danger and the Super Friends searching for his father to save his life. Day of the Dinosaur—When the Hall of Justice sinks into the ground, Wonder Woman and Samurai face off against two warring societies.
“Return of the Phantoms”
“Bully for You”
“Superclones”
7.5 Return of the Phantoms/Bully for You/Superclones Airdate: 10/08/83
Return of the Phantoms—An alien accidentally frees Superman’s Kryptonian enemies from the Phantom Zone. Travelling into the past to kill Superboy, the Kryptonians have their own surprise coming to them. Bully for You—A teenager who finds Batman’s utility belt tries to use it to get even with his enemies. Superclones—Brainiac clones Aquaman and El Dorado in an attempt to frame the Justice League.
“Prisoners of Sleep”
“An Unexpected Treasure”
“The Malusian Blob”
7.6 Prisoners of Sleep/An Unexpected Treasure/The Malusian Blob Airdate: 10/15/83
Prisoners of Sleep—The discovery of a buried canister releases a criminal who haunts peoples’ dreams…and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must stop it before it is too late! An Unexpected Treasure—The discovery of a UFO by two boys in the desert means danger for Metropolis when it is programmed to attack. The Wonder Twins, Hawkman and Hawkgirl must stop the UFO before the city is destroyed. The Malusian Blob—The space shuttle accidentally releases a Malusian monster and Batman, Superman, and Black Vulcan realize it won’t quit until its consumed everything.
“Attack of the Cats”
“One Small Step for Superman”
“Video Victims”
7.7 Attack of the Cats/One Small Step for Superman/Video Victims Airdate: 10/22/83
Attack of the Cats—An experiment to tap into cats’ night vision turns into terror when Batman, Robin, and El Dorado face off against cat people. One Small Step for Superman—A boy injured in an accident in the forest finds he cannot walk again…but it is up to the Super Friends to help him try. Video Victims—Bizarro sends a video game to Earth that traps Superman, Wonder Woman, and Samurai.
“Playground of Doom”
“Space Racers”
“The Recruiter”
7.8 Playground of Doom/Space Racers/The Recruiter Airdate: 10/29/83
Playground of Doom—An alien ship approaches Earth, and the Super Friends discover giant alien children on board that could doom the planet. Space Racers—Zan and Jayna patrol for lawbreakers in the galaxy and run into a group of hot rod aliens causing troubles forcing Flash and Wonder Woman into action. The Recruiter—Superman and Wonder Woman find themselves trapped by an alien recruiting for an illegal space ball game.
Related Links:
Super Friends!—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The All-New Super Friends Hour—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The World’s Greatest Super Friends!—Season 4 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Super Friends—Season 6 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show—The Complete Series Review and Episode Guide
