The Adventures of Superboy (TV series)

For the 1988 TV series, see Superboy (TV series).
The Adventures of Superboy

Title card from The Adventures of Superboy
Genre Animated series
Action
Superhero fiction
Based on Superman by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
Written by Vernon E. Clark
Whitney Ellsworth
Directed by George Blair
Starring Bob Hastings
Janet Waldo
Ross Elliott
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 34
Production
Running time 26 minutes
Production company(s) Filmation
National Periodical Publications
Release
Original network CBS
Audio format Monaural
Original release September 10, 1966 (1966-09-10) – September 6, 1969 (1969-09-06)

The Adventures of Superboy is a series of six-minute animated Superboy cartoons produced by Filmation that were broadcast on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The 34 segments appeared as part of three different programs during that time, packaged with similar shorts featuring The New Adventures of Superman other DC Comics superheroes.

These adventures marked the animation debut of Superboy, as well as his teenage alter ego Clark Kent, who acted as the bespectacled, mild-mannered disguise for the young hero, Lana Lang, and Krypto the super-powered dog who would accompany his master on every dangerous mission. Other characters such as Pa and Ma Kent, foster parents of the Boy of Steel, and the town of Smallville were also faithfully recreated from comic book adventures. As a result of the production's budget, the show featured a great amount of stock animation as well as limited movement from the characters.

Each episode featured the Boy of Steel ducking out of high school and racing into action to battle a wide array of adversaries, from dognappers in "Krypto, K-9 Detective," androids run amok in "The Revolt of Robotville," and alien menaces in "The Spy from Outer Space," to another young hero with similar powers in "Superboy Meets Mighty Lad," and a slew of otherworldly monsters ("The Deep Sea Dragon," "Visitor from the Earth's Core"). He even wound up being captured and successfully having to fight a gang of small-time crooks—all while in his disguise as Clark Kent—in "The Gorilla Gang." Most of the stories were written by DC writers such as Bob Haney and George Kashdan, while character designs were based closely upon the Superboy comic books of the time.

DVD and video releases

In 1985, Warner Home Video released eight selected episodes of the series on VHS in the "Super Powers" video collection along with Aquaman, Batman, and Superman. These videos were rereleased in 1996 and are out of print.

Although The New Adventures of Superman has been released on DVD, the sets do not include the Superboy shorts because of a battle between Warner Bros. and the estate of Jerry Siegel over the rights to the "Superboy" name that occurred at the time. The series remains unreleased to DVD.

Cast

Episodes

Season 1 (1966–1967)

The series premiered on September 10, 1966 as part of a 30-minute program named The New Adventures of Superman, featuring two Superman shorts with one Superboy segment in between.

  1. "The Spy From Outer Space" – Part 1 - Krypto encounters an alien spy who creates disasters on Earth as part of an invasion attempt.
  2. "The Spy From Outer Space" – Part 2 - Superboy must be rescued by Krypto when he follows the spy to his home planet and the system's red sun drains his powers.
  3. "Krypto's Calamitous Capers" - A criminal scientist has created a sonic beam transmitter with which he can cause Krypto to turn belligerent.
  4. "The Man Who Knew Superboy's Secret" * - A man pretending to be from Krypton sets a trap for Superboy by promising the ability to inject immunity from kryptonite.
  5. "The Deep Sea Dragon" - A dragon whose egg is mistakenly taken by deep sea divers becomes violent until Superboy sets things right - but the egg is later stolen by undersea pirates.
  6. "Super Clown of Smallville" - A sickly billionaire vows to give away his fortune to charity if he can be made to laugh.
  7. "The Visitor from the Earth's Core" - When Superboy drills to the Earth's core, he finds a glowing black sphere that draws out a crystalloid being.
  8. "The Beast that went Berzerk" - A scientist's growth serum makes a pygmy elephant into a giant beast; the scientist developed an antidote but his bitterly jealous assistant sabotages the experiment.
  9. "Superboy's Strangest Foe" - Two alien children cause havoc on Earth through their innocent play.
  10. "The Capricious Crony" - An undersea volcano releases an impish water being who causes havoc on solid ground.
  11. "Krypto, Super Seeing-Eye Dog" - When a Kryptonian space probe is found, it contains weapons, one of which accidentally blinds Superboy.
  12. "The Black Knight" - Clark Kent's young friend Timmy finds a magician's mantle that transports him back in time to the jousting fields of Camelot and King Arthur.
  13. "Operation Counter Invasion" - Superboy must convince three alien warriors that Earth is populated by metahumans.
  14. "The Jinxed Circus" - Superboy must help a circus being sabotaged by the ringmaster's former partner.
  15. "Hurricane Fighters" - Superboy must work to stop a violent hurricane.
  16. "Superboy's Super-Dilemma" - A scientist tests a kryptonite antidote on Superboy that does not work, but which he accidentally mixed with plant growth serum that causes big problems.
  17. "A Devil of a Time" * - Spotting two criminals during a costume ball, Clark Kent decides to use his devil costume to masquerade as the real Lucifer.
  18. "The Revolt of Robotville" - Robotville is an experimental city controlled by machine beings, which suddenly go on a rampage at the programming of the city's evil main engineer.

Season 2 (1967–1968)

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure was first broadcast on September 9, 1967. This 60-minute program included new Superboy and Superman segments, and adventures featuring Aquaman and his sidekick Aqualad. It also comprised a rotating series of 'guest star' cartoons featuring the Atom, the Flash and Kid Flash, the Green Lantern, Hawkman and the Teen Titans (Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Aqualad).

  1. "The Beast With Two Faces" - A saurian beast rampages through a Central American village before suddenly going docile, and the reason why is exploited by a gang of thieves.
  2. "The Gorilla Gang" - During a school exploration of a canyon, Clark Kent and Lana Lang are captured by fugitive gangster "Ape" Hanson and his mob.
  3. "The Chameleon Creature" - In the jungle of Africa a mysterious mist transmutes an albino creature into any form.
  4. "The Great Space Race" - Superboy must help a crew of interplanetary authorities (modeled after actor Barry Morse) pursue an evil scientist whose weaponry is causing disasters on Earth.
  5. "Finger of Doom" - A scientist is irradiated by the energy of a rogue star, turning him into an evil being with super energy emanating from his hands.
  6. "Krypto, K-9 Detective" - Dog thieves are on the rampage until Krypto, posing as an innocent dog, is captured.
  7. "The Neanderthal Caveman Caper" - Four fugitives encounter an iceberg in which a caveman has been frozen in suspension and now is revived.
  8. "The Terrible Trio" * - Three school bullies are taught a needed lesson from Superboy.

Season 3 (1968–1969)

The Batman/Superman Hour premiered on September 14, 1968, featuring Superboy and Superman shorts alongside the adventures of Batman, Robin and Batgirl.

  1. "Forget Me Not, Superdog" - Breaking up a meteor shower, Superboy and Krypto are struck by a kryptonite meteor, which gives Krypto amnesia.
  2. "Superboy Meets Mighty Lad" - An alien youth has created superpowers implanted in a blue costume and begins showing off on Earth.
  3. "King Superboy" - After destroying a fireball that bombards Earth, Superboy is hailed as a king by an alien civilization whose populace is held hostage by Chrystal people, the source of the fireball.
  4. "Double Trouble, Double Doom" - Space authorities recruit Superboy to help them track down a gang of pirates.
  5. "The Trap of the Super Spacemen" - Alien beings capture astronauts and drain their energy into their warriors, and proceed to do the same to Superboy.
  6. "The Space Refugees" - Three vicious prospectors attack a pair of aliens who seek only sanctuary in a mountain countryside.
  7. "The Monster Molecule" - A Universal Molecule is used in an experiment that goes wrong; a scientist is irradiated and Superboy must fly 1,000 years into the future, where the Molecule will have grown to large size.
  8. "The Great Kryptonite Caper" - A gang hopes to use a kryptonite amulet against Superboy, but in trying to lure him into their trap they accidentally detonate an underground oilfield - which causes them to lose the amulet, which is later found by Lana Lang.
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