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October 7, 2013: "The Adventures of Superboy: The Complete Third Season" DVD Review
Posted by Neil Cole
Following the popular release of its second season on DVD, "Superboy: The Complete Third Season" features the 1990-1991 exploits of the iconic superhero as portrayed by actor Gerard Christopher in the lead role.
In the third season of Superboy, more drastic changes took place. The show's title officially became "The Adventures of Superboy" and the setting shifted from Shuster University to The Bureau for Extra-Normal Matters in Capitol City, Florida, where Clark and Lana were interns. The Bureau is depicted as a government agency which investigates paranormal activities and aliens, including Superboy (this format change pre-dates the concept of the television series The X-Files).
The character of Andy McCalister was dropped from the series, though Ilan Mitchell-Smith would make a final guest appearance in the episode "Special Effects", which features Andy working as an intern at a movie studio. The new supporting cast consisted of Clark and Lana's co-worker at the Bureau, Matt Ritter (Peter Jay Fernandez) and the Bureau chief C. Dennis Jackson (Robert Levine).
The tone of the series changed dramatically as darker stories were produced and the overall look of the series took on many characteristics of film noir. A few journalists at the time suggested that this darker look was largely due to the success of Tim Burton's Batman movie from a year prior. Many stories dealt with more mature themes, a change new producers Julia Pistor and Gerard Christopher implemented. In "Rebirth", Superboy is confronted with the possibility that he may have accidentally taken a human life and gives up his Superboy identity in guilt. "Carnival" shows a satanic individual named 'Deville' trying to acquire Superboy's eternal soul by tempting him to give in and kill a man who is implied to be a rapist. "Mindscape" deals with Superboy's deepest fears as an alien life-form brings those fears to life in Superboy's nightmares while simultaneously draining his life energy. "Roads Not Taken" shows the different paths Superboy's life may have taken, as Superboy travels to alternate earths where his life is very different. He meets a version of himself who killed Luthor in a fit of rage and another who has become a despotic ruler of earth. The alternate version of Superboy who took Luthor's life was shown wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses which bears some resemblance to the Conner Kent version of Superboy as he first appeared in the "Death of Superman" storyline. The third season ended with the two-part episode "The Road to Hell" with former TV Tarzan Ron Ely guest-starring as an adult, retired Man of Steel from an alternate reality.
Nothing more is offerred in this set but it is nice to see the third season of Superboy make it's official debut on DVD so soon after the second season release in December, 2012. Collectors might have the option of picking up a more comprehensive box set of the series in the future but for now, this three-disc DVD box set is the only way to add the latest release of the Superboy series to your collection.
All twenty-six episodes of the third season are presented in their original 4x3 1:37 aspect ratio. The picture quality is the same as the season one and two DVD-sets but it's still a very good video transfer.
All in all, "The Adventures of Superboy: The Complete Third Season" offers up more adventures of the Boy of Steel that are edgier and more intriguing than those of the first two seasons. The wonderful on-screen chemistry between Gerard Christopher and Sherman Howard continued in season three and it certainly shows in this box set!
"The Adventures of Superboy: The Complete Third Season" is available through the Warner Archive via their MOD (manufacture-on-demand) service as well as Amazon.com through their CreateSpace service, which ships globally.
