My Adventures with Superman: A Superman For A New Generation

“Adventures of a Normal Man” is the two-part series premiere of DC’s newest venture into animation. Initially premiering on Adult Swim, and then released on Max via streaming the next day, My Adventures with Superman uses a design aesthetic that appears like a cross between traditional anime and Amazon’s Invincible adaptation. This kind of aesthetic may not work for everyone but there’s no argument about how it defines the tone of this show. This is definitely more of a lighthearted take on the character, especially in comparison to recent big screen iterations. There is definitely a heightened sense of cartoon drama here, but definitely more akin to other shows in this medium rather than The CW’s Superman and Lois. My Adventures with Superman doesn’t break any doors down but after this two-part finale, it’s destined to find its audience.

One of the most unique aspects of this show is the focus on Clark, Jimmy, and Lois’s jobs and life outside of super heroics. This journalistic reporting team’s exploits are the main focus of the show rather than the exploits of Superman. Yes, Superman does factor into this; however, the focus on the greater worldbuilding is put to a higher degree. This definitely sets the show apart from other adaptations, making it stand out as one of the more unique versions of this story.

The three major cast members here are Jack Quaid as Clark Kent/Superman, Alice Lee as Lois Lane, and Ishmel Sahid as Jimmy Olsen. This casting has to be the one of the best parts about this show, with all of these actors bringing life and authenticity into these performances. Jack Quaid (Hughie from The Boys) is likely the most notable of all the actors here, and he absolutely kills it as Clark. The biggest compliment one can attribute to this performance is that he disappears into this character, with his voice for the character seeming as fully realized as his other past performances. Likewise, Alice Lee sounds like the perfect Lois Lane. This is Lois very early on in her career, and Lee sells that perfectly. She delivers a strong yet reserved performance, that very much comes across as someone who will turn into the character everyone knows from the comics. Finally, Ishmel Sahid, gives a fun take on Jimmy Olsen, giving him the same jovial voice that he has in the comics. The only large departure of his character is the decision to portray him as an alternative ethnicity. This change (so far) does not really bring anything too different to the character, yet it is nice to see that this studio is willing to swap around things from a source material that is predominantly whitewashed. 

Tone wise, this show fits in with a lot of the cartoons that kids from the early 2000s will recognize. There was a lot of drama behind the scenes so it’s a little surprising that this show ended up landing on Adult Swim. The content and themes are set for all ages, and the show is definitely written with kids in mind. That being said, any Superman fan will be able to jump on this and find a lot to love. The writing is solid and although the art style is in fitting with some kind of anime influence, the show still feels very western. 

MINOR SPOILERS TO FOLLOW…

There are a few things that set this show apart from other Superman narratives. First of all, this show starts with Clark briefly discovering his powers, before quickly transitioning to Metropolis, showing what the majority of this show is going to focus on. This departure immediately sets the focus of this show into frame and saves the Superman details for the second part. This also shows Clark, Jimmy, and Lois starting as interns rather than the reporting and photographing positions that we usually know them in. This more realistic take of a 2023 life and finding a job will resonate with the audience that this show is geared towards but may upset more classic fans. The other shift here is the prominence of Jimmy, which while consistent with the comics, has not often been explored in the more recent iterations of this character. Lately, all multimedia iterations seem to care about the relationship between Clark and Lois, so having Jimmy here feels like a breath of fresh air.

Another fun change here is the role of Martha Kent. Lines that are popularly given to Clark’s father are attributed to his mother here, actually making her a more well-rounded character. Superman is often shown learning a majority of his morality from his father so it’s nice to see Martha get time to shine. In the same vein, there is also a significant change made to Clark’s Kryptonian origins. The first notable thing was that they do not speak English and initially are frightening to Clark. It makes complete sense that these aspects would be very different from what Clark would be used to on Earth and create a welcome change to the mythos. There are also a few glimpses of Krypton’s past which highlight its seemingly drastic differences from the comics.

The final change to the Superman mythos that is bound to upset fans is Superman’s costume. The most significant change here has to be the way the “S” is portrayed. It looks more like a symbol this time than an “S” which is fitting considering the more alien nature given to the Krypronians. The rest of the suit actually works very well, with different segments such as darker blues helping break up the color scheme, while additions like Martha’s belt help make the costume as homemade to Clark as it is alien.