My Adventures with Superman

Superman’s got a bunch of a nicknames: The Man of Steel, The Last Son of Krypton, and my favorite, The Big Blue Boy Scout.

The debate rages on whether super hero fiction should be “gritty” or not, no matter how many times I shout “Probably some times but not others?” at Reddit forums. But if there’s one super hero who needs space from grit, blood, and gore, it’s Superman. There are plenty of takes out there now imagining what the world becomes if Superman starts killing people, The Boys, Injustice, and Irredeemable, to name a few. But sometimes, you just want to see a good guy with the power to stand up for regular people. May I introduce, My Adventures with Super Man?

Look at that color palette. Those quick, anime-style scene cuts. The little girl with the unicorn bike helmet! Her name is Flip Johnson, woman of business, and she’s wonderful.

This is show presents a softer, warmer Superman than his big-screen counterparts the last fifteen to twenty years. He’s young and uncertain, but that heart is all gold.

The show itself has a modern style, but its sensibilities are very throwback. Guns exclusively fire lasers, which just feel less fraught than bullets. Superman in flight looks more like Peter Pan than a fighter jet breaking Mach Three. And while real-world paranoia and xenophobia enter into the story, there’s an optimism about regular people that’s been harder to find lately.

The second season of My Adventures with Superman just ended, and I’m hoping for a third. Now streaming on Max.