# Challenge of the Superfriends **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249 "2004-07-28T06:40:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/1 "2004-07-28T06:40:45Z")
I listened to the two commentary tracks with Geoff Johns and Mark Waid which were amusing… It’s fun to relive my childhood Saturday mornings, but there are just some things I don’t get… Why does Grundy sound as he does? He really doesn’t sound cajun. Was Green Lantern into tanning? How did he spontanously grow am extra arm? Did Black Manta have an artificial voice box installed? That metallic voice seems like the precursor to Ned on South Park. So… Giganta was originally a golden age Wonder Woman villain… why did she get co-opted for someone as sad as Apache Chief? For attempting to be multicultural with Samurai, Black Vulcan(created solely so they wouldn’t have to give Tony Isabella a piece of the action by using Black Lightning), and Apache Chief, they really seemed bland and boring. How is it that they all gained the power of deus ex machina(the power to have any power needed to advance the plot or to get out of those moments of being written into a corner)? How did Toyman get so young, thin, and costumed like Punch(from Punch and Jewelee fame)? While Weight Watchers was around, I doubt plastic surgery was that advanced, and everyone knows when the Legion of Doom tried to accomplish anything they’d screw it up so there wasn’t any chance they would have created some youth ray. Did Solomon Grundy get bored of his obsession with killing the golden age Green Lantern? How did he get from Earth 2 to Earth 1? The less said about the magic lasso rockets on the Invisible Jet the better. If you already control the world, why steal money? This is what gets ‘evil’ the reputation of being stupid. Any other thoughts on Challenge of the Superfriends? ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/2 "2004-07-28T07:01:54Z")
This is out already?!? Why aren’t I notified of these things? I’ve been waiting forever for them to release this! Why can’t you start these threads when Best Buy is still open? > [@Mockingbird](#): > > Why does Grundy sound as he does? He really doesn’t sound cajun. I think considering the voice talent they were using, “southern” was as close as they can get to “cajun.” Besides, having a giant zombie that sounds like Paul Prudhomme instead of vaguely Texan, would’ve changed my entire childhood. Solomon Grundy from Challenge of the Superfriends is just [a total bad-ass](http://www.seanbaby.com/superfriends/grundy.htm), and half of it is the voice. Compare it to the voice from the new Justice League series – they just made him sound big and stupid. > [@Mockingbird](#): > > Was Green Lantern into tanning? How did he spontanously grow an extra arm? His skin tone was all over the place, but luckily, his sexuality remained constant at “ambiguous.” And he must’ve seen Cheetara. Or Sinestro, as the case may be (not that there’s anything wrong with that). > [@Mockingbird](#): > > So… Giganta was originally a golden age Wonder Woman villain… why did she get co-opted for someone as sad as Apache Chief? They needed a Native American hero because it was the 70’s, so they had one who could grow large. His natural arch-nemesis would be a woman who could enlarge. Besides, WW’s arch-nemesis was already Cheetah, which gave the horny middle-aged men working on the series to live out their fantasies by having fight scenes between two hot women tying each other up with lassos. And then, teaching kids not to chew on Styrofoam cups. > [@Mockingbird](#): > > For attempting to be multicultural with Samurai, Black Vulcan(created solely so they wouldn’t have to give Tony Isabella a piece of the action by using Black Lightning), and Apache Chief, they really seemed bland and boring. Yeah, Apache Chief is the most interesting one of the lot, and he’s pretty fucking dull. Inupchuk. I remember thinking, even at that age, when I thought that _everything_ on TV was cool, that Samurai should’ve been cooler. It was that stupid speedo that had him wear. And the come-and-go accent. Now, Black Vulcan is the ultimate example of suburban white guys trying to write “black.” Dude was the Wayne Brady of the Superfriends. > [@Mockingbird](#): > > Did Solomon Grundy get bored of his obsession with killing the golden age Green Lantern? How did he get from Earth 2 to Earth 1? I thought Solomon Grundy was _always_ a Batman villain? I’ve actually read very few Grundy comics; I’m a fan of the cartoon version only. > [@Mockingbird](#): > > If you already control the world, why steal money? > > This is what gets ‘evil’ the reputation of being stupid. And that’s why evil always loses. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. Wait, wrong series. Damn, now I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight, in anticipation of buying the thing tomorrow. The first time I see the Hall of Doom rise out of the swamp, I’m going to squeal like a little girl and probably wet myself. Uh, I mean… become nostalgic for my childhood. And probably wet myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/3 "2004-07-28T07:43:53Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > Damn, now I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight, in anticipation of buying the thing tomorrow. The first time I see the Hall of Doom rise out of the swamp, I’m going to squeal like a little girl and probably wet myself. Uh, I mean… become nostalgic for my childhood. And probably wet myself. You could always come over and watch it with me… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/4 "2004-07-28T10:15:29Z")
Challenge of the Superfriends. Bah! Where’s the first season, with Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/5 "2004-07-28T10:49:29Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > I listened to the two commentary tracks with Geoff Johns and Mark Waid which were amusing… It’s fun to relive my childhood Saturday mornings, but there are just some things I don’t get… > > Why does Grundy sound as he does? He really doesn’t sound cajun. Ok, if these are jokes, consider me wooshed (and Challenge of the Superfriends was after my time…I’m from the Wendy Marvin and Wonderdog era. , 😉 😃 But to take this one seriously, why _should_ he sound Cajun? IIRC, Slaughter Swamp was outside of Gotham. If anything, he should have a New York-ish accent. > [@](#): > > How is it that they all gained the power of deus ex machina(the power to have any power needed to advance the plot or to get out of those moments of being written into a corner)? This was standard operating proceedure for Saturday morning cartoons. > [@](#): > > How did Toyman get so young, thin, and costumed like Punch(from Punch and Jewelee fame)? While Weight Watchers was around, I doubt plastic surgery was that advanced, and everyone knows when the Legion of Doom tried to accomplish anything they’d screw it up so there wasn’t any chance they would have created some youth ray. Actually that was another Toyman who ran around for about 4 years in the mid-'70s. He was more Trickster-like and everyone hated him. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/6 "2004-07-28T11:38:21Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > And he must’ve seen Cheetara. Chee **tara**? C’mon, let’s not cross over into _Thundercats_ territory. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/7 "2004-07-28T16:40:50Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Chee **tara**? C’mon, let’s not cross over into _Thundercats_ territory. Dangit; you know I knew that sounded wrong when I was typing it. I caught it in one place but not the other. > [@Otto](#): > > Challenge of the Superfriends. Bah! Where’s the first season, with Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog? Right where it should be, playing in a non-stop loop for eternity in the innermost circles of Hell. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/8 "2004-07-28T17:16:30Z")
Not even Adolph and Attila deserve that. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/9 "2004-07-28T17:34:38Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > Right where it should be, playing in a non-stop loop for eternity in the innermost circles of Hell. But…but…the first season had a cameo appearance by _Plastic Man_! That by itself goes a long way toward forgiving any sins committed. Why am I even talking to you? You probably like the Wonder Twins. Oh that’s right, I went there! ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/10 "2004-07-28T22:10:59Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > But…but…the first season had a cameo appearance by _Plastic Man_! That by itself goes a long way toward forgiving any sins committed. > > Why am I even talking to you? You probably like the Wonder Twins. Oh that’s right, I went there! Oh no you did’nt! All right, you want to go there? Bring it. No one is going to deny that the Wonder Twins were irredemably gay (in the bad sense). But face facts: They had a space monkey. A stupid, annoying space monkey, but a space monkey all the same. The previous sidekicks had a dog. A dog that was _even less interesting than Scooby-Doo_. Think about that for a second. The Wonder Twins had a look, and they stuck with it. Yes, the look was “space elf,” but it was a look all the same. On the other hand, Wendy was the quintessential boring teenage girl. She had nothing to look forward to after her career as honorary Super-friend except for a lifetime of going to bars with other girls and hearing guys ask, “Hey, who’s your _friend_?” The ability to change into a bucket of water is, admittedly, very high on the list of Stupid Superpowers. But still, it is a superpower. And is somewhat interesting as long as you don’t think about it for more than a minute or so. Marvin, on the other hand, is a complete cipher. He’s a teenaged boy who hangs around with a teenaged girl who obviously has nothing better to do, and still he prefers his dog. And wearing a towel around his neck. He has nothing going for him; even Shaggy could grow a goatee. You want to describe Marvin as a “special needs” Superfriend, but you can’t – not because it’s offensive, because that would imply that there was _something_ interesting about him. The real Superfriends were constantly arguing with each other over who exactly kept letting Wendy and Marvin and Wonderdog into the Hall of Justice. None of them would claim responsibility. At least 2 of the episodes dealt with Marvin’s getting locked out of the HoJ, or not being able to communicate with the Superfriends – _this was no accident, Marvin_. Take the hint. The only one who was sorry to see Wendy & Marvin go was Aquaman. And that was just because they were the only people around who made him seem useful by comparison. I think [Lore Sjoberg](http://www.bookofratings.com/superfriends.html) said it best. Case closed. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/11 "2004-07-29T03:33:11Z")
I just _knew_ that Zan was committing crimes against nature with Gleek as Jayna saw a therapist and beolonged to a support group for Family of Zoopheliacs. I wanted Wendy and Wonderdog to come back and bitchslap the three of them off the show. In the Superfriends comic book, Wendy and Marvin came back and met the Wonder Twins. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/12 "2004-07-29T03:38:05Z")
Personally, I think the Wendy-and-Marvin SuperFriends were a bit underrated, especially in comparison to the Wonder Dorks era. IMDB has a link somewhere to [this article](http://www.angelfire.com/mech/elispot/original-superfriends.html), which expressed the same sentiment. Yes, the Wonder Twins had powers, but they had no imagination, their personalities were virtually nil and their storylines were astoundingly dumb. I would not consider them an improvment over SuperMarv and friends, despite the failings of the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/13 "2004-07-29T03:41:40Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > In the Superfriends comic book, Wendy and Marvin came back and met the Wonder Twins. Ooo. What happened? Battle royale? Please tell me battle royale. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/14 "2004-07-29T03:47:46Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > In the Superfriends comic book, Wendy and Marvin came back and met the Wonder Twins. Now who in their right mind could ever have thought this was a team-up fans were dying to see? The only way people want to see Wendy, Marvin, and the Wonder Twins together is in the path of an oncoming steamroller. And I should point out that I _swear to God_ I’d never read the heroes portion of [Seanbaby’s Superfriends Page](http://www.seanbaby.com/super.htm) before I posted in this thread. Even though it sounds like I was plagiarising it. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/15 "2004-07-29T03:53:49Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Ooo. What happened? Battle royale? Please tell me battle royale. Well, Wendy was strung out on heroin and she was pimping Marvin in West Hollywood to old men. Marvin cried when the Superfriends saw him dressed to look five years younger to get the NAMBLA trade. There was the deeply emotional scene where Wendy accuses Wonder Woman of abandoning her and turning her royal back on a sister. Then she whipped out a gun, said “DEFLECT THIS BULLET, BITCH!” and shot herself in the head. As the brain/blood spray hit Marvin he started crying uncontrollably and said how hard they fell after the Superfriends passed them over for those Exorian assholes. At one point they were so hungry that they had to eat Wonder Dog. Zan and Jayna left for Exor immediately, Wonder Woman went back to Paradise Island, Superman exposed himself to gold kryptonite, Aquaman rolled himself in egg and breadcrumbs before jumping in a huge deep fryer at Long John Silver’s, and Batman began drinking heavily and beating Robin who felt he deserved it. Or was that just how I wished the issue had gone? It was pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/16 "2004-07-29T04:50:51Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Well, Wendy was strung out on heroin and she was pimping Marvin in West Hollywood to old men. Marvin cried when the Superfriends saw him dressed to look five years younger to get the NAMBLA trade. > > There was the deeply emotional scene where Wendy accuses Wonder Woman of abandoning her and turning her royal back on a sister. Then she whipped out a gun, said “DEFLECT THIS BULLET, BITCH!” and shot herself in the head. > > As the brain/blood spray hit Marvin he started crying uncontrollably and said how hard they fell after the Superfriends passed them over for those Exorian assholes. At one point they were so hungry that they had to eat Wonder Dog. > > Zan and Jayna left for Exor immediately, Wonder Woman went back to Paradise Island, Superman exposed himself to gold kryptonite, Aquaman rolled himself in egg and breadcrumbs before jumping in a huge deep fryer at Long John Silver’s, and Batman began drinking heavily and beating Robin who felt he deserved it. > > Or was that just how I wished the issue had gone? > > It was pathetic. Back when Adult Swim was running the “Wonder Twins” vigenettes, they had one where the Wonder Twins ran into Wendy and Marvin. Basically, the WT got Wendy and Marvin fired, but it was okay with Wendy and Marvin since they were doing better than the WT (who were hiding out in the porn section). Frankly, I think that [this](http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2002-6-12&res=l) says everything that needs to be said about the WT and Gleek. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/17 "2004-07-29T05:26:04Z")
[Superfriends: Behind the Spandex](http://www.foppery.net/images/MonkeyFightClub_sm.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-of-the-superfriends/257249/18 "2004-07-29T06:10:13Z")
I’ve got a full-sized color version of that as my desktop…