Who's Who in the SFU: The Sculpin

THE SCULPIN

PERSONAL DATA

Alter Ego: Unknown

Occupation: Professional Criminal

Known Associates: Two unnamed henchmen

Group Affiliation: None

Base of Operations: Mobile via The Sculpin Ship

Episode Appearances: "Frozen Peril"

Distinguishing Features: Fish-like appearance with fins and feelers, light green skin, backpack

Voice: Norman Alden

HISTORY

The origin and backstory of maritime villain The Sculpin (named after a small fish of the same name) has not been revealed. In his one and only series appearance, we know that he has a history with the Justice League, because both Aquaman and Superman recognize him and his ship. His face does not to appear to be a mask, rather, it appears The Sculpin is a mutant of some sort, half-man and half-fish. He has a backpack that likely enables him to breathe out of water, kind of like a reverse Black Manta. 

The Sculpin operates out of the Sculpin Ship, which also has a a Hydro-Copter feature as well as an Escape Pod. It appears that one of his hideouts is in a cove of a small Pacific island known as Jungle Island. It was in the Sculpin Ship that he and his 2-man crew activated their Hydro Freeze Ray and proceeded to freeze the world's oceans. The next step of his plan involved cutting the ice into large chunks with Heat Laser Cutters, and then selling them to the desert countries of the world, starting with the Gobi Desert. Freezing the world's oceans obviously alerted the Superfriends, and The Sculpin's plan was foiled and he was captured. 

POWERS & WEAPONS

The Sculpin does not appear to have any powers other than a mind for criminal pursuits. As a fish mutant, he can breathe underwater with gills. His backpack allows him to also breathe on land. His Sculpin Ship is equipped with a variety of weaponry, including lasers, claws, and of course, the Hydro Freeze Ray. 

The Sculpin getting ready to activate the Hydro Freeze Ray

The Sculpin at the controls

The Sculpin's Backpack

The Sculpin (full body)

The Hydro Freeze Ray

The Sculpin's henchmen

The Sculpin Ship

The Hydro-Copter

The Sculpin's Escape Pod

1973 "Super Friends" Commercial

"Meet Super Friends! Superman! Wonder Woman! Aquaman! Batman! Together for the first time with three new friends, Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog! Super Friends!"

So proclaimed the announcer in this vintage 1973 commercial for Season One on ABC. Go get your pajamas on, grab a bowl of cereal, and give it a watch!

Super Friends: Season One

"Super Friends" first premiered on ABC on September 8th, 1973 with a 16-episode run. New episodes would drop Saturdays at 9:00 am for a 60 minute time slot. These episodes ran as reruns on and off after the show's cancellation in 1974, including airing each hour episode as 2-part half hours. Below is a guide to the Season One episodes with original airdates...

1. THE POWER PIRATE (9/8/73)
2. THE BAFFLES PUZZLE (9/15/73)
3. PROFESSOR GOODFELLOW'S G.E.E.C. (9/22/73)
4. THE WEATHER MAKER (9/29/73)
5. DR. PELAGIAN'S WAR (10/6/73)
6. THE SHAMON "U" (10/13/73)
7. TOO HOT TO HANDLE (10/20/73)
8. THE ANDROIDS (10/27/73)
9. THE BALLOON PEOPLE (11/3/73)
10. THE FANTASTIC FRERPS (11/10/73)
11. THE ULTRA BEAM (11/17/73)
12. THE MENACE OF THE WHITE DWARF (11/24/73)
13. THE MYSTERIOUS MOLES (12/1/73)
14. GULLIVER'S GIGANTIC GOOF (12/8/73)
15. THE PLANET SPLITTER (12/15/73)
16. THE WATERMEN (12/22/73)

Over the course of the next couple of months, I'll be providing written commentary and notes on each episode, rather than lengthy tedious reviews. There's dozens of those already out there, and quite frankly, these hour long episodes often drag and are at times boring, I don't want to put you guys, or myself, to sleep with that kind of write-up...that just isn't my style. I hope to make them fun and interesting and celebrate the show, becuz that's what this blog is all about, dammit! Stay Tuned!

Who's Who in the SFU: Dr. Cranum

DOCTOR CRANUM

PERSONAL DATA

Alter Ego: None

Occupation: Scientist

Known Associates: Dr. Scott (assistant)

Group Affiliation: None

Base of Operations: an old cliffside mansion on the outskirts of Gotham City

Episode Appearances: "The Brain Machine"

Distinguishing Features: Large bulbous head, yellow eyes (green when using power), light blue lab coat, dark blue turtleneck

Voice: Olan Soulé

HISTORY

Dr. Cranum beleived that if he were to advance man's evolution 1 million years it would solve society's ills. Surely, if man possessed the brain power of the future, mankind would no longer be troubled by such problems. In order to go about this, Cranum invented The Brain Machine with the help of his assistant Dr. Scott. Despite Scott's misgivings, Cranum had the device tested on himself. The machine worked perfectly, instantly evolving Cranum into a "future man", complete with an amazing set of mind powers. He then decided that he must now evolve the rest of humanity, starting with the citizens of Metropolis. 

Cranum stole the huge dish antenna from the Metropolis Institute of Technology and took it to Metro World Amusement Park. It was here, because of its location overlooking Metropolis, he planned on hooking the Brain Machine to the antenna. Before his plan could be realized, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman intervened and used the Brain Machine to revert Cranum back to his normal self. The next day, it was revealed that Cranum was in the hands of the authorities and the Brain Machine was dismantled for good.

POWERS & WEAPONS

Dr. Cranum built his greatest invention, The Brain Machine, to evolve man to its evolutionary peak.  After his mutation, Cranum possessed a plethora of mind powers, including mental telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to project beams of concentrated mind blasts to be used in a destructive way. 

Dr. Cranum before his mutation

Dr. Cranum after his mutation

Dr. Cranum and Dr. Scott with the Brain Machine

Dr. Cranum using his mind beams on a chainlink fence

Dr. Cranum's mental telepathy

Model Sheet Monday #1 - Wonder Woman

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope to be a long-running series on this blog....Model Sheet Monday! The internet is filled with Model Sheets from "Super Friends", many of them featuring the work of the late, great Alex Toth. I plan on scooping up as many as I can to help create a "one-stop shop" of these integral components of animation development. Here's everyone's favorite Amazing Amazon--- Wonder Woman!

The Bat-Vehicles: An Overview

If Batman is one of the most recognizable characters from comics, TV and movies, its pretty safe to say that the Batmobile is one of the most recognizable vehicles. Every version of Batman has had his iconic set of wheels, and everyone has a particular favorite Batmobile. Whether its the modified Lincoln Futura from the 1966 show or Christian Bale's 'roided out Tumbler; The 1950's roadster from the comics or the sleek 1989 version by Tim Burton, everyone is aware of the concept that Batman has a bitchin' ride.

But it doesn't stop at just the Batmobile. Batman has a Batplane (sometimes referred to as the Batwing), he's got a Batboat and a Batcopter. The list goes on. Obviously the Batman from the Superfriends Universe is no different, in fact, I'd hazard a guess that this version of Batman tops them all in terms of vehicle variety. This post is an overview of the various Bat-Vehicles showcased thru-out the many seasons of "Super Friends", personally culled from my repeat viewings. Each one will be covered in more detail in their own blog posts, as will the Bat-Vehicles from the Filmation cartoons.

NOTE: Some vehicles were not named within the dialogue of the show, but are named here for            reference purposes. 

Batmobile I

Batmobile II

Batmobile II (front view)

Batjet (aka Batplane)

Batrocket

Batcopter I

Batcopter II

Batcopter III

Batcycles

Bat Multicraft (sometimes called the Bat Motorcraft

 or incorrectly as the Batboat)

Bat Multicraft (with wheels)

Batboat

Bat Swampboat

Batbuggy

Bat Snowmobiles (or Bat Sleds)

Batblimp

Let me know if I've missed anything, and I'll make sure to add it to the list!

The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #3

In 1979 thru the mid 1980's, DC Comics produced Digest sized mini-comics, usually all reprint material with some new stories here and there. They were usually 100 pages and retailed for 95¢...what a steal! I have a great appreciation for this format, and wouldn't ya know it, ISSUE 3 was a "Super Friends"-centric collection! I wanted to showcase it on this here blog though I won't get into too much detail here, as the excellent DigestCast over on The Fire and Water Podcast Network will be reviewing this someday I'm sure. Go check out that podcast!

This digest has a cover date of Jan/Feb 1980 and cost just under a buck at 95¢. It contained 5 stories:

• "The Cosmic Hit Man?" from Super Friends #3
• "Man, Thy Name is--Brother!" from Justice League Of America #57
• "Riddles and Rockets!" from Super Friends #4
• "Eye of the Beholder!" from Teen Titans #18
• "The Monster Menace!" from Super Friends #10

I will be covering and reviewing the Super Friends comic book series on this blog so those stories in this book will be covered in-depth at that time.

Look at that front cover, with artwork by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez (Praise be His Name), Robert Smith and Joe Orlando...gorgeous piece, despite my copy having a number of scuff marks. I love how all the Junior Superfriends are present, listening to Superman read them comic book stories. A very Norman Rockwell-esque image with its almost painted look and composition. Gleek and Wonder Dog are on either side of The Man of Steel, Jayna seems to be looking lovingly at him like she's experiencing her first crush, and Aquaman weirdly has his hand on Robin's shoulder and his thumb in his belt. I dont mean to make that weird, but it is...

Back Cover

Table of Contents

...and the Splash Pages for the 3 Super Friends stories

By The Numbers: Total Hero Appearances

Want to know how many episodes your favorite superhero appeared in? Like Gleek? Or The Flash? Below is a listing of every single Superfriend team member that appeared during the 9 seasons of "Super Friends" and how many episodes in total they were featured in. I counted full appearances and non-speaking cameos alike across the 208 episodes...

• SUPERMAN (157)
• BATMAN (155)
• ROBIN (145)*
• WONDER WOMAN (140)
• AQUAMAN (113)
• JAYNA (85)
• ZAN (84)
• GLEEK (82)
• BLACK VULCAN (31)
• SAMURAI (30)
• GREEN LANTERN (29)
• APACHE CHIEF (27)
• HAWKMAN (24)
• FIRESTORM (24)**
• THE FLASH (23)
• WENDY, MARVIN, & WONDER DOG (16)
• EL DORADO (9)
• THE ATOM (8)
• CYBORG (7)
• HAWKGIRL (5)
• RIMA THE JUNGLE GIRL (3)
• GREEN ARROW (1)
• PLASTIC MAN (1)

*1 of Robin's appearances was an alternate future Robin in which he was the last Superfriend left after the Legion of Doom had finally won. Technically, this Robin will not exist because the Superfriends made sure the Legion of Doom was defeated.

**There was one episode where Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein remained separate but each still helping the team. This was counted as 1 appearance of Firestorm despite the fact that they never turned into Firestorm.

The Super Friends: Season-By-Season

I felt it appropriate to do a quick rundown of the actual Super Friends series and how it changed over the course of its lifespan. I'm not going to get into too much detail with this here now, as any Google search will bring up all that same information. Still, I feel that I would be doing this blog a disservice if I neglected to lay it out as a quick reference.

Season One (1973-1974): Called simply "Super Friends",  was comprised of 16 one hour-long episodes, and was the only season to feature Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. Three superhero guest stars, Flash, Green Arrow and Plastic Man, showed up this season as well. The series was then cancelled but reruns were played often.

Season Two (1977-1978): Re-tooled and re-formatted "The All-New Super Friends Hour" was 15 one hour-long episodes, but this time broken down into 1 half hour adventure featuring "The Core Team" which is what I call the line-up we see in the above title card, 2 seven minute shorts, and 1 Wonder Twins short. This was the season that introduced Zan, Jayna and Gleek as well as the ethnic characters of Black Vulcan, Apache Chief and Samurai. Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Flash, Green Lantern, Rima and Atom were also featured.

 

Season Three (1978-1979): 16 one hour-long episodes, but now comprised of 2 half hour segments. The first segment was like last season featuring The Core Team, whilst the second segment was the fan-favorite "Challenge of the Superfriends"! Perhaps the best version of what this show could be, "Challenge" features an 11-member Justice League of America in constant battle with 13 supervillains teamed-up as the Legion of Doom.

Season Four (1979-1980): Dropping the excellent "Challenge" format, the series retained its hour-long status, but was comprised of repeats, along with 8 new half hour adventures featuring The Core Team. The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show aired after Super Friends this season for 2 hours of DC superhero awesomeness!

Season Five (1980-1981): The show continues at its hour length, but the format changed once again. This time half-hour repeats are combined with 3 newly-produced shorts, with a total of 24 new shorts created. After not being invited to the "Challenge of the Superfriends" party, Hawkgirl, the Atom and Rima make return appearances.

Season Six (1981-1982): Same as Season Five, but with fewer new shorts produced, only 18 instead of 24. No Hawkman or Hawkgirl, but this season introduced Mexican superfriend El Dorado! The series was then cancelled for a second time after this season, due apparently to ABC not wanting to compete with Super Friends being in syndication elsewhere. These syndicated Super Friends packages were billed as "The Best of the Super Friends".

Season Seven (1983-1984): Despite the fact that the series was cancelled by ABC, Hanna Barbara continued to produce more Super Friends adventures- 24 new shorts- which did not air in the U.S. The series continued, however, uninterrupted in other international markets such as Australia. These 24 shorts were dubbed "The Lost Episodes" by fans, and did not air stateside until the 1990s as part of "The Superman/Batman Adventures".

Season Eight (1984-1985): Thanks to the Kenner Super Powers toyline, the Super Friends come back from cancellation once again! This time, the format has changed to just 8 half hours, though some episodes were made up of two 10 minute adventures. Many familiar faces return, along with the introduction of new hero, Firestorm, and new recurring bad guy, Darkseid!

Season Nine (1985-1986): Dropping the name "Super Friends" and going by the clunkier"Super Powers Team", our heroes return for their final iteration, this time with new character designs similar to the style of artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (praise be his name) and a brand new Hall of Justice. The Wonder Twins are gone, and Cyborg joins the team. This version is fondly remembered by fans as being closer to the comics, and is up there as a fan-favorite alongside "Challenge of the Superfriends". After these new 8 half hour episodes, the series is cancelled for its third and final time.