Doomsday
- Studio
- Hanna-Barbera Studios
Synopsis
In September 1978, the Super Friends changed concept again becoming Challenge of the Super Friends on ABC. Superman and his 10 Justice League of America colleagues found themselves battling the 13 member Legion of Doom composed of DC Comics super villains like Superman foes Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Toyman, and Bizzaro, and Batman foes like the Riddler and Scarecrow. This series did not have the Wonder Twins. The episodes are one half-hour long, although the series was so successful that it became a 90 minute show. This show used the Justice League and genuine super villains more than the previous Super Friends cartoons and real locales helping keep the show alive.
Characters
Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Black Vulcan, Samuraui, Apache Chief, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Toyman, Bizarro, Solomon Grundy, Cheetah, Grodd the Gorilla, Sinestro, Captain Cold, Giganta, Scarecrow, Riddler, Black Manta
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Ray Patterson, Carl Urbano
Producing
- Producer
- William Hanna, Joseph Barbera (Executive Producers)
- Creative Producer
- Iwao Takamoto
Writing
- Writer
- Jeffrey Scott
Animation
- Animator
- Ed Aardal, Bob Alvarez, Frank Andrina, Cliff Augustson, Ed Barge, Tom Barnes, Bob Bemiller, Lars Calonius, Bob Carr, Roger Chiasson, Jesse Cosio, Doug Crane, Zeon Davush, Daniel De La Vega, Joan Drake, Norm Drew, Hugh Fraser, Al Gaivoto, Miguel Garcia, Mark Glamack, Fernando Gonzalez, Jeff Hall, Terry Harrison, Bob Hathcock, Fred Hellmich, Harry Holt, Bill Hutten, Mario Julio, Jim Keeshen, Rick Leon, Hicks Lokey, Ernesto Lopez, Ed Love, Tony Love, Larry Miller, Ken Muse, Constantin Mustatea, Ron Myrick, Frank Nakielski, Margaret Nichols, Eduardo Olivares, Margaret Parkes, Bill Pratt, Tom Ray, Morey Reden, Veve Risto, Mitch Rochon, Mark Simon, Ken Southworth, Leo Sullivan, Dave Tendlar, Dick Thompson, Bob Trochin, Richard Trueblood, Carlo Vinci, James Walker, John Walker, Ron Westlund, Allen Wilzbach
- Animation Supervision
- Bill Keil, Jay Sarbry
- Assistant Animation Supervision
- Bob Goe
Voices
- Voice
- Danny Dark (Superman), Olan Soulé (Batman), Casey Kasem (Robin, Computer), Shannon Farnon (Wonder Woman), Bill Callaway (Aquaman, Bizarro), Louise Williams (Jayna), Mike Bell (Zan, Gleek, The Riddler), Michael Rye (Green Lantern, Apache Chief), Jack Angel (Hawkman, The Flash, Samurai), Buster Jones (Black Vulcan), Stanley Jones (Lex Luthor), Ted Cassidy (Brainiac, Black Manta), Marlene Aragon (Cheetah), Ruth Forman (Giganta), Vic Perrin (Sinestro [first few episodes]), Don Messick (Scarecrow, Sinestro [rest of the run]), Frank Welker (Toyman), Dick Ryal (Captain Cold), Jimmy Weldon (Solomon Grundy), Stanley Ralph Ross (Grodd), William Woodson (Narrator), Bob Lloyd (Show Opens), Lewis Bailey, Melanie Chartoff, Henry Corden, Al Fann, Bob Hastings, Bob Holt, Renny Roker, Dick Ryal
Music
- Music
- Hoyt Curtin
- Musical Supervision
- Paul DeKorte
Editing
- Editor
- Gil Iverson
- Supervising Film Editor
- Larry C. Cowan
Crew
- Story Editor
- Jeffrey Scott
- Story Direction
- John Bruno, Jan Green, Ron Maidenberg, Hal Mason, Michael O'Connor, Mario Piluso, Dick Sebast, Don Sheppard, Paul Sommer, Bob Taylor, Alex Toth, Warren Tufts, Tom Yakutis
- Character Design
- Andre Le Blanc, Alex Toth
- Color Key
- Nancy Massie
- Key Layout
- Homer Jonas, Terry Morgan
- Layout Supervision
- John Ahern
- Layout
- Tom Coppola, Susan Crossley, Sukhi Dail, Paul Gruwell, C. L. Hartman, Jack Huber, Ray Jacobs, Mike Kawaguchi, Mark Kirkland, Brad Landreth, Bill Lignante, Jim Mueller, Dan Noonan, Mike O'Mara, Tony Sgroi, Wallace Sides, Toby, John Tucker, Dean Thompson, Al Wilson
- Background Supervision
- Al Gmuer
- Backgrounds
- Deborah Akers, Fernando Arce, Ron Dias, Dennis Durrell, Martin Forte, Bob Gentle, Ann Guenther, James Hickey, Paro Hozumi, Michael Humphries, Andy Phillipson, Jeff Riche, Craig Robertson, Bob Schaefer, Sera Segal-Alsberg, Gary Selvaggio, Peter Van Elk
- Checking and Scene Planning
- Cindy Smith
- Xerography
- Star Wirth
- Ink and Paint Supervision
- Billie Kerns
- Graphics
- Iraj Paran, Tom Wogatzke
- Title Design
- Bill Perez
- Sound Direction
- Richard Olson, Bill Getty
- Recording Director
- Don Jurwich
- Camera
- George Epperson, Jerry Smith, Tom Epperson, Chuck Flekal, Ron Jackson, Larry Smith, Terry Smith, Brandy Whittington, Jerry Whittington
- Dubbing Supervisor
- Pat Foley
- Music Editors
- Sam Horta, Joe Sandusky, Robert Talboy
- Effects Editors
- Joseph J. Reitano, Kerry Williams
- Negative Consultant
- William E. DeBoer
- Production Manager
- Jayne Barbera
- Post-Production Supervision
- Joed Eaton
Companies and other credits
- A HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTION
- Copyright © 1978 DC Comics
- Inc. and Hanna-Barbera Productions
- Inc
- Based upon the characters appearing in Justice League of America and Super Friends comics published by DC Comics
- Inc
Production notes
Challenge of the Superfriends was a half-hour show, paired with a half-hour Superfriends. Challenge of the Superfriends came the closest to the comic books by pitting The Justice League of America against the Secret Society of Super Villains, the Legion of Doom. Superfriends, on the other hand, combined only five of the super heroes and their Exxorian trainees, Zan and Jayna and their monkey Gleek. Though two different and distinct shows, we pair them here together, as they originally aired. But only the shows numbered in the "128" series are truly Challenge of the Superfriends.
Pictures
Reviews
Doomsday
I was laughing at this one.
As was often the case with Challenges, three or four villians would step out and fight three or four heroes.
In this instance, it was Black Manta, Cheetah and Sinestro who had their falling out with the other Legion of Doomers.
When Sinestro felt they were deserted in prison, the trio sought revenge on their fomrer allies.
They learned of the mind altering machine and took control of it.
Apache Chief states "The machine can be used to bring about world peace. I hate to think of what it would do in the wrong hands."
Black Manta quips "we'll soon find out."
I was dying.
The Legion trio turns on their former allies, forcing them to substitute as bowling pins, then as pool balls.
"Now that we have had our revenge," Sinestro says "we can be allies once more."
Too funny.
Luthor didn't like the sounds of that after being a pool ball, but the approaching Superfriends immediately made the unlucky thirteen forget all about their differences and work together to take on the Superfriends.
It was just a fun fest for me.
Doomsday
This episode is missing the bite of the others. Why? The storyline was not credible enough to hold my attention. Cheetah taking over a military base? Come on.
What made it really over the top is when she, Sinestro, and Black Manta get captured by a giant-sized Green Lantern. The Superfriends detain them in the JL brig for arrest by the Galactic Police.
The captured LOD-ers hatch a plan of revenge against the rest of the Legion for deserting them.
Even the revenge plot was really bad. Taking control of a mental matter ray to replicate the Hall of Doom, to me, was rather odd. Why not a Goodyear Blimp or something?
Anyway, the mental-matter-ray-created HOD attacks the original HOD, prompting Luthor to call the Superfriends for help.
It gets odder, folks, when the original HOD and the replicated one are blasted out of the sky, and all are transported to the military base. With Flash and Apache Chief trapped in a Sinestro-created diamond, the LOD plots to take over the installation by using the mental matter ray to foil any attempts to stop them.
They did not count on the other Superfriends showing up to spoil the party.
When it's all said and done, the Legion's plan, as always, is foiled.
This episode was really unimaginative, in my opinion, because of the sheer absurdity of it all.