American industry builds a gigantic new bomber and Lois Lane stows away on the test flight; little does she suspect, Japanese spies are aboard to hijack the giant. Superman to the rescue? Superman vs. Japanese spies hijacking a new super-bomber. Artistry can go out the window when propaganda comes in the door. Here we have a plot that could be used in any setting. Because we recently were attacked by Japan and made to enter the war, the villains are the Japanese. They are portrayed with slanted eyes and big grins (of course, the must have been laughing at us through the whole war). Anyway, instead of fighting crazy scientists and extra-terrestrials, the Mand of Steel is faced with the yellow horde, smiling and attacking at will. We know who will get the better of this. One issue that would have to be dealt with, considering the world of these cartoons. If the U.S. had a weapon like Superman, would any force be able to attack anyone. Our boy is straight shooter could be the ultimate defensive weapon. Interesting. I love the Fleischer Superman cartoons. The animation is smooth and fluid with vivid colors. The distinct art-deco style, vintage science fiction imagery, and use of noirish shadows gave them a look unlike any other cartoons. The music and voice work is superb. They're fun, accessible, enduring animation classics. While this is a cartoon from Fleischer Studios' successor, Famous Studios, it still tries to maintain the Fleischer style.<br/><br/>In addition to being the first Superman cartoon from Famous, this tenth cartoon in the series is also the first with a World War II theme. The plot is that a new American bombing plane (world's largest, according to a newspaper headline) is hijacked by Japanese saboteurs. Lois Lane is on board the plane, of course. Superman must save Lois, stop the saboteurs, and safely bring the expensive plane down. This first effort from Famous Studios is a nice WW2 thriller with some good action, particularly the climactic scene of Superman catching the plane. It's a good effort, about equal to the last couple of Fleischer toons, but not a patch on the best of the series.
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