Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane… No, it’s a cheesy TV show from the 1980s. In 1988, Superboywas brought to television audiences. It was a logical move made by executive producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind (producers of the first threeSuperman films and the dismal Supergirl. Superboyis pretty dismal in its own right but it’s still a curious thing. It’s basically a goofy version of Smallville and season two is now available on DVD. Diehard fans of the Superman mythos will either be very pleased… or very disappointed.

Superboy: The Complete Second Season includes 26 episodes spread across three discs. The plots are silly and so is the acting. Pretty boy Gerard Christopher (Sunset Beach) stars as nerdy Clark Kent, alter ego to the heroic Superboy. He is joined by the lovely Stacy Haiduk (The Young and the Restless) who plays love interest Lana Lang. Each episode features a predicable plot usually involving a villain who has evil plans for the caped superhero. Lex Luthor (Sherman Howard) is just one of many of Superboy’s nemeses and the results are ridiculously over the top.

If you seek quality live action renderings of DC superheroes, Superboy may not be the best choice. Following in the vein of the Superman films, Superboy seems like it’s meant for kids or teenagers. The storylines are simple and the humor, corny. Future Superman shows like Lois & Clark and Smallville far surpass this 80s misfire. The action sequences are overdone and the acting is ludicrous. The Salkinds had good intentions when producing this show but unfortunately, it’s just a super mess.

DVD Bonus Features

There are no bonus features for Superboy: The Complete Second Season.