Superfriends or DCAU: The more memorable series

[powerjake]

Which one had an impact thats more memorable for cartoons with a legacy to it that people can recognize easily and had the larger influences on the DC comics universe.

The cartoons such as Superfriends or DCAU (Batman.TAS, Superman.TAS, Batman Beyond, Justice League/Unlimited, Static Shock, The Zeta Project).

 

[Otaku-sempai]

For late Baby Boomers (such as myself) or Gen Xers, I think Super Friends had the greater cultural impact.

 

[Raider969]

I believe the DCAU had more of an impact to me at least. Those were the cartoons I grew up watching and in my opinion has the best versions of each character.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

I believe the DCAU had more of an impact to me at least. Those were the cartoons I grew up watching and in my opinion has the best versions of each character.

I can't argue with that, but I was in my 30s when B:TAS debuted so it just didn't have quite the same impact for me. It was certainly revolutionary though!

 

[powerjake]

Both had influences on DC comics but which one had the most influences on the DC Universe.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Both had influences on DC comics but which one had the most influences on the DC Universe.

Oh, B:TAS I have no doubt! The show's influence is far and wide and transcends the DCU. But Super Friends still gave us some elements that affect the DCU to this day: The Hall of Justice; original characters that have shown up in comics and other shows. Heck, if Alan Burnett had not already written for Super Friends, he might never have become a writer-producer on B:TAS.

 

[VintageToonFan]

I feel SuperFriends had more of an impact, since to this day, stuff from it is still used and there is still riffing on the overall insanity it had at times.

That being said, the last two Super Powers tie-in cartoons were my favorites because I really felt the writing had improved big time. There was a sense of danger to the stories, but there was also still a sense of fun. The Super Powers Team in particular is the best of the Hanna-Barbera DC cartoons, it just looks a lot better than the previous shows, and you can tell the writers were really pushing the envelope as much as they could with episodes like The Fear and The Death of Superman.

 

[wonderfly]

Both had influences on DC comics but which one had the most influences on the DC Universe.

Seems that the comics influenced the cartoons more than the other way around. Still, there are exceptions.

Aquaman became a bearded gruff "hook for a hand" badass in response to his Superfriends depiction.

The future of "Batman Beyond" is now part of the DC comics multi-verse (or "alternate timelines").

And of course, there's Harley Quinn, who transcended from the DC Animated Universe to the comics.

EDIT: But I kinda also like the larger question of "which one had more of a cultural impact", as I'm inclined to say "Superfriends" still, even to this day. 70's Saturday mornings beats 90's Fox Kids (Batman: TAS) which beats niche Cartoon Network 2000's (Justice League), as far as pop culture influence. We only had 3 channels back in the 70's.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

We only had 3 channels back in the 70's.

Well, three networks anyway. Locally, we also had PBS and at least one indy UHF channel (plus we were situated where we were receiving from Buffalo, Rochester (NY) and Toronto.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I would say the DC Animated Universe, especially that it was responsible for redefining Mr. Freeze from a goofy villain to being a sympathetic one.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

The simple truth is that both franchises have had a huge impact on both pop culture and DC's mainstream comics. Trying to determine which one has been more influential is probably a mug's game.

 

[hobbyfan]

Each franchise has had its share of cultural impact.

I was not yet 30 when Batman: The Animated Series began, but, coming as it did on the heels of "Batman Returns", it retained the mutated appearance of Penguin from that film, plus a blonde Selina Kyle, now in a grey two-piece outfit as Catwoman, and the toon deco look recalled the Fleischers' Superman shorts of the 40's.

Super Friends came along in an era where violence had been banished from cartoons because of media nannies like Peggy Charren. The original 1973 series was more of a teaching tool. The roster expansion of 1977 represented cultural diversity by adding Samurai, the Wonder Twins, Apache Chief, & Black Vulcan, with El Dorado coming along 3-4 years later, while still being restrained from using real violence, which is why there are online critics that treat it like a joke.