REVIEW: ‘My Adventures With Superman’ Episode 3 — “My Interview With Superman”

My Adventures with Superman Episode 3 confirms that it has a complete understanding of what makes its characters tick. Namely, the dynamic between Clark (Jack Quaid), Lois (Alice Lee), and Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid), their friendship, and the specificities of their characterization that make them familiar but refreshed. Lois might still refer to Clark with the affectionate “Smallville” nickname, but Studio Mir’s version of the character is unlike any on-screen iteration of the character we’ve seen in the past. Taking her journalistic gumption to new heights, her brazen attitude and disregard for the rules for the sake of a good story make her emblematic of the series’s major highlights. 

“My Interview with Superman” opens with a typical, disaster-of-the-week type scenario as he rescues a pilot after a blimp crashes into a building. He’s stopped, of course, by Lois, who made her own mad dash to the crash site in order to try and be where Superman would be in order to nab herself an interview. This obviously doesn’t work (yet), but it sets into motion the episode’s narrative push while also reinforcing who this Lois is and the means by which she’ll go in order to get the answers she’s seeking. 

This characterization works beautifully alongside Jimmy, who is more than happy to go along with her schemes in order to climb the ranks of the Daily Planet. This is especially true once their Superman story is snatched away by more seasoned reporters, led by Cat Grant. Under the guise of looking for small-rate thieves who are using the tech Livewire possessed in Episodes 1 and 2, the trio set out on their next story with the aid of Lois having stolen the press badges of the other three reporters.

My Adventures with Superman Episode 3 lets the core trio shine. 

However, Lois and Jimmy are using this story as an excuse to once again try and gain an interview with Superman. Clark is distressed when he realizes the two are going to actively put themselves in harm’s way in order to do so, something that’s deterred when the petty thieves lose control of the technology. 

My Adventures with Superman Episode 3 is at its best with the character work but there’s plenty of room for stylistic flourishes. While there’s been plenty of teasing regarding Clark’s magical girl transformation when he dons the Superman costume, other anime elements make for strong action sequences involving his powers. As was the case with the electric charge that embodies him as his power ignites, there’s a similar vibrancy to how the show animates his heat vision. 

Having struggled with the power throughout the episode, the hints of its arrival causing him to become discombobulated, finally activates when Lois and Jimmy are about to be engulfed by ice. The threat against his friends allows the heat vision to unleash and he’s able to put a stop to the chaos and capture the thieves who’d been trying to take over the biggest bank in the city.

Studio Mir continues to apply a refreshing softness to the animation style. 

The heat vision itself has a softness to its animation, befitting a character whose soft edges and boy scout energy work beautifully off of Lois’s stronger lines and righteous indignation. The scene in question also proves that Clark, as Superman, still needs the aid of these developing powers. His strength doesn’t equate to a strong fighter. Yet. 

All of this leads to the iconic moment where Lois gets her interview, Superman sweeping her up and away to the privacy of a skyscraper’s roof. The questions are succinct: where is he from, how did he get his powers, who is he? While in other iterations Superman may have played it aloof, evading questions for the sake of protecting his secret identity, there’s a charm in Clark’s answers this time when he tells her that he truly doesn’t know, that he’s still figuring it out.

Because it’s true, this is a younger, very green version of this character who really doesn’t yet know or understand his backstory and how he came to be. What matters, he says, is that he uses his abilities to help the people of Metropolis. That Lois tells Clark after that she believes Superman is a big liar only endears the character further. 

My Adventures with Superman Episode 3 is a terrific installment of one of the season’s strongest debuts. By reconfiguring these iconic characters and allowing them to be bolder, and more modern, they’re simultaneously bringing forth more classic traits that honor them and make them timeless. Quick and well-paced and colored in by these endlessly charming characters and their already well-defined dynamics, “My Interview with Superman” demonstrates the writer’s immense confidence with the source material and their willingness to push the boundaries of expectations. 

My Adventures with Superman Season 1 is available on Max. 

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