Superman TAS S01E12 Review: Rise of Intergang

Superman: the Animated Series, Season 1, Episode 12: Tools of the Trade

I really wished we had more episodes that focused on Intergang so this episode would feel like a bit of a culmination of plot points instead of 'hey, remember this gang no one ever mentioned before?' Like, couldn't some of the business partners Luthor dealed with be Intergang? Sure, Bruno Mannheim did show up in the Toyman episode, but there he's portrayed as a shady politician, not a mob boss.


Still, disregarding that, it's still a fun little episode that blends in two stories -- officer Dan Turpin's inadequacy, and the arrival of Darkseid's heralds. Basically, what are normal cops and normal criminals going to do in a world with Superman? The S.C.U., the special crimes unit, are woefully outclassed by Superman, and while the leader, Maggie Sawyer, sees nothing wrong with it and is happy that the streets are safe, the old cop Dan Turpin is pissed off at how they're constantly overshadowed, especially when reporters start asking some really mean questions. This causes Dan to go on investigating on his own and bite off more than he can chew. It's an interesting storyline and one that I really can't fault Dan too much over. The episode tries to portray Maggie and Superman as the reasonable ones and Dan as this silly old-timer who can't accept our hero, but it also gives plenty of opportunities for Dan to shine in the later stages, allowing him to have a heroic moment in getting out of his mummy bandages and help rescue Superman from Bruno.

Meanwhile, Bruno's criminal enterprise, Intergang, is just not going very well. They use a fucking tank to rob a bank, and Superman deals with it in less than a minute. Which is when this devil-esque character, a man with a very shady beard and a business suit, calling himself Kanto (voiced by the excellent Michael York), shows up out of nowhere and gives Bruno some really powerful weaponry to even the scales. He represents a mysterious benefactor, and Bruno's desperate enough to basically sink to this faustine deal with the devil. Kanto's weaponry is pretty cool, powerful laser guns that can knock Superman back, a pair of gigantic energy gloves that can materialize in thin air, and instant-mummy beam.

The battle against Bruno's weapon-empowered gang against Superman, sadly, isn't all it's cranked up to be thanks to some rather inconsistent power levels of the weaponry -- how is the weapons not able to blow up the walls of Bruno's warehouse but able to wound Superman? How long does the weapon take to fire? Whatever the case, thanks to Dan Turpin and Superman's team-up, they manage to win, defeating Bruno's gang.

However, Bruno escapes with Kanto through the mysterious portal (well, boom tube) he goes in and out of, and the final scene is a chilling one in that unless you know the mythology of DC comics you really have no idea where Bruno Mannheim is now. It's a hellish world, with fire and brimstone everywhere, and Kanto has transformed his attire from a business suit to a far more colourful one. And he leads a confused Bruno to this imposing demonic figure, his new "lord and master"... Darkseid.

As far as introductions go Darkseid's isn't the most impressive one, to be honest, but both Kanto and Bruno are very entertaining villains, and Dan's story of finding humility and friendship in Superman isn't the worst one out there, and as an ambitious episode that introduces not only the SCU but also the New Gods of Apokolips, it's definitely one that's fun to watch.

DC Easter Eggs Corner: 

• Kanto, a.k.a. Iluthin, was a servant of Darkseid that was trained on Earth and traveled t oEarth during the Renaissance years. Kanto is actually the fourteenth in a line of assassins named Kanto, having slain his predecessor to claim his mantle. 
• As with his appearance here, Bruno Mannheim and Intergang, in the comics, is sponsored with Apokoliptan technology by Darkseid's minions to act as his thralls on Earth.
• Daniel "Terrible" Turpin is a member of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, who found himself embroiled in a secret war between the superhumans known as the New Gods, god-like beings from the planets Apokolips and New Genesis, who fought for supremacy on Earth. He would continue to be a supporting character in both Superman and Superboy's comics. 
• Maggie Sawyer, captain of the Metropolis SCU, was introduced during the post-Crisis of Infinite Earths soft reboot, and is the main police chief of Metropolis during most of this period. In the comics she's actually a lot more obstructive of Superman's work similar to Dan Turpin in this episode, though she eventually mellows out. 
• Dan Turpin's line, "Mannheim's ugly mitts", may be a reference for Bruno's comic nickname, "Ugly" Mannheim.
• The shot of Superman catching the SCU car is similar to the cover of Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman.