Destruction Inc.

This was yet another in the Fleischer/Famous Studios series of Superman cartoons. In the one, a guard from the Metropolis Munitions Works factory is found dead in a swamp so Lois Lane goes to work there to uncover a plan to blow it up. Somehow, Superman also seems to be there...Pretty atmospheric outing for the series as we see how things are being kept from happening due to the actions of the Man of Steel. As usual, Ms. Lane ends up being the damsel in distress who would have ended up dead were it not for Clark Kent always being nearby. For an 8 minute short, it's pretty entertaining enough but really, these are starting to become really repetitious concerning plots on these superhero cartoons. Still, if you're a Superman completist, Destruction Inc. is at least worth a look.

Destruction, Inc. (1942)

** (out of 4)

Set during WW2, this Superman short finds out hero trying to battle some saboteurs who plan on doing destruction at the Metropolis Munitions Works factory. This is one of the weakest shorts I've seen in the series and that's saying quite a bit since there have been several that I was disappointed in. The biggest problem here, as in previous shorts, is the story is just downright bad. It's made even worse here because of how the Superman side of things is handled and all of these leads up to some weak villains and a pretty bland and boring ending. The animation is once again the main reason for watching it because the colors are outstanding so at least you have something to look at.

"Destruction Inc." is a very typical Superman cartoon from the WWII era. While many of the plots did NOT involve spies and the Axis Powers, many did--and this one is about saboteurs intent on destroying a defense plant. It begins with a night watchman from the local plant being murdered, so Clark goes in disguise to take the job. Of course, Lois also goes to work at the plant and she overhears the boss, Mr. Jones, talking about blowing up the place! They catch up with her after giving chase (Lois, for her part, did a great job trying to get away) and stuff her into a torpedo casing--intent on blowing her up!! However, since Clark is nearby, he springs into action and saves America, apple pie and Lois! As I mentioned above, this is all very typical. And, it might surprise you that in many of these early cartoons Superman isn't quite as invincible as he seemed later. When a load of scrap metal is dumped on him, he IS stunned and cannot quickly extricate himself. Overall, decent animation and a decent amount of action make this one worth while though it isn't especially inspired since it's so familiar.

A SUPERMAN Cartoon.

Intrepid reporter Lois Lane discovers that DESTRUCTION INC. - a small band of murderous saboteurs - plans to destroy the Metropolis Munitions Works. Looks like a job for Superman...

This was another in the series of 17 excellent cartoons initially created by Max Fleischer for Paramount Studio. They feature great animation and taut, fast-moving plots. Meant to be shown in movie theaters, they are miles ahead of their Saturday morning TV counterparts. Bud Collyer is the voice of Superman; Joan Alexander does the honors for Lois Lane.

The 1942 short animated story "Destruction Inc." from writers Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and Jay Morton is a pretty straight forward story. Though it was very much in tune with the other 1940s animated short stories of "Superman".

Predictable, sure. But there was still something enjoyable and entertaining about the narrative in "Destruction Inc.", though we are really given no reason for why Lois and Clark are undercover at a munitions factory.

The art style and animation in "Destruction Inc." is good. And it feels like the animators went a little bit out of their way to make the goons in this particular story more alive, as the animation was a bit more flexible and with more fluid motions to it.

If you enjoy these 1940s short animated stories, then you will also like "Destruction Inc." from directors Izzy Sparber, Dave Fleischer and Dave Tendlar, of that I am certain.

My rating of "Destruction Inc." lands on a six out of ten stars.