(1952) Grandpappy of the superhero TV series. As the Man of Steel, mild-mannered George Reeves set the standard for heroic posturings and manly flying poses. Okay, this Supes only dealt with street level criminals and the special effects weren't exactly earth-shaking stuff. But, still, George was charming and sincere, and he had that square jaw full of resolute goodness. I call him iconic!

(1976) Fabulous spin-off to SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN. Lindsay Wagner brought heart and soul (and major babeness) to Jamie Sommers, sometime girlfriend of Steve Austin, as she receives her own infusion of bionics. Like Austin, she ends up working for O.S.I. Wagner was so good she won a Best Actress Emmy for this role. Note: For now, REGION 2 only.

(1976) Short-lived but kinda fun half-hour series featured on the kid-friendly Krofft Supershow. Basically, a spoofy female version of Batman & Robin and catered to kid sensibilities. Man, they had some groovy gadgets! VHS ONLY!!

(1977) Shades of Aquaman!! Ironically, this touts a fish-out-of-water premise. Patrick Duffy is wonderful as Mark Harris, the innocent amphibious Man from Atlantis who teams up with scientists from the Foundation for Oceanic Research to explore the mysterious oceanic depths. The f/x is clunky, but the charm is intact. VHS for the pilot.

(1978) My time capsule television viewing of choice. After the TV movie came the series, which turned out to be pretty decent. Or is that just nostalgia talking? I remember an evil Spidey clone somewhere...This VHS collects the first 2 episodes ("Deadly Dust") only.

(1988 & 1989, TV Movies) - Two movies featuring the mean green in torn up jeans, this time with Thor (...RETURNS)and Daredevil (TRIAL...) as his battling wingmen. with John Rhys-Davies as the Kingpin. So what's not to like?

(1978, TV Movie) Peter Hooten disinterestedly stars as the Sorcerer Supreme, who goes up against the enchantress Morgan Le Fay. Slow moving and straying quite a ways from the source, I guess I can see why this movie still languishes in VHS! But, by the Dangling Danglers of the Dread Dormammu, I say that his costume might suck but the movie's still worth a peep!

(1979, TV Movie) Christopher Lee adds much needed acting chops to this thing. Reb Brown's nonexciting super-soldier returns, this time to prevent a terrorist (Lee) from releasing a virus which accelerates aging. Better than the first film. And, hey, the costume's right this time (but for that goofy helmet)! In glorious VHS!

(1985) I've fond memories of this one. A sexy but surly telekinetic, a rocker who shoots lightning, and an intellectual giant who shrinks. And led by a glib, non-powered scientist dude. It killed me when they cancelled this one. I really, really dug this show, and not just because of the muy caliente Courtney Cox. Why is this still only available in VHS?! Aaargh!!

(1990) Yup, it was finally time for Barry Allen to shine - but then the spotlight was turned off. A short-lived venture, but awesome. The f/x was ridiculously good for a TV budget. My one beef was that the Flash costume looked too bulky. Else, it's all good in da hood (of Central City). Always fun to have Mark Hamill as the Trickster. And, FYI: that Brit, Amanda Pays, is quite hot...

(1994) When an African-American scientist is paralyzed by a bullet, he crafts an exoskeleton costume which allows him to walk and become a vigilante crimefighter. This is an okay, brooding series, with the stately Carl Lumbly as Miles Hawkins, a.k.a. M.A.N.T.I.S. Not shabby. Available as a Video Download.

(1997, TV Movie) Another Roger Corman wink, and further doings with our dominatrix-outfitted crimestopper. This time, Black Scorpion goes up against the Gangsta Pranksta and the earthquake villainess Aftershock. What?! Severance didn't win an Emmy for this? R rated.

(1997) Waifish Sarah Michelle Gellar is Buffy Summers, this generation's Slayer. To me, this was a perfect show. Written with sharp wit. Hilarious pop culture references. Multi-layered monsters. Smart & serious episodes (like "The Body"). The episode where the cast sings, another where they barely speak. And Spike rocks. As does Faith. And the Scooby Gang. I miss 'em.

(1999) Quirky and wonderful. When loving dad and husband Michael Wiseman is killed in a subway accident, he really isn't. The U.S. government plants his brain and consciousness in a new, genetically enhanced body and puts him to work. This, even as Michael pines for his family, who doesn't know he's still alive. Bob your head to the smooth theme song. But beware the Eggman!

(2001) - First the TV movie, now the series. An ancient and mystical armored gauntlet lends hard-bitten Police Detective Sara Pezzini a slew of superhuman powers. This one melds supernatural fantasy with gritty cop drama. But, frankly, it couldn't hold my interest enough. Yancy Butler is solid, though, and I liked her aggressive take. A lukewarm thumbs up.

(2001) - A reimagining of Clark Kent's youthhood in Smallville, this teen action/drama series strays quite a bit from the source, but still manages to be darn entertaining. Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum are superb in respectively embodying Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Check this one out.

(2002) This is the future and, in New Gotham, Batman has vanished. But he leaves behind a daughter, who now prowls around as the Huntress. Teaming with the crippled Oracle (formerly Batgirl) and clairvoyant newcomer Dinah Lance, these Birds of Prey hunt down Gotham's worst. I was SO bummed when this show got axed. An AWESOME series.

(2006) NBC struck oil with this one. If superpowered humans did exist, I guess this is about as realistic a chronicling of how it'll go down. No costumes and no silly superhero codenames, this not-to-be-missed drama is enlivened and grounded by a great cast and taut storytelling. Hiero is infectious! Save the Cheerleader, save NBC.

(2007) *Sigh* I had such expectations. Maybe if Lindsay Wagner hadn't been so luminous as Jamie Sommers, Michelle Ryan would've been given more of a benefit. As it is, Michelle is plenty attractive and nice, but simply isn't as appealing as Lindsay. When you throw in the plodding stories and the sluggish supporting cast (excepting the brilliant Katee Sackhoff)...*sigh*