Superman: The Animated Series Mr. Mxyzptlk Episode Facts

Welcome to the fortieth installment of Adventure(s) Time, a look at classic animated series and their tie-in comic books. This week’s entry is a suggestion from commenter “mrclam,” who requested the "Mxyzpixilated" episode of Superman: The Animated Series. Its companion is a famous issue of the tie-in from the Mark Millar era.

Originally airing on September 20, 1997, "Mxyzpixilated" could easily claim the prize for the most bizarre episode of Superman. Written by Paul Dini and directed by Dan Riba, the creators’ previous work on Tiny Toons and Freakazoid is hard to disguise here. While the producers tended to stay true to the John Byrne reboot era of the character, which presented a more grounded Superman living in a less fantastic universe, "Mxyzpixilated" is all about the insanity of Silver Age DC.

The show had twenty episodes behind it at this date, and a shorter order than its predecessor Batman. This meant fewer experimental episodes, fewer scripts developed during a learning stage, and not a single “I’ve Got Batman in my Basement” in the first season. Having established the somewhat vanilla reality of the series, the sudden appearance of the imp from the fifth dimension leaves an even greater impression on the viewer. Fans used to Superman facing Intergang and Parasite were able to see a character they probably didn’t think would make the show, while kids were exposed to one of the oddest concepts in the mythos.

The series sticks to the classic version of Mr. Mxyzptlk, right down to his original 1940s design. This look had been nearly forgotten by the 1990s, with Mxyzptlk sticking to what was once perceived as his “futuristic” 1950s look in the ensuing decades. Going so far back is a testament to the creators’ knowledge of the canon, and their respect for the deep histories of these characters. (Plus, Batman had already proven just how well Bruce Timm’s designs mesh with a 1940s aesthetic.)

And what is Mxyzptlk’s classic gimmick? Well, he wants to find someone named McGurk. Everyone knows that. Okay, that’s a non sequitur joke, one that goes back to his earliest appearances. The bulk of "Mxyzpixilated" is Mxy doing what he’s always done, warping reality and tormenting Superman. He’ll go away if he’s tricked into revealing his name backwards, but only for three months.

(The gag of Mxyzptlk searching for an unseen character called McGurk is decades old, yet it fit in with the more obscure brand of humor of this era. Ren & Stimpy loved arbitrary jokes like this.)

So, it’s an episode of Mxyzptlk causing ridiculous trouble. Superman outwitting the imp. Mxyzptlk sulking in the fifth dimension while ignoring Gsptlsnz, his voluptuous girlfriend. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In the final act, the routine is interrupted when Mxy decides he’s had too much. He’ll go away forever this time if Superman can force him to reveal his name backwards two times in a row. The hero initially refuses, in one of the episode’s funniest scenes. When Superman flies away, Mxyzptlk angrily forces him into one more game.

Since this is the last act, and the episode has been unrelentingly goofy until now, some genuine danger is introduced. At moments, this feels like a standard Superman climax, as he races through Metropolis, avoiding the villain’s deadly Kryptonite rocket. Even briefly, there’s an acknowledgment of just how dangerous Mxyzptlk could be if he truly wished to cause harm.

It’s still an Mxyzptlk episode, though, and it ends with Superman outfoxing the imp once more. During their chase through Metropolis, he tricked Mxyzptlk into skywriting his name backwards twice, sending him away “forever.”

Mxyzptlk returns home to Gsptlsnz, who offers quality time to take his mind off Superman. We’re led to believe he’ll behave this time (in an ending that very much feels like something from the original Looney Toons.) His discreet transformation of his Superman statue into a toy monkey, however, hints at future Mxyzptlk stories to come.

An avowed fan of the Silver Age era of Superman, writer Mark Millar isn’t one to turn down a chance to pen an Mxyzptlk story. And during his stint on Superman Adventures, he made a point of returning to the imp every few months.

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Millar’s most famous issue is #41 (March 2000), “22 Stories in a Single Bound.” Mxyzptlk reappears literally every few pages this issue, as each page is a short story with a clean ending. It’s an ingenious concept, bringing new eyes to the series, just as Millar was closing out his run. (Millar was joined here by fantastic artists like Cameron Stewart, Bret Blevins, and Darwyn Cooke.)

How do you tell a complete Superman story in one page? First of all, you expand the premise to include every memorable character from the animated series. So, Lois, Jimmy, Lex, and even Lobo and Darkseid take turns starring in adventures.

Secondly, you play with the format. Some of the stories are no-fat superhero adventures. The reader is just walking in at the ending.

A few read as cute openings of standard action stories, like when Lobo punches out barflies asking him for Superman’s autograph. Others read more like one-page gags. If you were around for the Double Digest glory days, you’ll recognize the Archie influence on many of the vignettes.

Heck, that Lois page is even giving you several stories per page. In the early 2000s this kind of “shorthand adventure” storytelling became fashionable. It had writers assuming the audience was already familiar with the tropes, and using those tropes as a backdrop to tell a different kind of story (usually a comedy). Some found it cute, others found it an irritating statement of ennui.

The closest the issue comes to narrative cohesion is in the form of Mxyzptlk’s routine visits to Earth. Millar’s going with the idea that “revealing my name twice” is now the official rule. When Mxy appears during a Superman/Batman team-up, all it takes is an intimidating scowl from Batman to chase the imp away.

The idea of Mxyzptlk reappearing every ninety days is a clever way to mark the passage of time in a Superman story. Rather than “a day in the life,” this issue is presented as a full “year in the life” in the world of Superman. This could easily come across as a random selection of unrelated stories -- and it is -- but using Mxyzptlk as the recurring foe helps to create some sense of continuity within the narrative.

That said, while Millar always came up with shrewd ways to have Mxyzptlk use his name backwards, this issue features one very disappointing Mxyzptlk exit. Mxyzptlk bombards Superman with Kryptonite. Superman evades in a particular fashion. Mxyzptlk belatedly realizes he’s followed Superman too closely, revealing his backwards name…

…that’s nearly identical to "Mxyzpixilated"’s ending!

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The Wrap-Up

Design-y

The overseas animation studios turned in something of a stiff job, but the production crew outdid themselves this episode. Animals are notoriously difficult to draw, but darn near every Mxy scheme involves someone transforming into one.

Plus, Mxyzptlk and his antics introduce a kind of “rubbery” reality to the series that pushes the animators to draw upon different strengths. The montage of Mxyzptlk in his lab is as close to modern Looney Toons as broadcast animation is going to get.

Want more evidence of the crew’s talents? Check out the work that went into this mock comic strip page, something onscreen for around a second. (It’s packed with inside gags relating to the Superman crew.)

Finally, there’s the retro-cool look of the fifth dimension. This is truly alien to the show’s world, yet every scene looks great. The montage of Gsptlsnz’s changing outfits is just as cool as Harley & Ivy’s shopping spree in “Holiday Knights.” Years ago, the Superman-Batman fansite created a gallery of her outfits.

Continuity Notes

Speaking of Gsptlsnz, she’s essentially a new creation of the series. Her name was inspired by an early fifth-dimension imp from the comics, but the similarities end there. Oddly enough, she didn’t receive a fraction of Harley Quinn’s fame, yet Gsptlsnz hits many of the same notes. Gsptlsnz does make a brief cameo in “22 Stories,” but it’s one of her few appearances after this episode.

Also worth mentioning that "Mxyzpixilated" features Streaky as a normal housecat on the Kents’ farm, a nod to the “super cat” of the classic comics. And in “22 Stories,” Jimmy Olsen is explicitly referred to as a “cub reporter” and not a photographer. This could be one of the last references of Jimmy in that job in the comics. Finally, this episode presents the classic answer to the "How Does Superman Shave?" question. Heat vision and a mirror, of course.

Hey, I Know that Voice

No one is going to mistake the voice of Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of Mr. Mxyzptlk. His sultry companion Gsptlsnz is voiced by Sandra Bernhard, during her days as an “edgy” comedienne.

Approved By Broadcast Standards & Practices

Mxyzptlk instructs Rodan’s The Thinker to “finish your business!” (Of course Rodan’s The Thinker shows up here.) A crude joke that probably everyone has thought, but had never appeared on kids’ TV before.

Battle of the Bowler Hats

"Mxyzpixilated" manages to introduce the imp into the more serious world of Superman: The Animated Series without blowing the entire show up. Kids first exposed to Superman’s world through the cartoon are now adults, and you never hear any of them citing this as some grating, shark-jumping episode that ruined their favorite show. Heck, even when someone is brash enough to do a “Worst DCAU Episodes” list, this one never appears.

A low bar to clear? Maybe. But, c’mon, Mxyzptlk really is from a bygone era, and selling him in a modern Superman plot isn’t easy. “22 Stories in a Single Bound” isn’t strictly an Mxyzptlk story, and will be better remembered as a narrative experiment than for any specific plot. It’s inventive and fun, deserving of the attention it brought the Adventures title. But it’s already gotten its due. "Mxyzpixilated" isn’t only “good for a Mxy episode,” it’s a snappy tribute to the talents involved with the show, and it merits another look.

That’s all for now. Thanks to mrclam for the suggestion. If you have any episodes of an animated series you’d like to see paired with its tie-in comic, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter.