THE AMERICAN WAY
Superman made his big-screen debut in 1941 in a series of cartoon shorts created by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, the animators behind Betty Boop and Popeye. To a wartime America, Superman made an ideal patriotic hero, and he was often enlisted in the war effort, fighting Axis spies and saboteurs as well as thwarting gangsters and mad scientists. The shorts were notable for their vivid Technicolor hues and art deco design, as well as for popularizing such Superman catchphrases as ''It's a bird! It's a plane!'' and ''Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.''