My Adventures with Superman 1×8 and 1×9 Review: “Zero Day” Part 1 and Part 2

Episodes 8 and 9 of My Adventures with Superman served as a two-parter that finally gave Clark (and the viewers) some much-needed answers to certain questions. However, whether you should trust said information remains to be seen.

I was provided with free screeners of My Adventures with Superman season 1 for review. The opinions I have shared are my own.

With Clark discovering new powers throughout the season, episode 8 ‘Zero Day – Part 1’ had him deal with his superhearing. I don’t think anyone has ever wanted superhearing as a superpower. Being able to hear countless voices at once just sounds so annoying. And that’s kind of what Clark had to go through. There were just a whole lot of people in Metropolis who needed help or had to be rescued from danger. It’s just a bit too much. And while tough, Clark needed to realize he couldn’t save everyone.

Though trying to help as many people as possible did exhaust Clark, his actions did lead to a whole lot of positive PR for Superman. People just couldn’t get enough of Superman zooming around the city to aid those in need. All of the good PR came in handy during episode 9. So, in a way, the residents of Metropolis also helped Superman. A major theme across this series has been the power of kindness and these two episodes exemplified that.

Episode 8 also featured a scene where Clark reunited a lost little girl with her parents. The parents, in question, were revealed to be two women. So, yay to My Adventures with Superman continuing with the casual queer representation. It was nice to see the M/M couple from episode 5 and the F/F couple from episode 8 continue to pop up in the background.

A bunch of questions were answered when Task Force X hatched a plan to finally capture Superman. I really liked how the animation team handled the fast-paced action sequence as an exhausted Clark went up against a bunch of Task Force X members wearing alien technology. 

With Clark being captured, we got a scene between him and the General where the General shared what had happened 22 years ago. Turns out, an alien army had decided to invade Earth and the US Army wasn’t prepared. It was a massacre with (if I’m not wrong) only the young General and Amanda Waller surviving. And that, too, by luck.

With Clark making his debut as Superman in Metropolis, the General and Amanda Waller were worried he was secretly doing something to usher in another invasion.

I mean, I don’t blame them. I would be thinking the same thing if a superpowered being began flying around the city and I already knew how dangerous aliens could be.

But even though the General was tough on Clark, you could tell he’s got a heart. He even doubted if Superman was involved in the previous invasion because he looked too young. On the other hand, Amanda Waller was all about taking care of business. The narrative’s been planting seeds of her taking over Task Force X from the General and she finally did that. Amanda Waller’s in charge now. It’s scary but fun. I love a messy Amanda Waller.

The way she played a part in allowing Task Force X to escape their cells which then led to Ivo, drunk on wanting revenge against Superman, turning into a giant parasitic monster… I want more of that!

Also, considering how much the current animated series is inspired by anime, Superman was going to face a Kaiju sooner or later. It was inevitable.

The fight between Superman and Kaiju Ivo is where the people of Metropolis chipped in. With Jimmy reaching out to his numerous social media followers and Lois giving a riveting speech about Superman being a kind superhero to said followers, the residents of Metropolis came together to turn off the city’s power and cut off Kaiju Ivo from his energy source.

Even though Jimmy and Lois can’t enter the battlefield to directly help Superman (yet) it’s still nice to see them try what they can to support him in their own way. These three make an effective team. I wonder if Lois and Jimmy will try on some of the alien tech in the finale. At least, grab a laser gun or something?

On a side note, I would recommend pausing the video to read the comments on Jimmy’s livestream. They were hilarious.

And while the two-part ‘Zero Day’ arc ended on a light note, I do have to say that I felt bad for Clark when he realized what people from his alien race had managed to do more than two decades ago. The fact he had superstrength, could shoot lasers from his eyes, etc., understandably made Clark feel that he was indeed a living weapon. Why else would he have such abilities?

Jimmy and Lois did help Clark realize that he wasn’t meant to destroy. He was as human as they were (including the bad and the good parts). However, the issue of Lois still hiding the video of an evil Clark wreaking havoc across a city (which was inside the orb Lois stole from the League of Lois Lanes in episode 7) hasn’t come up yet. Jimmy found out about the orb near the end of episode 9.

Our trio knew that the multiverse existed. So, the Superman in the video could very well be a different version of Clark. However, that still won’t do the version of Clark from the current timeline any good because he’s already having identity issues. I’m looking forward to seeing how he will react when he finally watches the footage Lois was hiding from him. You know it’s going to happen. The orb containing the footage also contained a piece of Kryptonite in it. So, yes, Lois was unknowingly carrying around a substance that was meant to hurt her boyfriend. The drama!

As for some more fun stuff for comic book fans, ‘Zero Day’ Part 1 introduced Vicki Vale. She’s older than our trio and a very accomplished reporter. Her mission was to write a piece about Superman being a danger to society and even though Lois and Jimmy tried to change her mind, Vicki accomplished her goal. The interview with a young Lex Luthor gave her what she was looking for. 

‘Zero Day’ Part 2 had a young Slade injuring his eye while trying to subdue the escaping prisoners, taking him one step closer to becoming the version comic book fans are familiar with.

What did you think of ‘Zero Day’ Part 1 and Part 2? Are you looking forward to the season one finale next week?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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