When Fleischer Studios contracted with D.C. Comics to produce the Man of Steel theatrical series in 1941, the results were dazzling and became immensely popular with American audiences who loved the Superman character. These story-driven cartoons take place in the city of Metropolis (a reference to Fritz Lang’s futurististic megolopolis in his 1924 classic), and draw heavily on science fiction with fantastic plots and super-villains.