| Sunday, February 6, 2005 |
23:06 - That neurotoxin is some funky stuff
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You know, normally I sort of involuntarily shun Duck Dodgers In the 24th 1/2 Century, for reasons I'm not entirely sure I understand. Part of me, I'm sure, has a natural revulsion for any show that fits the "modern, self-consciously hip overseas-animated remake of some beloved property from the Golden Age of Animation or some other bygone era" mold (think "Scooby-Doo with cellphones", or the tedious trudge that Tiny Toon Adventures became after its initial flurry of inspiration), even when the modern remake is actually higher-budget and much better written than the original. And maybe part of it is just my tendency these days to ignore everything Cartoon Network shows that isn't part of the Adult Swim block, just because Adult Swim is so damn cool it makes the rest seem pale and pointless by comparison.
But when I do happen to tune in, as often as not I find myself impressed beyond any expectation I might have had. Tonight, for instance, the second half of the show was "Samurai Quack", a parody guest-directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, with cameo roles by Mako (Aku's voice) and Tartakovsky himself. And boy, was it a hoot. It was an unremitting self-effacing dig at Samurai Jack's deliberate, artsy style and all its calculated clichés—the letterboxing bars that appear before the fight scenes, for example. Daffy Duck drawn and animated in the Jack style is surreal enough, but to have him belt out lines like "Behold my messy hair of determination!", or tap into the power of his ancestors by flashing back to a black-and-white Leave it to Beaver scene where he accosts the newspaper obscuring his dad, borders on the Venture Brothers-ian.
"Its many interesting compositions will build dramatic tension!" Phew. You know, maybe there is some good stuff coming out these days for the pre-11:00 PM audience after all.
And with American Dad coming to Adult Swim's 11:30 slot next Sunday, I guess maybe I'd better be keeping my options open...
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Brian Tiemann
