Duckman - Seasons 1 and 2 (part I of III)

For years, I’d seen people talking about buying bootleg DVD sets of "Duckman". My thinking was that a true fan of the show would wait for an official release. Thankfully, my patience paid off.

I’d like to say that I’m exactly the wrong person to provide an objective review of "Duckman" - Seasons 1 and 2. (In fact, this guy could provide an objective review, if that’s what you desire.) As I said in the past, I loved the show as a kid and, re-watching the episodes years later, I still love the show. In fact, I can probably count on one hand (and still have fingers left over) the number of "Duckman" episodes I outright hate...and you’ll be hearing about them this winter when Seasons 3 and 4 are released.

For now, though, here are the episodes you can find in the set (by disc; here’s what on the first one):

I, Duckman: (w: Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn; no director credited) Duckman feels that no one cares about him, but a package from a bomber might change his way of thinking. Unlike a number of first episodes of American cartoons that fall apart trying to nail down what they’re about, this is a pretty strong pilot, ably establishing the characters and their relationships. There’s also a hilarious montage of Duckman trying to trace his life through home movies.

TV or Not to Be: (w: Bernie Keating; d: Raymie Muzquiz) Duckman seeks out a sacred painting for televangelist Mother Mirabelle, refusing to let a conflict of interest - he thinks that she’s a fraud - get in his way. An interesting mystery angle and an amusing near-death experience mark this outing.

Gripes of Wrath: (w: Michael Markowitz; d: Norton Virgien) A stray comment made by Duckman at a technology fair causes a super-computer to create a perfect society...but can it last? There’s a pretty good sub-plot involving Duckman being a better father to Charles and Mambo, but the third act is the highlight, where society goes to hell. The "pretentious role-playing" dialogue in this scene is a howl.

Psyche: (w: Jeffrey Astrof & Mike Sikowitz; d: Paul Demeyer) Duckman and Cornfed take on a most unusual case: following a pair of buxom twins to see what they do that makes guys drool over them. A trip into Duckman’s subconscious (or psyche; see what I did there?) shows that his reluctance may have something to do with his departed wife, Beatrice. The design of the twins notwithstanding, this episode is quite good, ably mixing humor (the scenes in the surgeon’s office) with deep character study.

Gland of Opportunity: (w: Ron Lux & Eugene Stein; d: John Eng) A trip to an amusement park leads to a trip to the emergency room for Duckman. When he leaves (the hospital) with vigor and lust for life, it’s attributed to the adrenal gland of recently deceased daredevil Vile Kyle. Pretty funny, especially in Duckman pulling his sons from school and the JFK references in Cornfed’s theories about Duckman’s transplant.

Ride the High School: (w: Michael Markowitz; d: Raymie Muzquiz) Even though "he hasn’t mastered the four-slice toaster", Ajax is accepted into a school for the gifted. This is the episode that introduced Duckman’s nemesis, King Chicken (the always delightful Tim Curry), and his scheme is quite clever. Also, the dialogue is sharp throughout.

A Civil War: (w: Bob Kushell; d: Norton Virgien) Sick of being shown up by Cornfed’s skills (though you’d think he’d be used to it, at this point), Duckman fires him. A neat look at the partnership between Duckman and Cornfed, including an amazing look at how it got started.

Features include a commentary on "I, Duckman" and a handful of 30-second spots which advertised the impending premiere.

Stay tuned for my review of disc two.