Review-”Duckman: Seasons One & Two”

• Release Date: September 16, 2008
• Publisher: Paramount Home Video
• Price: $34.99 on Amazon.com
• Rating: Not Rated
• Run Time: 480 minutes
• Starring: The Voices of Jason Alexander, Nancy Travis, E.G. Daily, Gregg Berger, Dweezil Zappa, Dana Hill, Pat Musick
• Bonus Features: “What the Hell Are You Starin’ At?” (special investigation inside “Duckman”), “Designing Duckman,” “Six Degrees of Duckman,” Commentary
  
• Genre: Animation, Comedy
• Buy It on Amazon.com

First thing off the bad, even though it is a cartoon “Duckman” is definitely not safe for children to watch. While there aren’t any particularly bad adult themes or language, “Duckman” does still have a lot of adult humor. For those who enjoy more mature cartoons, “Duckman” could definitely be a great purchase.

Duckman (voiced by Jason Alexander) is just a nobody detective that is always ignored. He lives with his three children, his wife’s twin sister, and his comatose mother-in-law. Duckman is definitely flawed as he is a bad father, has a bit of a temper, and is quite an incompetent detective.

Most of the humor stems from Duckman’s satirical look at American culture. While I definitely thought some moments were funny, there were also some very unfunny episodes. I do usually like adult cartoons but I really thought “Duckman” was just average. The animation is definitely strange and unlike anything I’ve seen before. It is very hard to describe and I personally wasn’t a huge fan of it.

Video quality is a bit hit-or-miss. Since the show is fifteen years old, some lack of quality is to be expected. Some of the colors don’t look as good as they could and there are occassional specks and dirt. However, this issue should definitely not get in your way of purchasing. Audio quality is fine.

As for the extras, there aren’t as many as there are on most adult cartoon DVDs but then again, those shows aren’t fifteen years old. Only one commentary is on the set but it does include star Jason Alexander. It definitely isn’t bad but the commentary could have been a bit more entertaining. The set also contains three featurettes. “What the Hell Are You Starin’ At?” is a 30-minute look at the creative process. “Designing Duckman” is unsurprisingly about how Duckman’s look was created. Finally, “Six Degrees of Duckman” is an interactive feature where viewers can learn more about the characters. Both the featurettes are pretty good but “Six Degrees of Duckman” is way too text-oriented.

Overall, “Duckman” is probably a good blind buy if you like shows like “Family Guy” and “South Park.” While I was a bit disappointed by the show, I can definitely see why there is a cult fanbase for it. However, if you don’t like adult cartoons, don’t pick the DVD up and definitely do not show it to your kids. Recommended.