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When you’re a fan of superheroes, sometimes you lose track of how inherently goofy the whole idea is. It’s easy to get caught up in decades’ worth of minutiae or the more recent ultra-serious treatments like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy that play on the modern mythology of the genre, and that can be rewarding in its own way. At the end of the day, though, it’s all very silly stuff—and, as the Robot Chicken: DC Comics Special reminds us, it’s fodder for some inventive and affectionate comedy.
The RC DC Special provides exactly what it advertises: a double-length episode of Robot Chicken featuring rapid-fire skits performed with stop-motion puppets—or, in this case, a variety of commercial and custom-made action figures. Topics range from Aquaman’s general lameness to what might happen if a weaselly fanboy were inducted into the space-faring Green Lantern Corps. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest all get the treatment, alongside a few obscure characters—whom, it’s safe to say, no one’s heard of before.
It’s been clear since the show debuted that creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich sport some impressive nerd credentials. They’ve put that wealth of comics knowledge to work here, mixing broad observations on the ridiculousness of superheroes with specific references that will fly right past the heads of all but the most obsessive fans (you know, like me). Longtime DC readers will definitely get the most out of it, but there’s plenty for the uninitiated to enjoy as well. Not every joke lands, but when each sketch lasts a couple of minutes tops, even the clunkers don’t slow down the momentum.
As increasingly serious and big-budget superhero movies proliferate at the cineplex to the delight of dorks and the consternation of critics, it’s refreshing to step back and remind ourselves that, once upon a time, these characters headlined what were then known as the funny pages.
Blu-ray Review:
When your feature is only 22 minutes long, you’d better bring some serious extras to the table. The RC DC Special includes a making-of featurette that goes into some detail regarding the arduous stop-motion process, a writers’ commentary, an actors’ commentary, and a mode that gives you scene-specific commentary by Green, Senreich, and DC Chief Creative Officer and writer Geoff Johns. Given the nature of Robot Chicken, all of these guys approach their work with a sense of humor that makes for a nice blend of information and banter.
On the lighter side, there are outtakes, a tour of DC’s L.A. office, and a couple bits where the Robot Chicken crew make costumes or try to one-up each other over how a certain story came together. It’s fun stuff, but it’s nothing that you need to worry about missing.
The real treasure is a set of 13 sketches that never made it into full production. There aren’t any puppets, but instead the completed voice tracks run over storyboard animatics. With a little imagination, it’s almost like having a partially-completed sequel along with the main feature—plus a little insight into the selection process.
Even with this wealth of extras, the Blu-ray release of the Robot Chicken: DC Comics Special isn’t the most robust package. But it’s a must for the hardcore DC comics fan, and it’s worth checking out for the casual fan of either superheroes or the show.
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