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Darkwing Duck: Volume 2
Review by Lando da Pimp

I can easily remember watching the Disney Afternoon Cartoon block after school and on Saturday mornings. Ducktales was also a show to watch as was Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Darkwing Duck usually followed and every once in a while they would try to throw in an episode of Talespin. That was usually the time to turn off the TV. While Talespin was not a good show, I remember loving Darkwing Duck. I was curious however. I haven't seen the show for about fifteen years. Does it still hold up after all these years? Yes and No.

Darkwing Duck was a spin-off series of Ducktales inspired by the episodes Double-O-Duck and the Masked Mallard. Drake Mallard's alter ego was the "Batman like" superhero Darkwing Duck. Darkwing was also a satire on the characters The Shadow and The Green Hornet. With the help of his sidekick Launchpad, Darkwing protects the city of Saint Canard from the likes of MegaVolt, Steelbeak, Bushroot and Negaduck.

I missed out on Volume 1 so I can't compare the older episodes. Season two. The first episode I watched was "All's Fahrenheit in Love and War." The first thing I was puzzeled by was the goofiness of the show. I remember it being a funny show but Darkwing Duck was more like "Inspector Gadget", unable to solve any crimes. As I watched I became more and more saddened. A show I remember as being great, to my adult eyes, has lost its luster. This happened to other cartoons I loved as a child, particulary He-Man and Thundercats. I was astonished as how annoying theses shows were.

As I accepted that the show was not what I remembered I watched a few episodes that caught my eye. The episode "Dry Hard," obvioulsey a play on the film of the same name's title, but not the story. The episode finds Darkwing Duck attempting to stop Bud Flood from posioning his competitor's water in order to promote his own. When Bud falls into a vat of poisoned water he turns into the Liquidator. A resemblance to the Joker story.

I also watched the episode "The Secret Origins of Darkwing Duck," which told the tale of the origin of Darkwing paralleling the origin of Superman. Darkwing along with Negaduck came from a doomed planet.

As I watched the show more and more superhero references popped up. Slowly I was discovering a new reason to like the show, its satire and "retelling" of superhero myths.

Special Features
Don't look for any special feature on Dark Wing Duck Volumes, unless the French Language Track is something special to you.

Parting Thoughts
The few episodes that I watched gave me a hint of enjoyment that I was glad to find. Darkwing Duck may not hold up as Ducktales, but it does remind me of the campy Batman show of the 60's. While it was awful there is something about it. If only Adam West would have starred in it. The sarcasm and humor of the show is outrageous at times, but you can tell that the writers of the show loved superhero's and I think that is what makes Darkwing Duck still cool.

The Darkwing Duck is available for purchase at Amazon.com

Review ©2007 MillionairePlayboy.com