STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2008
STARRING: Adam Reed, Kate Miller, Mike Bell, Kelly Jenrette, Killer Mike, Mary Kraft, and Christian Danley
CREATED BY: Adam Reed & Matt Thompson
FEATURES: N/A

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim is one of the best parts of my job. My love for The Venture Brothers, Robot Chicken, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force is well-documented and every few weeks another series comes across my desk. Sure, I could actually watch Adult Swim shows on TV when they originally air but there's something about having this original programming in one set where I can watch it back-to-back-to-back that really makes it work. Recent releases like Squidbillies and Metalocalypse have been fun diversions and I expected Frisky Dingo to follow the same so-so track. I had no idea what I was in for. Almost as good as the perfect Venture Brothers and the hilarious Robot Chicken and even better than the recent seasons of Aqua Teen, Frisky Dingo is a show that might make me rethink my TV-on-DVD policy with Adult Swim. I don't know if I can wait that long for more Killface.

From the creators of Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo (called that because, well, it was supposed to be called "Whiskey Tango" but a band had that name, so they barely changed it...if that makes sense as an explanation) gives the world the 'hero' Awesome-X and the supervillain Killface. Watch the first two episodes and try not to be hooked on these eleven-minute slices of superhero-mocking glory. The first chapter - and it really is a chapter as the whole thirteen-episode season tell one continuous story like the serials that used to appear in theaters before movies - features Killface, the ridiculous alien supervillain who worries about being a bad dad to his fat, mumbling child, builds superweapons but doesn't have the money for the upkeep, and falls for every stupid trick in the hero book.

In the premiere, Killface is shooting a brief clip to tell the world that he's holding it for ransom, but he's having creative differences with the twin directors. So he brutally kills them and takes their assistant hostage. He decides to go with a mass-mailing after realizing he can't afford to get his clip on the airwaves but misses a pretty obvious typo in the postcard he sends the world ("You're Doom"). It's hilarious and it's topped by the second episode that introduces us to Awesome-X, a hero from the Bruce Wayne mold, as he has to pay a hooker millions to keep his secret identity from the rest of the world. Like a lot of Adult Swim, Frisky Dingo is raunchy and ridiculous but it's better than most because, like Venture Brothers, it clearly loves the target of its satire. Frisky Dingo doesn't just ridicule larger-than-life heroes and villains, it knowingly winks at what we love about them. Comic book fans - especially those who love Batman - really need to check it out. And if you're of the right age, the '80s references alone (one episode had jokes about both Press Your Luck and the awful one-hit wonder Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam) will keep you laughing out loud.

Sadly, the episodes are all you'll get. Unlike most Adult Swim releases, Frisky Dingo comes completely extras-free. That's unacceptable in today's market, especially for a series that is clearly beloved by technophiles who would completely devour deleted scenes or behind-the-scenes footage. They better be there for season two. I know I will be.