Before today, DC Studios released the first two episodes of James Gunn’s adult animated series, Commando of creatures. The series, which represents Gunn’s first official foray into the DC Universe under his leadership, had many high hopes of leaving a good first impression. As with most things, Gunn, Commando of creatures does the impossible making you care about a bunch of weirdos fighting to save the world with all the ultraviolence, irony and heart that only an animated show can offer.
Commando of creaturessimilar to Gunn’s interpretation of The suicide squadsees Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) leading a task force made up of shadowy B- and C-list monsters and oddities from the DC Universe to undertake dangerous missions she deems unsuitable for disorderly metahumans. The aforementioned team, led by Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), includes the Bride of Frankenstein (Indira Varma), GI Robot (Sean Gunn), enthusiast of Nazi murders, the reliable and daunting Weasel (also Sean Gunn ), walking nuclear risk doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), and aquatic scientist Dr. Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao).
In typical Suicide Squad fashion, the commandos must contend with an all-powerful Amazon named Circe (Anya Chalotra) and the Bride’s undead stalker, Eric (David Harbour); protecting a foreign princess (Maria Balakova); overcome one’s mountains of emotional baggage; and save the world. All, of course, with the threat of having bombs explode over their heads, forcing them to stay on the straight and narrow.
From the jump, Commando of creatures is chock full of the gory ultraviolence of Invincible and the stylistic visual flair of X-Men ’97. As the old adage goes, this isn’t your dad’s DC show. The henchmen are unceremoniously blown up, riddled with bullets and evaporated as if waltzing in a Mortal combat stage by mistake every time they cross paths with the Commandos. Undoubtedly, the most crucial element of the animated series is its use of Gunn’s most powerful asset: engaging writing.
Not only does the show pack a lot of information, stylish action, and hilarious comedy into its 22-minute premiere episodes, Commando of creatures it also carries forward Gunn’s penchant for endearing viewers to previously unknown and flawed heroes. This talent continues to evolve beyond becoming a fluke, as evident in Gunn’s creations like The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy AND Peacemaker. Gunn’s ability to create deeply human dialogue in absurd superhuman scenarios is fascinating to watch, whether through the Commandos clashing as they settle into their odd-couple camaraderie, wisely dissecting each other’s insecurities, or witnessing the interaction of their tragic backstory during an episode.
While the comedy is subjective, unlike other contemporary comic projects such as Deadpool and Wolverine, Commando of creatures‘s snappy humor is sharp by comparison. Rather than being laced with tongue-in-cheek meta-referential jokes, every dig and non-sequitur feels organic. If the remaining five episodes of Commando of creatures maintaining the show’s winning first impression, DC Studios will have officially recaptured its mojo.
New episodes of Commando of creatures comes out every Thursday on Max.
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