February 12, 2010

SUPERJAIL!

Employ the artistic talents of R. Crumb and Fantagraphics and the writing talents of a privileged 14 year old boy circa 1987 and Ta Da!…you would have Superjail! This is not so much the thinking man’s comedy as it is the artists blank canvas. And some how, that’s the appeal. While most shows concentrate on a balance of visual viscosity and written artistry, this show does nothing of the sort. Instead, it takes it’s talent and forms it into aluminum knitting needles aimed for the eyes. The art is the spearhead that protrudes and provokes the story. It’s an asylum run by the insane with varying agendas to house the ultra-violent and serve as fodder for a variety of unspeakable experiments.

In other words, it’s like nothing you have ever experienced in any adult-swim format but retains a quality that is still vaguely familiar. Like a Green Day song.

Where Did This Come From?

Superjail! is like an all-star team in the adult-swim leages. I guarantee that if you go to the Augenblick Studios website and check out their past projects you will recognize the contributions they have made to a the animated world at large. It's the kind of show you would have to watch late at night with the wife and kids sleeping and with the volume turned down like you are watching a pornographic feature. In other words, it is a guilty pleasure that you share with only the closest of friends. If your Mom walks into the room, quickly change the channel!

What Can You Expect?

Leave your expectations at the door. Expectations, like traveling to a foreign country, will kill the experience. While most animated shows borrow from the heavily leveraged situation/comedy format, Superjail! is more a screwball comedy seen through the lenses of a bloody kaleidoscope. Or An animated mural powered by a V-8 big block engine huffing gold paint for the past 3 days.

Why You Should Watch It:

There’s a reason your video game of choice is GTA IV and your High School Class voted you the “Most Likely to Assassinate A President”.

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