While many DC Comics fans primarily consider James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film the official revamping of DC Studios, the comic book juggernaut technically broke out of the starting blocks late last year with the release of its adult animated series, Creature Commandos.
The series—which dropped its season one finale today on Max—modeled much of its odd-couple, C-to-D-tier villain team-up premise after Gunn’s version of The Suicide Squad, and it proved to not only a much-needed first step in establishing the tone DC Studios is going for moving forward, but also a stellar return to form for the company returning to its roots in animation.
We Liked: The phenomenal character writing
Much like Peacemaker and Guardians of the Galaxy, Creature Commandos‘ strength lies in its exceptional character writing and its diverse cast of misfits. Each episode alternated between the squad’s mission and flashbacks, highlighting a specific villain’s backstory and juxtaposing it with their current adventure. Whether it be the emancipation of the Bride from her stalker betrothed Frankenstein, GI Robot’s Nazi-killing directive, or the truth behind Weasel’s apparent child murders, each player got a gripping backstory that effectively rounded them out as a character and reinforced Gunn’s prevailing theme of not judging a book by its cover. If there was ever an incentive to get into insular DC lore, Creature Commandos is the gateway for fans to dive headfirst into the comics.
The needle drops
Music remains vital for narrative shorthand and accentuation in Gunn’s work, though Creature Commandos chose to replace more expensive nostalgic needle drops with Eastern European folk music. Nevertheless, Creature Commandos‘ toe-tapping musical style effectively complemented its action choreography and backstory montages. If anything, the Manhattan-based punk band Gogol Bordello just got a bump in monthly listeners thanks to Gunn’s varying music tastes.
The action hit every single time
Creature Commandos‘ two-episode premiere set the stage, slapping the board with animation so thrilling it made DC fans pump their fists with the same fervor Invincible and X-Men ’97 fans do. Its remaining five episodes were no different. Every Creature Commandos battle was bright and flashy, with rich set pieces begging to have stray weapons used like a stage hazard in Mortal Kombat.
What’s more, its brand of fatalities and injuries were the sort of gruesome and brutal stuff that only an animated show could get away with portraying. You’ll laugh at Dr. Phosporous flipping off a tank as it drives through him and, by proxy, melting through the mechanized weapon and its unsuspecting pilots, just as often as you’ll wince when he and Weasel beat the brakes off an almighty Amazon warrior.
We Didn’t Like: Some of the humor fell flat
While most of the clap-back jabs among the Creature Commandos cast called out just how bizarre the DC Comics mythos and its assortment of non-mainstream heroes and villains can be, the show’s jokes didn’t always land as well as intended. Jokes that weren’t immediate side splitters or delayed punchlines tended to be either meta-humor visual gags on the annoying parts of comic book fandom indignantly steeped in exceedingly right-wing sentiments, or they leaned on the crutch of how zany Eastern European culture aping pop culture would look to the average American. Comedy is subjective, so viewers’ mileage will vary. But it’s hard not to feel one’s eyes glaze over waiting for comedic non sequiturs to run their course so the show’s plot can resume.
Cruelty for the sake of it
In tandem with Creature Commandos embracing the weird touchstones of the DC mythos, the Max adult animated show also didn’t spare any expense at showcasing the cruelty that humanity is capable of—metahuman or otherwise. To DC Studios’ credit, many of its rougher moments were done in service of the show and buttoned themselves up with an assailant grandly getting their comeuppance.
However, the show did teeter into being downright mean-spirited at moments for the sake of it. Whether it was highlighting how cruel humanity can be in blunt fashion by having sex workers assaulted by drunk patrons, or having camera work portray a disabled babushka getting brutally “mercy” killed (when that wasn’t the case whatsoever), Creature Commandos sometimes came off as Hot Topic edgy for the sake of it.
The meh season finale ending teasing more to come
The plotting and pacing of Creature Commandos found a steady rhythm, cutting back and forth through time, fleshing out its ensemble and progressing their mission. But in its finale, the show felt like it lost a bit of steam. While one can draw some profoundness from how unglamorous and abrupt the show attempted to tie up its loose ends, film noir-style, it came off as a stuttered step rather than a tucked landing.
In typical comic book fashion, an after-credits stinger teased more adventures to come. Creature Commandos has indeed been renewed for a second season, with new and returning characters set to pick up where the finale left off, but this wasn’t the high-note ending the show seemed to think it was. Instead of feeling revolutionary, it felt safe.
All seven episodes of Creature Commandos season one are streaming on Max. Season two is on the way.
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