Squidbillies – Volume 2 (Warner DVD)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Episodes: C+

 

 

Those vulgar squids are back and more redneck than ever.  Adult Swim is known for its unique brand of animated comedy and art direction; Squidbillies embodies both those concepts.  I had many positive things to say about Squidbillies: Volume 1 on DVD and most of those comments stick (suction?) for Volume Two.  The animated comedy once again takes place somewhere in deep South Georgia where chaos and insanity reign supreme.  Drugs, alcoholism, violence, corrupt corporations, odd creatures, and a moronic police force seem to be common place down there and no one questions otherwise.  The hickish nature of the squids is a creative mode to replace the supposedly laid back and simpler south; but the series does not so much concern itself with satire or contemporary societal criticisms, but rather goes for the throat as it sticks random, tangential vulgar comedy.  In some manner the series may be commenting on the extremely liberal views that some hold on may they “can and can’t do” as far as gun laws, drugs, violence, and alcohol; but the series is just too vague to make that claim.  All in all this reviewer feels that the series is as good, if not better than it was in Volume 1, but if you are expecting this to be smart, witty, satirical humor you may want to look elsewhere.

 

The series is certainly funny and creative (who would have ever thought of red neck squids?); but the shoelaces and chew that hold the series together could be its undoing after a while.  Sometimes people like crude comedy for the sake of crude comedy and Squidbillies is certainly a crude animated comedy series.  The series is mainly based on southern stereotypes that whereas to some extent may be true, the embellishment on those stereotypes is obvious and can get to be a bit ridiculous.  Now part of that ridiculousness is what makes the series humorous and entertaining, but other parts of it become drab and annoying.  Each episode is presented in a brief 11 minute segment, which is just long enough before you would want to flip the channel.  The series is meant to look rough and gritty and works for the most part.  The music and characters of the series are amazingly well constructed and executed; it is the scripts that need work.  Whereas the loose plots have gotten the series this far, if some substance is not infused into the series Squidbillies will find themselves in the Georgia Unemployment office.

 

The technical features on this 2 Disc, 20 Episode DVD set are very much like Volume 1 as they are nicely put together but not flawless.  The picture is presented in a 1.33 X 1 full screen image that once again highlights the innovative animation techniques also used in the previous volume, giving off a gritty, dilapidated atmosphere that in engaging rather than detracting from the picture quality. The picture again has a degree of image softness but is clean; the colors are bright and consistent throughout, even with the intended stained appearance.  The sound is again presented in a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix with no surrounds, a feature many recent adult swim releases still lack (except the new Venture Bros. release).  The extras once again do not disappoint, as the creators obviously greatly care for what the fans want and provide a hoedown of features to dance around.

 

The extras include Dragonbilles, Squidbillies Circle Jerk 2: Return of the self congratulation, Funny Pete Stuff, Art+Music, Dragon*Con 2008 and more.  The extras are just pure ridiculousness that is never ending.  As it is to some degree indescribable (or I just can’t say it out loud), just trust me when I say it is definitely worth a watch.

 

Another aspect of this DVD box set worth mentioning is the AWESOME box art. Each of the main characters is drawn somewhere on the box in high detail; quite a stark contrast to the series intended minimalist art direction.

 

Overall, Squidbillies: Volume 2 is just as good as the first volume, if not better. I have a feeling that the concept may wear thin after a while, but for now the series is captivating with its odd brand of comedy, unique characters, and beautifully creative art direction.  Like most Adult Swim series, I highly recommend Squidbillies: Volume 2.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II