Darkwing Duck, Volume 1 (1991)

When there's trouble you call Dee-Dubya

Of all the Disney franchises my favorite has to be Duck Tales. Many people think that Duck Tales was merely an 80s TV show and never went further than Saturday morning but in reality it has a very rich history going back decades and if you think that it spoofs Indiana Jones you'd be wrong because it's actually the other way around.

Darkwing Duck was a spin-off of Duck Tales, taking place in the same universe but transplanting the action from Duckburg to St. Canard. The only regular returning character was bumbling pilot Launchpad McQuack but he was my favorite, though Gizmoduck does make a couple of appearances.

Darkwing himself, ordinary Drake Mallard by day, is a sort of cross between Batman, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Shadow. He's a crime-fighter with absolutely no abilities other than his determination to beat the bad guys though his is utterly confident in himself and craves media attention. With Launchpad as his sidekick and the occasional help from his daughter Goslyn he tackles a variety of strange villains, winning usually by chance.

I've often thought that a hero can only be measured by his nemesis and unfortunately none of the Darkwing Duck bad guys are up to much, but that's fine since Darkwing himself is sort of incompetent. Episodes set during the daytime contradict the noirish nature of the show and the best episodes are the ones set in the shadows and dark alleyways. I know that this is a kids show and is not necessarily in the same league as the Batman animated series but it does seem to be selling itself short in this regard. Duck Tales frequently had very dynamic and imaginative stories while Darkwing Duck is sort of hit-and-miss. That's my only complaint though.

Darkwing Duck still has loads going for it, including a brilliant theme song and his memorable signature catchphrase 'Let's get dangerous' (or 'It's gonna get scary big-time' as they say in France). There still life in this bird yet and with the Scrooge McDuck universe still popular to this day then we might just see him return some time.

The DVD features a 1.33:1 full frame transfer for every episode as originally drawn with stereo sound. It's from a video source so it's not too sharp but it won't really bother any serious fans. There are no extras whatsoever. September 2, 2008

A blast to watch again, and it's just as good as I remember it!

This, along with many of the other Disney Afternoon shows, was a favorite of mine as a child. So, when I discovered it was on dvd I knew I had to buy it.

I will admit I was hesitant about purchasing the dvd, I had been disappointed by other old favorite shows before (the old TMNT toon, Power Rangers, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch just to name a few) thankfully, this one didn't disappoint.

This show still retains it's magic!

The pilot (despite being cut and edited into a two-parter for syndication) was a wonder to watch. Funny, serious, and dramatic, it's a great start to a great show. (I do highly recommend getting the "Darkly Dawns the Duck" vhs, which is the uncut movie version of the pilot, if you can).

The other episodes, although not always as serious as the pilot was at times, are still just as wonderfully enjoyable.

If you loved the cartoons of the 90's, then I honestly feel you should pick up this dvd set! June 14, 2008

Pretty good, but not great

I was too old for most of these Disney cartoons from the 1980s-1990s. But I have purchased several for my daughter, like Duck Tales, Tail Spins, ect, and figured this one would be more or less like the others.

It is, in the general format sense. But I have not been as impressed with this series as the others. Maybe it is a generational thing, but I am just not as crazy for Darkwing Duck as the other series. My daughter seems to enjoy them just as much and I have no trouble recommending them, but as a dad who has to sit through them sometimes, I do not plan to buy any more than season 2, which I bought at the same time as season 1. January 3, 2008

I am the Itch you cannot Scratch!

My 6year old son loves it and I enjoy watching it with him. Great fun for the kids. November 23, 2007

darkwing was the duck

yes in the disney tradition loved darkwing wished it had at leasst 6 seasons favorite villian was negaduck who was darkwing's complete opposite it was good quackerjack was insane and cool, liquidator should have been featured more and gosalyn was cool and a bit dangerous herself loved morgana when her and dark was togetyher those were timeless good memories.
September 18, 2007

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