With a nod of the hat toward past editions of “Saturday Morning Cartoon!” by Neverbot AKA Cassidy Ward, I’ve chosen to go back to the beloved ducks of Disney with “Darkwing Duck”. Cassidy was covering Fantasy Con in Salt Lake City for Big Shiny Robot so I told him I’d go over one of my favorite cartoons from the 90’s.
Neverbot was fully aware of the character of Darkwing Duck from “Duck Tales”. He covered the pilot to “Duck Tales” in a previous “Saturday Morning Cartoon!” you can find here. Well, as we were talking, I said I’d like to talk about the daffy do-gooder because on the “Darkwing Duck” he’d also team up with Launchpad and everyone’s favorite super-hero Iron Duck, Gizmo-duck. Neverbot got a little schooling in the cartoon that got three seasons and a really fun video game. I found the first episode on Youtube and dove in with glee. Re-watching it nearly 20 years later was a fun and nostalgic time. So, with my youth in mind, let’s get to the episode titled “Darkly Dawns the Duck” before I get even older.
The episode starts in the city of St. Canard where Darkwing Duck, the struggling hero, is dropping off a bad guy at the local police station. He is a great hero but he can’t catch the media break he is wanting. This hero has some vanity issues but that’s what makes him so much fun. His alter ego, we will later find out, is Drake Mallard, but not quite yet we won’t.
When he makes his way back to his secret base we find that he tests out his ninja skills while making breakfast. The cartoon is certainly slapstick comedy, but it’s also a bit of the good ol’ silly humor as well because Darkwing Duck wears his mask to bed! As he drifts off to sleep, Darkwing Duck just wants a super-villain he can test his mettle against.
Queue the big ugly bad guy who is an enormous cartoon bull. His name is Taurus Bulba. Taurus is already in prison but he runs the crime in the city like the Kingpin from Marvel Comics. The bull sends his minions out on a mission and before the warden can get wise to what’s going on, the crime bosses’ elaborate board room turns into a prison cell.
That’s where Darkwing duck comes in as he is foiling a robbery that previous minion is committing. The henchmen are trying to steal some military weaponry and Darkwing Duck aims to stop them. More slapstick ensues with Looney Toons kind of bodily damage. After nearly foiling the robbery, Darkwing Duck meets Launchpad McQuack who just so happens to be a pilot. Launchpad is a huge fan and becomes DW’s defacto sidekick. Launchpad also coins the nickname DW, which will stick for the remainder of the series.
The two aren’t able to quite save the day but they manage to stop the plot long enough for the weapons inventor to end up dying before giving up the secret code that makes the weapon work. That professor has a granddaughter named Gosalyn though, and DW saves her just in the nick of time.
The rest of the episode is worth your time because Darkwing and Gosalyn grow close together. After all, the little duckling is now an orphan and Drake Mallard could use a tech smart sidekick in addition to his goofy and accident prone pilot Launchpad.
What’s more, there is some wonderful voice talent behind the pilot episode and the series as a whole. Jim Cummings voices Darkwing Duck but he’s also been known for work on Winnie the Pooh, and as the Tasmanian Devil. Launchpad is voiced by legendary actor Terry McGovern and the star that steals the show is the voice of the evil Taurus by Tim Curry.
The show is reminiscent of “Duck Tales”, it has episodes with Launchpad and Gizmoduck and it’s the duck version of The Batman combined with a bit of Daredevil for good measure. It’s a laugh riot for the young and a trip down memory lane for the older crowd. It’s perfect for any Saturday morning be it 20 years ago or next week.
For more nostalgic looks at cartoons from the past, check out last week’s “Saturday Morning Cartoon!” right here. If you have a suggestion for a future cartoon, let Neverbot know on Twitter @CassidyWard.
Image from http://darkwingduckfirstcollectiondvd.blogspot.com/