Darkwing Duck (1991-1992) Review

"Lets get dangerous."

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with an ego-centric superhero as he embarks on many adventures with his allies as they fight off crime; Darkwing Duck.

The series follows the adventures of the titular superhero Darkwing Duck, aided by his sidekick and pilot Launchpad McQuack (from DuckTales).
In his secret identity of Drake Mallard, he lives in an unassuming suburban house with his adopted daughter Gosalyn, next door to the bafflingly dim-witted Muddlefoot family.
Darkwing struggles to balance his egotistical craving for fame and attention against his desire to be a good father to Gosalyn and help do good in St. Canard.
Most episodes put these two aspects of Darkwing's character in direct conflict, though Darkwing's better nature usually prevails.

The writing for this show is pretty solid as it does a solid job at both satirizing common superhero tropes, while also embracing them. On top of that, the pacing is pretty well balanced, the action scenes are a lot of fun, there are some pretty funny jokes, and there's even a little bit of genuine heart. However, due to the airing order of the episodes, the continuity can be all screwy.
The show does provide a good amount of pretty solid episodes like "Darkly Dawns the Duck", "Duck Blind", "Comic Book Capers", "Just Us Justice Ducks", "Aduckyphobia", "Jurassic Jumble", "Ghoul of My Dreams", "The Secret Origins of Darkwing Duck", "It's a Wonderful Leaf", "Dead Duck", "Time and Punishment", and "Tiff of the Titans".
The action scenes are a lot of fun as to be expected from a superhero series, and they can even be a bit suspenseful such as Darkwing and his allies facing off against the villain, or villains, of the episode, taking down common thugs with the cops, and getting out of very tight jams.
The show does manage to have a pretty solid sense of humor as even though they don't always land, most of the jokes do manage to get a pretty decent laugh like the witty banter and dialogue between the characters, some of the wacky shenanigans they get into, and some of the gags and slapstick.
The animation as expected from the earlier Disney shows, is pretty well done for what it is, and does look very solid. The characters all have pretty good designs and decently fluid movements, the backgrounds are pretty impressive and well done, and there are some pretty solid effects work.
The characters are all pretty likable and do manage to be both interesting and funny, and they manage to have some pretty good chemistry.
Darkwing is a pretty interesting and likable protagonist as even though he's a big time and effective superhero, he's not doing it for the sense of justice. He's doing it just for the fame and glory. He is a major narcissist, but never to the point where he becomes unlikable as he does have a good heart and does want to be a good friend/father.
The rest of the characters are also pretty likable, and they do serve as great support for Darkwing whether they be major or minor like his tomboyish daughter Gosalyn, the return of the bumbling but lovable pilot Launchpad from "DuckTales", Drake's mild-mannered neighbors the Muddlefoots and their intelligent son Honker, the agents of the intelligence agency S.H.U.S.H., and his fellow superheroes like the powerful Morgana, the tech-savvy Gizmoduck(also returning from "DuckTales"), the snarky sea-protector Neptunia, and the dim-witted janitor Stegmutt.
The villains Darkwing and his allies face may come off as very goofy and silly, but they are legit threats that shouldn't be taken lightly such as the ruthless and sinister Negaduck, the timid plant-controlling Bushroot, the hydro-kinetic dog Liquidator, the electrical-powered Megavolt, the insane toymaker Quackerjack, the suave Steelbeak, the dangerous Taurus Bulba, the wannabe filmmaker Tuskernini, and many more.
The voice acting is pretty well done, and the voice actors all deliver some pretty solid performances like Jim Cummings as Darkwing and Negaduck, Terry McGovern as Launchpad, Christine Cavanaugh as Gosalyn, Tino Insana as Bushroot, Jack Angel as Liquidator, Dan Castellaneta as Megavolt, Michael Bell as Quackerjack, Ron Paulsen as Steelbeak, Tim Curry as Taurus, Kenneth Mars as Tuskernini, Katie Leigh as Honker, Kath Soucie as Morgana, Hamilton Camp as Gizmoduck, and many more.
The music is pretty well composed and does manage to capture the action-packed and heroic tone of the show. Not to mention this is another one of those shows that has a very catchy theme song.

Overall, this is another very well crafted series for Disney's TV lineup, and it really is worth a watch. Especially for superhero fans, and superhero satire fans.

Cast:
Jim Cummings as Drake Mallard / Darkwing Duck, Negaduck, Herb
Terry McGovern as Launchpad
Christine Cavahaugh as Gosalyn
Tino Insana as Bushroot
Jack Angel as Liquidator
Dan Castellaneta as Megavolt
Michael Bell as Quackerjack
Rob Paulsen as Steelbeak
Tim Curry as Taurus Bulba
Kenneth Mars as Tuckernini
Susan Tolsky as Binky
Dana Hill as Tank
Katie Leigh as Honker
Hamilton Camp as Gizmoduck
Kath Soucie as Morgana Macawber
Susan Silo as Neptuna
Joey Camen as Stegmutt
Marcia Wallace as Mrs. Cavanaugh
Tony Jay as Death

Crew:
Created by Tad Stones
Music by Phillip Giffin

Misc.
Production Company: Walt Disney Television Animation
Original networks: Syndication (season 1), ABC (seasons 2-3)
Air Date: September 6, 1991 – December 5, 1992