The Drinky Crow Show

Drinky Crow Show, from the Maakies comic strip, is imaginative, but lacks purpose, which is perhaps the purpose. Poor Drinky is trapped in an existential crisis, while his friend Uncle Gabby (a monkey) tries to get him to see the bright side of life. Uncle Gabby's got his work cut out for him in Drinky Crow Show, because things never work out and all the characters are searching for something they'll never obtain. As the characters wander, so does my attention.

In The Drinky Crow Show pilot titled "Mermaid," Drinky Crow tries to kill himself, but finds love under the ocean with a mermaid. Meanwhile, Uncle Gabby tries to get it on with the captain's daughter, only to win several lashes. Napoleonic French alligators attempt to take the ship, but Drinky Crow saves them all, believing Uncle Gabby, half-digested by a fish, to be his beloved mermaid.

Drinky Crow is a cute-looking character. He spends most of his time wallowing in misery and drinking. I've seen too many cartoon characters who are drunk all the time (Homer Simpson, 12 oz. Mouse). And the combination of a sadsack who's drinking all the time just isn't funny.

Uncle Gabby, a monkey, was more interesting. He is more optimistic, and perpetually randy for the captain's daughter, who seems to be interested in him as well. His cheeriness, if you can call it that, endeared him to me. But I wish he had eyes. It's tough to watch a cartoon character who is so limited in expression because he has no eyes.

The story, if you can call it that, was sort of fun. I just didn't like the gratuitous violence, blood and gore. Adult Swim fans have seen enough of that. I want something new. Or at least, I want to see the gratuitous violence used more sparingly. Then it would have actual shock and humor value.

The animation of The Drinky Crow Show is true to the comic strip by Tony Millionaire. It's lovely and has a sophisticated style, which isn't typical for Adult Swim shows. The color isn't saturated enough for my taste, but it is consistent with the art of the show.

My favorite part was the subplot with the fly couple. The male finds out he has cancer. They spend their time sipping Uncle Gabby's blood and dining within his flesh. But they had a real problem going on, and real dialogue about it, which made it funnier and more interesting than the main plot.