Robot Chicken finally got to achieve, last year, what its print forebear Twisted Toyfare Theater never could: Destroying DC Comics. And, needless to say, any special deserves a follow-up, which is coming this weekend. And also, apparently, Grease needed a pounding.
If you’re familiar with Robot Chicken, you know the drill: The special is a loosely connected series of sketches surrounding the Legion of Doom as they screw up, buy coffee, and storm the beach. The spawn of Luthor and Superman are hooking up, and this aggression will not stand.
It’s honestly pretty much pure nerd in-jokes from stem to stern, just like last year’s. The Robot Chicken sensibility is in full effect, here, so how much you like the special will depend on your taste for the show.
Honestly, the special is at its best when it gets really, really nerdy. That’s not to say there aren’t a few really funny gags that wander into general pop culture: Lex Luthor’s past is a running gag that doesn’t overstay its welcome, for example.
But the best jokes are generally the ones that only people who’ve been reading DC Comics for years are going to get. While the show doesn’t get quite as obscure as my nerdy little DC-loving heart demands, there’s still some pretty funny stuff in here, whether they’re pointing out the glaring holes in Superboy’s current origin, showing just how terribly wrong the signal watch can actually go, or having a fight on the beach go horribly wrong.
In other words, it’s full of obscure jokes, aimed entirely at dweebs with encyclopedic yet utterly useless pop culture knowledge, and will be relatable to absolutely no one else. We loved it! It’s airing April 6th at 11:30pm EST