Written by DJ Chapman | Photos Courtesy of Adult Swim
Over the years we have seen many shows come and go through the air waves of Adult Swim, some successful, some not. Two years ago we saw the premiere of Black Dynamite, a cartoon based on the 2009 blaxploitation movie of the same name. Season 2 of Black Dynamite promises to be edgier than ever, and the season opener did not disappoint.
The episode starts out with Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White) and his crew, Bullhorn (Byron Minns), Cream Corn (Tommy Davidson), and Honeybee (Kym Whitley), celebrating the gloriousness of Black History Month and how great it is to be black. The celebration goes awry when the mini-series Roots premieres, and Black Dynamite and the black community realize how horrible their ancestors were treated. This leads to the Reverend Al Sharpton (Godfrey) suggesting that the black community enslave white people, including Woody Allen (Jonathon Kite).
The humor in the Season 2 premiere is just as fresh as last season with all of the Black Dynamite jokes you expect. Black Dynamite does not shy away from any topic. For me, what makes Black Dynamite so appealing is that the show is filled with references from the 70s and 80s. Even though I grew up in the 90s, I understand the reference 90 percent of the time because they are so ubiquitous. Black Dynamite contains so many jokes that it is impossible to get all of them. However even if you miss a joke, another one will come right after. The show never misses a beat, maintaining the high energy of the show.
The episode focused mainly on Black Dynamite, with some exposure to Bullhorn, Cream Corn, and Honeybee. This episode felt like an ensemble piece with a lot of focus on the black community with a few spotlights shown on favorites Roscoe and Basehead. The special guest voice acting done by Godfrey and Kite was phenomenal and nothing short of hilarious. There was a lot of inward reflection for Black Dynamite this episode, which was nice to see because it was a change of pace from last season. In addition, the jokes and themes used this episode heavily dug into the racial inequality in America but was done in such a farcical manner you couldn’t help but laugh. In the end, the jokes make you reflect about their topics, a skill the writers of Black Dynamite excel in.
One thing absolutely missing from this episode was a quality fight scene. The Season 2 trailer was filled to the brim with fight scenes, so it did feel out of place when Black Dynamite touted himself as a kung fu master. The episode was not diminished without a fight scene, but it definitely would have benefited from one. I felt like I was waiting for Black Dynamite to whoop jive-ass turkeys.
Despite the lack of fight scenes in the season premiere of Black Dynamite, I am already in love. It is good to see not much has changed from Season 1 to Season 2. The voice acting is spot on, the jokes are laugh out loud hilarious, and the animation is still gorgeous. As long as the upcoming episodes keep the 70s/80s gritty feel, the detailed facial expressions, and some tasty kung fu, I expect great things for the new season of Black Dynamite.
Rating: 8/10
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