An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents

You can't spoiler an episode with the payoff in the title. The journey is the point here. Whether you enjoy it is entirely down to your tolerance for graphic animated torture porn.

But given the oeuvre, why else would you be watching?

Let's be clear that this is essentially a very offbeat Rick and Morty episode in terms of writing, tone, animation, and voicing by Justin Roiland. There's more to it though, with a great supporting vocal cast, including Christian Slater who gives a better performance here than in the pedestrian Inside Job. The weak point is perhaps Asjha Cooper who is competent but not truly compelling. Another sad result of identity casting.

It's not complicated, it's not even hugely clever or inventive beyond the mostly useless teen supes, but it rocks along at a great pace and delivers on the premise.

I've decided to review these animated spin offs from "The Boys" as individual episodes, rather than as a season as they appear like they'll be different in tone and style from each other.

In an orphanage for teenagers with powers, but not perhaps the most obviously useful ones, the knowledge that they were given those powers, and their parents rejected them because of it, hits hard. The misfits team up and decide to take revenge on the ones who abandoned them, travelling the country, using their unique skills to kill their parents.

They style of this episode is plain to see. Titmouse Inc. Provide the artwork for a "Rick and Morty" style adventure, one which Justin Roiland co-wrote and voices several characters in, most notably 'Papers', who can (sort of) control paper and who speaks in pretty much Roiland's default voice. Numerous actors voice characters in this one, including Eugene Mirman, Kevin Smith, Frances Conroy and Xolo Mariduena. The key role though is given to Christian Slater who plays a supe' called "the Narrator" who, you guessed it, gets to narrate the story.

The story is the sort of sort of violence you'd come to expect from "The Boys" mixed with the creator of "Rick and Morty". It's very gory and I found it generally to be a reasonably funny addition. It also has the first view of a real character from the show, with Homelander arriving at the end.

It's slight, of course, as most anthological shows are but if you're a fan of either franchise, then this it likely for you.

Excellent episode about some unwanted kids with disappointing super powers that parents brought back to Vaught.

Hilarious, fast-paced, crazy and dark.

The animations might not be high quality, but it's a very entertaining episode.

Recommended.

Basically everything I wanted from this concept, expect a lot of blood and gore in a lot of interesting ways, with a cast of eccentric and enjoyable characters.

As soon as it begins, it's obvious who's in the driver's seat of 'An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents (2022)'; in fact, the title itself tells you pretty much all you need to know. Justin Roiland's typically subversive and improvisational style shines through from the first moment, and the unmistakably 'Rick And Morty (2013 -)' aesthetic makes fans of his previous work feel right at home. This is by far the funniest short in its series, one that prioritises laughs over pretty much everything else. Because of this, its actual story is somewhat lacking. It's a bit underdeveloped and doesn't really have an underlying arc. Even so, it does have a tragic aspect to it that's surprisingly resonant. Plus, the piece's strength lies in its comedy. The humour typically all lands exactly as it's supposed to, and a few moments in particular are really funny. The animation is satisfyingly bold, bringing the silly characters to life in an enjoyable way. Ultimately, this is an entertaining, if extremely straightforward, experience. It's one of the highlights of its series, for sure. 7/10.