Painfully unfunny entry from King Features Syndicate. The same kind of very funny and striking observations from the Mort Walker strip we see everyday, at this writing from the newspaper, is greatly lacking in this blistering, shrieking and boring cartoon.
Beetle is portrayed as a moron, not a rebellious soul. Sergeant Snorkel as a fascist tyrant, not an upholder of the proud traditions of the army. The characters Killer, Plato and Zero are neither fleshed out, or even bothered with. Captain Scabbard, Lieutenant Fuzz or even the beloved Chaplain are simply just nonentities to be recognized here.
The cartoon artwork seems to come from some sweatshop in Shri Lanka, not from anywhere the near the type of "Termite Terrace," that's for sure. Pretty embarrassing stuff for those those involved.
It's terribly ironic that for a theme song that boasts: "...From the General, Colonel, Major and the Captain; The Lieutenant, Sergeant and the Corporal...they would tell you with a shout, they would gladly live without, a certain Private by the name of Beetle Bailey..." They would all take a break and go to the mess hall.
And, dear reader, a "mess" is what this cartoon series is.
