Daffy is certainly one of my favourite Looney Tunes characters, and I used to like the old Ddit24 1/2C shorts better than almost any others. Evidently, someone else agreed, and from a fun short came a fabulously entertaining show. Duck Dodgers combines classic WB slapstick, an increase in the dry humour that has always come with the Looney Tunes gang, a sci-fi setting (which, of course, always gets points), and parodies of decades of sci-fi classics.

The main characters, of course, are Duck Dodgers (played by Daffy), his cadet sidekick (Porky), and the indefatigable Marvin the Martian. There are a number of others that come and go (I’m especially fond of the Klunkin race for...obvious reasons), but these three, as the original cast, are the main focus. With the series, the writers are able to flesh out the originally very one-dimensional characters, which is something that I am ALWAYS in favour of (well, almost always. Some characters were meant to be one-dimensional).

Another thing that I give major accolades to this show for its amazing casting job. Joe Alasky’s DD is spot on , and the rest of the cast is about as close to Blanc’s original voices as it is possible to get. Bob Bergen is great as the Eager Young Cadet, of course. Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown up with the imitators, but I am more than satisfied. And any cartoon that has a spot for Michael Dorn has a place in my heart.

All in all, Duck Dodgers is a fun show, and is especially great if you want a good chuckle. Congratulations to Daffy et al for making so successful a comeback, and congrats to Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone, and company for replicating the old feel so well.

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Created May 26, 2004.