Superjail is back open for business. With a second season of criminals to handle, Superjail has been outfitted with the latest in tech. A new version of Jailbot with touchscreen capabilities? Got it. New neighbors reminiscent of an evil terrorist organization bent on ruling the world? Check. A Frankensteinian Jared, a beautiful alien Amazoness, the mysterious Warbuxx, and a really Wacky Race? Superjail! Season 2 has it all, including gay marriage.
With Superjail! having had a successful first season, the show returned for more absurdity in 2011. With the inaugural season out of the way, they’ve had a chance to mess with the formula while returning to characters we’ve seen before. When Jailbot is shot down in the season premiere’s opening title, things are already thrown off course, and with a cliffhanger season finale, the short, episodic form of the series is also (for a second time) abated. With a few episodes directly referencing the previous season, or others in the set, a more cohesive universe is built; while legions of criminals may die every episode, the only consistent oddity is the constant freedom that Jacknife finds himself with at the beginning of each episode.
The previous season of Superjail! was pure perfection from an animation point of view. The story may be hit or miss, but fans of animation have a beautiful show to watch; in fact, the only fault one can find that it’s not available in a higher-def format. Almost every frame is worth pausing on for all the little details, and when the show’s iconic bloodbaths arrive, inevitably, near the end of the episode, it’s worth it to rewatch multiple times to just see what exactly happens.
In the interview supplied on the disc, the crew actually discuss where their insane storyboarding comes from; they have individual actions they want to do, and then find a way to string them all together. Much like how Family Guy has the references they want to do (and then find a way to fit them into the show), the series finds ways to integrate the items successfully, or at least, humorously.
For a one-disc season, Adult Swim manages to put an entertaining number of extras on the disc. There are animatics throughout the set, with one episode featuring the script next to the episode. (The script would be great, if you could actually read it.) Animation fans will enjoy the pencil tests as well. Adding to that is all the intro sequences strung together in one trend of Jacknife being flown to prison. Touching live-action, there’s an interview with the crew behind the series. Finally, there’s both a concert and music video from theme-song performers Cheeseburger.
Superjail! has been one of Adult Swim’s strongest shows in recent years, thriving in its focus on animation and insanity. Truly one of the shows that could only potentially exist on Adult Swim, it’s a bastion of incredible animation. A great single-DVD release’s only fault is that it’s not available in higher quality.
