Superjail - for CoasterMatt
 

Matt, I hope you've caught on to Superjail!, which is on Adult Swim. We've become addicted to its grotesquely inventive trip-out visuals. Not for the squeamish, probably not safe for work.

Each episode begins with the same character (I just learned his name is Jackknife) being apprehended by Jailbot and taken to Superjail, an island of cartoonishly horrific incarceration. Then there's some sort of bizarre plot involving the insane Willy Wonka-esque warden, his nervous assistant, and an overly buff female jail guard. By the end of the episode everything descends into some sort of over-the-top, ultra-violent madness, usually involving the death of all involved.

It's pretty awesome. :D

omg...worst animation evar! the art looks like the stuff the stoners used to put on their book covers back (admittedly wayyyy back) in HS. the only thing I havent seen on there is a skull bong.

its very strange.

still beats the snot out of squidbillies though

Oh, the likes of White Zombie and others have kept that style of illustration/animation alive long past your neolithic high school days. It's never been my favorite, but Superjail uses it to brilliant effect, imo. The writing on the show is genius, seamlessly blurring the lines between clever, gratuitous, absurdist, and ridiculous.

Good show to watch after a day of work.

Can't view it outside the USA. :( Saddy Cheese

I have watched the show. My favorite thing about it is the themesong. Interestingly that is the only thing I like about Squidbillies.

I agree that the theme song is the best part.

A little of this stuff goes a long, long way for me. The shock value of violent cartoons wore off about 200 South Park episodes ago. I like the trippy quality of the design, but wish it could be applied to something a little more engaging and less pandering. Based on the opening title sequence alone, it's clear that these guys have imagination to spare. Is this really what they want to achieve with it? But, hey, I'm an increasingly unhip old guy, and most of the stuff on Adult Swim is so aggressively adolescent, I feel like my parents when I watch it. (Except for Robot Chicken - that one makes me giggle.)

The character designs look almost exactly like cartoons my older brother used to draw. Those tended to be ultra-violent as well. Hmm. Maybe he's got a new job I don't know about.

Okay, can somebody give this guy a proxy already?

Heh, this is the part where I say "but dad, these are two totally different types of violence!" ;)

I like that it draws on (heh) the classic high school doodler style.

Augenblick Studios seems at home in many different animation styles. Click "Animation" and they've got tons of clips they've done for various (messed up) shows. It's freaky how well they emulate wholesome styles with seriously f'd up storylines.