The Harley Quinn spin-off Kite Man: Hell Yeah! has just concluded its first season on Max, and with it an edgy and hilarious take on some of DC’s lesser-known characters.
Spinning off the hit Max (previously DC Universe) series Harley Quinn, which introduced Kite Man (Matt Oberg) initially as a love interest for Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). The relationship wouldnt last, and soon the creators had him pursue other romantic avenues. This romantic avenue would continue over in Kite Man: Hell Yeah! which follows Chuck (the eponymous Kite Man) and Lisa/Golden Glider (Stephanie Hsu) as they live in a dive bar.
There, the inhabitants (James Adomian, Michael Imperioli, Natasia Demetriou, Janelle James) of the bar Noonan’s (owned by Jonathan Bank’s Noonan) struggle with being in the shadow of Lex Luthor’s (Lance Reddick) Legion of Doom.
Like its parent show, this series suffers creating a compelling plot and is easily picked apart. The show does have an overarching plot to do with one of the bigger DC villains, and it’s comical how Kite Man and co. have to deal with this big a threat. That plot is pretty nonsensical and the conclusion it comes to is quite rushed, but leaves room for a second instalment. What does work in the show’s favour though is how the simplistic plot gives way to comedic ideas and in turn, some great jokes are born from it. I particularly have found the increased screentime of Adomian’s Bane to be used to great effect and is to me the biggest highlight the show can flaunt.
That being said, the comedy does fall flat in some areas, particularly Goldilocks (Carla Delaney), who takes up a lot of the screen time in the last four episodes of the season. She is frankly my least favourite character in this whole animated universe, and with each passing second she was on screen my enjoyment quickly dropped.
The animation is pretty standard but the palette is wonderfully vibrant and really sets all these characters apart. Most of all, the show feels confined to itself and visually sets itself apart from Harley Quinn, which is more pastel and uses darker colours most of the time.
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is a good time, crafted for hardcore fans of the comics but is easily enjoyable by fans who havent been disposed to the base literature. At its core, its a rom-com and the absurdity of the situation guarantees a good time.
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is show ran by Dean Lorey and Katie Rich and stars Matt Oberg, Stephanie Hsu, Jonathan Banks, James Adomian, Michael Imperioli, Natasia Demtriou, Janelle James, Keith David, Lance Reddick, Rhea Seehorn, and more. All ten episodes of the series are now streaming on Max.
