It's Crime Fighting Time! by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
2/17/2006
C.O.P.S. is another DiC property that Shout! Factory picked up in the deal that also brought them The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Heathcliff and Inspector Gadget. The show aired 65 episodes in 1988-1989, and launched a line of action figures, and comic books. The series follows the adventures of the Central Organization of Police Specialists as they protect Empire City from the Big Boss and his gang of thugs and thieves.
Shout! Factory has released the first 22 episodes of the show on 4 discs. We should have the entire series with 2 more releases; another with 22, and one with 21.
Disc 1 (1:49:27)
The Case of the Stuck-up Blimp (21:52)
The Case of the Crime Circus (21:54)
The Case of the Baffling Bugman (21:54)
The Case of Berserko's Big Surprise (21:54)
The Case of the Bogus Justice Machines (21:53)
Disc 2 (2:10:36)
The Case of the Prision Break-In (21:53)
The Case of the Pardner in Crime (21:53)
The Case of the C.O.P.S. File #1 (Part 1) (21:12)
The Case of the C.O.P.S. File #1 (Part 2) (21:52)
The Case of the Blur Bandits (21:53)
The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo (21:53)
Disc 3 (2:11:09)
The Case of the Blitz Attack (21:53)
The Case of the Baby Badguy (21:50)
The Case of the Thieving Robots (21:52)
The Case of the Highway Robbery (21:52)
The Case of the Crime Convention (21:52)
The Case of the Crook with a Thousand Faces (21:50)
Disc 4 (1:49:20)
The Case of the Super Shakedown (21:55)
The Case of the Criminal Mall (21:53)
The Case of the Big Bad Boxoids (21:52)
The Case of the Half-Pint Hero (21:55)
The Case of the Brilliant Berserko (21:45)
Video
Before I sit down to watch a show I try to imagine what the picture will be like, given the material and the age of the show. The quality of this set is exactly what I imagined; a bit of dust and debris, but not enough to make a big fuss over; strong colors, but nothing overpowering; a jump in the picture which was common in shows from the 80s. None of these problems are horrible, but they slowly eat away at the score for the set. There's a "play all" option on each discs, but there aren't any chapters in the episodes.
Audio
C.O.P.S. has a pretty basic mono audio track. The show sounds a bit dated (slightly muffled audio), but not horrible. There aren't any captions or subtitles for the episodes.
Storyboard to Screen (1:16)
A look at the opening of the show with storyboards in the bottom corner.
Sketches & Concept Art (11:52)
Slideshows featuring various sketches and concept art from the series. Disc 1 contains C.O.P.S. (4:23), disc 2 contains the Crooks (2:52), disc 3 contains vehicles (2:27) while disc 4 contains Empire City sketches (2:10).
Concept Paintings (20 frames)
Some concept paintings from "The Case of the Stuck-up Blimp" (7 frames), "The Case of the Pardner in Crime" (5 frames), "The Case of the Blitz Attack" (5 screens) and "The Case of the Big Bad Boxoids" (3 screens).
C.O.P.S. for Kids (4:36)
These public service announcements were aimed at kids. Longarm - "Stay out of dark alleys," Mainframe - "Play away from cars," Rock Krusher - "Gangs," Highway - "Bicycle Safety," Mace - "Vandalism," Bulletproof - "Say 'no' to alcohol and cigarettes," Longarm - "Don't ride with drunk drivers," Mainframe - "Traffic safety" and Big Boss - "Don't flash your cash."
Summary
I have some vague memories of this show from when I was a kid, but I can't recall ever watching it. I think I may have had friends that owned the toys, or possibly the comics. It's an interesting show, but definately geared towards kids rather than some of the current cartoons which target kids and adults. The villians have cheesy voices, and the characters are a bit lame. While I enjoyed watching the show I'm more excited about some of the other DiC titles coming later, like Mario and Inspector Gadget. I remember loving those when I was a kid, and I hope they hold up now.
