Network Adult Swim

Release Date July 9th, 2017

Episodes 6

Binge time 1 hour

What to say about Apollo Gauntlet? This show is weird. So very weird. But I really enjoyed it.

Paul Cassidy is a cop from Earth who finds himself transported through time and space to a medieval/magical/sci-fi universe along with his nemesis, Dr Benign. He stumbles across a superhero suit equipped with extraordinary gauntlets, one of which can talk, and becomes Apollo Gauntlet. He is then absorbed by a gang of misfit superheroes who serve to protect the Kingdom. Like I said, it’s super weird.

Apollo Gauntlet was created by Myles Langlois who voices the very Canadian Paul, and also stars Spongebob Squarepants‘ Tom Kenny and Home and Away‘s Ryan Kwanten. Animated by Adult Swim’s William Street Productions, this short series is one of the strangest animation styles I’ve seen of late, similar to 60’s and 70’s superhero cartoons, and the action has the same eerie realism of the original rotoscoped Prince of Persia videogame.

Like so many of Adult Swim’s cartoons, Apollo Gauntlet seems to have no rules, is entirely surreal and a wild ride from start to finish. Will Paul be chased down by a giant pickle man? Will he save the King from a poisoned cake at the royal ball? Will the gang trip out on mushrooms for a whole episode? Who knows!

For a ridiculous cartoon with ridiculous characters, I thought Apollo Gauntlet was actually really good. Though on paper they’re completely different, this show reminded me a lot of Archer and The Venture Bros., in that a group of terrible people are the heroes we really don’t want them to be. Paul is actually a pretty nice guy, if you can get past the constant muttering to himself and terrible jokes that only his own hand responds to.

In summary, Apollo Gauntlet: Weird, funny and good.