C.O.P.S - DVD review

As a child of the 80s, I have fond memories of all the great action cartoons and their tie-in toys. "G.I. Joe", "Transformers", "Thundercats", "He-Man", "Voltron." Yeah, I love them all and so do many others. "C.O.P.S." is another series I remember enjoying and it's a series which doesn't get as much attention of its more well-known peers. It was also a short-lived show, lasting only 22 episodes, all of which are contained on this DVD set.

Set sometime in the future, Empire City is plagued by the criminal activities of Big Boss, an Edward G. Robinson knockoff with a robotic hand. Federal agent, Baldwin P. Vess, is called on for assistance and is critically injured in the line of duty. Using experimental technology, parts of Vess's body are replaced with cybernetic components. Now calling himself Bulletproof, he recruits the best police officers from across the country to form C.O.P.S., the Central Organization of Police Specialists.

Bulletproof's team includes: Mace, a heavy weapons specialists; Bowser, a K-9 cop with a robot dog named Blitz; Mainframe, a young computer expert; and many others. Big Boss has his own collection of colorful goons working under him, such as: Berserko, Big Boss's dimwitted nephew; Nightshade, a sultry cat burglar; Dr. Badvibes, the mad scientist; and Ms. Demeaner, a female powerhouse.

The episodes you'll find are:

-Disc 1-
The Case of the Stuck-Up Blimp
The Case of the Crime Circus
The Case of the Baffling Bugman
The Case of Berserko's Big Surprise
The Case of the Bogus Justice Machines

-Disc 2-
The Case of the Prison Break-In
The Case of the Pardner in Crime
The Case of the C.O.P.S. File #1 (Part 1)
The Case of the C.O.P.S. File #1 (Part 2)
The Case of the Blur Bandits
The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo

-Disc 3-
The Case of the Blitz Attack
The Case of the Baby Badguy
The Case of the Thieving Robots
The Case of the Highway Robbery
The Case of the Crime Convention
The Case of the Crook with a Thousand Faces

-Disc 4-
The Case of the Super Shakedown
The Case of the Criminal Mall
The Case of the Big Bad Boxoids
The Case of the Half-Pint Hero
The Case of the Brilliant Berserko

Like most cartoons of the time, there's an inherent silliness to "C.O.P.S." Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's all apart of the show's charm. The bad guys always come up with a goofy and needlessly complicated scheme which the good guys always put a stop to. At the end of each episode, Bulletproof makes sure to point out that the culprits are arrested and sentenced to prison. So, let that be a lesson to you kids, in case any of you want to invent shape-shifting robots to rob banks.

Seriously though, most episodes contain pro-social themes, but don't beat you over the head with them. In "Case of the Bogus Justice Machines", Barricade (a former riot cop) tries to teach the hotheaded Mace about nonviolent means of arrest. He winds up negotiating with the villains, rather than pounding them. In "Case of the Pardner in Crime", Sundowner (a Texas Ranger) convinces his wayward ex-partner to return to the side of the law.

The animation isn't quite as good as "G.I. Joe" or "Transformers", but it stays away from using stock footage, like "He-Man", which frequently annoyed me. Finally, I should point out just how awesome the opening title sequence is. The opener is packed with action, flashy introductions to each character, and set to the tune of a catchy theme song.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic fullscreen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The transfer isn't all it's cracked up to be. There's a lot of grain, specks, and scratches. The colors aren't as vibrant as they should be.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. Nothing too spectacular, but it's a step up from boring old mono.

EXTRAS:
Disc 1 contains a storyboard to screen comparison of the super cool title sequence. Concept art, sketches, and public service announcements are split up amongst the four discs. Nothing in-depth, I'm sorry to say.

FILM VALUE:
So, do my memories still hold up? Sort of. The first few episodes are pretty goofy, but the show picks up in the later episodes with the 2-part origin story being the best. I consider "C.O.P.S." to be the most underrated and underappreciated series of its genre. I hope it finds a good audience on DVD. Now, will somebody get off their butts and put out "Centurions" or "Silverhawks"?