DUCKY THE SPY

A duck in a trench coat dispatches his duties as barnyard spy.

Ducky is a wacky-looking spy, always seen in profile, his rounded beak poised for inquiry, one big blue-irised eye expressing every emotion, be it suspicion, confusion, or glee. His boss is the exasperated Mr. Pig, and Ducky’s surveillance sidekick is Donny, a wonky-eyed, usually drooling donkey. They form an unlikely team, often getting in their own way as they conduct their investigations. Ducky’s spy skills, or lack thereof, are tested in two stories. First, Mr. Pig enlists Ducky to uncover who’s been eating from his slop trough, but they soon discover that the trough is doing double duty as Donny’s treat bag refill station. Reluctantly, Mr. Pig then asks Ducky to help retrieve his son (a goat, inexplicably) from the clutches of the Cat Gang. The spy content is secondary to the story’s comedic beats, with Ducky’s placid personality, Mr. Pig’s perturbability, and Donny’s clouded consciousness colliding on repeat. Employing high-paced absurdist humor akin to that of Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys series, Avery puts visual gags front and center, as when a poorly-put-on cat costume makes Donkey’s butt appear to be a feline face. Backgrounds simulating half-tone-style comic printing and bold foreground lines give the series an appreciably retro look.

A lighthearted, slapstick series starter that’s sure to please.