This review was originally published on 11/24/21.

The newest Netflix original animated series comes in the form of a villain series titled Super Crooks. This series is an adaptation of Mark Millar and Leinil Yu‘s limited-run series of the same name. It follows a group of supervillains within the same universe of Jupiter’s Legacy as they go on a heist after one of their members tries to cheat a major mob in Vegas. This is Netflix’s second attempt to bring one of Millar’s series to life, the first being Jupiter’s Legacy. But how does it measure up? Keep reading to find out!

DISCLAIMER: This review may contain spoilers for Super Crooks, so please proceed with caution. If you haven’t seen it yet, we highly suggest doing that first!

RELATED: Check our reviews for Arcane!

I have been a longtime fan of Millar’s work and was initially excited for Jupiter’s Legacy. However, I felt that they struggled to balance both timelines and bring a superhero series to life as live-action. Thankfully, Super Crooks took a different path by going with an animated series. Because of the medium of choice, they are able to really bring these villains and the action to life. Imagine if they took the Oceans Eleven film and mixed it with any of the movies/shows with superpowers and make it animated. What they were able to achieve visually is superb. In the very first episode, we watch one of the most terrifyingly good chain reactions that just wouldn’t feel authentic in a live-action series.

If you are worried that Super Crooks won’t be as serious due to its animated nature, you would be wrong in all the best ways. The series doesn’t shy away from adult tones and overly gruesome fights. Instead, it doubles down on them. Adults watching the series will feel like they are watching something that is at their maturity level. Netflix has given us some of the best adult animated series over the last few years. And we are happy to say that this one doesn’t disappoint. Fans of action superhero series will find something to enjoy and fans of character-driven stories will be in the same boat.

Super Crooks

Super Crooks. Image courtesy of Netflix.

For those who have read the original series, you will notice quickly that those events don’t come until the end. It initially made me think that they were taking Super Crooks off the rails. But I soon realized that extending the series beyond the comics allowed writer Dai Satō the ability to give us more extensive worldbuilding, deeper character growth, and just more time with these fantastic characters. Watching the series from beginning to end (13 half-hour episodes in total) feels smooth and investing. It also gives us a closer look at some of the more minor characters within the series that may not have gotten the same amount of screen time if they just focused on the events of the comics. 

While Super Crooks features an intense amount of action, it is the characters that won my heart. There is just something about villains with hearts of gold that catch my eye. What makes it so much better is the way our crooks are able to interact together. Each of the members of Johnny Bolt’s (Kenjiro Tsuda/Jonah Scott) motley crew brings something to the table and overall series. I love the way we see both the villainy side of the story and the everyday people’s side as well. It was the one thing that I wanted more of from Jupiter’s Legacy and never really got.

Super Crooks, for me, is on par with other animated series from Netflix like Castlevania and their most recent addition Arcane. I hope that both Netflix and Millar look at why this series did so well as an animated adventure. And then use that to decide how to adapt Millar’s other projects. If supervillain shenanigans, action-packed animated sequences and sophisticated charm is up your alley, then be sure to check out Super Crooks!

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