REVIEW: ‘Kid Cosmic’ Season 2 Continues To Defy Superhero And Sci-Fi Standards

Kid Cosmic Season 2 is a Netflix Original animated series created by Craig McCracken. Taking place sometime after the events of the first season finale, the series now finds Kid (Jack Fisher), Jo (Amanda C. Miller), and the rest of the Local Heroes teleported into space alongside their friends and family. While everyone settles into life in space, Jo struggles with leading the local heroes against Erodius the Planet Killer—a malevolent being who, true to its name, consumes every planet in its path. She takes advice from Queen Xhan, one of the remaining survivors of Erodius’ attacks, which leads to friction with Kid and the rest of the Local Heroes and her mother, Flo.

While Season 1 had a major focus on Kid and his journey to becoming an actual superhero, Season 2 shifts its focus to Jo and her journey to leadership. In my opinion, this was the best option for the series to take as Jo was the character who had the most focus alongside Kid and was named team leader in the previous season. Jo’s journey also mirrors the different kinds of leadership that are often seen in superhero teams. Xhan encourages her to be a hardened, take-charge leader willing to get the job done by any means necessary in the vein of the X-Men’s Cyclops, while Flo wants her to be more open-hearted and receptive to her team in the vein of Superman. Like any leader, Jo encounters various trials and tribulations in her journey, but how she overcomes them is the driving force behind this season. Not to mention, it results in some rather hilarious situations, including the third episode, “Kid Cosmic and the Heist of Fire & Ice,” which is a loving tribute and subversion of heist films such as Ocean’s 11.

Part of the Local Heroes’ quest to stop Erodius has them attempting to collect the remaining Stones of Power, which possess their own unique powers such as invisibility and super speed. Their quest leads them to various conflicts, such as attempting to escape a pyramid laden with puzzles (and the occasional death trap) and the aforementioned heist.

Complicating matters is the appearance of Fantos the Amassor, a being who worships Erodius. Fantos is literally depicted as the intergalactic version of a basement-dwelling fanboy; he lives with his mother in her spaceship, geeks out whenever Erodius appears, and treats the Stones like a fan might treat highly-collectible comic books or action figures. This provides a nice contrast to Kid, whose love of comics helped him in his battles against evil. The two even have a major geek off when they first meet in the Season 2 premiere “Kid Cosmic and the Other Stones of Power.”

Where the show stumbles is balancing the team dynamics from Season 1. While Kid and Jo get the lion’s share of the focus,  Papa G  (Keith Ferguson), Rosa (Lily Rose Silver), and Tuna Sandwich (Fred Tatasciore) are mostly along for the ride. Season 1 was careful to build up the Local Heroes’ dynamic over time so that their victory felt well-earned. In contrast, this season allows the patrons of Mo’s Oasis Cafe—including cooks Fry and Hamburg and elderly biker Carla—in on the action, with each person receiving a different Stone of Power as the Local Heroes continue on their quest. While this is nice, I would have loved for the other Local Heroes to play a bigger part in the story.

Kid Cosmic Season 2 continues the series trend of turning superhero and science fiction tropes on their head, leading to an entertaining and emotional story. Between this series and Invincible, there’s proof that both the superhero genre and the medium of animation still have life in them. With a third and final season greenlit, I can’t wait to see how this series ends.

Kid Cosmic Season 2 is currently available to stream on Netflix.