Review: The Summoner “House Party” ; “Car Keys”

I have only a few problems with The Summoner and they are really quaint issues.

1) The series should have been called Rory and The Summoner

2) The episodes aren’t nearly as long as they should be.

For those that don’t know what I’m talking about, I am referring to Syfy’s newest series The Summoner. Produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios/Solis Animation and created/directed by Charlie Hankin, The Summoner follows Rory (voiced by Hankin) and his roommate, a magical being with powers that allow him to summon anything it wants at it’s will. The duo lives in a small two-bedroom apartment, but just down the hall is a cute new neighbor by the name of “Shannon” (voiced by Cree Summers).

Like most dorky dudes, Rory is trying his best to woo his neighbor, so the first two episodes see a big party go down and an attempt to give his new neighbor a ride to work. Unfortunately, Rory is a bit of a klutz, so he does dumb shit like locking his keys in his car or pissing off others in his neighborhood. Having a roommate being an alien that can summon things out of thin-air sounds like an easy fix, but Summoner’s comprehension isn’t all that great. The being’s intentions are solid, but often, a bit too late, and they usually leave Rory getting a short end of the stick as we get to an episode’s climax.

The aesthetic of the series has a grimy look, not unlike other Solis productions like Gary And His Demons, which I like because it fits the simple look of our Summoner. Hankin not only nails the series as a writer and a voice actor, but he’s excellent in his direction as well, clearly showcasing angles that are usually devoid of first-time animation producers. The plots are simple, very indicative of the cartoonists print work, but make for perfect spots in which to throw the wrenches that are being delivered by The Summoner. The result is a case for these shorts to potentially get the same treatment as Magical Girl Friendship Squad, a shorts series that hopefully gets ordered for longer episodes and a bigger budget, because I want a lot more than just a couple shorts a week.