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(IDG) -- Ever seen a cartoon show featuring a rotund superhero and a sidekick who looks like a reject from MTV's The Real World? Probably not--but the animation team behind Fatman, a four-part Web-based series that debuted this week, are hoping you'll want to.

Fatman is an obvious spoof of the old Batman TV series, right down to the opening music. The series, a product of the online entertainment agency Honkworm International, is part of the HotWired Animation Express site. Fatman employs Honkworm's "photo surrealism" technique, which merges photographs and artwork into the computer animation. The goal: provide entertaining Web-based content that's easy to download, regardless of modem speed.

Following this week's debut, a new installment of the politically incorrect Fatman will run every Tuesday for the next three weeks. In the first episode, the corpulent crusader and his Robin-esque accomplice travel by bus (parking is apparently a problem even for superheroes), stop for doughnuts--and witness such morbid inner-city happenings as a dog being clubbed by a thug and a blind man getting run down by the bus.

Fatman's edgy, Gen-X sidekick uses the "s" word and thinks violence is the way to handle crime, while Fatman espouses a more New Age, group-therapy approach. The animation is sophisticated as Web sites go, but on a recent viewing, the dialogue dropped out frequently (even on a 56K modem). The humor is decidedly juvenile, and banner ads flash on the bottom of the screen throughout, competing for your attention.

HotWired's Animation Express currently features two other animated series: Bulbo, a 1920s-style retro cartoon, and Mr. Man, featuring a bug-eyed character that looks like something out of Mad magazine's "Spy vs. Spy." The site uses Apple QuickTime, Macromedia Shockwave Director, and Macromedia Flash browser plug-ins for its animations. (The Fatman episode currently online requires only Macromedia Flash). Animation Express features a plug-in tester, so you can check to see if you've got the necessary software.