Damon Wayans' 1990 HBO special, The Last Stand?, is a dizzying trip in the wayback machine, returning to a time when jokes about M.C. Hammer and Bobby Brown were ripped from the headlines and "In Living Color" was an explosive success, prior to his massive stumbles with Blankman, Major Payne and Bulletproof as well as his unexpected success as family funny man on ABC's "My Wife and Kids" and a Hanes spokesman.

This quite dated special may come as a shock to those who know Wayans from his cuddlier projects; "In Living Color" was the talk of the nation when this special first aired in 1990, with Wayans providing some of its most memorable characters. Whereas Damon Wayans: Still Standing is blisteringly funny, The Last Stand? is more hit and miss, finding Wayans in top form early, but slowing up considerably as the special progresses. His borderline self-righteous diatribe about "never selling out" (hellooo, Hanes) aside, most of the first 15-20 minutes are solidly humorous.

Foul-mouthed and observant, Damon Wayans: The Last Stand? has aged in some respects – oh, for the days of Mike Tyson jokes and making cracks about Fishbone – but still contains enough side-splitting bits to warrant a must-see for fans of ribald stand-up. Curiously enough, the packaging exclusively features shots from Wayans' other HBO special Still Standing, so don't be surprised when you see Wayans wearing an entirely different outfit standing on an entirely different stage (the Apollo Theatre in Harlem). I was mostly just surprised that 20th Century Fox would be so lazy. Those fans who've been trying to track down a VHS copy of this rarely aired special (one which pales next to Still Standing), get ready to laugh yourself stupid all over again.

The Video:

Presented as originally broadcast, Damon Wayans: The Last Stand? bows on DVD with a serviceable 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer. The image isn't reference quality, but seeing as you might be laughing hard enough to cry, does it matter if this isn't the sharpest, clearest representation? Eh, probably not – there's some edge enhancement and colors look a little faded at times, but nothing horrendous.

Much like the visuals, the sonics aren't impressive, but they get the job done – a Dolby 2.0 stereo track is here, with applause never overwhelming Wayans' punchlines. There's no distortion or drop-out and overall, it's a solid soundtrack that doesn't really disappoint. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are also included.

Not that bonus material is really necessary here (nor would you expect HBO to surprise you by including some) but trailers for The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 1 and Gas are the only supplements on board.

Damon Wayans: The Last Stand? is fitfully side-splitting – but then, comedy is subjective and you could quite possibly disagree with me. Nevertheless, this is an HBO comedy special that's been more or less AWOL since its original airing in 1990, which should inspire those fans of Wayans to keep their eyes peeled for this disc on store shelves. Recommended.