Space Ghost Coast to Coast

     Space Ghost Coast to Coast works well as a snapshot in time. A comedy that started a genre, Space Ghost Coast to Coast relied on its editors and writers to craft an absurdist story in post. 

     After Ted Turner purchased the rights to the Hannah-Barbara collection he asked a young writer, Mike Lazzo, to make him a cartoon for adults. However, Lazzo could only use the materials provided to him, namely a collection of old cartoons. Lazzo took Space Ghost from the show Space Ghost and Dino Boy and repurposed almost all the animation to make Space Ghost host a talk show. 

Lazzo wanted a show "people would pause on" and Space Ghost was the absurd, sometimes anti-comedy, that he wanted. The interviews with real 90's celebrities were recorded and then taken completely out of context. The writers would craft the show completely in post, changing the questions and moving around answers until the interview barely made sense or made the celebrity look bad. All this surround edby a B plot of Space Ghost's employee's; former villains Brak, Zorack, and Moltar all actively despise Space Ghost. 

The show's influence is widespread. It's popularity was at the height of late night talk shows, with the Tonight show being past to either Letterman or Leno and Conan doing more alternative comedy on the Late show. Coast to Coast didn't really fit into traditional programming and thus paved the way for Cartoon Network's late night half Adult Swim. From there shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Harvey Birdman were born. Space Ghost is also a huge influence on The Eric Andre Show another surrealist late night show now on Adult Swim with live actors and comedians.

Lazzo himself has said he's done with Space Ghost Coast to Coast and is now an Executive VP at Adult Swim. But the show has lived on in the alternative comedy community for being such a creative idea that changed so much. Space Ghost was ahead of it's time in terms of content manipulation, especially for animation. While the show is not always clear and direct, it is always entertaining watching a giant generic superhero talk to celebrities who don't really know what's going on.

Rick and Morty For A Hundred Years Rick And Morty Dot Com.

There are two kinds of people in this world (Earth C-137): those who absolutely love Rick and Morty, and those who I pretend exist in a parallel universe where they love Rick and Morty, which I can do because that’s exactly the power of the show. Because it is a sci-fi cartoon with a backbone built around multi-verse theory, Rick and Morty is a show that can do whatever it wants.

The adultswim show that aired on December 2, 2013 is just over halfway into it’s second season and was renewed in August for its third. No surprise there. After one season, the show had already become adultswims’ trinket necklace left to it by it’s late grandmother that actually turned out to be worth way more you ever could ha

ve gotten for it on ebay. That’s because it has the most value element in the world in it. Collaboration. (Aww)

Rick and Morty actually started as a sketch

meant only get a shock factor reaction from the audience by one of the show’s creators, Justin Roiland. Originally a grotesque spoof on Back To The Future, the animated sketch called “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti” was noticed by Community creator, Dan Harmon. With Justin’s art and vocal stuttering’s- I mean stylings and Dan’s unmatched wit and storytelling ability, the duo took the sketch from over the top gross to stellar comedy.

Rick and Morty follows the story of Rick Sanchez, an alcoholic scientist who happens to be the smartest man in the universe and his dim-witted grandson, Morty, as well as the rest of the family. As they travel through the universe, their stories incite more than a little laughter but kick you in the heart just as often. The power of the show is that even though it’s jokes per minute count is off the charts, it weaves in very real issues as well, like suicide, failing marriages, molestation, insecurity, etc. However, all of this together means that even the fourth or fifth time you watch an episode, you pick on new jokes and subtle plants, making it easy to introduce and watch with friends who have never seen it, at least not in this universe. For a dumb looking show, it’s one of the smartest sci-fi series on TV at the moment and from the looks of it, it’s here to stay. Just like you, in that chair as you watch the pilot for yourself right now: http://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty/pilot/ 

The Characters We Need, In Their Own 'Universe'

With everything I create, I always think about the implications of my work and the affect I want it to have on my audience. This week, as we develop characters for our theses, it's important to think about how we can break stereotypes and better represent the diverse world we live in. I recently (as in today) started watching a show on Cartoon Network called 'Steven Universe,' and it is easily the most revolutionary program on children's animation.

Steven Universe is the coming age of a young boy (Steven) who is half human, half alien. As a member of the Crystal Gems, magical defenders of the earth, Steven is given magical powers that he is still trying to harness at the start of the show. His mentors are three power woman named Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, who have devoted their lives to defending the earth from the weekly supernatural monster or universe-threatening phenomenon.

Steven Universe is a show that takes it's responsibility to represent diversity very seriously. It's very clear to see that it was created with awareness of the fact that their audience is made up of little kids longing to see themselves as the heroes on screen, and that seeing heroes that look like them would change these kids' lives.

The very first thing that I noticed about Steven Universe was the bodies. And I'm not talking about the Disney princess/Barbie body type. I'm talking all body types. Bodies that look like mine! And yours! In the world of Steven Universe, all sorts of people who look all sorts of ways get to be heroes that you've never seen before. Even the title character, Steven himself, is a chubby little kid with big bushy hair, and no one ever comments on this or calls him fat or tells him that he needs to loose weight or even ever acknowledges it. So Steven is pudgy. Who cares?

And it's not just their diversity in body image that makes Steven Universe revolutionary. The show also pushes gender roles and breaks stereotypes overused in television. The fact that these three strong women are raising this boy while defending the earth is progressive in itself. But each of the gems are far from perfect and come with their own set of flaws. Just like you and me!

This is just the tip of the iceberg and I'm sure I'll expand on this show's groundbreaking diversity later in the semester. Steven Universe is one of the most positive, progressive shows on television and you should probably drop what you're doing to start watching now. Season 1 is available on Hulu. Just saying.

What time is it ???? Adventure Time !!!!!

Adventure time, 
C'mon, grab your friends, 
We'll go to very distant Lands 
With Jake the Dog, 
And Finn the Human, 
The Adventures'll never end, 
It's Adventure Time!



I have forgotten all the shows that provide me happiness throughout the stressful life of a college student. Adventure time is my escape from the real world, and into the imaginative world of Fin and Jake.

Adventure Time is an animated children's television that aired on cartoon network in 2010.  The series was created by Pendleton Ward.  The series is about a human body Fin and his adoptive dog/best friend/brother Jake. Jake is no ordinary dog, he has the ability to change shape, grow or shrink as he pleases.

According to Ward a single episode takes almost eight to nine month to draft , storyboard and complete, however multiple episodes are worked on at the same time.

Although the shows, run for about 11 minutes each they bring extreme laughter and developing stories to the table. It has been running for five seasons , currently in it's sixth and already renewed for it's seventh.

It's exciting to think that this 11 minute show is so to be considered for a feature-length film. For there are never enough episode to satisfy the boredom I go through when I have nothing to do for the summer.

Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack, my all time favorite childhood program, is an American made cartoon that ran for four seasons on Cartoon Network. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, who also created cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars, this show received 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and 6 Annie Awards. Sadly, upon entering the fourth season ratings rapidly declined and the show was not renewed for another season.

In creating Samurai Jack, Tartakovsky intended to create a show that "is cinematic in scope and incorporates action, humor and intricate artistry," due to the fact that he had conflicting feelings on typical action based cartoons. Influenced heavily by Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa his character and concept were both born. The plot of the show is that a samurai prince, who goes by the name Jack(voiced by Phil LaMarr), is thrown into the future by the shape shifting demon Aku (Mako Iwamatsu). Jack ends up in a time when Aku is the ruler of the world, we follow Jack as he attempts to return to the past in order to defeat Aku before he takes over the planet.

The aspect of this show that makes it so attractive is that it is unlike most all other children's shows. Samurai Jack does not rely mainly upon character interaction and dialogue to tell the story; however, it relies upon the stylization and visualization to develop the plot. One of the most impressive aspects is that every episodes stylization has a different influence. For example, there are episodes based off of My Neighbor Totoro, the Battle of Thermopyle, and Frank Miller's comic book series Ronin. The show uses multiple angles and split screens to build tension while showing different angles of action. Many episodes have little to no dialogue; it is this kind of minimalism that Taratakovsky uses that gives the show such a specific style.

This show has amazing design and plot. I would recommend that everyone check it out.

Off the Air

Last night, or morning rather, I stayed up until 5:00 am. Why you may ask? I wanted to watch the adult swim series called Off the Air that airs at 4:00am on Adult Swim. Off the Air, produced by editor David Hughes, is a 15 minute show that features online viral videos, various animations, archival footage, strange transitions, and psychedelic imagery. It premiered in early 2011 and has been on at 4:00 am since. Each episode has a theme that each short animation or video highlights. For example, last night the episodes were about color and falling down. My friend is a fan of the show and when I asked what it was about, he said I just had to watch it. After watching it, I don't exactly know how to explain the show; just watch it. The editing draws different videos and shorts together in a flawless and smooth way. The show puts you in a trance with the mix of the psychedelic images and spacey music. Adult Swim has always been one of my favorite programs but I'm usually in deep sleep by the time it airs. Some of my other favorite Adult Swim programs include Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Family Guy, and now Off the Air. If you're contemplating staying up all night, watch Adult Swim and you will either leave 1.) Extremely satisfied 2.) Confused with a headache or 3.) You will hate it. You don't know what you will get when you watch Adult Swim.

Watch an episode of Off the Air below. The theme in this episode is food.

Regular Show

New York Comic Con is next week, which is an exciting time for the geek community. Many TV shows, movies, video game developers, comic book publishers, independent artists, and other organizations hold panels and give sneak peeks at the latest content they will be producing and distributing. 

One program that I hope will be at NYCC is Regular Show, which was created by JG Quintel and airs on Cartoon Network. Like Adventure Time, the show has a large following among college students due to its absurd and surreal humor. The show follows Mordecai, a blue jay and his friend Rigby, a raccoon, who work as groundskeepers at a park; while attempting to slack off, the two often act irresponsibly and put themselves in surreal situations that threaten their status as park employees or even the park itself.

Regular Show draws inspiration from two of Quintel’s student films, The Naive Man From Lolliland and 2 in the AM PM; Quintel’s characters Mordecai, Benson and Pops all appear in the shorts, and look and act much like their Regular Show counterparts. Both shorts can be viewed on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56STDM667ds

Regular Show has been well received critically, and recently won an Emmy for Best Short-Format Animated Program for the episode “Eggscellent,” which features Mordecai and Rigby attempting to eat a twelve egg omelet in order to win a trucker style hat with the words “I’m Eggcellent” on it. The episode also contains a humorous reference to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This clip shows Mordecai completing the Eggscellent Challenge, and demonstrates the show’s surreal sense of humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvZ-22mb55o

Now entering its fourth season, the season premiere “Exit 9B” introduces Roger Craig Smith as Thomas, a goat who interns at the park for college credit. I hope that Regular Show will have some great sneak peeks if they attend New York Comic Con!

Intertextuality in Adventure Time

I’m very fond of the show Adventure Time on Cartoon Network. While it would seem the cartoon is aired at children, the show has a large following among teens and college students due to it’s quirky, offbeat and occasionally absurd humor. The most recent episode, “Ignition Point,” aired on Monday, and the episode supported numerous intertextual references, which reminded me of a previous class in which we discussed how films often borrow from other films.

The episode draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and a small portion of the “To be or not to be” soliloquy can even be heard during a short scene. Much like how Hamlet’s father was murdered by having poison poured into his ear, the climax of the episode features Finn and Jake foiling an assassin’s attempt to pour ice cubes in the Flame King’s ear. The Flame King’s nephews are also directly based on Hamlet himself, as they seek to avenge their father.

Additionally, a reference to the game Dungeons & Dragons is made when the characters discuss alignment, which describes how a player character makes ethical and moral decisions. The chaotic neutral alignment is specifically mentioned by Finn when he asks if the Flame Princess is truly evil; chaotic neutral characters are neither good nor evil, and are typically free-spirited or unpredictable.

Overall, I thought the episode was very entertaining and did a good job of making Hamlet approachable for its younger viewers. I plan on watching some previous episodes of Adventure Time to see if I can catch any intertextual references I missed on the first viewing!

For added fun, you can take this online alignment quiz, answering the questions as your player character would: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20001222b