|
Rating:  -
There is a wonderful (and surprisingly sentimental) documentary tribute to one of my favorite artists, Alex Toth in this set. Mainly because of his superb draftsmanship, the cartoons themselves hold up very well (even though it is absurd that in every episode Space Ghost can't use his "power bands" simply because his hands are restrained and Blip the monkey has to become invisible and push the buttons for him). One thing I had forgotten was that at the end of the run they did a BUNCH of episodes that are nothing more than a cheap way to introduce characters from the NEW Hanna-Barbera shows debuting for the '67 season, and they were all junk except Herculoids. You still get your money's worth with about 20 good episodes of Space Ghost featuring voices of Gary Owens, Ted (Lurch) Cassidy, Paul (Boris Badenov)Frees, Vic (Outer Limits) Perrin and Don (Scooby-Doo) Messick. Even the Dino Boy stuff is pretty good, featuring a Neanderthal man and plenty of dinosaurs.
Rating: -
Space Ghost & Dino Boy...
classics finally in DVD.
The package is very nice.
There are the episodes on a set of 2 double-side DVD (you watch the standard & the flip side ).
There is one extra about comics cartoonist Toth.
Video quality & audio quality excellent; English subtitles available.
I purchased other series like Bird Man, Josie&the pussycats etc.
Recommended for nostalgic of good old H&B cartoons like me.
The cheesy 1960s come alive through Space Ghost's 'John Wayne' all-american-hero voice & his legendary, uncanny exploits against the council of doom.
Watch the masked, muscled up hero in spandex battle Zorak, Metallus, Moltor, Creature King and other weird alien fiends.
Meet Ugh the caveman and all-american-boy 'Dino' battling evil foes such as Rock Pygmies, Saber Tooth people, Moss men, Sun people etc in 'the lost valley' in a jumble of cheesy neo-colonial hints.
Rating: -
Wowee! The original adventures of the occasionally invisible cosmic superhero known as Space Ghost are finally available on DVD. Unfortunately, it appears that Warner may have left the package/disc design and episode distribution up to the treacherous members of the Council of Doom. Both of the identical-looking DVDs in this set are double-sided fingerprint collectors. To make matters worse, they overlap one another on a cheesy digipack holder in a skinny cardboard case. Side A of the first disc holds only four episodes (each episode consisting of three six-minute cartoons), while a whopping eight episodes are crammed onto Side B. (That probably explains why my first copy had a defective B-side.) Disc 2 has eight more episodes loaded onto Side A, and a fascinating 78-minute documentary on the life of temperamental comic book artist and Space Ghost creator, Alex Toth, on the flipside. Clearly, this should have been a three or four disc set. But, on a more positive note, the artwork on the cardboard is stellar--with a groovy image of an inviso-powered Space Ghost behind the DVDs, and paintings of Dino Boy, Bronty and Ugh on the outside of the flimsy folder. And, of course, the cartoons burned onto these inferior flipper discs are classics--incredibly imaginative and filled with cleverly designed heroes and villains.
Included along with the 42 exciting Space Ghost shorts in this collection are 18 stone-aged escapades starring the underappreciated and oddly-named Dino Boy. According to Wikipedia, Dino Boy's real name is Todd, but his blue-eyed caveman pal, Ugh, knows him only as "Dino Boy." This is likely due to the fact that he is usually seen perched atop his pet dinosaur, Bronty/Bronto. If he were on horseback, he would be called `Horse Boy.' If he rode a camel, he would be `Camel Boy,' and so on. The introduction that begins each story states that D.B. landed in the prehistoric Lost Valley after he was "forced to parachute from a disabled plane." The events leading up to that fateful jump remain a mystery. Were the lad's parents on that airplane? Were they killed in the eventual crash that would presumably have resulted from the reported disability? Was there only one parachute available? Or, did the other passengers simply grow weary of the redheaded youngster's incessant talking and throw him from the plane in a fit of fury and frustration?
Hopping hop toads! Dino Boy does have an annoying habit of talking to himself continuously, acting as his own narrator by describing his every action and observation...even in the presence of enemies. The sometimes freckle-faced child (curiously, his freckles come and go, as if they have their own inviso-power) does not appear to miss his family or suffer from any degree of homesickness. No, the leopard-booted juvenile is just having a blast exploring this weird prehistoric world from the back of his swift-footed brontosaurus--who looks like a green version of Dino, of Flintstones fame, and sounds a lot like Scooby Doo--and hanging out with his club-swinging Neanderthal protector, Ugh. Ugh talk funny. Not know much words. Dino Boy try teach Ugh to read and talk good, but Ugh not that smart. Him not sell auto insurance any time soon. Together, Dino Boy and Ugh battle everything from purple-skinned Worm People to bat-winged Vampire Men. And, when they're not being sacrificed to the Sun King by beak-headed vulture priests, life in the jungle is good.
Dino Boy is okay, but the main attraction here is the legendary square-jawed phantom phenom, Space Ghost (voiced by Laugh-In's Gary Owens). This white-clad space ranger's super powers are derived from the red and yellow power bands he wears on his wrists. With these mighty accessories, the eyeless defender of the galaxy possesses superhuman strength and speed, as well as an arsenal of weapons, ranging from freeze rays and heat rays to energy bolts and force rays. Without these formidable wristlets, Space Ghost is just a regular guy in a leotard. Mr. Ghost also wears a rocket pack that enables him to soar through the cosmos, and, of course, an inviso-belt that enables him to become invisible...that is, aside from those obvious white outlines that villain's apparently cannot see.
Space Ghost is assisted by a pair of teenaged siblings by the names of Jan and Jace. These wondrous twins dress a bit like the first X-Men and wear Lone Ranger-type masks over their eyes--which, unlike Space Ghost's, are occasionally visible. Jan and Jace don't own any power bands, but they are equipped with inviso-belts and jet packs, which they use quite frequently. The junior galactic protectors patrol the starry abyss in their sporty Space Coupe, accompanied at all times by their flat-headed primate pal, Blip. When there's trouble, they just touch their blinking insignia communicators to radio Space Ghost, who is usually either monitoring the Danger Alert Channel at his headquarters on Ghost Planet, or zooming around in his sleek orange Phantom Cruiser.
Surprisingly, Blip is the true hero of this far-out group, often saving the day by skillfully utilizing his inviso-power to retrieve Space Ghost's all-important power bands--which are typically confiscated by the myriad evildoers that regularly threaten the universe. Diminutive fiends like the cat-eyed Creature King and the fish-faced Lurker never fail to underestimate the uncanny cleverness of this masked monkey marvel. On countless occasions, Space Ghost is obliged to offer a grateful "Good boy, Blip!" as foe after foe falls victim to his or her own diabolical traps. As Jace so eloquently puts it, "Sometimes, he who laughs last gets caught."
Animation collectors will not want to be without this Hanna-Barbera gem, but be sure to check those discs carefully for scratches and defects. Flipper discs bad. Ugh no like bad flipper discs! Run, Dino Boy, RUN!
Rating: -
Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series
(Released July 17, 2007 by Warner Home Video) DVD Review by Joe Torcivia
In 1966, Saturday morning TV was forever changed by two landmark animated series: Filmation's THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and Hanna-Barbera's SPACE GHOST AND DINO BOY, both premiering on CBS.
I've reviewed Warner Home Video's release of the SUPERMAN series under its own section at Amazon. It was recommended, but cautiously - as omissions and production flaws were plentiful enough to be regarded as diminishing factors. Happily, this is not the case with Warner's release of SPACE GHOST AND DINO BOY THE COMPLETE SERIES.
Space Ghost is a hooded, costumed and caped super-hero of outer space. "Space-Batman", if you will. As Batman has Robin, Space Ghost has young Jan and Jace as his teen sidekicks - along with a cute little chattering space-monkey named Blip.
If Hanna-Barbera made one mistake with Space Ghost, it was not making it a half-hour series - meaning each story would have been done in the half-hour format, as was previously done with Jonny Quest. Instead, the "tried-and-true" H-B formula of three cartoons per 30 minute show (Two Space Ghost, with one Dino Boy sandwiched in between) was employed, and played to lesser results.
If you're thinking that this sounds a great deal like the formula used in Filmation's The New Adventures of Superman, you're right -- but, with an important difference. Though the plots were just as brief and often unfulfilling, they were, on the whole, better executed, and were more on the order of compressed "Mini-Jonny Quest" shows.
Dino Boy is, happily, a better series than I remembered it. Each show, his origin is recapped in an introductory segment. A Jonny Quest / Will Robinson (...then popular on CBS's Lost In Space) resourceful sort of boy bails out of a downed plane, into one of those "lost prehistoric valleys" we'd all like to imagine really exist. He is befriended by a strong, protective caveman and a pet bronto. They run afoul of strange civilizations and stranger creatures for their six-minute segments.
As for the "Pros and Cons" of this set...
The CONS:
I'm pleased to say that most of the "Cons" that diminished the Filmation Superman set (see that review for details) are not present here. The series does appear to be complete. The transfers appear to be of reasonable quality. Minor quibble: The discs themselves are not overtly labeled or illustrated on their surface. This is all the more inconvenient when discs are double-sided, as these are.
The stories are too short. So much more could have been done with Space Ghost in the half-hour long adventure format, so common in the years to come.
The level of violence - and death - seen in the show was unprecedented for Sat-AM TV. This would be more of a "Pro", had it not help usher in the crusades by do-gooders and know-betters that persist to this day.
Space Ghost's voice, by the great GARY OWENS, is credited as "GARY OWEN" in the end credit sequence. Owens is not interviewed - nor does he provide commentary for this set. But, as he did both for the previously released "Perils of Penelope Pitstop" and "Scooby-Doo / Dynomutt Hour" sets, I can forgive that. It would have been nice to hear Owens talk some Space Ghost, though.
As with most Hanna-Barbera series, there is only one stock end-credits sequence. Voice actors heard in the show (mostly as villains) but never credited for this cost-cutting reason include H-B stalwart John Stephenson, Henry Corden, Ted ("Lurch") Cassidy, the ubiquitous Paul Frees, and surely others.
The PACKAGING is that slimmer, cheaper packaging that Warner Home Video has used since the latter part of 2005, where one disc rests upon another. You cannot handle or remove DISC TWO without first removing or handling DISC ONE. There is always potential, however slight, for damage with packaging of this sort.
The PROS:
It's Space Ghost! In 1966, I don't think it was possible for an animated character to be cooler than Space Ghost... save H-B's own earlier Jonny Quest, Hadji, and Race Bannon.
The writers credited were Walter Black and William Hamilton - both veterans of JONNY QUEST, accounting for the relative quality of the scripts.
A superb voice cast. Credited or otherwise.
Inspired use of "stock adventure music" composed for JONNY QUEST. Virtually every note comes from JQ, and a very small portion of it will "roll-forward" into SCOOBY-DOO WHERE ARE YOU. Check the opening scenes of "Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright" or "A Tiki Scare is No Fair" for examples.
The level of violence - and death - seen in the show. As I said, this is a "Pro"!
The "Ghost Planet" headquarters and sanctuary! Batman had a "Batcave". The Fantastic Four had "The Baxter Building". Superman had "The Fortress of Solitude". But Space Ghost had HIS OWN PLANET! Told you he was cool!
The Phantom Cruiser, Power Bands, Inviso-Power, and Star Trek-like chest-level communicators integrated into the "Ghost-Gang's" uniforms! `Nuff said!
Dino Boy was fun, in an "episodic peril and escape" sorta way. Don Messick's "sounds" for Bronty the Bronto made him a sort of prototype for Scooby-Doo! Indeed, it was often like watching Jonny Quest (...or Lost in Space's Will Robinson) team up with Scooby! Mike Road ("Race Bannon" in Quest) voiced "Ugh the Caveman", further strengthening the connection with JQ. It was as violent and full of death as was Space Ghost. FUN!
After what is assumed to be the original 18 shows, there is a special six-part story with the overall title of "The Council of Doom". In it, Space Ghost's greatest enemies Metallus, Creature King, Zorak, Moltar, Brak, and Spider Woman (...some of whom WERE KILLED during the previous eighteen outings! Minor detail... Maybe it's an "Untold Ghost Tale" of the past!) team up to rid themselves of Space Ghost for good!
This is rather an amazing piece of storytelling for the time, as the "Ghost Gang" encounters OTHER HANNA-BARBERA TV HEROES (!) along the way. The Mighty Mightor, Moby Dick, The Herculoids, and the Genie Shazzan all help out as needed to execute a story the likes of which had never been done in TV animation to this point! I don't recall seeing "The Council of Doom" before, but it must have coincided with the start of the 1967 season, as the other H-B heroes present all debuted at that time. Even with six short segments to work with, the story is rushed and exhibits the occasional plot hole, but give `em High Marks for attempting this one! Very High Marks!
There is only one Special Feature, but it's a goody! A documentary on the life and career of Space Ghost's designer Alex Toth! It is an uncharacteristically LONG piece for a DVD extra, running an incredible 1 hour and 19 minutes!
Among the many interviewees are Toth's two daughters and two sons, Golden Age DC Comics artists Joe Kubert and Irwin Hasen, Warner Bros. Animation producer Bruce Timm, and a number of Toth's personal friends. Portions of Toth's own manuscripts on his accomplishments and his views on life are examined. All persons involved seem to portray Toth as passionate and driven, a superb designer and draftsman... and something of an unhappy individual. Indeed, I'd say that we get TOO close a look at the unpleasantness of the final years of his life. This is quite surprising for a cartoon DVD extra, where a "good face" is generally put on most things.
If there is a negative to this great feature, beyond its anything-but-rosy outlook, it's that, while it spends much time on Toth's early days in New York City and later move to California, his family, his career in comic books from the Golden Age thru the seventies and the ups and downs of his life, it hardly touches on Space Ghost. Now that's fine with me, personally, as I especially enjoyed the coverage of his work done for DC Comics - featuring some magnificent Batman pages - and a closer-than-expected look at this unique individual and his place in comic book history. But, if my sole purpose for purchasing this set was an interest in Space Ghost, as I suspect would be the case with most buyers, I would probably be disappointed.
To bring this review full-circle, and then to a close, I described Space Ghost as a sort of "Space-Batman". On the special feature, Bruce Timm (not surprisingly) cites Alex Toth's design for Space Ghost as one of his influences in designing Batman for his own groundbreaking BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES of the 1990s.
I highly recommend this DVD set - subject to my personal bias, of course. Buy it if you are a fan of animated adventure, Hanna-Barbera, Alex Toth, comic books (Silver Age or modern)... or "anything 1966".
Rating: -
Space Ghost and Dino Boy are among my favorite cartoons of all time. I watched these episodes in syndication when I was a kid more than two decades ago.
The voices were perfectly matched with each character, the jazz scores were ideal for each occasion from the introduction to the ending credits, and each story was often thorough and complete within seven minutes, more so than many half-hour animated presentations nowadays.
The Space Ghost episodes were a joy to watch. Many parallels could be drawn between them and the Batman episodes featuring Adam West and Burt Ward. Just as Batman seemed to always have some new device in his little utility belt at exactly the right time, Space Ghost apparently had at least one hundred different rays that could emanate from his power bands, each of which had only three buttons! And whenever Space Ghost and his companions, Jan and Jace, were trapped, the villains would always be so full of hubris and assume victory, only to be toppled by the lovable monkey, Blip, who was always ignored but was frequently the one to save the day.
As for the episodes featuring Dino Boy, Ug the Caveman, and Bronty the dinosaur pet, the setting is a jungle area where giant reptilian creatures and mankind coexist. The adventures are great, and the teamwork involved in rescue attempts overcome insurmountable odds, where you have the aforementioned three protagonists up against tribes that are willing to sacrifice outsiders or heretics to their gods. The stories are simple, yet fascinationg; in fact, it is almost a wonder that they ever came out, since there are those in the PC crowd that might have accused Hanna-Barbera of taking an impolite stab at multiculturalistic ideals. I say, "Get a life!"
All in all, this is a great collection that can be enjoyed by those of all ages. So go buy this set and be entertained!
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the Nielsen//NetRatings Research Panel and you could win a new car, a dream vacation, a dream home makeover or $50,000 Cash!
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Original Superhero & other designs for t-shirts, bumper
stickers, prints, mugs, and other cool merchandise. |
|
