July 14, 2006

{ The Venture Bros. - Season One }

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It's as though some primordial cthonic god looked straight through my skull and into the darkest recesses of my brain to determine what exactly I could ever possibly want in a cartoon: Jonny Quest-style pulp-action setting? Check. Ridiculously over-confident super-villians with a flair for dramatic costuming? Check. A hulking, testosterone-fueled, caddish man's-man bodyguard with a penchant for berzerker-rage ultra-violence? Check. Storylines that reveal the futility of modern existence by showcasing the ongoing failures of the son of the world's most beloved and legendary (now-deceased) scientist? Check. Two doofy pubescent teenagers whose hapless naivety is only surpassed by their unbound enthusiasm for adventure? Check. Robot manservant? Check. Oh, and while you're at it, could you throw in some soundtrack scoring by JG Thirlwell (aka Steroid Maximus, aka Foetus, aka one of the only truly good artists to emerge from the 90's Industrial noise scene....)? Well sure, why the hell not. And if all that isn't reason enough to fall in love, it's served up in a directorial style throbbing with two-fisted life. From the cuts to the camera angles to the design and execution of the animation, there's little to find fault with. Having seen the pilot episode waaaaaay back in '03 and the occasional episode since the series premiered a year later, it wasn't until the release of this set that I got to enjoy the full enchilada. It was also at this point that I realized the show actually carries a bizarre continuity, that plot-lines and character growth occur in an ongoing spiral of self-aware referencing, in-jokes and sub-plot advancement. So yeah. It's my favorite shit. Ever. The set includes all 13 Season One episodes as well as the original pilot and a special bonus Christmas episode. And since the episodes skew towards the half-hour mark (instead of the usual 15 minute Adult Swim format) there's some actual substance to an AS DVD release for once.

» Venture Bros. on Adult Swim
» Under 23 bones at DeepDiscountDVD.com

By Adam in Art, Reviews | Comments:

Comments

I only just started watching this show! What took me so long, I do not know, but I love everything about it. The Major Tom/pirates one is my favorite so far. ("Tell my wife I love her very much." "She knows!!")
Brilliant stuff.

Posted by: Sarah at July 21, 2006 9:53 PM