Space Ghost
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Space Ghost was one-half of the animated television series Space Ghost and Dino Boy created by Hanna-Barbera Productions; it first aired on September 10, 1966 on CBS. In the series, the hero, Space Ghost, battled villains in outer space. Space Ghost (voiced by Gary Owens) was assisted by two teenagers named Jan (voiced by Ginny Tyler) and Jace (voiced by Tim Matheson), and a monkey named Blip (voiced by Don Messick). The show ended on September 7, 1968.
Designs for the series were by noted comic book artist Alex Toth.
Space Ghost appeared again in 1981 in new episodes that appeared as a segment in the series Space-Stars. The series lasted one year.
The complete 1966 series will be released on DVD by Warner Home Video on July 17th, 2007.
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[edit] Comeback show
The character Space Ghost hosts a talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which began broadcasting in 1994 on Cartoon Network. Villains Zorak (a giant praying mantis / locust, depending on the particular show) and Moltar (a lava creature inside a metal suit) were Space Ghost's sidekicks (with guest appearances from many other old SG villains, most notably Brak). The show, as well as the short-lived Cartoon Planet, was a spoof of late-night shows such as David Letterman. Celebrities interviewed by Space Ghost included Beck, Jack Black, Hulk Hogan, The Ramones, Metallica, Conan O'Brien and Jim Carrey.
The show relied heavily on absurd, surreal, or even dadaist humour. SGC2C continued to 2004 as the eldest program on Cartoon Network's late-night comedy/action programming block, Adult Swim. Space Ghost's name on SGC2C is revealed to be Thaddeus (Tad) Ghostal on the episode "Bobcat Goldthwait & The Ramones". The characters of Jan, Jace and Blip appeared twice on the show. The first was a brief appearance in the episode "Jerk" where they were trying to call in to the show and Space Ghost hangs up on them. Jan, Jace and Blip return to sue Space Ghost. They claim that Space Ghost exposed teenagers to interstellar gases, laser rays, and unearthly atmospheres that stunted their growth. They sue for back wages and damages stemming from emotional distress, mental cruelty, and for preventing them from attending school. The charges were dropped after their lawyer quit the case.
Coast to Coast in turn had its own spin-off starring Brak and Zorak called The Brak Show.
On the first series, Space Ghost was voiced by Gary Owens. On the later series, Space Ghost is voiced by George Lowe, who is also Dad on The Brak Show.
After approximately 7 seasons the show went into hiatus, and the writers Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro used characters they developed in an unaired episode ("Baffler Meal") to create the popular "would-be spin-off" Aqua Teen Hunger Force. After that show proved successful, Baffler Meal was animated and aired in 2003.
Currently, new episodes of SGC2C appear on the "Animation" channel of the GameTap service. Guests seem to be either gaming celebrities or non-mainstream musicians.
[edit] Comic books
In the late 1960s, Gold Key Comics published one issue of Space Ghost in his own comic. The character also appeared in the anthology title, Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes, which featured other Saturday morning crimefighters such as the Herculoids, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio.
Marvel Comics' "Hanna-Barbera TV Stars" no. 3 (Dec. 1978 issue) was a superhero special that featured a Space Ghost story, "Pilgreen's Progress." Ironically, it was the only time Alex Toth ever drew the character for comics.
In 1987, Comico published an adaptation of Space Ghost by Mark Evanier and Steve Rude that was an homage to the spirit and look of the cartoon.
In 1997, Archie Comics published "Cartoon Network Presents Space Ghost" with art by Scott Rosema.
In 2004, DC Comics published a Space Ghost mini-series, which featured a serious, sci-fi/space opera version of the character and showed his origins for the first time.
The series was written by Joe Kelly and illustrated by Ariel Olivetti. Space Ghost's real name is revealed to be Thaddeus Bach. (Interestingly, Space Ghost's real name on SGC2C Thaddeus (Tad) Ghostal.) Bach, an interplanetary peacekeeper, is betrayed by corrupt officers, who kill his pregnant wife and abandon him on a desolate planet. Bach is rescued by an alien who gives him both a reason to live and the technology contained in his suit.
Opinion on this depiction is somewhat divided. Some fans appreciated the darker, while others disliked seeing the light tone abandoned to fit the more nihilistic contemporary tone of superheroes. In spite of those opinions, the miniseries proved to be a surprise hit, and a sequel by the same creative team is in the works.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Space Ghost's super powers originate from the Power Bands he wears on his wrists and his belt; without them he has proven to be mostly a normal human, though in at least one episode he demonstrates apparently innate superhuman strength. The Power Bands feature six buttons (three on each wristband). Pressing a certain combination of these buttons activates its functions. The Power Bands grant Space Ghost a wide variety of abilities for attack and defense. These include different types of attack beams, such as Freeze Force, Heat Ray, Stun Ray, Magnetic Ray, Energy Force, and so on; for defense they provide some types of protective force fields. Although the variety of these abilities give Space Ghost a formidable arsenal, the Power Bands are only able to use just one attack and one defensive function simultaneously. For example, in one episode of the cartoon series, he combined the Energy Force with his force field to create a concussive attack called Force Hammer. Space Ghost's only power not provided by his Power Bands is his signature ability to turn invisible, which he activates by touching the silhouette symbol on his chest.
Within the DC comic book mini-series, the Power Bands initially can only generate offensive energy blasts. DC has said this is because the mini-series takes place ten years before the original cartoon took place,[citation needed] so it can be assumed that the Power Bands were upgraded over that time frame to include other forms of attack.
Space Ghost is also capable of flight, though it is unclear that this ability is granted to him via his Power Bands, his belt or some other means.
When Space Ghost is invisible he phases out so he can go through walls, thus making him undetectable by radar and similar means of locators.
[edit] Trivia
- Space Ghost can be seen in Nexus # 5. (third page, second frame)
- In Exiles #88 Morph, which is not uncommon for his character, transforms into Space Ghost.(ninth page, fourth panel)
- In the episode "Planet of the Space Monkeys" the character "Uglor" pilots a ship called "The Savage Star", this is the same ship used in Aqua Teen Hunger Force by the Plutonians.
[edit] Space Ghost in other media
- Stewie Griffin on the show Family Guy was baptised in the name of Space Ghost
- Space Ghost can be seen sitting with Birdman in the Powerpuff Girls episode "Members Only".
- Warner Bros. is currently planning the releases of Space Ghost And Dino Boy and Birdman & The Galaxy Trio on DVD sets slated for a 7/17/2007 release, although the studio has not officially announced the title.
[edit] "Space Ghost" in other languages
- Portuguese: similar to English
- Polish: Kosmiczny Duch
- Spanish: El Fantasma del Espacio
- German: similar to English
- Japanese: 宇宙怪人ゴースト (Uchuu Kaijin Ghost)
- Français: "Le Fantôme de l'Espace"
[edit] External links
- Space Ghost at the Internet Movie Database
- The Original Space Ghost FAQ
- Space Ghost and Dino Boy entry at TV.com
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Adult Swim - includes a full episode guide
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | CBS network shows | Animated television series | 1960s American television series | Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios series and characters | Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios superheroes | DC Comics titles
