Mania Grade: A
Reviewed Format: Plastic 6" Action Figures
Distributor: Toycom
Retail Price: $14.99

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SPACE GHOST Villains

Man, I just feel sorry for anybody who didn't grow up during the Sixties like I did. Our parents actually thought Wonder Bread and Twinkies were good for us, we struck a nice balance between playing outside and unhealthy amounts of television-viewing, and the TV shows we did watch were packed full of good old fashioned, non-PC ultraviolence. That was before those damned Smurfs came along and ruined it all. When I watched Saturday morning cartoons there was no problem so big that it couldn't be solved by a one-two punch, the blast of a power beam, or the simple elegance of dropping a piano on someone's head.

Another one of the advantages of being my age is that I can appreciate a piece of brilliance like SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST and the Cartoon Network's hysterically funny ADULT SWIM programs on more than one level. You can't fully absorb the genius of these shows (which take cartoon characters like Space Ghost, Bird Man and the cast of SEALAB 2020 and put them in utterly bizarre, postmodern contexts) unless you've grown up watching the characters.

I doubt anyone born after 1970 ever gave much thought to the concept of SPACE GHOST, which featured a Batman-like superhero with the voice of LAUGH-IN's Gary Owens. SPACE GHOST debuted in 1966 (my favorite year!) as SPACE GHOST AND DINO BOY, and alternated 8-minute SPACE GHOST episodes with segments of DINO BOY, about a kid who gets lost in a prehistoric world. If you don't remember SPACE GHOST, well...not even I remember DINO BOY, and I LOVE dinosaurs.

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There was nothing complex about SPACE GHOST or any of Hanna Barbera's other Sixties adventure cartoons after the classic JONNY QUESTin any episode of SPACE GHOST, BIRD MAN or THE HERCULOIDS there was a 30-second set-up of what the heroes were doing, a super-villain appeared on the scene, and the next seven minutes consisted of blasting power beams, flying missiles, explosions, and pounding punches. Space Ghost's dialogue consisted of variations on the theme "This calls for a blast of my heat ray!" But the show had an awesome music theme and a rogue's gallery of bizarre alien villains, voiced by some of the coolest vocal actors of the day including Ted Cassidy (Lurch of THE ADDAMS FAMILY), Keye Luke (of KUNG FU), Tim Matheson (ANIMAL HOUSE and the voice of Jonny Quest), Vic Perrin (the Control Voice on THE OUTER LIMITS) and Mike Rhoad (the manly voice of Race Bannon on JONNY QUEST).

Space Ghost would have been just another piece of Sixties pop culture detritus if he hadn't been resurrected in 1994 by the Cartoon Network on the brilliant SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST. Here Space Ghost (now voiced by George Lowe) acts as David Letterman to Zorak's Paul Schaffer, meaning the show's band leader is a giant green praying mantis who hates Space Ghost and everything he stands for. The show used original animation elements and designs from the Sixties series, making it all the more bizarre. More than a year ago Art Asylum made a fantastic Space Ghost 6" action figure that came complete with the COAST TO COAST desk, index cards and a coffee mug. Figures of the show's accompanying villains/cast members were suggested, if not promised, by the Space Ghost figure's packaging, but they haven't shown up until now.

Turns out they're well worth the wait. Included in the three-figure assortment are Zorak (with his curving keyboard), the gray-helmeted Moltar (with his control panel) and the indescribably bizarre, infantile Brak (Brak has his own spin-off show, THE BRAK SHOW, meaning this figure does triple-duty). I would have KILLED to have any Space Ghost action figures when I was a kid, and now society can breathe a sigh of relief, because I don't have to! So crotchety children of the Sixties like me can relieve the two-dimensional exploits of Space Ghost with these figures, or be incredibly cool and hip by having our own SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST talk show sets duplicated in our homes and offices.

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All three villain figures are beautifully sculpted, painted and articulatedexcept for Brak. He comes with his arms folded across his chest and is equipped with an extra pair of snap-on arms in case you don't like that posebut despite the fact that he has jointed ANKLES and a really cool ball-jointed neck, his legs are swivel joints so he can't sit down. What good is it having a Brak figure if he can't sit down at the dinner table with his parents on THE BRAK SHOW? Oh well, they don't make Brak's Parents Action Figures anyway. The only other downside is that Zorak's delicate elbow ball joints have a tendency to allow his arms to break off when you bend them, but they're easily snapped back into their sockets, and it serves this dastardly space insect right anyway.

Hanna Barbera action fans will rejoice over these figures, and soon there'll be more rejoicing in stores as Toynami has already announced HERCULOIDS and BIRD MAN figures for later this year. Woohoo!