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Episode Review
Filmography
Gallery
History of Space Ghost
Quick Facts
Voice Cast
History of Space Ghost:
"Space
Ghost", the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series that lasted from
1966-1968 is great! The subsequent "Space Ghost Coast to Coast"
parody talk show from 1994-2004 which aired on Cartoon Network is just
flat-out annoying and won't be discussed further. The talk show,
I feel, is purposely an insult to the character and anyone who would've
liked the original cartoon. And where was Jan and Jace and Blip?
The "real" Space Ghost show is probably the best-made adventure cartoon series Hanna-Barbera ever produced. The characters and situations are inventive. The way they handled this was even better. No doubt it was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon by design. Yet, it was different. The storylines are meant to be serious, but not so serious where it's disturbing. There is always a lot of levity and heart to the stories. Our heroes have morals, but there is no preachiness. That's rare. THIS is the kind of adventure cartoon series kids should see. Nothing is gross or scary. It's just fun stories with an impressive-looking cast of heroes and villains. And there is NO real violence or anything that you can consider really violent.
There is a LOT of silliness to this show. The way that Space Ghost talks thanks to the superb Gary Owens always cracks me up (his is a voice for comedy if ever there was one). Also the way the villains look is comical; you can never take them too seriously. All the characters sound simple when they speak. They do this on purpose so young kids can understand what's going on. All of the voice actors have great, engaging voices, though, and do really outstanding jobs. Basically, this is a cartoon superhero show made for young children, but it looks so cool that adults can get a kick out of it, too.
But the idea of Space Ghost is an interesting experiment as well. He's a superhero, but his adventures are set entirely in space, and not on Earth. Few superhero cartoon shows or comics follow such a premise that is so disconnected from Earth. He is always in costume, which is a little-used ingredient for superheroes. In addition he is joined not by one sidekick, but by three. Space Ghost is accompanied by teenagers Jan (the girl) and Jace (the boy) along with Blip the monkey. Blip is the "cute" one of the show meant to be comic relief. He also does a lot of heroic things unexpected by his comrades and enemies, proving to children that little ones can do big things. He's probably the character producers wanted its young viewers to associate most closely. Jan and Jace are like the role models that kids can aspire to. I bet a lot of young boys watching this get a crush on Jan. She's cute for a cartoon character, plus she has that sweet, attractive voice by Ginny Tyler. It has the sweetest little "oh I'm so helpless" crack in it. But Space Ghost is the supreme being of the show. He's like the father figure for kids. Someone who's older and wiser who would know the answers to their questions. Space Ghost can do just about anything.
Another good thing about this cartoon is that sometimes Space Ghost saves his sidekicks, and sometimes the sidekicks save him. It isn't always one-sided.
The designs of the characters and cartoons are very well done. The animation is pretty smooth and even more advanced than most of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the period. Still somewhat choppy, but you have to allow that for TV animation. It's the colorful drawings and exotic locales that really make it visually appealing.
If you like adventure cartoons and haven't seen "Space Ghost", watch "Space Ghost"!
Quick Facts:
Filmography:
Episode Review:
1. The Heat Thing (September 10, 1966)
2. Zorak
3. The Lizard Slavers
4. The Web
5. Creature King
Villain: The Creature King
6. The Sandman
Villain: The Sandman
Defeat: Disintegrates when rifle explodes (or does he?)
7. The Evil Collector
8. The Drone
Villain: The Drone
Defeat: Self-destructs (blows up)
9. Homing Device
Villain: Metallus
Defeat: Blows up in spaceship
10. The Robot Master
11. The Iceman
Villain: Zeron
Defeat: Dies in explosion
12. Hi-Jackers
13. The Energy Monster
14. The Lure
15. The Cyclopeds
Villain: Cyclo
Defeat: Mistakenly runs into maze with giant killer robot, the Cyclo-Terror
16. The Schemer
17. Lokar: King of the Killer Locusts
Villain: Lokar
18. Space Sargasso
Villain: Lurker (main); One-Eye (second-in-command)
Defeat: Lurker- sleep mist; One-Eye- flattened by Space Ghost's cage
19. Brago
Villain: Brago
20. Revenge of the Spider-Woman
Villain: Spider-Woman
Defeat: Carried away in flood waters
21. Attack of the Saucer Crab
22. Space Birds
Villain: Owlie
23. The Time Machine
Villain: Tarko the Terrible [Viking]
Defeat: Lost in hand-to-hand combat with Space Ghost; becomes a friend
24. Nightmare Planet
Villain: Dr. Nightmare
25. Space Armada
Villain: Metallus
26. The Challenge
Villain: Zorak
27. Jungle Planet
Villain: Mind-Taker
Defeat: Explodes underwater
28. Ruler of the Rock Robots
29. Glasstor
Villain: Glasstor
Defeat: Trapped in glass ball
30. The Space Ark
Villain: Creature King
Defeat: Escapes through chute
31. The Sorcerer
Villain: The Sorcerer
32. The Space Pirahnas
Villain: Pirahnor
Defeat: Attacked by space pirahnas
33. The Ovens of Moltor
Villain: Moltor
34. Transor: The Matter Mover
Villain: Transor
Defeat: Caught by galactic patrol
35. The Gargoyloids (1967)
Villain: The Gargoyloids
36. The Looters
37. The Council of Doom Part One: The Meeting
38. The Council of Doom Part Two: Clutches of Creature King
39. The Council of Doom Part Three: The Deadly Trap
40. The Council of Doom Part Four: The Molten Monsters of Moltor
41. The Council of Doom Part Five: Two Faces of Doom
42. The Council of Doom Part Six: The Final Encounter (September 23, 1967)
Voice Cast:
Space Ghost- Gary Owens
Jace- Tim Matheson
Jan- Ginny Tyler
Blip- Don Messick
Narrator- Gary Owens
Zorak/Bronto- Don Messick
Black Widow- Ginny Tyler
Brak- Keye Luke
Metallus- Ted Cassidy
Creature King/Lurker- Vic Perrin
Glasstor- Alan Reed
Ugh- Mike Road
Cyclo- Johnny Carson
Additional Voices- Will Ryan (uncredited)
The "real" Space Ghost show is probably the best-made adventure cartoon series Hanna-Barbera ever produced. The characters and situations are inventive. The way they handled this was even better. No doubt it was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon by design. Yet, it was different. The storylines are meant to be serious, but not so serious where it's disturbing. There is always a lot of levity and heart to the stories. Our heroes have morals, but there is no preachiness. That's rare. THIS is the kind of adventure cartoon series kids should see. Nothing is gross or scary. It's just fun stories with an impressive-looking cast of heroes and villains. And there is NO real violence or anything that you can consider really violent.
There is a LOT of silliness to this show. The way that Space Ghost talks thanks to the superb Gary Owens always cracks me up (his is a voice for comedy if ever there was one). Also the way the villains look is comical; you can never take them too seriously. All the characters sound simple when they speak. They do this on purpose so young kids can understand what's going on. All of the voice actors have great, engaging voices, though, and do really outstanding jobs. Basically, this is a cartoon superhero show made for young children, but it looks so cool that adults can get a kick out of it, too.
But the idea of Space Ghost is an interesting experiment as well. He's a superhero, but his adventures are set entirely in space, and not on Earth. Few superhero cartoon shows or comics follow such a premise that is so disconnected from Earth. He is always in costume, which is a little-used ingredient for superheroes. In addition he is joined not by one sidekick, but by three. Space Ghost is accompanied by teenagers Jan (the girl) and Jace (the boy) along with Blip the monkey. Blip is the "cute" one of the show meant to be comic relief. He also does a lot of heroic things unexpected by his comrades and enemies, proving to children that little ones can do big things. He's probably the character producers wanted its young viewers to associate most closely. Jan and Jace are like the role models that kids can aspire to. I bet a lot of young boys watching this get a crush on Jan. She's cute for a cartoon character, plus she has that sweet, attractive voice by Ginny Tyler. It has the sweetest little "oh I'm so helpless" crack in it. But Space Ghost is the supreme being of the show. He's like the father figure for kids. Someone who's older and wiser who would know the answers to their questions. Space Ghost can do just about anything.
Another good thing about this cartoon is that sometimes Space Ghost saves his sidekicks, and sometimes the sidekicks save him. It isn't always one-sided.
The designs of the characters and cartoons are very well done. The animation is pretty smooth and even more advanced than most of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the period. Still somewhat choppy, but you have to allow that for TV animation. It's the colorful drawings and exotic locales that really make it visually appealing.
If you like adventure cartoons and haven't seen "Space Ghost", watch "Space Ghost"!
Quick Facts:
Filmography:
Episode Review:
1. The Heat Thing (September 10, 1966)
2. Zorak
3. The Lizard Slavers
4. The Web
5. Creature King
Villain: The Creature King
6. The Sandman
Villain: The Sandman
Defeat: Disintegrates when rifle explodes (or does he?)
7. The Evil Collector
8. The Drone
Villain: The Drone
Defeat: Self-destructs (blows up)
9. Homing Device
Villain: Metallus
Defeat: Blows up in spaceship
10. The Robot Master
11. The Iceman
Villain: Zeron
Defeat: Dies in explosion
12. Hi-Jackers
13. The Energy Monster
14. The Lure
15. The Cyclopeds
Villain: Cyclo
Defeat: Mistakenly runs into maze with giant killer robot, the Cyclo-Terror
16. The Schemer
17. Lokar: King of the Killer Locusts
Villain: Lokar
18. Space Sargasso
Villain: Lurker (main); One-Eye (second-in-command)
Defeat: Lurker- sleep mist; One-Eye- flattened by Space Ghost's cage
19. Brago
Villain: Brago
20. Revenge of the Spider-Woman
Villain: Spider-Woman
Defeat: Carried away in flood waters
21. Attack of the Saucer Crab
22. Space Birds
Villain: Owlie
23. The Time Machine
Villain: Tarko the Terrible [Viking]
Defeat: Lost in hand-to-hand combat with Space Ghost; becomes a friend
24. Nightmare Planet
Villain: Dr. Nightmare
25. Space Armada
Villain: Metallus
26. The Challenge
Villain: Zorak
27. Jungle Planet
Villain: Mind-Taker
Defeat: Explodes underwater
28. Ruler of the Rock Robots
29. Glasstor
Villain: Glasstor
Defeat: Trapped in glass ball
30. The Space Ark
Villain: Creature King
Defeat: Escapes through chute
31. The Sorcerer
Villain: The Sorcerer
32. The Space Pirahnas
Villain: Pirahnor
Defeat: Attacked by space pirahnas
33. The Ovens of Moltor
Villain: Moltor
34. Transor: The Matter Mover
Villain: Transor
Defeat: Caught by galactic patrol
35. The Gargoyloids (1967)
Villain: The Gargoyloids
36. The Looters
37. The Council of Doom Part One: The Meeting
38. The Council of Doom Part Two: Clutches of Creature King
39. The Council of Doom Part Three: The Deadly Trap
40. The Council of Doom Part Four: The Molten Monsters of Moltor
41. The Council of Doom Part Five: Two Faces of Doom
42. The Council of Doom Part Six: The Final Encounter (September 23, 1967)
Voice Cast:
Space Ghost- Gary Owens
Jace- Tim Matheson
Jan- Ginny Tyler
Blip- Don Messick
Narrator- Gary Owens
Zorak/Bronto- Don Messick
Black Widow- Ginny Tyler
Brak- Keye Luke
Metallus- Ted Cassidy
Creature King/Lurker- Vic Perrin
Glasstor- Alan Reed
Ugh- Mike Road
Cyclo- Johnny Carson
Additional Voices- Will Ryan (uncredited)