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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 character of Space Ghost was revived for a talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, in 1994 on Cartoon Network. Villains Zorak (a giant praying mantis) 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, The Ramones, Metallica, and Jim Carrey. The show relied heavily on absurd and surreal humour. SGC2C continued to 2004 as the eldest program on Cartoon Network's late-night comedy/action programming block, Adult Swim. The characters of Jan, Jace and Blip returned 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. Claiming that Space Ghost exposed teenagers to interstellar gases, laser rays, and unearthly atmospheres that stunted their growth, they sued for back wages and damages stemming from emotional distress, mental cruelty, and, for preventing them from receiving the schooling. The charges were dropped after their lawyer quit the case.
Coast to Coast in turn had another 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 spinoff Aqua Teen Hunger Force. After that show proved successful, Baffler Meal was animated and aired in 2005.
Space Ghost in other languages
- Portuguese: similar to English
- Spanish: El Fantasma del Espacio
- German: similar to English
- Japanese: 宇宙怪人ゴースト (Uchuu Kaijin Ghost)
Comic Books
In the early '70s, Gold Key Comics did adaptations of Space Ghost which ran in several of their titles. Most had artwork by Alex Toth.
In the '80s Comico made an adaptation of the Space Ghost cartoon show.
In 2004, DC Comics published a Space Ghost mini-series, which featured the original, 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 name on SGC2C is the similar name 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 however, with most fans believing that it is an excellent reinterpetation of the character and others expressing the opinion that the series was redundant as they see Space Ghost as an inherently ridiculous concept best played for its comedic potential. 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.
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 only a normal human. The Power bands feature 6 buttons, 3 for each wrist, 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 and Space Ghost's signature ability of turning invisible. Although the variety of these abilities give Space Ghost a formidable arsenal, the Power Bands are only able to use just 1 attack and 1 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 a Force Hammer.
As the recent comic book mini-series displays, the Power Bands initially can only generate offensive energy blasts. DC has said this is because the mini-series takes place 10 years before the original cartoon took place, 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.
External links
- The Original Space Ghost FAQ
- Space Ghost and Dino Boy entry at TV.com
- Space Ghost at IMDB
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Adult Swim - Includes a full episode guide
"Space Ghost"