SPACE GHOST

'Space Ghost' is a character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He started out as a superhero who, with his sidekicks Jan, Jace and Blip, fought villains in outer space. In more recent years, he has been retooled as a fictional talk show host.

Contents

Original shows

Comeback show

Comic books

Powers and abilities

"Space Ghost" in other languages

External links

Original shows

Space Ghost debuted in 1966 in ''Space Ghost and Dino Boy'', where ''Space Ghost'' shared time with an unrelated segment called ''Dino Boy in the Lost Valley''. That show only lasted until 1968, but ''Space Ghost'' re-appeared in all-new segments on ''Space Stars'' in 1981.

Comeback show

The character Space Ghost hosts a talk show, ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', which began broadcasting in 1994 on Cartoon Network. One-time 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 ''Space Ghost'' 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, Pavement, Jack Black, Hulk Hogan, The Ramones, Metallica, Conan O'Brien, Jim Carrey and Joel Hodgson.
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. The characters of Jan, Jace and Blip, Space Ghost's old sidekicks, 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.
As the seasons progressed, Space Ghost's own personal life became a key plot line. Episodes began to center around his apartment and his idiotic dreams. He expressed feelings of both love and hate for Zorak and Moltar, his co-hosts, and slandered Harvey Birdman several times. He ruined his super-hero image by treating Zorak and Moltar as his slaves and by acting on decisions based on personal benefit (i.e; leaving in the middle of an interview to let his cable guy into his apartment), and flirting with female guests. He married Björk (something he truly regretted).
''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.

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, based on ''Coast to Coast''.
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. Thaddeus Bach, a human interplanetary peacekeeper, is betrayed by corrupt fellow officers, who kill his pregnant wife and her unborn child, after which Bach himself is gutted and left for dead 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 and spaceship. His two teenage sidekicks, Jan and Jace (spelled "Jayce" here), are revealed to be orphans of Zorak's assault on their homeworld, whom Bach adopts as his wards. (Blip is not seen in the mini-series.) It is they who christen him "Space Ghost," after a make-believe character their parents made up to frighten them out of bad behavior. He adopts the identity to avenge his family and bring the corrupt officers who killed them to justice.
The comic contains a series of nods to "''Coast To Coast''", amongst them Space Ghost's identity ("Thadius" being the full pronounciation of "Thad") and his wife bears a strong resemblence and has the non-sensical engrish mannerisms of Bjork. Thad's trademark "jerk" like behaviour is also present in much of the storyline as he loses his temper quickly with the Ghost Planet alien and Jan and Jayce.

Powers and abilities

Space Ghost's super powers originate from the Power Bands he wears on his wrists and his Inviso-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 a button on his belt.
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, 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 and can fly through space without any apparent need for protection or life support, though it is unclear that this ability is granted to him via his Power Bands, his Inviso-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.

"Space Ghost" in other languages

★ German: ''Spategeist''

★ French: "Le Fantôme de l'Espace"

★ Japanese: 宇宙怪人ゴースト (Uchū Kaijin Gōsuto)

★ Spanish: ''El Fantasma del Espacio''

★ Polish: ''Kosmiczny Duch''

External links

★

★ 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

★ ''Space Ghost'' introduction on YouTube