Show #207: The Venture Brothers Series 6 & 7

Anything is possible, as long as you got FAMILY. We've followed the deranged exploits of the extended Venture clan all the way to their denouement in this last set of series. A new locale and a fresh start beckons, paring down the enormous cast to its comedic core before turning them loose with all the carte blanche a billion dollar super science corporation allows. Almost fated to be forever left unresolved on a cliffhanger, can those Venture boys keep their place in our hearts until the upcoming feature length finale bids them a fond farewell? Could such a thing ever be completely satisfactory? Is there a shameless reference they haven't wedged in yet? We ponder the answers to some of these and more over a Post-Podcast Repaste from that nice Italian place on the corner!

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Show #205: The Venture Brothers Series 4 and 5

Our boys have grown up so much! And that's just us going off on a longer-than-expected tear about the Venture Brothers when we thought we had the measure of them. Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer saw that coming though, proceeding to sweep aside sizeable swathes of their world of aimless adventurers and vacuous villains to allow something new to grow. It was a tough row to hoe for both the creators and the fans incensed at the change, but did all their hard work pay off? Teenage rebellion, the sins of the fathers and a catchy hit single underscore an immense inventory of a turbulent time, still keeping a little space for a Post-Podcast Repaste of course.

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Show #199: The Venture Brothers Part 1

Jake de Búrca joins our expedition into the world of mystery, danger and offbeat musical references inhabited by those strange siblings The Venture Brothers. Dreamed up by the even more peculiar pairing of Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer it proved an ostentatious outpouring of their influences and enthusiasms that set the show apart from its stablemates at Adult Swim. Our multi-stage journey begins here in the murk of the first series and its preceding pilot, wherein we may discover the Venture Brothers' not-so-secret origins and glimpse their potential for growth beyond arbitrary late-night television weirdness. Of course this'll require a space age Post-Podcast Repaste to satiate us for more voyages with the Ventures in the tomorrow that is yet to be!

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Show #194: Clone High

Martin Schneider of Breaking Mayberry goes back to school with us on a very special episode of SOTSM, where we all learn a valuable lesson about this early work from animation auteurs Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Now well-renowned as curators of comedy both cartoon and corporeal, Clone High featured a decidedly unique premise that deftly married their love of historical humour and angsty teen drama. With a revival of the series imminent on Comedy Central is there anything present in the past worth carrying on into the future? Hunger strikes, deep Conquistador cuts and our best(?) John F. Kennedy impressions make the grade, earning us a well deserved Post-Podcast Repaste from the school canteen!

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Show #158: Extreme Ghostbusters

Greg Driver of Ace Comicals is the new kid on the block, making a frightful ruckus this Halloween about Extreme Ghostbusters!

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Eager to escape the trappings of their allegedly less cool forebears, the 90s were rife with retools and reboots of older properties hoping to capitalise on a new generation of impressionable kids. He-Man and GI Joe got theirs so it was only a matter of time before everybody's favourite tech start-up got the treatment. Does it keep the spirit of the original or is it yet another lost soul? Political poltergeists, comic counterparts and slime scarcity to come!

THE SHORT VERSION

Creepy ghosts

Positive representation

'Ey, woah, fuck yoo pal.

Show #144: Dexter's Laboratory - Ego Trip

A podcast as short and to the point as the small man himself as we take a brief journey with Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip!

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An ego trip by name and by nature as this TV movie served to cap off the run of the successful TV series with an all guns blazing bonanza that maybe goes a little too all-in on the action and a little too light on the beloved weirdo humour. And that's without going into the time travel aspect, which neither IMDB or Niall have grasped fully, and the secret childhood wishes of your hosts revealed live on air!

THE SHORT VERSION

Dexter, Dexter, Dexter and Dexter

A cool robot nonetheless

BUTTS

Show #137: Twilight Q

Tales of mystery and imagination await in the bizarre hinterland between dreams and reality that is Twilight Q!

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Originally conceived as an anthology showcase for young anime creatives, Twilight Q possesses all the experimental qualities of such a venture but also the hit-and-miss factor inherent to that style. The first section is a time travel mystery much in keeping with the OAVs namesakes that falls frustratingly short of clarity, while the second part delivers an otherworldly mood piece with depth, atmosphere and great philosophical weight. Does this mean we break even? Are we all just the fever dreams of some great fish in the sky? This podcast may have the answer!

THE SHORT VERSION

Time Knot - Reflection

Mystery Article File 538

"So I had this dream last night..."

Show #125: Joe 90

A guy called Joe who works for Uncle Sam and blows stuff up a whole lot? Again? No we haven't gone senile while we've been away, we're just talking about Joe 90!

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Due to legal precedent set in the case of SOTSM V Dinosaur War Izenborg and the currently airing martial arts marionettes of Thunderbolt Fantasy, we have free reign to open up discussion to the realm of Supermarionation made famous by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Joe 90 is a slightly lesser appreciated example of their output, prey to the cultural shortcomings of its era but also revelling in the atmosphere of Sixties spy-fi. The ethics of child spies aside it does a pretty good job of making intricate espionage operations palatable to a young audience, helped in no small part by the infamous proclivity to outrageous explosive puppet violence.

THE SHORT VERSION

Killer kids

Political puppets

REMEMBER JOE, THIS IS A SNEAKING MISSION

Show #121: Jonny Quest (1964)

The warm weather has arrived so you know what that means; a theme we'll actually try and see out to the end as we kick off the Boys of Summer with Jonny Quest!

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Who would have thought Hanna Barbera would be ahead of the curve by producing a primetime animation series that wasn't a straight comedy (now don't that sound familiar?), packaging familiar stories within an appealing and distinctive style. Limited in animation and cultural sensitivity but triumphant in design, atmosphere and soundtrack, the fact it is still both celebrated and satirised to this day is evidence of its impact.

THE SHORT VERSION

Scientific investigations

Cultural portrayals

You said it Bandit!

Show #103: Kids Immolated In Classroom Inferno

Slightly regretting not putting this off til episode one-oh-FOUR, but we're just that excited to form a forum on The Fantastic Four!

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It's a game of two distinct halves with 1994's Fantastic Four TV show. Bundled in with the previously discussed Iron Man in the Marvel Action Hour both series had a campy and obnoxious first season before being drastically revamped in the second. It's that latter season of Fantastic Four that really gets down to the core of what makes these characters great, full of cosmic encounters and larger-than-life stories told in breathless comic book style, which unfortunately arrived too late to save the show but did plenty to make it linger in the memory for years to come.

THE SHORT VERSION

Fantastic foes

Nosy neighbours

Musical interludes!

Show # 100: Evil Cyborg Leonard Nimoy

It's our one hundredth podcast! And it's a blowout celebration with our good buddy Mark Shanahan and Centurions!

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A little something we've been saving for a while, and a fitting way to mark this momentous milestone. Centurions adheres to many of the elements often present in your 1980s toy cartoons but it's central gimmick is strong enough to make it stand out from the crowd. Cool technology, a loveable main cast and a whole lot of explosions add up to a wonderful trip down memory lane, not to mention the show's hopeful tone and bright outlook that science will ultimately save this planet is just what we need in a modern, more cynical era.

SOTSM is now also available on Poddirectory, giving you even more options to discover the secret. Here's to a hundred more!

THE SHORT VERSION

Man and machine

Power extreme

The near future?

Show #72: I'll Tattoo A Small Child

Greg Driver bypasses our many layers of security and intrudes upon the domain of Dexter's Laboratory!

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One of the many success stories emerging from the Cartoon Cartoon programme block, Dexter's Lab swiftly moves on from its initial premise to transform into a genre-hopping action comedy of incredible substance. Genndy Tartakovsky lets his influences run wild on the screen, the sheer quality injected into every frame holding up even now. So much happens that we couldn't cover in a single podcast even if we wanted to which speaks highly of the cartoon that even we are overcome by its awesome power.

Greg's Twitter

Tekzilla Custom Products

THE SHORT VERSION

Edgy content

Setting the kids straight

Spin-offs

Show #71: I'll Have To Engage PCP Power

Anthony Askew of Dynamite In The Brain is coming up fast to join us for a few laps of the way out Wacky Races!

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Wacky Races has quite the cultural footprint but besides that it's a pretty okay cartoon. It's a Hanna Barbera show so what do you expect? On this viewing we find ourselves siding with supposed villains Dick Dastardly and Muttley and pondering how they wound up in this silly situation. We spin a yarn of Cold War defection, organised crime and corruption that may not actually be true but is still a lot of fun to talk about!

Anthony's Twitter

THE SHORT VERSION

War heroes

Useful gadgets

Dirty rotten cheaters

Show #67: Mojo Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

SOTSM adds a special ingredient to the podcast concoction - Ian Maddison of Something Awful's Current Releases and the Powerpuff Girls Movie!

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A theatrical tie-in to the popular TV series from Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust and Genndy Tartakovsky, the Powerpuff Girls Movie gives us the long version of how the tiny terrific trio assumed the mantle of heroism and grew to be accepted by a society that hates and fears them. All very heavy material for a kid's cartoon which the movie deals with admirably and in a manner that puts some of today's modern superhero features to shame.

You can find Ian at Something Awful's Current Releases movie reviews and on Twitter. Be sure to keep an eye out for his upcoming book all about Dracula!

THE SHORT VERSION

Vitriol

Violence

Villainy

Show #66: Here's Your Son Back, He's Better Now.

Bionics on! Brian Smith of Dynamite In The Brain completes our super future family, and we're so very proud to be talking about Bionic Six!

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Springing from the fertile creative mind of Gordon Bressack and brought to life by director Osamu Dezaki and TMS, Bionic Six is a great looking show with a lot of great ideas but doesn't always nail it in the execution. Great sci-fi action is all too often undercut by grating, wisecracking dialogue and some of the high concept ideas ultimately go to waste or leave the audience royally confused. Catchy theme song though!

THE SHORT VERSION

The voice of a generation

Robot Gorillas

Spot the odd one out

Show #63: Turn On Their Smile Reflexes

We've got a seat in the public gallery waiting for you in this high profile case as SOTSM takes the stand in Science Court!

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Courtesy of Tom Snyder of Dr Katz fame and his remarkable Squigglevision animation technique comes Science Court, an educational cartoon that's actually fun to watch! It imparts important lessons to kids (and a few adults perhaps) on the scientific principles that make this crazy world go round but keeps the subject engaging with liberal doses of dry humour. Order it for your primary school today!

THE SHORT VERSION

Reputable juries

Ace attorneys

Child geniuses