2004’s The Venture Bros. is easily the funniest thing ever produced for The Cartoon Network. It rivals even “South Park” and early “Simpsons” in its genius.
Christopher McCulloch (a.k.a Jackson Publick), whose writing credits include stints on both the animated and live-action versions of “The Tick,” took the characters of “Jonny Quest” and “realed” them up a bit. Where Jonny and Hadji were quick-witted and well-spoken, adventuring preteens Hank and Dean Venture are tirelessly puerile . Where Dr. Benton Quest was heroic and good-natured, Dr. Thaddeus Venture is impatient, short-tempered and prone to fits of despair. Where Race Bannon demonstrated a penchant for overpowering evil spies with a well-placed uppercut, Venture bodyguard Brock Sampson (voice of Patrick Warburton) demonstrates a handy knack for torture, bloodshed and dismemberment.
Alarmingly entertaining supporting players include necromancer-neighbor Dr. Byron Orpheus and his hot goth daughter Triana, the Humanoid Electric Lab Partner Robot (HELPR), stunning yet fiendishly man-voiced Dr. Girlfriend, college rival and tyrant dictator Baron Werner Underbheit, aging hydrocephalitic “boy genius” Master Billy Quizboy, effeminate albino genius Mr. White, Team Venture vet Action Man and even Race Bannon himself. Other memorable characters include superhero/scientist Richard Impossible and the Impossible Four, bionic former astronaut Steve Summers, Steve’s lover Sasquatch, theme park maven Roy Brisby, screaming astronaut-ghost Major Tom, Conneryesque adventurer Col. Horace Gentleman, astronauts Bud Manstrong and Anna Baldavitch, and the conjoined Tiny Attorney.
The first-season DVD set, currently available for $20.99, includes all 13 first-season episodes on two discs, the special "A Very Venture Christmas," the 2003 pilot “The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay,” deleted scenes, commentaries by cast and creators on the pilot and four episodes, and a look “behind the scenes of the live-action movie.” (Note please that there is no live-action movie.)
To anticipate the question, the second season of “The Venture Bros.” is slated to premiere on the Cartoon Network June 25.
Speaking of “The Tick,” the animated series still isn’t quite available in season sets, but Aug. 29 will bring a Belated 10th Anniversary Edition (not pictured above) that will contain 12 of the 13 first-season episodes. No word on which episode is missing (apparently due to a rights hang-up), but my guess would be the pilot.