I recall leaping from my bed, grabbing my bowl of cereal, and sprinting to the television to catch the latest episode of my favorite cartoon. That was normally how my Saturday mornings went, and there is no use in emphasizing the obvious; this was pre-internet. Saturday morning cartoons are, for the most part, one of our happiest childhood memories.
Each cartoon had its own time slot and a large, enthusiastic, and devoted fan base back then. Of course, every generation has its fair share of cartoons, but today we will talk about Generation X’s most popular kind of animation, which leads us to Space Ghost.
This cartoon is the first superhero animated television series made for Hanna-Barbera by animation icon Alex Toth. The series, which consisted of two different episodes – Space Ghost and Dino Boy in the Lost Valley — aired on CBS from 1966 to 1968. Fast forward a few years, and we have Space Ghost Coast to Coast, an adolescent and adult sitcom produced by Mike Lazzo that feels more like a revival of the original series.
So, without further ado, join us for a journey down memory lane!
What Is The Cartoon Show All About?
Space Ghost follows the adventures of the intergalactic crime-fighter Space Ghost who along with his teen sidekicks Jan and Jace, and their pet monkey Blip are seen taking on a variety of space supervillains. Jan and Jace are occasionally seen landing themselves in trouble and in turn, being taken as prisoners by the villains and so, it is up to Space Ghost to save them as well as the day. While the list of the villains is long, we will point out the recurring ones – Zorak, Lizard Slavers, Black Widow, Creature King, Metallus, Brak, and Moltar.
The other segment, Dino Boy revolves around a young boy named Todd, who was left with no other choice but to forcibly parachute himself out of a disabled plane. He ends up landing himself in a mysterious prehistoric valley, one that is filled with hidden dangers. We are talking about dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and cavemen amongst others having outlived extinction and living side by side with each other. With a saber-toothed tiger attacking Todd, he is rescued by a giant caveman and thus begins the friendship and adventures of Dino Boy and Ugh, the caveman in the Lost Valley.
Todd befriends Bronty, who happens to be Ugh’s pet baby Brontosaurus, and together the trio is seen doing everything it takes to survive in a world full of strange creatures and several tribes such as the Moss Men, the Worm People, the Rock Pygmies, the Vampire Men and many more. In case you forgot the order of this double delight here, each episode of Space Ghost & Dino Boy is comprised of three parts; the series would usually start off with the escapades of Space Ghost first. Then we have Dino Boy followed again by Space Ghost.
Now speaking of the reboot of the original series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an adult animated parody talk show that had the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon superhero now hosting his own celebrity talk show. The first original series to be fully produced by Cartoon Network made things even more interesting if you look from the point of view of Space Ghost.
To prevent interference from any of his old enemies, especially from the Council of Doom, Space Ghost released Zorak and Moltar from suspended animation and forced them to work on his show for their freedom. Zorak was placed behind a circular keyboard and made to act like Space Ghost’s ‘unwilling’ sidekick and bandleader. As for Moltar, he was made to work behind the scenes as the show’s director cum producer. The duo would disrupt the show and openly profess their feelings of hatred towards Space Ghost.
Coming back to the show, Space Ghost had live-action guest stars appearing on a monitor beside his desk. Believing them to be his fellow superheroes, Space Ghost would usually begin his interviews by asking them about their powers and abilities.
Of course, the interaction ended up being awkward in most cases, hostile in some and there were times when the answers would not even make sense. With Space Ghost Coast to Coast originally ending in 1999, the series was revived in 2001 and moved to the then-new Adult Swim late-night programming block. Spanning across 11 seasons and generating 108 episodes, Space Ghost Coast to Coast spawned three spinoff series – Cartoon Planet, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Space Ghost His Teenaged Sidekicks and Dino Boy
SPACE GHOST
Voiced by Gary Owens, this superhero happens to be the primary character of Space Ghost. Created by Toth, the character made his debut in the first episode of the series, titled, The Heat Thing. This intergalactic crime fighter from the Ghost Planet is known for fighting crime and evil all across space with his teenaged sidekicks Jan and Jace and their pet monkey Blip. Even with his character having quite a few adaptations, his costume’s been pretty much the same in every rendition. We are talking about that crispy white bodysuit and the flowy, feathery yellow cape.
Of course, there’s his signature black mask that extends to his black and red emblem and how can his look be complete without his power belt and power bands? Speaking of his personality, he is honest, exceedingly dedicated to serving justice, and pretty daring; he is willing to take every risk involved and go to every extent possible to protect the ones that he loves. No wonder, he is quite popular, especially with his fighting stunts.
Believe it or not, it is difficult to survive a battle against him. The list of supervillains that he has engaged in a battle is long but then again, it would be a sin to miss out on a few names such as his archenemy Zorak, Moltar, Metallus, Creature King, Brak, and Black Widow. In case, you did not know, this superhero here brags quite a number of powers too.
Well, there’s invisibility for starters, an Inviso-belt which allows him to gain an upper hand when it comes to his enemies. From producing a force field to flying and accelerating to speeds close to the speed of light, he is conclusively powerful. He is also in possession of power bands that bless him with an array of beam-based attacks – be it energy, heat, force, and many more.
The True Origin Of The Animated Star
Crucible
As a member of the Eidolon EIite, Thaddeus Bach is a licensed peacekeeper and he is seen bashing up criminals. He goes home to his pregnant wife, Elua, who is seen imitating him wearing his uniform. We learn from the duo’s conversation that Bach is about to be promoted as a special officer.
While Bach contemplates the fact that things are about to change, Elua is quite happy and positive about it. Bach is eventually recruited by his commanding officer, Temple, into the special Wrath team. So far, the only one to have survived more than five cycles in The Wrath happens to be Temple himself and the sole fact that it’s him who has handpicked Bach to be a part of The Wrath is indeed a matter of special honor. The Wrath has had a reputation of ‘taking care’ of the most impossible assignments; no wonder Bach has his apprehensions regarding it.
Anyway, he is introduced by Temple to his team members – Cutter, Smith, and Hammer. However, on his very first mission with the team, he ends up witnessing a violent encounter, one that he could not have possibly imagined. Temple not only slaughters Class 9 Weapons Trader Amar Klimst but also has his team of agents takes care of Klimst’s associates.
If only Temple would have stopped at that but he clearly did not; he went ahead with a cock and bull story one that had Klimst commanding his snipers to open fire at them which led to Temple and his team resorting to lethal action as an act of self-defense. It is a clear case of betrayal and to top things further, Temple is also seen taking the weapons along with the money from the raid. With Bach questioning orders, he ends up paying a heavy price.
It not only costs him his life but also the life of his pregnant wife and their unborn son. Temple is later seen putting up quite an act in front of the entire commandment addressing Thaddeus Bach as a fallen officer and how the latter was killed in the line of duty along with his pregnant wife.
Purge
The Commandment is seen holding a funeral for Thaddeus Bach and his wife. In reality, the Wrath has left Bach for dead on a ‘Ghost Planet’, which happens to be a barren planet with no trace of civilization. Well, Bach would have certainly died had it not been for a certain alien living on that planet who rescues him and gradually nurses him back to his former health. The Alien introduces himself as Salomon and addresses the place as a ‘Planet of the Dead’. As time passes by, the former lawman manages to pull himself together literally from the brink of extinction.
Soon the day arrives when Salomon decides to show him around and takes Bach to an abandoned complex outside of the sanctuary. Apparently, Salomon was waiting all this while to tell him the truth and it was only after he was able to figure out that Bach was a good man that he felt it was time to disclose the secret. Salomon begins by telling how he was born and bred for war; the fact that he was known as the ‘blood mechanic’ and was responsible for the death of everyone on his planet.
He finally discloses the whole place to be his own prison, one that he built for himself and it’s clear that he does not want Bach to stay there any longer and suffer. With Salomon showing him a spaceship along with the arsenal, Bach asks him if they still function. Salomon doesn’t answer his question; instead, he tells him that he can use the ship to go back home. But knowing Bach, he surely has one thing in his mind and no points for guessing what that is.
While Salomon tries his best to dissuade Bach, the latter picks up the powerband that Salomon had created and shoots outbursts of energy. With him further donning the yellow cape and the black hood, it categorically marked the beginning of Space Ghost. Meanwhile, the members of The Wrath realize that there’s finally been the Bug invasion that they have been dreading all their lives. As for Space Ghost, his desire for vengeance leads him to his former colleagues.
Reprisals
Hammer happens to be the first of The Wrath to be at the receiving end of Space’s Ghost’s wrath. While Hammer’s able to alert the rest of the members about the peacekeeper, his words aren’t taken seriously by Temple and the latter sends Cutter to probe deeper. Space Ghost surprises Cutter by attacking her and telling her that the time has finally come for reprisals.
Post a brief fight between the duo, Space Ghost conclusively gains an upper hand and goes after Temple only to fall into the trap that Temple had laid for him. But he springs right back into action and attacks Temple. The latter’s about to get his just desserts the plans of Space Ghost get stalled when a sudden, colossal blast sets both of them apart. The planet is invaded by the evil tyrant, Zorak, and his Zorathians. ‘Burn, Bite, Bleed, Claw for Zorak’ – the message of the tyrant is pretty clear.
Eclipse
A bug invasion clearly isn’t something that would deter Space Ghost from seeking his revenge on Temple. All this while, he still hasn’t been able to forgive and blames himself for the death of his wife and unborn son. No wonder, the only thing that is there on his mind is revenge and that’s against Temple. His fighting abilities end up surprising even the army of Zorak and they inform about him their master, who now wants his heart.
As for Temple, even he is impressed by the former peacekeeper, and with the duo engaging themselves in a fight again, another blast sets them apart. Zorak tells his brood to find both of them. Space Ghost finds himself landing at a great distance from Temple and while he is thinking of his next step, he hears a scream nearby. As he goes to investigate, he finds two children about to be devoured by the bugs and ends up saving the duo right on time.
The readers are finally introduced to Jan and Jayce. At first, his behavior towards the kids is hostile and it is clear that he does not want to get distracted from his goal. There’s a time when he actually says that he is going to feed them to the bugs. The next morning, with the children following Space Ghost thinking that he is taking them home, they get attacked by the bugs again. Space Ghost puts up a brave fight against the bugs and finally saves the terrified children from them. Later, his behavior towards the children is also seen to change and that night, he opens his mask and shows them his real face.
Temple, on the other hand, is captured by the bugs and taken to Zorak, who ends up asking him about the ‘one in white’. Temple realizes how the Zorathian leader can actually live for an eternity by just using a hive mind society. This basically means that if he is killed, both his mind and essence would be transmitted to another Zoarathian, the latter in turn, altering into Zorak’s original form. So, with Temple telling Zorak about his intentions with Space Ghost, the latter decides to keep him alive for the time being, use him as bait and draw out Space Ghost. As for Temple, he ends up making an alliance with Zorak.
Venom
Space Ghost returns Jan and Jayce to Lun, which happens to be their home. As the children rush inside to find their parents, Space Ghost chances upon a few armed villagers. They show him a live update of Temple, one that has the latter openly telling them about his negotiation with the Zorathians.
Temple wants everybody to lay down their weapons and not fight. Seeing temple on the screen only infuriates Space Ghost further and he immediately ends up asking where the news is coming from. The villagers tell him about the Central Tower, a place that’s located a hundred units north of their current location.
Although the villagers ask him to stay back and fight along with him, Space Ghost clearly has other plans. He knows he has to deal with Temple and just when he is about to leave, the children come back to him teary-eyed. It is quite evident that their parents are dead. With Jayce stretching out his arms to hug Space Ghost, the latter taps on his belt that gives him inviso-power and he disappears right in front of them. Of course, this comes as a big shock to the children, and Jan is seen comforting her brother.
Space Ghost flies to the Central Tower and starts ambushing the bug aliens. While he doesn’t find Temple there, he manages to defeat the rest of the bugs. As for Temple, he is easily able to see through the plans of Zorak; addressing his brood as ‘double-dealing backstabbing bugs’, he ends up activating his heart bomb and escapes from his captivity taking a claw of a dying bug along with him.
Space Ghost has a vision of Elua that night and the latter shows the confused path ahead. The next morning, Jan and Jayce are captured by the bugs and as they are being taken to Zorak to be devoured, Space Ghost appears right in front of them. He informs the bugs that he has a message for Zorak and tells them about a new deal – leave the planet or suffer. Of course, this is followed by him shooting powerful energy blasts at the bugs.
The children are absolutely overjoyed to see him come back. Space Ghost upon realizing that vengeance would not really bring back the dead from the grave decides to focus on things that are worth fighting for. He lets the villagers know of the impending war and tells them to be ready. Next, he sits on the Phantom Cruiser that Solomon had created and goes on war along with the rest of the people of Lun against the Zorathians before their master ends up destroying the entire race of humans.
Mortality
In the midst of a very intense battle, Zorak is seen asking Space Ghost why he chose the kids over Temple when he had his chance at revenge. He mocks him further stating if he had chosen to kill Temple then at least his death would have meant something. As the insectoid aliens start surrounding him from all over and create some kind of a sphere, Space Ghost is seen tapping his powerband.
This results in his powers getting magnified and he is about to crush the tyrant when Temple intervenes in the scene in his spaceship. To be honest, he is quite furious and has plans of teaching Space Ghost how they clean their messes in The Wrath. Even with his power bands being at ten percent capacity and force field at three percent, Space Ghost decides to retarget his line of sight.
Temple still thinks he wants to fight him but Space Ghost has his priorities changed. His war is now against the insectoid aliens. Zorak, who is inside his spaceship learns that there is some kind of breach in the engine core and it dawns upon him who the culprit is – Temple of course.
With Temple stating how he has taken care of the entire thing and that there will be no evidence that can prove their presence there, Space Ghost decides to do something before the entire spaceship comes crashing down and the whole of Lun gets completely annihilated. First, he activates the autopilot mode of his spaceship and selects the co-targets; mind you, Temple’s spaceship also happens to be one of his targets. It is only after he has his power band function at the highest capacity that he is finally able to defeat Zorak.
The commandment comes to know of Temple’s illegal activities, how he had enslaved the planet, and of course the attack of Zorak. As the former superiors of Space Ghost are seen discussing sending immediate reformation resources to Lun, Space Ghost is seen making an appearance bringing along a bound and gagged Temple. He gives the commandment a month’s time to make things right and introduces himself as Space Ghost. The issue ends with the superhero embracing his new sidekicks Jan and Jayce and the rest as you know is history.
JAN
Voiced by Ginny Tyler, Jan is one of the teenage sidekicks of the famous Space Ghost. She also happens to be the twin sister of Jace and the way the latter sees it, she is born two minutes later than Jace, which makes her the younger of the twins. Jan dons a classic look wearing a light blue and yellow-hued suit along with the signature black mask. Her suit has this emblem of Space Ghost near her chest, one that she makes use of as a communications device.
Her character is capable of flying, thanks to her jetpack and she also has this power belt that gives her the ability to be invisible. How cool is that, right? Her character first appeared in the episode titled, The Heat Thing, and is primarily seen along with Jace and their pet monkey during the early escapades of Space Ghost.
JACE
Voiced by Tim Matheson, Jace happens to be the other teenage sidekick of the celebrated Space Ghost. He is elder to his twin sister Jan by exactly two minutes and is shown to have a similar sense of fashion just like his sister. We are stressing on the same kind of light blue and yellow suit and let’s not forget the black face mask here. He also has a similar emblem of the Space Ghost on his chest and he is seen using it for the same purpose – a communication device just in case it slipped out of your mind. Boasting similar powers just like his sister, Jace also made his first appearance in the first episode of the series, titled, The Heat Thing.
BLIP
Voiced by Don Messick, Blip is anything but a regular monkey. Often addressed as a chimp dues ex machine and for all the right reasons may we add, this space monkey here, one who happens to be the pet monkey of the twins is often found providing solutions and making the impossible possible. He has on display a costume almost the same as Jan and Jace along with the face mask too. To make things more interesting, he is not only capable of flying thanks to his jetpack but he is also blessed with ‘Inviso Power’ much like the rest and you already know what that means.
DINO BOY
Tragedy struck a young boy called Todd, who was forced to jump out of a crashing plane even though his parents were inside. His parachute made him land in a mysterious South American valley and the little boy was oblivious to the fact that the valley was filled with unimaginable horrors. Right from cavemen, and prehistoric mammals to even dinosaurs, the place literally had all of them along with a variety of dangerous tribes such as the swampy Moss Men, the slithering Worm People, the devilish Rock Pygmies, and the dreadful-looking Vampire Men.
Todd encounters Ugh, the caveman for the first time post catching the attention of a giant saber-toothed tiger. With Ugh saving him, Todd befriends him along with the latter’s pet baby Brontosaurus and what begins is an adventure of the trio in the Lost Valley. While Dino Boy is shown to possess no such superpowers, he is quite proficient when it comes to using a slingshot as well as a bow and arrow.
Weird Facts That You Never Knew About Space Ghost
While we list you a bunch of interesting facts about Space Ghost that we bet you had no knowledge of, let’s play fair. Do tell us the ones that you knew about in our comments sections and don’t stop yourself from spilling more beans if you know what we are hinting at.
We know we have mentioned about the cool superpowers of Space Ghost but did we mention the part where his character gets to survive even underwater and not just in space? Pretty sure, we didn’t along with the fact that he can create time warps as well as teleport simply by transforming himself into sheer thought and energy.
Now, we have already explored DC Comics’ six-parter mini-series but do you happen to know about James Tynion IV and Chris Sebela’s Green Lantern/Space Ghost Annual #1, a one-shot crossover? It’s a complete classic and also has the duo exchanging their weapons. You know you can’t miss this either!
Also, as part of DC’s Hanna-Barbera Beyond publishing initiative, a crossover comic book series called Future Quest was published in 2017, one that had Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Birdman, The Herculoids, Moby Dick and Mighty Mightor and Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles all clubbed together. In case you have not read this, you do know what you have to do!