Space Ghost

Space Ghost
Space Ghost, one of Toth's most famous designs.
Publication information
Publisher	Hanna-Barbera Productions DC Comics
First appearance	Space Ghost (1966)
Created by	Alex Toth William Hanna Joseph Barbera
In-story information
Alter ego	Thaddeus "Tad" Ghostal (in Space Ghost Coast to Coast) Thaddeus Bach (in the DC Comic Book)
Team affiliations	Galactic Heroes
Abilities	Flight Super strength Enhanced agility Enhanced stamina Teleportation Belt that grants Invisibility Power Bands give an assortment of energy powers and abilities

Space Ghost is a fictional character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space. In the 90s, the character was brought back as a host for his own fictional late-night talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. In the 2000s, he was revamped as a serious superhero once again in a DC Comics mini-series.

Television series

Space Ghost and Dino Boy

The original series debuted in 1966 where it shared time with an unrelated segment called Dino Boy in the Lost Valley. Space Ghost was voiced by Gary Owens along with Tim Matheson as the voice of Jace (previously, Matheson was the voice of "Jonny" in Jonny Quest, another Hanna-Barbera adventure cartoon series) and Ginny Tyler voicing Jan. Don Messick also added his voice talent to Blip. Space Ghost and his helpers fought such recurring supervillains as Moltar (voiced by Don Messick), Zorak (voiced by Don Messick), Black Widow (voiced by Ginny Tyler and also named the Spider Woman in one episode), Metallus (voiced by Ted Cassidy), Brak (voiced by Keye Luke), and Creature King (voiced by Vic Perrin). The original series comprised 42 Space Ghost and 18 Dino Boy episodes ending in 1968.

Space Stars

22 new Space Ghost segments appeared on Space Stars in 1981. The episodes introduced a new assortment of villains including an evil version of Space Ghost named Space Spectre (voiced by John Stephenson) who came from an alternate universe. His spaceship, the Phantom Cruiser, was also given a sleeker and more modernized look. As in the original series, Space Ghost often came to the aid of The Herculoids and vice versa. They also frequently crossed paths with the Teen Force, and it appeared that Jan and Teen Force member Kid Comet were dating as well. Gary Owens reprised his role as Space Ghost, but Tim Matheson was replaced by Steve J. Spears as the voice of Jace, Ginny Tyler was replaced by Alexandra Stewart as the voice of Jan, and Don Messick was replaced by Frank Welker as the vocal effects for Blip.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Space Ghost, at his desk hosting Space Ghost Coast to Coast

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 or Locust, depending on the particular episode) 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 the Late Show with David Letterman. Celebrities interviewed by Space Ghost included Beck, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magicians Penn and Teller, Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Joel Hodgson, Carrot Top, Jim Carrey, Jon Benjamin, Conan O'Brien, Thurston Moore, Pavement, Thom Yorke, Björk, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Timothy Leary, and Mark Hamill. In this series, he is played by George Lowe.

The show relied heavily on absurd, surreal, or even dadaist humour. Space Ghost Coast to Coast continued to 2004 as the oldest 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. After approximately eight 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 another popular "would-be spin-off" Aqua Teen Hunger Force. After that show proved successful, Baffler Meal was animated and aired in 2003.

New episodes of Space Ghost Coast to Coast appeared on the "Animation" channel of the GameTap service, beginning on May 30, 2006. Most guests were either gaming celebrities or musicians. However, on May 31, 2008, the show ended when the TV section of GameTap shut down.

Rogues Gallery

• Council of Doom

A union of Space Ghost's worst enemies joined together to eradicate their mutual foe introduced together in a six-part arc at the end of the character's first animated series.

• Zorak - Appearing as a giant praying mantis, Zorak is one of Space Ghost's most frequent enemies.
• Brak - Belonging to a race of feline humanoids, Brak is a pirate joined occasionally by his twin brother Sisto.
• Moltar - Commander of a legion of molten monsters and one of Space Ghost's most frequent foes.
• Metallus - Master of an army of robots and starships.
• Creature King - Employing illusions, Creature King's nightmare beams cause people to see large monsters. In the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Bold Beginnings!", Creature King enslaved a planet of monstrous beasts.
• Spider Woman - aka the Black Widow. A queen of spider-like creatures, Spider Woman has frequently battled Space Ghost.

• Tansit - A spacebound highwayman, Tansit rides a chariot through space and can fire laser blasts.
• Lokar - King of the Killer Locusts, Lokar has his minions destroy space-faring vessels.
• Space Spectre - An evil alternate version of Space Ghost, Space Spectre is a dangerous and renowned pirate in his native universe.
• The Wizard - A technological genius that employs devices such as one that casts illusions and another that alters people's emotions.
• The Toymaker - Robot developer that would build an army of Space Ghost duplicates and once shrank the planet Cetia 3.

Actors

Three actors played Space Ghost in the three "main" Space Ghost series:

• Gary Owens (1966–1982, 2011) in Space Ghost, Space Stars and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
• George Lowe (1994–2012) in Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Cartoon Planet, The Brak Show, Squidbillies, Perfect Hair Forever, Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters and Death Fighter.
• Andy Merrill (1995–1999) in Space Ghost Coast to Coast as "Live Action Space Ghost" and Cartoon Planet as "Dancin' Space Ghost"

Comics

Space Ghost has appeared in the following comic books:

• Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes (Gold Key, 1968)
• Golden Comics Digest (Gold Key, 1969)
• TV Stars (Marvel, 1978)
• Space Ghost (Comico, 1987)
• Cartoon Network Presents (DC, 1997)
• Space Ghost (DC, 2005)

Action figures

Space Ghost's Coast to Coast version was released as an action figure by Toycom, complete with a desk and chair, a series of cue cards, and a mug. Also included were several different sets of hands, allowing the figure to be used either as the talk show host or the super hero or both. The shoulders and neck were ball-jointed, with a light plastic yellow cape. A transparent variant "invisible" figure was also released.

Other appearances

• George Lowe voiced Space Ghost in the Robot Chicken episode "Suck It". He was seen as a member of the Adult Swim Council alongside Peter Griffin and Master Shake.
• In an episode of Perfect Hair Forever, he is attacked by a bear and is friends with a shark.
• Lowe voiced Space Ghost in four episodes of The Brak Show.
• Space Ghost and Zorak make cameos in Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. Space Ghost is killed by a missile that Meatwad launches.
• Space Ghost has made cameos in various episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force including the episode "Dickesode" where he can be seen dancing like a robot on the Aqua Teen's television screen.
• Space Ghost appeared on Loveline several time between 1995 and 1998, completing the show in character, and thus being the only other fictional guest besides Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to guest on the show.
• Space Ghost along with Harvey Birdman appeared in the background in multiple scenes of the Season 4 episode of The Powerpuff Girls titled "Members Only".
• Space Ghost and his sidekicks appear in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Bold Beginnings!" with Gary Owens reprising his role of Space Ghost, Jan voiced by Cathy Cavadini, and Jace voiced by James Arnold Taylor. He teams up with Batman to fight Creature King (voiced by Gregg Berger) who had captured Jan, Jace, and Blip.
• Space Ghost was featured as the narrator of the fighting game Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.

External links

• Space Ghost and Dino Boy at the Internet Movie Database
• Space Ghost and Dino Boy at TV.com
• The Original Space Ghost FAQ
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Adult Swim - includes a full episode guide