Too weird to live.

To rare to die.
The more strange and rare a cartoon, the more I love it. The more I love it, the quicker they seem to be canceled. There are 4 main examples that I will present here: with the help of the internet's uncanny ability to infringe on intellectual property.

First, Sam & Max.

On for 2 short seasons. With such great writing and adult themes, it was doomed. I wanted to post the episode where they go to save their favorite snack, "The Fried McGuffin" but couldn't find it. So in it's place, I give you the "$59.95 wedding package with complementary passes to the Buddy Hacket Experience."
Way too weird to live.


Second, Invader Zim.

The darkest of the dark, and one of the best animated series ever. 2 seasons short, even winning an Emmy couldn't save it. From shooting chickens into the sun, to developing a virus to turn people into baloney, to having a giant, sloshing, hypnotic zit named "Pusstulio," Invader Zim at least attained Cult status. He's even got an entire fan-made collection on Newgrounds. His robot, Gir, was so great a character, he could have had his own spin-off. Alas, it was so good as to be completely, predictably doom doom da doom doom doomed.

Below is the only full episode posted on youtube. It doesn't have Zim in it, but it shows just how dark the series is. What's extra skin-crawlingly awesome is that this episode is typically... not extraordinarily, dark for the show. Probably why it was doomed. Both seasons live on in DVD, which is why you can't find youtube episodes. Guess I'll have to pony up.


Third, The Tick.

The tamest of the list, it was a short three seasons long. With characters like Die Fledermaus, Sewer Urchin and American Maid, villains like Chairhead Chippendale and The Mad Bomber What Bombs at Midnight, and a battle-cry of SPOON!...it was doomed. So doomed, I don't know why a live-action sit-com was green-lit. It was doomed too.

Last, and definitely first: The Venture Brothers.

What more could you ask for? Brock Sampson may be the greatest straight-man ever to slaughter an entire army with a lawnmower. Who could be man enough to train such a great character? Why, only a government-assasin version of Hunter S. Thompson. That's who. Brock F'n Sampson, man. Dibbs on his cigarette butt.

It's still on TV, and on DVD and whole episodes on adultswim.com, so I won't embed a video. So great I can't explain why it's 3rd season starts June 1, and wikipedia reports a fourth in the works. I wouldn't put money on it, but here's hoping it lives, because it's the greatest thing on TV. Go team Venture.