Invader ZIM

Jhonen Vasquez - "Johnny The Homicidal Maniac", "I Feel Sick", et al - creates a superbly twisted, hilarious show that, though toned down for kids, still elicts the feel of Vasquez's comics.

I suppose you want the plot. Zim (voiced by the superb Richard Horvitz, of "Angry Beavers" and "Grim and Evil" fame) is an annoying, short Irken (an alien race) who was banished to work as a fry cook on Foodcourtia after destroying Irk in Operation Impending Doom 1. When the Almighty Tallest ("Kids In The Hall" alumni Kevin McDonald and veteran voice actor Wally Wingert) prepare for Operation Impending Doom 2 - in which the Irkens will conquer the universe - Zim comes, despite the orders of his superiors. ("You quit being banished!?!" screams one of the Tallest) They attempt to put Zim down lightly, but Zim's determined, so the Tallest send him on a "secret mission" to an unknown planet, giving him a trash-brained robot named GIR (fellow comic book artist Rosearik Rikki Simmons, who worked on "Squee!" with Vasquez, as well as "Sushi Girl" and "Reality Check"). A few months later, Zim just happens to reach Earth, where he tries to blend in as a human (wearing a pompador and contact lenses). The ignorant skool (that's how it's spelled) children fail to notice this, nor does teacher Ms. Bitters (Lucille Bliss), a vampiric, serpantine ghoul who is exceedingly cynical and angry. However, self-proclaimed paranormal investigator Dib (Andy Berman of "The Wonder Years" fame), son of the world's greatest scientist, Prof. Membrane (Roger Bumpass, who plays Squidward on "Spongebob Squarepants"), realizes that Zim's an alien, and the two develop a rivalry.

Other members of the supporting cast are just as good: Danny Cooksey ("Pepper Ann", "Tiny Toon Adventures"), Antoinette Spolar, and Vasquez himself (as "Mr. Scolex") appear as various skool children. Dib's cynical Gothic sister Gaz is brilliantly voiced by Melissa Fahn ("Digimon"). Mo Collins and McDonald, again, appear as Zim's roboparents.

Besides the superb cast and voicework, the great score and animation (beautiful cel animation mixed with equally good CGI) also make this show extremely entertaining.

Numerous others actors/actresses appear in cameos, most notably Olivia D'Abo as fellow Irken Tak in "TAK, the Hideous New Girl".

What else is there to say that hasn't already been said? Vasquez has rounded up a bunch of great cult comic book writers (him, Simmons, and Roman Dirge), a cast of veteran actors, and superb music (courtesy of Kevin Manthei), under the direction of veteran animation director Steve Ressel, make a superb combo. Oh, and don't miss the cameos of Vasquez, Ressel, Dirge, and numerous other crew members throughout.

Personal favorite episodes: "Door To Door", "TAK: The Hideous New Girl", "Mysterious Mysteries", "Bestest Friends", "The Nightmare Begins", "Battle of the Planets", and "Rise of the Zitboy". Enough said.

Ten stars.

What can you say about Invader Zim? If I could, I'd just call it abso-friggin-lutley-fan-bloody-tastic and leave it at that. But I obviously can't do that or my review would be much too short.

The show was about an alien from Irk, a military planet bent on conquering the galaxy. They did this by sending out invaders to study the planets' weaknesses, softening them up for the Irken armada. Enter Zim, who single-handedly ruined the first attempt at galactic conquest by accidentally attacking the planet. He's also very short and since height determines status on Irk, this is bad for him. He "quits being banished" when he hears about Operation Impending Doom II and begs the Almighty Tallest (leaders of the planet--remember the height thing)? for a second chance. They finally send him to a "secret planet," expecting him to die and thus be out of their way for good. Zim doesn't die, but arrives on Earth, where he makes himself a very crude disguise and house. He joins the skool (I'm not kidding, that's the way it's spelled all throughout the show) hoping to learn more about the planet, and that's where he meets Dib. Dib loves paranormal things and is the only one who sees through the disguise...but of course no one believes him. From that point on, Zim tries to destroy the earth and Dib tries to capture/expose him for what he really is. This isn't a pathetic "Ash and Team Rocket" rivalry either. These guys think nothing of killing each other, especially in Zim's case. Look to episodes like "Dark Harvest," "Room with a Moose," and "Nanozim" for proof. It can get pretty dark, though still pretty appropriate for kids. My 9 year old cousin likes it fine.

There are so many good things about this show I don't know where to begin. The animation is what you'd expect from Jhonen Vasquez, and puts other cartoons I've seen to shame (*coughWildThornberriescough*). The music matches the mood of the show, from the pulsing theme to the surreal disco of the Mexico scene in "Walk of Doom." Flawless voice acting-especially with Richard Horvitz, who can turn Zim from evil to adorable in seconds, and Rikki Simons who masters Zim's idiotic robot slave, GIR. There's a lot of background behind the plot and characters. If you care to look, you can find information on the Irken's history, biology, and economy-it's really a smart show! The secondary characters are amazing too. Miss Bitters is the creepy teacher with some of the funniest lines in the show ("The lesson here is that dreams inevitably lead to hideous implosions"). Gaz is Dib's Gothic sister who plays video games nonstop. Even the people standing in the background can give you a laugh (and be sure to look for the many cameos!)

And to think that all this was canceled, probably to make room for more Spongebob and Jimmy Neutron. The way Nick slowly killed the show through budget cuts and censorship proved they don't want to entertain older viewers like they did in the old days, so in a way the whole channel died with the show.

Good-bye Zim. Thank you for the gift of laughter we can never repay.

This has to be one of the smartest and funniest animated shows ever. I rarely watched Nick before this show came on after seeing how badly they screwed up their line up. Now I'm tuning in every Friday to watch this show. It has excellent writing. I have honestly never laughed so hard by watching a Nick show in so long. All the characters are a riot. The show has great animation and also a spooky style to match. Invader ZIM is the best show on Nick by far. None of the other Nick shows come close. Invader ZIM is a winner and I hope it continues.

Nickelodeon what were you dudes on? Canceling this show? DUH! Nothing you have ever had can compete with this twisted, hilarius and witty masterpiece. Okay a small idiot alien (who I love) tries to take over the Earth with his even more idiolice robot sidekick (who I also love) and a paranormal phenomon (which I am very interested in) freak (who I think is okay) clashing in their quests for dominance. SO original so rich in quality, AND NOW LOOK! I have nothing agaisnt the Wild Throneberries or the Fairly Oddparents but Im too old for them and everyone hates your network now. The Chalk Zone, Rocket Power, Rugrats and that Butt-Ugy martians show along with the sumo wrestler show are not popular but Zimmy is so if I were you guys I'd put this show back on. It's the only nicktoon teens watch.

What a brilliant risk for Nickelodeon to take. And if you familiar with any of creator Jhonen Vasquez's other works, you'll know what I mean.

Jhonen has been called one of the most impressive young comic artists in recent years, despite his debut comic, "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac", being anything but "uplifting" material. That depends, of course, on who you talk to, though. Jhonen has a twisted demented style all his own that is at the same time disturbing and beautiful with just a touch of black comedy for taste. "Invader Zim", although mellowed out enough for youth viewing, is a perfect, less violent example of his work.

Zim is a tiny alien sent by the tall leaders of his planet, where status is judged by how tall you are, to "conquer" a mysterious planet just to get him out of their hair. He is accompanied by a robot named Gir, who was quickly manufactured by Zim's leaders and given a paper clip for a brain. Gir is barely an aid in Zim's efforts, since Gir is much more interested in singing the Doom Song, eating tacos, and watching TV. When Zim arrives at the "mysterious" planet, which is Earth, he disguises himself as a "perfectly normal human worm baby" with the aid of contact lenses and a wig. His green skin remains, which he calls a "condition" and apparently, almost everyone buys it. Gir's disguise consists of a green dog costume with a zipper up the front and this combined with his Tom-foolery makes him an adorable character to the cast. Zim's enemy no. 1 is a schoolboy who goes by Dib, is a bizarre cross between Fox Mulder and Jhonen's very own Johnny C. He easily sees right through Zim's attempts to blend in with the humans and has a desire to make a alien dissection movie out of him. Rounding out this cast is Dib's gothy sister Gaz and their school teacher Ms. Bitters, who is almost a direct duplicate of the teacher in another one of Jhonen's comics "Squee".

Any fan of Jhonen's work knows the detail he puts into his art and "Invader Zim" is no exception. The gigantic robots that sometime come to play in the episodes are done in smooth CGI that is absolute perfection. The animation is far from "cookie cutter" and the character and background designs hold very true to Jhonen's style. There is enough "black humour" to go around and entertain young and old alike. No programme has dared to push the envelope in such a way since "Ren and Stimpy" and it's a refreshing relief to see a cartoon for kids that has such cerebral depth and original artwork.