Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Volume One DVD Review

Space Ghost Coast to Coast is the greatest show ever made. Nothing in the universe is better than Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The least funny episode of Space Ghost is funnier than the funniest episode of any other TV show. It also is funnier than the funniest movie, funniest radio show, funniest form of media, or the funniest thing that happened to anyone in real life. Space Ghost Coast to Coast is so awesome. Now finally, Space Ghost is on DVD. On November 18, what is, by default, the best DVD ever hit stores and now 16 episodes of the greatest thing you have ever watched are on two plastic video discs of awsumtasticness. Here's what episodes are on. (Spoilers, probably.)

Disc One:

Elevator- In this one, Space Ghost interviews people, and there's a sublot about an elevator. Most people don't like the first season, and say that it's "bad", but I love it as much as any season. From the very beginning, it was unlike anything that's ever been on TV before or since. But yeah, George Lowe hadn't gotten into Space Ghost's voice, and Moltar's pretty much always out of character, but I still think it has the underlying unexplainable Space Ghost Coast to Coast-ness that I love so dearly. When I first got this DVD, I watched this episode third because that's the order it aired in. Yes, you read right, I'm that hardcore.

Spanish Translation- More Space Ghost interviews, plus hilarity. This episode is pretty awesome I think. Has a laugh out loud moment or two, and still displays the classic Space Ghost humor. Plenty of off-the-wall things happening with no explanation. I never saw this episode until one time before the 1997 season started they played every episode of Space Ghost in order. Remember that? You probably don't, because I've been watching Cartoon Network longer than you, brown eye. >:D

Gilligan- Space Ghost interviews some of the Gilligan's Island cast. If you ask me this is probably the weakest episode of the first season, as it's mostly pretty straightforward with interviews and some occasional wacky bits. I still love this one, because I'm horribly biased, and because the stuff that is funny (Zorak on Gilligan's Island, the interview with the Professor) is classic.

CHiPs- Space Ghost interviews talk show dudes, and Johnny Carson has something to do with all this? For some reason I think this is my favorite of the first five episodes. This was kinda when Moltar got more in character, when he stopped being an angry enemy who hated Space Ghost and just became more the guy in the booth doing his job but he'd come out when needed. Moltar needs to watch CHiPs more. To this day I've never heard of either of the two guest stars.

Bobcat- Space Ghost interviews Bobcat Goldthwait; The Ramones. I really think this was when Ghosty started to hit its stride. It's a straightforward interview, but it's super funny, all the characters are pretty much developed, there's even a little story. Good show. I had a pretty fucked up celebrity knowledge when I was a kid, so when I first saw this episode, I knew who Bobcat Goldthwait was, but I've never heard of the Ramones.

Punch- Zorak takes over earth, is foiled when Space Ghost returns him to bandleader post. I love this episode. It's hilarious, and it makes me laugh. I don't know why this episode rules so much. Probably because it's chock-full of jokes, all funny in the Space Ghost way.

Banjo- Space Ghost makes a sea monkey, it grows huge and ruins the Weird Al interview. Still, to this day, this is one of my favorite episodes of all time. And it always will be. This mixes the talk show aspect with an episode-long story, and every single second of it is awesomeness. And it's got Weird Al. Such a great episode. A+.

Batmantis- Zorak saves Moltar under his superhero-guise; Adam West is an asshole. I wrote about this episode in my review of the preview DVD. I don't think I have anything else to say about it.

Story Book- James Kirkconnell tells the stories of Space Ghost episodes past. Story Book is one of the best episodes, and it's so awesome to have on DVD since today's television audiences wouldn't stand for it. I remember when shows like this actually existed, with a guy telling stories and another guy drawing them with a sharpie. I laughed my ass off when I saw them do it as a Space Ghost episode. To me, episodes like this are what make Space Ghost Space Ghost, the shit that lets you know that you never know what to expect. This episode is boss.

Disc Two:

Girlie Show- Space Ghost interviews broads, while the rest of the crew would obviously prefer some Kluggage. This episode is hilarious because it's an episode of Space Ghost. I think this is like one of the first episodes of Space Ghost I've ever seen (either this one or Gum, Disease, (WHICH ISN'T ON THIS DVD, WHOOPSIES) I forget). This was basically the first "real" season two episode, and the show is definitely evolving and getting funnier here. Quality episode through and through.

Hungry- The crew is hungry and orders a pizza with sun-bloated orange roughy. This episode was also one of the first episodes I ever seen. Raymond is awesome. This episode kicks ass. Awkwardness is abound, the Stipe interview is great.

Fire Drill- Space Ghost conducts interviews, there's stuff about pandas. The Space Ghost crew would say that this episode is where the show hit its stride, and while I think the show hit its stride earlier than this, I agree that everything is in full force here, from the character development to the awkward pauses to the jokes. I don't think it's one of the best episodes, but I do think it's plenty funny and very watchable and re-watchable.

Sleeper- Space Ghost interviews a wrestling champ and a guitarist. I never noticed until I sat and watched the entire DVD set, but this episode is the first with the commissary, and the opening bit is the funniest thing ever. This episode has a very different feel to it and I can't explain why. When I first saw this episode, when Space Ghost says "Give him a copy of the home game" I thought there really was a home game and I looked everywhere for it.

Jerk- Space Ghost hosts a special live show in hopes of winning an award, but everything goes wrong. I remember this was one of the first episodes I ever seen, and this was the episode that made me a regular Space Ghost watcher. This was also the episode that introduced some of my friends to Space Ghost. This is classic episode.

Urges- Zorak finds love. This episode is also a classic. Lotsa cool shit goes down. Yeah. I swear I didn't know until like two months ago that Catherine Bach was Daisy Duke, even though they talk about Dukes of Hazzard in the interview. I'm stupid. :D

Explode- Space Ghost interviews Monty Python cast member, and Monty Python referencer. This episode is great. I think people hate it or something, but to me it's funny. I'm sick of writing this.

And that's all the episodes that are on there. It is pretty jarring watching Space Ghost from episode one all the way to the beginning of season three. But this DVD isn't totally perfect. Probably the biggest problem is that six goddamn episodes are missing. It doesn't have Self Help, The Mask, Gum, Disease, (most of) A Space Ghost Christmas, President's Day Nightmare, or Le Livre D'histoire. That's lame. Equally lame if not more lame is that all of the episodes are slightly edited, all of the Ghost Planet Industry logos, the "Contact Ghost Planet" dealies, and the episode name and number cards were all cut out. Also, the stuff that happens after the credits in Sleeper and Explode are cut out. That's just fucking lame. They better restore all that shit for Volume Two.

Other than that everything is great. It all looks and sounds just like it sounds. It easily looks as good as broadcast, and it's much better than a VHS taped off TV or anything like that. It doesn't look too good, but it's not meant to. Everything I said about the preview DVD still stands here.

The special features are awesome too I think I'll talk about them.

Commentaries on Elevator, Batmantis, Story Book, Girlie Show, and Fire Drill- Commentators include Mike Lazzo (exec. producer), Keith Crofford (exec. producer), Khaki Jones (producer but not anymore), Matt Maiellaro (writer/producer), Michael Cahill (editor), Andy Merrill (writer/producer/Brak), Clay Croker (Zorak/animator), Evan Dorkin (writer), Sarah Dyer (writer), Dave Willis (writer/producer), and George Lowe (Space Ghost). All of the commentaries are great, they mostly joke around but there is some good info. I think that joking commentaries are appropriate for Space Ghost, I mean who wants to hear a commentary of "SPACE GHOST WAS A SUPERHERO IN THE 60S AND NOW HE'S A TALK SHOW HOST". They really are like having a bonus episode on top of the regular episode. Evan Dorkin is really funny on the Girlie Show commentary, as is George Lowe on Fire Drill. Story Book is probably the weakest commentary, because there are some lulllllls, but they do give some good information that I didn't know before. On the Batmantis commentary, they mention that Adam West was offended by the episode, which is hilarious, because everything he's done since Batman has been Batman-related. What an ass. After hearing all the commentaries, I really wished there were more, especially on the later season two episodes when the show started really evolving from episode to episode.

Another special feature is a slideshow of Clay's original art. It's a slideshow of storyboards and drawings set to Sonny Sharrock music, not still frames, which is pretty cool. Also, the art isn't just of the first two seasons, it goes all the way up to 1997, maybe farther. There's even some Cartoon Planet art, and a thing or two that was never even animated. Cool to see.

The only other special feature is a music video of Zorak singing Jingle Bells (with a Cartoon Planet bug over it for some reason). It's pretty useless, I would rather have had the entire Christmas special. Better than nothing, I guess.

And there are two easter eggs, one on each disc. I won't say what or where they are, but both are, while funny, pretty useless and nothing we haven't seen before.

Also, the back of the box says that there are extended versions of a bunch of episodes. Well, by "extended", they mean "not edited" (i.e. "extended compared to the Adult Swim versions"). But that still isn't totally true because, as mentioned, they cut out the shit after the credits. :(

I was really dissappointed to see that it didn't have all of the old Space Ghost promos, like Mike Lazzo said they would in an old interview. I was especially looking forward to the New Year's Countdown he mentioned because I've never even seen that before. I mean, it's one thing if they don't record commentaries or whatever, but the promos and stuff already exist, why not put them on the DVD?

While it's not totally perfect, this DVD is totally awesome and badass anyway. I am totally for reals in love with having Space Ghost on DVD. I've been waiting for something like this to happen since before DVD even got invented, so this is a dream come true for me. I hope all the fuck-ups get fixed by Volume Two, and that Volume Two even gets made. :( Anyway, if you have a soul, please buy this DVD. For serious.

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