Nickelodeon, the network that gave youHey Arnold!, Kablam! andRugrats was also the home ofInvader Zim. It ran for less than two years - March 2001 to January 2003. Nick cancelled it citing low ratings, although there was a rumor that the content was what did it in.
And so the folks at Media Blasters, one of the bravest video publishers in the country given what they carry, have released the first batch of shows on DVD.Invader Zim Volume 1: Doom Doom Doom has quite a bit to offer from this nutty show.
The Series
The Irken empire has conquered huge segments of the galaxy and plans on many more conquests. Only one problem: an annoying but extremely zealous "warrior" named Zim (voiced by Richard Horvitz). To get him out of their way, the leaders of Irk send him on a mission to a distant planet to prepare for the inevitable invasion.
Actually, the hope is he'll get killed along the way. So he's sent with GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons), a defective robot made from pieces found in the trash. To the surprise of the leaders, he makes it to Earth, where he sets about planning for the invasion.
However, one person on all of Earth was smart enough to notice Zim's arrival and knows his evil plans. No, it's not Jeff Goldblum, it's a kid named Dib (Andy Berman), who is saddled with too much intelligence and not enough smarts. His father is a scientist who has no time for his theories of alien invasion, while his equally-brilliant but a whole lot smarter sister Gaz (the very distinctive voice of Melissa "Radical Edward" Charles) has no patience for his nonsense.
Zim disguises himself as an Earth child and attends a local Skool (as it's called, where he and Dib share a class and spend their time antagonizing each other, much to the irritation of everyone else. So the plans for Irk are in Zim's hands, while the fate of the world is in Dibs'. God help both sides.
Nickelodeon cancelled the show, citing low ratings among its core demo of 2-11 year olds. One look at this show could tell you that age group isn't going to watch it. The humor is much more adult, not to mention raunchier than anything a pre-teen should watch.
The show isn't perfect, either. Zim is always "on," always shrieking and yelling at the top of his lungs. After a while, that gets old. Ditto for Dib. His schtick can get tiresome as well. One joke gets boring fast. Likewise, the shows weren't consistent. Some were absolutely hilarious, while others were just, eh. Real scientific description, I realize.
When the show hits, it hits big. It's outrageous, over the top and unrestrained in any way, shape or form. Obviously it was too hot for Nickelodeon. I don't know why the channel even touched it in the first place. Did they even look at Jhonen's comics?
The two-disc collection contains the following episodes:
Disc One
Disc Two
That's most of the first season. Reportedly there are two more discs in the works, with the second volume due in August from Media Blasters.
Score: 7 out of 10
The Video
Presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen video,Invader Zim suffers from the most common problem affecting television animation: interlacing errors. There are jagged lines everywhere, even when there is next to no motion on screen. The CG, and there's a lot of it, is much smoother and free of the aliasing problems, but the hand-drawn animation is another matter.
Other than that, it's a decent transfer, with bright, rich colors (used to garish effect) and no bleed. The CG adds even more vividness to the overall video, as it's often used in effects, such as lightning or a wormhole.
Score: 6 out of 10
Languages and Audio
Invader Zim is available in two-channel English and Spanish, with Irken subtitles. You read that right. The text is unreadable, it's just in keeping with this show's whole wacky shtick.
Despite being in two-channel, my amplifier was able to produce a decent surround experience, with a lot of directional audio for all of the mayhem on screen. There was a nice dynamic range from the high end almost down to the subwoofer levels. Everything is clean, loud and clear, far better than anything you'd hear on television. All told, an above average mix.
Score: 8 out of 10
Packaging and Extras
Invader Zim comes in an Amaray case with disc holders on both sides of the inside and a booklet listing chapters and extras. The menus are not animated.
There is a commentary track for every episode, most of them featuring Vasquez plus voiceover actors, artists or other creative people. They are all lively and funny with a lot of joking around, pointing out small gags in the background, which parts of the episode they like best, and so on. Notably absent, at least among the ones I heard, was Melissa Charles.
There was also a "pig commentary" on the episodeBad Bad Rubber Piggy. Who the hell would want to listen to pigs squealing for 22 minutes? Well you never know.
Finally, there's a 13 minute interview with the voice cast. Vasquez is nowhere to be seen. You'd think he would pop up even for a minute. The cast are all interesting characters in their own right. They all joke about the job and working for Vasquez.
Score: 6 out of 10
