| Space Ghost | |
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Space Ghost, one of Toth's most famous designs. |
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| 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 superhero 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 fictional late-night talk show host on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. In the 2000s, he was revamped as a serious superhero once again in a DC Comics mini-series.
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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 Barbara adventure cartoon) 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. 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 called 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.
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, Charlton Heston, Thurston Moore, Pavement, Thom Yorke, Bjork, "Weird Al" Yankovic 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
Coast to Coast revealed that his birthday is June 19, 1966 in the episode Surprise, in which Space Ghost gets a package in the whole episode, and Zorak and Moltar run the show, but the origin of his birthday would be on the day in September the first Space Ghost series came out.
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.
Space Ghost has appeared in the following comic books:
Three actors played Space Ghost in the three "main" Space Ghost series:
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