For all of those (numerous I’m sure) people who have stayed home and watched Nickelodeon at 9pm on Friday nights this past year, you were handsomely rewarded. Jhonen Vasquez, mastermind behind such comics as Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee, and Happy Noodle Boy had been under contract for 20 episodes of a new cartoon called Invader Zim. The show has been called a “cult hit” despite the channel it’s aired on, and was nominated under several categories in the International Animated Film Society Awards (“Annie Awards”) – in the end director Steve Ressel walked away with one of those awards for outstanding achievement in story boarding.
“I am Testiclês, God of rash covered scrotums!!” -JV
Then: disaster. On Thursday 1-17-02, at around 5:20 PM, only a few hours after the staff finished recording the Christmas episode, all of the Zim crew was called into the lounge area for an emergency announcement. There, Jhonen and Mary Harrington broke the news that Nickelodeon was reducing its order for 20 second season Zim episodes down to 6, bringing the series at an end at episode 26, and making them, as a crew, finished as well. The next day all of the story board artists and writers were asked to clean out their offices and be gone by 5 PM.
I’m sure most of you don’t give a fuck, but for anyone who had watched the show or was familiar with Jhonen’s comic work and would like to continue to see it translated into animation, you can sign this petition. Also, if you’re going to be watching the Zim episodes, get those babies on tape. Once they’re gone they’re gone, and even I would buy some recordings off of eBay.
And now for some IM fun with Nick.
Typical Lewser: I need someone to spoon.
Typical Lewser: Don’t need anyone to love, just want someone to spoon.
Getting Gravity: you should get a dog.
Typical Lewser: I have two
Getting Gravity: they don’t complain as much, and they give comparable blowjobs.
Typical Lewser: The last time I spooned my dog, he shit on my dress pants, and threw up on my rug.
“Other people only LOOK dead, but are quite alive, as I find out after sticking pens into their eyes.” -JV
he’s damned right about those effing dogs. i had to learn that lesson the hard way too. and i always though Lassie was man’s best friend, what a crock of shit.
#1 | Comment by trent — February 17, 2002 @ 11:49 am
Thank god I’m not the only one who cares about Invader Zim and JtHM and Squee and all them adorable little scamps. Zim was just on not 5 minutes ago, but it’s the first time I’d seen it in weeks. I hear there may be new episodes in March despite the cancellation, though.
–Josh
#2 | Comment by Josh — February 17, 2002 @ 2:25 pm