by Jayden Leggett, Editor

Come on and grab your friends, and prepare to embark on a journey through a distant land that is sometimes magical, sometimes dangerous, often outrageous but always ridiculously fun!

For those of you who have either been living under a rock or have only recently discovered this whole “geek pop culture” thing, Adventure Time is a cartoon created by Pendleton Ward that is set in a fantasy world comprised of candy people, enchanted forests, ice palaces, evil gnomes who destroy old ladies and much, much more. It follows the exploits of lead characters Finn the human (Jeremy Shada – Robin from Batman: The Brave and the Bold) and Jake the magic stretchy dog (John DiMaggio – Bender from Futurama) as they go on various adventures throughout the wondrous Land of Ooo. Why do they go on these grand expeditions? Because they can.

Half of the show’s charm comes from the completely random and far-out nature of the things that happen at the drop of a hat. As Jake and Finn are renowned throughout the land for their heroic deeds, they are always called upon to save the day and complete random quests.

In one episode an experiment to revive the dead results in a horde of zombie candy-people who crave sugar and Finn being tasked to save the Candy Kingdom, while another episode involves Tree Trunks the elephant calling for Finn and Jake’s assistance to retrieve a crystal apple from an enchanted forest to make the perfect apple pie. Episodes can differ wildly in tone, with the duo solving conflicts, reclaiming lost treasures or just messing around and having fun together.

As varied as the show can be, one constant that is always present is the incredibly fun atmosphere and highly imaginative ideas. Contributing to the success of this fantasy-filled ambience is the deceptively basic art style.

Highly aligned with the unbounded childlike creativity of the story content, the art is incredibly cutesy. Bright, vivid colours are always present amongst beautiful scenery full of charming details. Facial features more often than not consist only of a couple of dots for eyes and a line for the mouth, but the animation is used in a way that allows anything to happen. Much like the classic Ren & Stimpy Show, a character’s appearance can drastically change, with an overly-wrinkled angry face in one scene, and gigantic glimmering puppy-dog eyes in the next. This is especially true of Jake, who’s magical stretchy powers allow him to take on just about any shape or size. With all of the squiggly lines and eye-capturing colors, I could only imagine what it would be like to watch this show on an acid trip…

Speaking of acid trips, in addition to the incredibly high amount of drugs the writer’s must have been on when coming up with their ideas, I can only assume that the musical composers must also have been tripping mega balls. Crazy drum machine beats accompany spazzed-out synth tones to produce zany tunes that are bizarre but totally appropriate within the context of this cartoon.

Equally as impressive is the quality of the voice acting. Both Jeremy Shada and John DiMaggio do a stellar performance in their roles of the heroes. DiMaggio’s expert vocals are just as versatile as the many forms Jake can transform into (in fact I like him as Jake even better than I like him as Bender, which is saying a lot), while Shada’s high-pitched shriek is without equal. In addition to the two leads, the supporting cast are also outstanding. Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants himself) as the Ice Wizard always cracks me up, as does Pendleton Ward (the show’s creator) as Lumpy Space Princess, and Niki Yang (Random! Cartoons) as Beemo is always sickeningly adorable. Well known actors like George Takei, Mark Hamill and Neil Patrick Harris also make special vocal appearances.

DVD special features include behind the scenes footage with scripted events that are just as bizarre as the cartoon itself (though not as entertaining), animatics with commentary from the show’s creator and some of the cast, and a bonus short episode.

All in all, I had a blast with this series. While for my liking there may have been a tad too much singing and dancing, overall Adventure Time: The Complete First Season is top quality viewing. Kids will love the bright colors and fun characters, while adults will dig other aspects of the humor that is clearly aimed at the older generation. If you haven’t already experienced this show yet, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the first season right now! I am still yet to experience anything else quite like it.

ComicsOnline recommends purchasing your copy of Adventure Time: The Complete First Season directly from Madman Entertainment by following this link, particularly for Australian and New Zealand residents.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Adventure Time: The Complete First Season 4.5 out of 5 Boom Boom Babies.

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