Product Description
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Venture Bros., The: Season Two (DVD)
An inspired spoof of 1960s action cartoons such as "Johnny
Quest," The Venture Bros., follows the bizarre mis-adventures of
Hank and Dean who believe themselves to be an unusually gifted
team of "brains" and "braun" while actually possessing very
little of either. The boys travel the world with their renowned
scientist-her, Doctor Venture -- and treat even the most
mundane situation as a bold new adventure. As a result, they
often find themselves in danger with a host of oddball villains
-- but rarely find their way out. The rely instead on their
body-guard/undercover government agent Brock Sampson, voiced by
Patrick Warburton of "The Tick" and "Seinfeld" fame, to save
them.
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How do you launch a second season of a series when you concluded
the previous one by murdering the title characters in cold blood?
As is often the case on The Venture Bros., Adult Swim's
hilariously funny poke at '60s adventure cartoons like Johnny
Quest, the answer comes down to: weird science. It would be a
crime to reveal how Hank and Dean Venture's beleaguered dad, Doc
Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak) brings his hess offspring
back from the grave, but suffice it to say that the boys are back
by the end of Episode One ("Powerless in the Face of Death") and
making life miserable for their dad and bodyguard Brock Sampson
(Patrick Warburton) shortly thereafter. But Team Venture's
exploits share the spotlight this season with the misery of their
main antagonist, the Monarch, who struggles to recl his lady
love, Dr. Girlfriend (voiced by series co-creator Doc Hammer)
from the suave Phantom Limb (also Urbaniak). Over the course of
the sopre season's thirteen episodes, the Monarch endures
countless humiliations in the name of love (not the least of
which is a disastrous double date with Dr. G and Limb in "Victor.
Echo. November), while the Venture boys encounter countless
historical figures (not the least of which is a thinly disguised
Scooby-Doo and friends), screw up their own dates, and generally
make a mess of things in their own cheerful but ridiculous ways.
Meanwhile, the Ventures' neighbor, the overwrought Dr. Orpheus
(Steven Ratazzi), also gets his own story arc, in which he
re-assembles his "team" of vampire hunter Jackson Twilight and
sexually ambiguous monk The Alchemist (voiced by Dana Snyder of
Aqua Teen Hunger Force), with disastrous results. Exceptionally
sharp writing that's rich with pop culture references and
excellent voice performances make this series one of the smartest
and funniest in Adult Swim's anarchic stable; here's hoping the
network doesn't allow another two years to pass before they
greenlight a third season.
The two-disc set offers raucous commentary by Hammer and
co-creator Jackson Publick on all 13 episodes (Urbaniak and
Michael Sinterniklaas, who voices Dean Venture, join them for
several commentaries), as well as a barrage of deleted scenes
from each story, and an amusing mock behind-the-scenes look at
Astro-Base Go, the orbiting moon station where Hammer and Publick
create the series with the help of SoulBot, a big-hearted robot
which also lends its bloops and bleeps to the Ventures'
mechanical assistant, H.E.L.P.E.R. Praise should also go to the
exceptional packaging art and menu design (which feature
Publick's character sketches), which evoke the series' retro feel
with style. -- Paul Gaita