Yesterday was one of idle enjoyment. I dinged up my back on Saturday pretty much doing nothing, but it was painful nonetheless. Overnight my back got some better, but it was still nagging at me. It was a day in which not much work could be done, so I used my time to crush Jonny Quest. I watched all twenty-six episodes of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. I've had the dvd set for years but I'd never gotten around to watching all the episodes before. I corrected that oversight.
The single season of Jonny Quest is arguably the finest TV animated tour de force ever. The show is amazingly resilient, having the same cool today that it had in its own time, and offering up vintage adventure tales spanning the globe.
Doug Wildey is the genius behind the show, and his design work gives the show its distinctive character, its one-off nature. The shadows move like no other cartoon, and the realism is off the charts. Compared to what was on TV at the time it was a revolution, and compared to what is on TV today it's still a remarkable achievement.
My favorite episodes are "The Invisible Monster", "The Robot Spy", "The Que-Tong Missile Mystery" and "Shadow of the Condor". But this viewing reminded me of other great moments in "Terror Island", "Werewolf of the Timberland", "Double Danger", and "The Calcutta Affair". There are no bad Jonny Quest cartoons, only some that lack some of the pizazz of the best ones.
The gothic atmosphere of "The House of the Seven Gargoyles" was impressive, as well as the crafty characterization of "The Attack of the Tree People". The storytelling is superb and this dvd set really allows the artwork to blaze through in ways I've never seen before. Subtle touches are evident that have been hidden from my eyes for decades. Wonderful!
Below is a gallery of great Doug Wildey covers for the Comico run.
And if you like the series at all, then you need to check out this classic website dedicated to the show.
Rip Off
I was looking something up on Google and came upon this post and I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU! You see, Doug Wildey was my uncle. It's so wonderful when I find someone who appreciates the work he did and love, not only the pics of his work, but what you've written as well. I'm going through your site now and so happy I am. Oh and thank you for posting the pic of him at his table. That was a bonus. :)
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