Stars In Space!

This dandy little collection arrived several days ago and I immediately started sampling the cartoons. Space Stars is a show of early 80's cartoons which tried (as did so many) to capitalize on the enormous success of Star Wars. The folks at the Hanna-Barbera studios reached into their sizable cache of characters and pulled out some of their 60's wonders, specifically the Herculoids and Space Ghost, dusting them off and giving them a then-modern makeover.

It's easy to spot material post-Star Wars since the space ships and other equipment have the now-vintage overly detailed designs which the movie popularized. Before Star Wars spaceships were sleek and smooth similar to racing cars. The most notable example of this change is the redesigned Phantom Cruiser which exhibits all manner of louvers and random small details it didn't need to show off before.

1960's Phantom Cruiser

1980's Phantom Cruiser

This cartoon as a whole is a really mixed bag. Alongside the revived 60's stars are some new folks too. The Teen Force, comprised of Kid Comet, Moleclulad, and Elektra, is a trio of young handsome heroes similar in some ways to a mini-Legion of Super-Heroes who battle the villainy of a winged ape-alien named Uglor.

The Astromites - Plutem and Glax

The obligatory comedy relief for them are the "Astromites", a duo of alien goofballs named Plutem and Glax.

The Space Mutts

Also from The Jetsons, Astro becomes part of a group called the Space Mutts alongside his two pals Cosmo and Dipper. Their leader is a Burt Reynolds lookalike named Space Ace. This one is played for laughs and as such isn't as terrible as it might sound.

It's neat to have all the Space Ghost and Herculoids cartoons handy at long last, even if it comes with some other somewhat less desirable material.

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