Be Reel: "The Venture Bros."

A Merry Venture Indeed!

The Venture Bros. is a 2003 animated comedy-drama series created by Christopher McCulloch, that aired on Adult Swim from 2004 to present. The television series revolves around the Venture family and their twin sons, Hank (voiced by McCulloch) and Dean (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas), two innocent teenagers who try to navigate their lives from an unusual upbringing. In addition to the Venture family, there are also a few supporting and side characters that appear throughout the show. While the show’s world has much in common with the real world, it takes place in an alternate universe where superheroes and villains are the norm. Superheroes are still respected and honored, but their interactions with supervillains are controlled and organized, with their fights reduced to everyday jobs. The series’ humor ranges from traditional comedy to satirical, often parodying and commenting on pop culture, such as the tropes of superhero genre and early child-adventurer cartoons. Due to the show’s heavy influence from pop culture and classic adventure cartoons, there are various callbacks and references to older series. One of the most noticeable ones is in in the lineup of the main characters, which is especially present in a scene where the show pays homage to the classic 1964 series, Jonny Quest, by having the characters set in a similar scene, sitting exactly in their counterparts’ position.

Initially the series’ comedy was lacking, but over the years the show’s sense of humor and references have improved and become more recognizable, moving further away from obscure references and random humor. While the show’s comedy might not bust any guts, it's usually integrated well into the plot. Not only has the humor gotten better, but the show’s animation has improved as well. Originally aired in 2003, the technology for animation and the series’ was not nearly as advanced as it is today, with some of the scenes looking choppy or blurry. However, since the show has become more popular and is currently 15 years old, the animation has improved significantly. Although the animation isn’t anything mindblowing, it is clean and practical, with most of the budget being utilized in the many action scenes of the show. The soundtrack of the show (composed by JG Thirlwell), categorized as big band and jazz, is also notable because of its ability to fit the tone of the narrative, while also being reminiscent of famous action shows and cartoons from earlier decades. As a result of the soundtrack’s success, Williams Street Records released the album, The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell, in 2009, followed by the album, Music of The Venture Bros: Vol 2, in 2016.

In addition to the above average animation and soundtrack,  another strength the series has is its characters. Both the main and supporting casts are filled with interesting and unique characters with their own side stories and motivations. The main cast consists of Hank and Dean Venture, their father, Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak), and their bodyguard, Brock Samson (voiced by Patrick Warburton). As the show mainly centers around the brothers, they are featured in every episode and given the most amount of screentime to develop as they slowly enter adulthood. Over the course of the series, they go from innocent and naive boys, to becoming more knowledgeable and grow into themselves. Hank, the more adventurous and outgoing out of the two, learns how to reign himself in and embrace the chaotic world they live in, while Dean, being the more cowardly and shy brother, grows distant and independent, preferring to forward himself through his studies. In addition to the boys, Brock originally appears to be the cardboard cutout of the strong, invincible man trope that was popularized in earlier works of fiction, we learn that he does have more of a history to him, having a softer, caring side and being plagued by someone in his past. Out of all the main characters, Rusty seems to have changed the least, still retaining much of his pessimistic and selfish personality, but as the series progresses, we are given more insight into his upbringing and shown glimpses of how his current behavior and attitudes towards the world and his family have shifted. Another great thing about the characters is that throughout the series, nearly every character undergoes their own arc and changes.

Throughout the series there are some recurring subjects and themes, but the most prevalent is failure, and learning to accept its inevitability. Every single character in the show experiences failure, some facing it more often than others, and is forced to acknowledge their mistakes and the forces beyond their control. Out of all the characters, main antagonist and self-proclaimed archnemesis of Dr. Venture, the supervillain, the Monarch (voiced by Christopher McCulloch), is the person who experiences this the most. In the beginning of the series he was assigned to arch Dr. Venture, where he was constantly thwarted by Brock, and the cycle repeats over the course of the show. Although, in later seasons because of his consistent failure, he manages to lose his base and henchmen, lowering his villain rank and getting him assigned to smaller work. Enraged and humiliated that he’s no longer allowed to arch the man he’s obsessed with, the Monarch falls into a slump, but eventually realizes he can arch Dr. Venture in other ways. As a result of overcoming his slump, he becomes a slightly stronger person, even managing to inspire his only henchman left.

His singular henchman, Henchman 21 (voiced by‎ Doc Hammer) goes through a character arc as well, grieving the death of his colleague and best friend Henchman 24 in later seasons. Distraught over losing the only person he was really able to connect with and believing it was his failt, he falls into depression, even taking days off from the work he enjoys so much, and becomes a shut-in. Continuing to wallow and relive past moments he spent with him, Henchman 21 begins to fall into madness, taking the skull of his deceased friend and pretending he’s still alive. After becoming disillusioned with the reality, he buries himself in work, going from a lazy and cowardly person to a trained and experienced killer, willing to do anything for his job. Spending weeks and months in this state, he starts to neglect everything in other to pursue work and better his skills, even ignoring simple hygiene, such as shaving and showering. After being brought back to his senses and accepting his friend’s death, he becomes stronger both physically and mentally, regaining some of his original personality and now able to handle pressure under stress.

Along with the Monarch and Henchman 21, another example of a character that has experienced and is affected by failure the most, is Rusty. While Rusty’s character development falls flat in comparison to the other characters, we instead feel sympathy towards him and his understand his actions and views, after learning more about his troubled childhood. As the son of Dr. Jonas Venture, one of the most famous and respected scientists, he was raised into the life of science and superheroes, often forced against his will to accompany his father on research excursions. Due to being constantly put in peril and exposed to violence at a young age, he became traumatized and cowardly, growing to resent his father and his company. As a result of being neglected in his childhood, Rusty wound up only repeating his father’s mistakes and ignoring and caring little about his own sons. Being more absorbed with his work and leaving Brock or H.E.L.P.E.R., their robot, to raise them themselves, even educating them through sleeping pods rather than traditional education, his sons later recognize his failure as a father. Also, Jonas Venture Jr. is Rusty’s younger brother, who despite harboring no ill will towards anyone, is strongly disliked by Rusty because he seems superior in comparison. Jonas Jr. admired their father, being the more willing of the two to take over their father’s legacy and company, and being incredibly intelligent and able to create one successful invention after another, he was everything Rusty wasn’t. Rusty develops an inferiority complex towards his brother because no matter how hard he tries, almost none of his inventions or efforts to improve the company are successful. In addition to his business failure, he is jealous of his younger brother because their father paid more attention to him and barely cared for Rusty’s safety. Later in the show, when Rusty finally allows himself to appreciate Jonas Jr., it is revealed that his brother has always admired him for his inventions and his drive to be independent. After learning this, Rusty becomes a more likable character, even though he continues to fail.

Overall, I’d rate The Venture Bros. good, good and highly recommend the show to anyone who was a fan of classic adventure cartoons or has an interest in animation geared towards older audiences, because for a series about the repercussions of being a child adventurer, its most likely your best and only choice.

Example Of One Of The Show’s Satire