I can only remember seeing an episode or two of Freakazoid back when it was first airing (I have the impression that back then, I was more than old enough to see "adult-targeted humour" in these shows but always sort of aware I hadn't yet experienced the originals being referred to), but your fresh look at it did get my attention. Some contemplation of "superhero spoofs" in general has me thinking of "characters who don't realise they're ridiculous," which seems to point back to your take on the Lobe, and "characters who aren't quite impressive and are sort of aware of that," but Freakazoid feels a bit more like "a 'traditional Looney Tunes' in a superhero costume," which I suppose fits in with its relation to Tiny Toons and Animaniacs.
I do have to admit that of the tiny bit of the show I have seen, one of the back-up segments ("Toby Danger") most stuck with me. That might have had something to do with "not realising they're ridiculous."
There were a few things I forgot to talk about in this entry. "Toby Danger" was certainly one of them, since, besides being maybe a proto-Venture Brothers, it's also very underplayed compared to most of the show's humour. It's still obviously a comedy, but nobody in it seems to realize it, as you said. And it really *is* like my interpretation of The Lobe; interesting.
I can't remember how many adult jokes I got in Freakazoid!, including the references to people like Bill Clinton and Princess Di. I do know that I was floored to see a reference to Harlan Ellison when I re-watched it again.
That's piqued my interest in Venture Brothers, anyway, and I remember you speaking approvingly of that show before. I have to admit, though, that for me there's always an unfortunate gap between "that sounds interesting" and "when am I ever going to find the time to watch it--I've still got Batman: The Animated Series sets to open yet." Not that I have any great compulsion to adjust my viewing habits, but...
Well, actually, "Toby Danger" and "The Venture Brothers" aren't really that alike, besides being Johnny Quest parodies. "Toby Danger" is the kind of humour that comes from being superficially earnest but with a touch of irony underneath. "The Venture Brothers" is outright nasty and bleak. That's not even including the fact that "The Venture Brothers" is not strictly a Johnny Quest riff even from the start, although it's not fair to compare an animated short to an entire TV series in that way.
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I do have to admit that of the tiny bit of the show I have seen, one of the back-up segments ("Toby Danger") most stuck with me. That might have had something to do with "not realising they're ridiculous."
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I can't remember how many adult jokes I got in Freakazoid!, including the references to people like Bill Clinton and Princess Di. I do know that I was floored to see a reference to Harlan Ellison when I re-watched it again.
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