Category: Fantasy

A Quest for Adventure

Fictional adventure heroes have been vying for the top spot in adolescent imaginations for decades. Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, and Doc Savage were the front runners in the 1930s and 40s. By the 1960s, a new face had emerged. His name was Race Bannon, and the show was “Jonny Quest.”

https://youtu.be/7gNBFmlNUfM?si=FfCLZ0C5y-5Mfp2r

Although I wasn’t around for its premier on primetime TV, I was one of thousands tuning in to watch every Saturday morning for the reruns in syndication.  The stories were imagination fuel that has supplied my brain for decades to come. 

The show was born out of an idea by comic book artist Doug Wildey. He had put together a TV project with cartoon producers Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera that was based on the radio adventure character Jack Armstrong. He created several animated sequences, but the project was never brought to fruition. After some re-working, it morphed into the Adventures of Jonny Quest.

The backstories for the characters are somewhat inconsistent. It’s understandable. After all, they are fictional, and more than one writer penned the stories. The original series “Jonny Quest” ran for only a single 26 – episode season from 1964 to 1965. Since then, it has been continued, re-booted, and renewed a few times. The main characters have also been referenced in guest crossovers for other shows and mediums (sometimes in parody or satirical situations.) That, coupled with an array of fan fiction creations have contributed tons of related material.

Keeping that in mind, here is a rather reconciled and expanded overview of the team:

Dr Benton Quest – patriarch of the team

Dr. Benton Quest was one of the country’s “top 3 scientists,” though, much like “the professor” on Gilligan’s Island, his specialty varied from episode to episode; chemistry, biology, and missile technology were all fair game for the good doctor. He is widowed – his wife died several years earlier. The implication is that she was killed by an enemy of the scientist, and a bodyguard was assigned by the government to protect Dr. Quest and his family.

 

Roger “Race” Bannon – government agent, and all-around man of action

Roger “Race” Bannon was assigned to the job by “Intelligence One.” Some sources identify him as a “former agent”, while others indicate that he is on active duty with the agency. His character was inspired by 1950s action star Jeff Chandler. In addition to being ruggedly handsome and athletic, he had prematurely grey to white hair (all characteristics that I can relate to, if I do say so myself.)

40s and 50s action hero Jeff Chandler – the inspiration for Race Bannon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hadji and Jonny

The show also featured 2 boys; The title character is Jonny, Dr. Quest’s biological son. He is accompanied by Hadji Singh, an orphan from India, who was adopted by Dr. Quest after one of their adventures. The boys are about 11 years old. Both are very intelligent and adventurous. Of the two, Jonny is the more impulsive. Hadji has some mysterious skills tied to his cultural heritage – levitation, snake charming, etc. It is never completely reveled if they are actual supernatural abilities, or simply well practiced tricks, but they sometimes come into play against an especially dim-witted foe. He accomplishes these feats with the mystical incantation “Sim Sim Sala-bim.”

Bandit – the bane of Doug Wildey’s existence.

And finally, there is Bandit. He is a bulldog, pug, or Boston terrier, depending on the source. He’s cute and supplies comic relief to the thriller. Doug Wildly wasn’t a fan of the character, but the producers insisted on including him to keep the story family friendly.

One reason for its popularity was a more serious tone. Unlike earlier cartoon heroes, Jonny and company faced adversaries that were more like Bond villains than the hungry coyote or inept duck hunter of other Hanna-Barbera shows. Explosions, gunfights, and real peril were all fair game.

The adventures crossed science fiction, adventure travel, and crime fighting. Various installments involved undersea exploration, ancient curses, and cryptozoology. The gadgets and technology were futuristic, without being too outlandish. The most difficult suspension of disbelief is the involvement of the boys at all. As someone who spent most of his career as a Mandated Abuse Reporter, I’m sure Protective Services would be highly involved with the Quest family. I mean, who in their right mind would bring children along to hunt man-eating crocodiles or try out experimental jet packs?  

Uh…never mind.

In spite of high ratings and critical acclaim, the show was canceled due to its enormous production costs. It gained a further following as a Saturday morning cartoon, and its popularity continued for many years, eventually appearing on all 3 television networks. Like many pop culture successes, it has been revived, rebooted and re-imagined over the years. There was an animated continuation of the show in the 1980s. The style was very similar, and basically “picked up” where the 60s show left off. Some have referred to it as the second season to the original. There were also 2 movies in the early 90s, a comic book series, and an additional 1990s show called “The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest“. (In the 90s series, the boys are in their teens and are joined on their adventures by Race Bannon’s daughter Jessie.)

When viewed through modern eyes, there are elements that would cause some concern in the show’s original form. The villains are often caricatures of other “exotic” cultures. Foreign languages are a simulated gibberish, and outdated stereotypes abound. In my opinion, it doesn’t take away from the exciting stories, but it does clearly identify them as a product of a less enlightened time.

My exploration into this wonderful series came out of an accidental discovery a couple weeks ago.  The original episodes (as well as several of the re-boots and “further adventures”) are all available to stream on the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/jonny-quest-complete

There is also an excellent multi-part Jonny Quest documentary on YouTube by Chrisweb037

https://youtu.be/Gk3zJjD2QB4?si=CJERWmnqsm_Cmak0

-Toph

The “Low Art” of Frazetta

It was as an adolescent that I was first exposed to the work of fantasy and sci-fi illustrator Frank Frazetta. In his heyday, he was in a class all his own. His paintings could be found on magazines, paperback novels, album covers, and so many other mediums. He began in the 40s and 50s inking for various comic strips and comic books, though a lot of his early work was uncredited, as he was often filling in for the main artist. From the 60s through the 80s, his cover art was so pervasive that, even if you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably come across his work somewhere. Any fan of the fantasy characters Conan the Barbarian or Tarzan have seen dozens of examples. Early Warren magazines Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, and Blazing Combat featured Frazetta as well.

Early comic cover art by Frazetta
Thrilling Comics series ran from 1940 – 1961. Several issues featured cover art by Frazetta
Another example of early Frazetta comic book work
Death Dealer, used on several magazine and book covers
By Frank Frazetta – featured on the cover of 1965’s first issue of Blazing Combat magazine.
One of several Molly Hatchet album covers to feature Frazetta’s work
The first issue of Creepy magazine featured “Werewolf” – one of the last stories that was fully illustrated by Frazetta

In those days, most commissioned art involved a “once and done” illustration. He was one of the first artists who licensed his work for a specific use but retained the rights to use it again for another project. Work smarter, not harder, right?

 

One of his most easily recognized paintings – “The Barbarian.”

Note the Rubenesque female character at his feet. Many of the women he depicted were curvy and full figured. Also, he tended to leave the background slightly out of focus, but on close examination, it contains subtle thematic images hidden in the blurred periphery.

In college in the mid 80s, I took a drawing class. During a discussion with the professor, we were talking about various artistic style, and I mentioned Frazetta. He quickly (and rather vehemently, I might add) dismissed his work as “throw away,” “crap,” and lacking the qualities of “fine art.” While I agree that most of his work was commissioned for magazines and book covers, it also features very complex use of color and composition that a lot of similarly commissioned illustrations lack. I believe the professor’s comments spoke more to elitist snobbery, and less what constitutes fine art. During a different conversation, he showed a sculpture he had made. He boasted that he created the particular color pattern on the bronze cast by urinating on the metal while it was still warm. Using that comparison, Frazetta was not nearly as avant guard, though I don’t see it as in any way less sophisticated.

I think the most accurate comparison to Frazetta is Norman Rockwell.

Although his subject matter is entirely different, Rockwell’s work was also commissioned for commercial use. Like Frazetta, Rockwell is sometimes dismissed as “just an illustrator.” Had he sold his work to an individual instead of a publication, it would be “high art.” As time has passed, their contributions have found a greater appreciation in the “real art” community.

The Motion Picture Academy Awards don’t only go to the small art house projects. Popular blockbusters also get recognized for quality. Sometimes, the art made for the consumption of the masses is excellent, too.

-Toph