Superhero Media: Earthworm Jim (Television)

It's rare that I go back to a television programme I enjoyed as a child or adolescent and find that I can actually enjoy it again. I can't actually remember the situation happening where I enjoyed the programme more as an adult, until I gave Earthworm Jim another go. Although the surreal jokes, fast pace and funny noises will keep children entertained, the constant Dune references, existential rants and anti-Puritan sentiment are clearly there for the adults. In many ways, Earthworm Jim is reminiscent of Ren & Stimpy or even South Park, in that it relies upon broad "Saturday Morning Cartoon" tropes to deliver subversive messages or play with audience expectations. As an example, Jim often refers to "The Great Worm Spirit" as a cosmological deity, which is framed as a personal delusion, until the Spirit appears in several episodes and it turns out that Jim's ramblings were accurate. 

Battling Jim is the villainous horde of Psy-Crow, Professor Monkey-for-a-head, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Evil the Cat, Evil Jim and, of course, Queen Pulsating Bloated Festering Sweaty Puss-filled Malformed Slug-for-a-Butt. Jim's origins as a hero are linked to his villains, in that the Super-Suit that gives him his powers was invented by Professor Monkey-for-a-head on the orders of Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, but the delivery was botched by Psy-Crow and an ordinary worm became the Universe's greatest hero. Along for the ride are Peter Puppy and Princess Whatshername, though in the episodes, Jim often rides solo as it's his interactions with the villains that creates the comedy and the Peter mauling Jim gag wears thin pretty quickly. Hank Azaria really carries the programme, but guest appearances from other famous voice actors like Maurice LaMarche make for some great scenes, LaMarche's Orson Welles impression getting several outings. 

Now that these are written so far in advance, I have no idea if you've seen my Earthworm Jim miniature yet, but I've wanted to add him to my Ultimate Alliance games for a while, team him up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Green Lantern Corps, that kind of thing. I don't think I'll be bothering to add other characters from the series, unless reasonable miniatures present themselves, as most lack the charm and unique set of abilities of Jim himself. All in all, this is an odd little series that may not be to the tastes of most, but is probably worth a look anyway. I doubt I'll ever talk more about the games here, as I'm not much of a retro gamer and my emulator has a habit of crashing in the second level of Earthworm Jim 2; maybe if it pops up on a games service or e-store at some point, but don't hold your breath.