Countdown to Venture Bros: A Method to the Madness

November 21, 2010 was the air date of the season finale of Venture Bros. Season 4. After drinking our fill of the DVD release, we screamed for more, and so were given "A Very Venture Christmas" and "From the Ladle to the Grave: The Story of Shallow Gravy" and "A Very Venture Halloween", all thrown to us like a warlord throwing scraps of meat to feral dogs..providing just enough to keep us alive and still assure we fight over every last bit. And now..mangy..rabid..frothing at the mouth..we take a seat at our couches and wait patiently for Season 5 to begin. I paint a pretty picture, don't I?!

I Promise Not to Spoil the Shallow Gravy Special For You

We, the battered masses who love Venture Brothers, lay in wait. We devour each season as if it were a crust of bread on Paris Hilton's plate. (wait..Paris probably hisses at carbs. Never mind.) We drink deeply from the whine jug of the mirthy Dionysus as each episode plays before us and when that moment is over, we are cast into oblivion, left only with re-runs to relive those treasured times and the promise of DVD extras to come. Perhaps we invite over a friend who has never seen the show and leech off of their gleeful energy as they watch...but the taste is never as sweet. Truly, we are addicts..and as a wise man with an awesome voice might say.. "I got a feva..and the only cure..is more Venture Brothers." My brothers and sisters...prepare for that crust of bread.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!! DOWN AND DIRTY IN THE MUUUUUUD!!! This Sunday on Cartoon Network at MIDNIGHT, we celebrate the premiere of The Venture Bros.: From The Ladle To The Grave—The Shallow Gravy Story. Here's the propaganda...

Follow the meteoric rise, the equally meteoric fall, and the decidedly un-meteor-like second coming of the most important band Hank Venture, Dermott Fictel and H.E.L.P.eR. robot have ever been in: Shallow Gravy. If you’re hungry for rock, then open wide, because here comes a ladle of heavy metal fire and metaphoric meat drippings.

This mini documentary covers the entire history of the musical juggernaut that is Shallow Gravy (that's maybe..6 to 8 months? give or take? I'm bad with the maths. We can even it out and call it a year.) Interviews were conducted with the families of Dermott and Hank to get both sides of the story and provide an accurate re-telling of events for future generations. Follow the band from their first meeting to their explosion onto the pulsating music scene and finally, the birth of the greatest song ever to be animated since the punk rock version of "Jabberjaw"... JACKET. ALL YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED!! All epic seriousness aside, the 15 minute episode is hysterical with little snippets from your favorite characters and even some story development relevant to the main show! Yes, this is cannon. Of course, the best part of the special is the actual music video for Jacket, which is practically a love song for VB fans worldwide. The lyrics are ridiculous and the song INSANELY catchy while the video packs in appearances from every ally of Venture Industries Hank could coax to appear. You won't miss this, so I don't even need to continue...and I can't anyway since the damn thing is 15 minutes long. It's like reviewing a single comic issue. You can only say about 5 things before you get into spoilers. As expected, the episode is awesome and will leaving you wanting more.

..And the wait begins....again.



A marathon of Hank and Dermott episodes will air from 9:30pm – midnight (ET, PT) on August 28th followed by this new 15-minute behind-the-music mockumentary at midnight (ET, PT) on Adult Swim. In anticipation of the special’s debut on Adult Swim, starting August 23, fans of The Venture Bros. can download the five-song Shallow Gravy EP featuring different reinterpretations and remixes of the band’s smash hit “Jacket” plus a music video via digital retailers. Then, on Monday, August 29, just one day after The Venture Bros.: From The Ladle To The Grave—The Shallow Gravy Story airs on the network, fans can check back with digital retailers and download the full uncensored episode to own.



CLICK HERE to grab the 5 song EP WITH the video for $3.99!

Venture Brothers: The Complete Season 4 Blu-ray Review

The monstrous man-baby creation of Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer marches on, this time with an epic so mind churning...SOOO earth shattering for a geek's fragile psyche..they had to split it into two parts. This season (in my opinion) saw the most visible evolution of several characters in the series from central characters to those that were once introduced for a single episode, now thrust into more prominent roles. Point of fact, this has to be the thickest season as far as the number of characters used and their importance to each episode. That alone is something to be applauded! For the uninitiated, here's a brief overview...

Boy adventurer Rusty Venture is now a grown, pill popping super-scientist living in the colossal shadow of his world changing deceased father, struggling to keep money in the bank and raise two kids while expending as little effort as possible. Think Johnny Quest pushed into their far later years, not quite as agile of mind and body as they used to be, peppered with allusions to popular comic book characters and story lines and riddled with Hanna Barbera characters perverted and left to their own devices for far too long. Oh and penis jokes. Characters include Mother Fucking Brock Samson (yes, you say the whole thing..because I said so), the kill crazy family body guard, Billy Quizboy, the diminutive lisping genius with the extra large cranium, Shore Leave, sassy male agent of Sphinx, Dr. Orpheus, the necromancer next door, Sgt, Hatred, the reformed pedophile body guard and....David Bowie. Unfortunately, not the REAL Bowie, but it may as well be.

This season left me rolling on the floor in hysterics on more than one occasion with story lines that questioned the side kick/ boy adventurer dynamic and the traumatic mental damage that lifestyle leaves behind, the pure fun of going along with a film noir story line even though the kid acting it out is a little loopy and more important than all of this, the answer to a burning question. The Rusty Venture: slightly perverse sex act or blatantly disgusting, 2 girls and a cup worthy sex act? ALL QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED!! The show even takes you into the homes of the villains as they concoct their insidious, often asinine plots. If you are a fan of super hero comics, classic action cartoons or really awesome, slightly offensive sex jokes, this is the show for you. The show even strikes an oddly touching chord now and again before making your drink of choice shoot out your nose involuntarily. It's just an excellently crafted production through and through. Be warned though...some of the content is not for the faint of heart. One episode sees the Tarantino-esque lifespan of the most coveted comic in the history of Marvel Comics..and its inevitable demise at the hands of the Venture family. Sure, this is only a cartoon...a mantra you'll have to keep repeating to yourself as you witness the horror. Our friend Lori was shown this episode and try as she might to keep things in perspective, the visions still haunt her to this day. Observe...

I brought up this virtual torment at a Q&A session and was told to apologize on their behalf but to remind her that it is a cartoon, and therefore, never really happened. They'd "never dick around with it on camera if they actually owned it". They also thank you for being one of the 8 people to get that joke.

The REAL news with this release is the stunning BLU-RAY transfer! Cartoons look brilliant on Blu-ray with clarity miles ahead of the original broadcast. It's amazing that we live in a time when you can get a movie or TV show on Blu-ray and have it look better than the first time you saw it. As icing on the cake (that is the feast for your eyes) is the option to view the episodes, uncut, with all the dirty words plugged back in. My buddy Pete suggested that the bleeping might make the show funnier but after 2 episodes, you can't deny the comedy behind The Monarch continually shouting the word FUCK!! Its not the word itself but the inflection the character puts on it that makes it that much more enjoyable. ..And on that note..a Monarch keychain voice box with him saying a series of curses and maybe "But he's in Depeche Mooooode!!" would rule. You'll also get commentary for each and every episode from Doc and Jackson, though this is less "everything you ever wanted to know about this episode" and more "bits about Venture brothers and life that popped into our ADD addled brains during taping" sort of sessions. Still, they are extremely enjoyable and will be treasured by any fan of the show. BUT WAIT! That's not all!! You also get deleted scenes, some of which are merely vocal tracks set to story boards but others are fully realized bits of animation clipped from shows. The bulk of these are little jokes they probably cut for time, but there is one extra that provides a sort of alternate ending for some of the nastier characters in the show!

Venture Brothers Season 4 on Blu-ray is a must buy for even the casual VB fan. Top notch quality, hours of extras and all the dirty words your juvenile braincells can handle make this the perfect purchase on March 22nd. If you are just getting into the show, Season 4 may leave you with a small mountain of questions that can only be answered by back-tracking, but I could see why the story line, as a complete and individual performance would be highly enjoyable regardless. The bottom line...get it! Meet me back here this Tuesday and we'll celebrate the release with some VB interview bits I've never run before.

Check out the newest Venture Brothers toys from Bif Bang Pow right HERE!
Buy Venture brothers Complete Season 4 on Blu-Ray RIGHT HERE!
Pre-Order your !!

Sideshow : Venture Brothers Mother F'n Brock Samson

If you are any sort of self respecting geek, you can't help but love The Venture Brothers. ...And if you love you some VB, you constantly get a kick out of the man mountain with the mullet who dispatches henchmen at a rate of 12 per minute. He's Brock Samson...he has a license to kill...and he's coming to your shelf space.

Launching Sideshow's Venture Bros. collectible line, the Brock Samson Statue depicts the Walking Swedish Murder Machine in outstanding detail, down to his trademark mullet. Crafted in 1:5 scale, each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. Complete with switch-out left arms that feature either a cleaver or knife along with switch-out smoking or knife-biting portraits, the Brock Samson Statue is an outstanding addition to any display, the perfect start to your Venture Bros. collection. The Sideshow exclusive version features an additional switch-out left hand holding severed henchman arm.

He's 15 inches high, limited to 250 pieces and must be yours NOWWWW. CLICK HERE to get in on the pre-order!

Venture Brothers Back for Season 5

You know what this means, don't you? We have like...another year and a half to harass Bif Bang Pow for 6 inch super posable mother fucking Venture Brothers action figures!! Let the torment begin! Tonight, Jackson Publick made it official VIA his Live Journal that the wacky residents of Ventureville will be returning for more hijinks, shenanigans and dirty dirty talk.

Here's the direct quote:

"One last Christmas gift: I promised "news" the last time I was here. And though I'm not at liberty to disclose the full details just yet, I am happy to at least be able to tell you that we were not lying in the end credits of our season finale: The Venture Bros. will indeed return. More on that later... Happy Holidays!"

It really IS a Merry Christmas. Ahhhh. I can sleep now.