About Christmas TV History

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Invader Zim Christmas (2002)


Christmas TV History would like to welcome our next guest blogger Juniper Sage.  She also wrote for us last year during our Christmas in July celebration about a Christmas episode of the 1990s series Melrose Place.  I love how many people have returned to write for Christmas TV History again this year.  Thanks Juniper--and thanks everyone :)

Who else remembers this fun episode from the animated series?  This holiday episode of Invader Zim as well as the entire series is currently streaming on Netflix.  Merry SCI-FI Christmas in July!


Invader Zim "The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever" (2002)
By Juniper Sage

I was super stoked when it was rumored that Jhonen Vasquez would be creating a cartoon for Nickelodeon. I had no idea how his twisted sense of dark humor would translate to cartoons but knew it would be well received. Vasquez was already a darling of the indie comic community and everyone knew and loved Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, his first crazed character.

Invader Zim far exceeded my hopes, I dare say, I like Zim and Dib and Gaz and GIR even more than Vasquez’ comic book characters. Unfortunately, the show only lasted two seasons. Fittingly, the last episode was a Christmas one, entitled "The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever."

Here we see Zim as the imposter Santa and Dib as an imposter elf.

 This episode contains all of the best parts of an Invader Zim script – beatings, screaming, GIR in costume, blood, sheeple and Zim not getting what he wants.

Here the imposter Santa turned spider robot is destroyed in an oozing pile.

Other comic book artists have followed in Jhonen Vasquez steps, using their talent on TV.  Jay Stephens crossed the gap in 2003, Art Baltazar in 2012 and a handful of others have done the same. It still remains to be seen if any of them can make a long term career out of the switch.

DVD cover art

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