*twitch*
Haha..ha... Okay I think I've only seen at most 10 and most have been reruns. My friends seem to like it but when it first aired I thought it was disturbing and Zim was very power-trippy which he kind of is. I think the only thing I like is GIR in his doggy suit. Yeah. That's about it then. Bye!

An animated series about a homicidal maniac probably wouldn’t have lasted very long, although saying that Jason made some 10 odd films, but they were never meant to be shown to a young audience. So Jhonen’s most infamous creation takes a back sit to another, newer and more accessible one.

Generally un-likeable characters haunt this twisted world (apart from the robot GIR, who I find quite cute), definitely a product of their creator’s mind (or pen at least); certainly he never really created many friendly characters.

Surreal, well written plots worked around the characters, especially Zim’s ignorance of simple everyday facts, are the order of the day; with most of the humour coming from the characters’ reactions and overreactions to the situations they find themselves in.

Brilliant use of colors here, sickly purples, yay… and the animation was top notch from television standards, interesting choice for the voices too (the wheezy GIR was apparently due to the voice artist being asthmatic himself). Some may find the whole thing a little too dark and unsettling for comfort to fully enjoy, but an alien invasion around the eyes of the invader isn’t something you see everyday.

From what I’ve seen, Invader Zim struck me as a series that manages to capture the uniquely dark imagination of it’s creator, as well as some of the old Nickelodeon spirit for the outrageous. So it’s cancellation is simply bizarre… I don’t know, maybe the adventures of ‘Nny would have lasted longer then.

You have to see Invader Zim to grasp its jaw-dropping awesome evilness. Or you just might not get it. Imagine a series without a single likeable character-- and for a change it's entirely intentional. Well, maybe Gir is likeable...

The Irkan Fleet is planning to invade the galaxy! In order to ensure their success, the Almighty Tallest (height=social stature among Irkans) send Zim...out of the way. To an unknown, unwanted planet. Earth, in fact. The megalomaniacal incompetent Zim is certain that he has been given a plum assignment, and that the single-handed conquest of Earth is one brilliant plan away.

The evil Zim has been issued a mostly-defective insane robot named Gir. ("It's not stupid! It's...advanced!") Opposing Zim is obnoxious Mulder-wanna-be, Dib. He's the kind of kid who gets beat up for being a twit, and you can't feel sorry for him because he's just SUCH a twit. And he has a psychotically angry, scary, video-game-addict goth sister named Gaz.

Sounds horrible, but the combination is so over-the-top that it's hysterical. Gir is...somehow...stunningly cute and funny. Gaz is a terrific character. Zim and Dib happily make each other (and themselves) miserable. And you just can't wait to see what happens next. The show's total unpredictability is one of its strengths.

One episode, for example. Gir is watching a War-of-the-Worlds-type movie, where the aliens are destroyed by germs. Zim sneers at the idea, but is worried anough to consult his computer. He learns that germs ARE dangerous, and signs up for a free trial of a pair of goggles that allow him to see germs (as a sort of lumpy green slime.) Of course, germs are everywhere. Soon Zim has his feet wrapped in boxes, wears rubber gloves and a shower cap, and carries an array of bottles of spray disinfectant to compulsively fight off the hordes of horrifying bacteria. Until he finds the one germ-free material on the planet.

The show has its own visual style--colors are muted and...well...pukey. There's a lot of dark magenta, blood red and pea green. Bold lines with a lot of geometry. Square eyes. And the cinematography is parodied directly form horror movies.

Nickolodeon apparently approached Jhonen Vasquez--creator of the underground comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac--with the idea of doing a series. While Vasquez had to tone down his stuff considerably for kids' TV, Nick apparently cancelled the show before the third season aired, because it was pulling in an audience older than the station's chosen demographic. Small wonder. Sensitive people will probably find this show to be too much...and I have to add, I think they snuck a few things past the censors as well.

Contains sick humor, gross humor, silly humor, warped humor, and kinds of humor that do not yet have a name. If Bambi is your idea of a good time, avoid this show. You need edges to appreciate Zim.