#and I thought the funniest episode was mortos der soulstealer

[x-unnamedgraves-x]

this weekend I reread jthm for the first time since I was a baby and one of my neofriends was like "you should read this comic I can't say the name of it on neo but just look up jthm and you should be able to find it"

I did find it! its what I got from jhonen vazquez as a kid cause I didn't have cable lol. it was neat to reread. there were plenty of pages where I remember marveling at the art of them and wow how did he made this traditionally and make it perfectly symmetrical?? and one random demon design that I stole for a neopet snlkds

there are some issues in it (like watch out for some of johnny's murder fodder throwing out the f and r slurs) but reading it again as an adult w/ more brains and more context for what the comic is supposed to be and seeing jhonen grow up to make more heartfelt stuff was really neat. there were parts in it where I definitely saw some of the ways I thought as a kid showing up like huh! u think ur all alone in thinking stuff as a kid but actually its common enough to end up in a comic where a dude blows up a cafe cause some dudes outside picked on him haha

I would def recommend reading jthm if you're interested in the art style or the like ~cultural impact~ of it. its funny but also p bleak for the most of it and full of murderalizing and walls of text lol. its actually only 7 chapters long, I just took foreverrr to read it but was like OKAY. I NEED to finish this after staring up at the ceiling not able to go to sleep because of the horrors I saw when scrolling through the next pages really fast (only to actually read them and its just joaks)

next I'm reading "I feel sick" which is even shorter and centers on one of the surviving characters from jthm and her mental problems from what happened to her and working as a professional artist. its also colored by the voice actor of gir ? and ok as much as I loved the first series as a kid it was SO refreshing to see these more streamlined and colorful panels

then I end the comic run and tackle the beast once again: zim

[little-miss-ghostess]

I ranked all of Invader Zim's episodes + movie (because why not?)

So recently I decided -- very spontaneously -- to binge all of Invader Zim. The show, that is, not the comics (although I do need to do that at some point). I hadn't seen Enter the Florpus since it released in 2019, and I hadn't watched the show in a longer time than that, and since I'm a stressed out little gremlin I just kinda went "Hey, why not?"

And it was a good time! I see more flaws with the show than I did as a kid/teen, but I still enjoyed it. I think this was the only show I saw as a kid in its entirety cause in every episode there was SOMETHING I remembered, and it was also a lot of fun to see Florpus right after seeing the show since it meant I could directly compare them.

Partway through this binge project I decided, "I wanna do a ranking of these episodes, that seems fun." I was originally going to do it on a tierlist, but then once I made this blog I decided it would be more fun for me to just dump it here instead in a list format and with some short thoughts of mine on each episode.

From worst to best:

Rise of Zitboy (Ep.9B)

The concept for this one wasn't really great to begin with, and the execution wasn't much greater. It's basically just an extended gross-out joke, and it wasn't a funny one imo.

Career Day (Ep.6A)

A great concept for an episode I feel wasn't executed the greatest. I laughed a couple times, but it was too gross-out focused for my liking.

Gaz: Taster of Pork (Ep.26)

Felt like a regular episode forcefully extended into a double-length special.

Voting of the Doomed (Ep.25B)

Like Career Day, this had a great concept but eh execution. I think this is considered the worst episode by fans? I don't agree with that entirely, but it is weak.

Door to Door (Ep.14A)

I remembered this episode being one of my favorites as a kid, and it's still alright, but not as good as I remembered.

The Sad, Sad Tale of Chickenfoot (Ep.16B)

I remembered this episode being not great as a kid, but it was better than I expected.

A Room With a Moose (Ep.7A)

Dib should've let those kids face the moose tbh.

Future Dib (Ep.13B)

Good concept, decent execution. If it was given another rewrite it could've been great.

Walk of Doom (Ep.2B)

AKA the favorite episode of everyone making Gir line compilations on YouTube in the early 2010s.

Lice (Episode 17B)

Dib seemed weirdly out of character in this one and Zim probably should've gotten more play, but it was still enjoyable.

Abducted (Ep.16A)

I'll never forget you, weird blob creature.

Mysterious Mysteries (Ep.13A)

I find the implication that Zim actually accepted an invite to appear on a human TV show funnier than I should.

Hamstergeddon (Ep.7B)

The only reason Zim failed is because he tried this plan on a hamster. If he tried it on a DOG then he would've won, easily. Dogs listen to you, hamsters only seek to cause mayhem.

Battle Dib (Ep.6B)

Considering how little his dad was around at this point, it's amazing Dib knew as much about him as he did.

The Wettening (Ep.5B)

One of Zim's most effective plans, and it was just to get back at Dib for splashing him with a puddle. Incredible.

Bestest Friend (Ep.3A)

Keef scares me.

Parent Teacher Night (Ep.2A)

Has probably the single funniest Zim shriek in the whole show.

Bolognius Maximus (Ep.11A)

I've seen some weird stuff in cartoons, but I'm not sure anything can top "Turning my enemy into sentient bolognea to defeat them."

Battle of the Planets of Doom (Ep.15)

Pretty good episode, and it reminded me that the "Face on Mars" is a real thing.

The Girl Who Cried Gnome (Ep.24A)

Moofy's screaming can get to be a bit much, but otherwise this was a stupid episode in a fun way.

Mortos Der Soulstealer (Ep.23A)

Shoutouts to Dib who was so focused on stopping Zim he didn't even consider trying to show off Mortos to prove demons are real. Kid has a helluva one-track mind and I relate.

Vindicated! (Ep.25A)

More like Mr. Dicky. Got'em.

Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain (Ep.8A)

All things considered, it's incredible that Zim had the patience to stand Gir piloting the house for a full year.

Bloaty’s Pizza Hog (Ep.10B)

It's a good thing Zim never targeted Bloaty's at all. Gaz would've ended the whole show in 10 minutes if he did.

Gir Goes Crazy and Stuff (Ep.19A)

I keep thinking this episode is called "Gir's Gone Crazy and Stuff" which lead to two of my friends misreading it as "Girls Gone Crazy." Oops.

Germs (Ep.4A)

Zim being a clean-freak is the funniest character trait he's ever been given. I will not be taking in outside input.

FBI Warning (Ep.14B)

This episode made me afraid of renting things as a kid.

Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars (Ep.22)

The scene between Zim and Dib when Zim realizes Dib is in Tak's ship is the funniest interaction in the whole show, both performance and animation-wise.

Dibship Rising (Ep.24B)

Dib faced less consequences for a robot him wreaking havoc than he did when he threw a cup of punch on the ground

Dib’s Wonderful Life of Doom (Ep.19B)

And the award for the Most Hilariously Petty Act goes to.....Zim!

Hobo 13 (Ep.20A)

I can't believe Skoodge was voiced by Ted Raimi.

The Frycook What Came From All That Space (Ep.27)

It's unfortunate that the show was cancelled, but this wasn't a terrible episode to end things on all things considered. Almost made things feel like they came full circle...almost.

Game Slave 2 (Ep.11B)

At the time, this probably came off as Gaz being unnecessarily cruel. Nowadays, Iggins would fit right alongside the other Gamers™ so I can say with certainty that he deserved it.

Dark Harvest (Ep.4B)

...Ok yeah, I'll give this one to the parents of the 2000s. I have no idea how this episode got greenlit.

Walk For Your Lives (Ep.20B)

This is Zim at his absolute stupidest. It's a riot.

Plague of Babies (Ep.10A)

Ayo what the fuck

Nanozim (Ep.3B)

na-no

Megadoomer (Ep.17A)

This is the most cooperative Gir has been short of being hypnotized. Wow.

Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom (Ep.12)

Honestly, Zim and Dib need to put aside their differences for like a month and get some damn therapy.

Zim Eats Waffles (Ep.23B)

This episode is stupid. So, so stupid. It's also incredibly funny and is the first episode that comes to my mind when I think of Invader Zim.

Attack of the Saucer Morons (Ep.5A)

I like this one a lot. Why?...I dunno I just do, it's funny. Leave me alone.

The Nightmare Begins (Ep.1)

The crew really hit the ground running with this show, huh?

Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy (Ep.8B)

Real talk, this was a great balance of humor and genuinely telling an interesting Zim story.

Planet Jackers (Ep.9A)

I love that Zim's final plan was just to let himself get the shit beaten out of him to distract the drivers from his ship. Zim may be dumb, but he's smart dumb.

The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever (Ep.21)

Can we get Jhonen to write more Christmas specials?

Tak: The Hideous New Girl (Ep.18)

Easily the best episode of the original show imo. It's just really well-written, even if it does take a little longer than you'd expect to get to the real meat of the episode. Also, I probably quote "Your head smells like a puppy!" the most out of any Invader Zim line. No I will not elaborate.

Enter the Florpus

Everything that made the original show great but in HD and with some genuine heart to it. I do prefer the original designs from the show itself (sharp angles for LIFE) but the coloring here is just so pretty I hardly mind. If this is the last animated Zim thing we ever get, it's a great note to end things on.