imwitted twins Hank and Dean Venture (Sinterniklaas and McCulloch) can't seem to stay out of trouble as they travel around the world and beyond with their workaholic father, Dr. Venture (Urbaniak); their bodyguard, Brock Samson (Warburton); and the family robot, H.E.L.P.eR. What the boys really want is a little attention from their busy and drug-addicted father. However, Dr. Venture is much too preoccupied inventing things no one really needs and being haunted by the ghost of his famous scientist father to pay much attention to his sons. Luckily, Brock, who likes to kill people almost as much as he likes to have sex with most of the women he meets, is usually there to rescue the boys when they get in trouble with a varied assortment of super and non-super villains.
In "Dia de los Dangerous!" Dr. Venture is guest-lecturing at a college in Tijuana, Mexico, when the boys are kidnapped by the Monarch. Even though Brock is nearly killed in the attack, Dr. Venture has his own problems, which go beyond scoring quality drugs from a Tijuana doctor. When his kidneys are stolen, finding the boys becomes a priority. He needs a new kidney, after all.
In "Careers in Science," Dr. Venture returns to an orbiting space station his father built to repair a malfunction, with the boys, Brock and H.E.L.P.eR. in tow. The boys begin to suspect a phantom is haunting the station, and they come to believe it might be trying to kill their father. Meanwhile, Brock finds himself in the middle of the two station officers' rocky romantic relationship.
In "Eeney, Meeney, Miney, Magic," Dr. Venture learns more about his strange new neighbor, Dr. Orpheus, while Dean learns the doctor has a teenage daughter. When one of Dr. Venture's inventions traps Brock and the boys inside to enjoy every fantasy they've ever had, the two doctors must put their heads together to save them.
Amusing, silly and very adult
The Cartoon Network's new toon, The Venture Brothers, is a perfect fit for its Adult Swim block of programming. It's amusing, silly and very adult in subject matter. And while Dr. Venture, the brothers and villains, like the Monarch and his girlfriend, Dr. Girlfriend, are an entertaining bunch, the real reason to watch this new animated series is Patrick Warburton's character, Brock Samson.
Ever since Warburton played The Tick, each new role he's taken on makes it easy to remember how very good he is. His voice perfectly embodies Brock, the mysterious hulking ladies' man and killer who protects the family with vicious effectiveness.
As for the storytelling, The Venture Brothers is as goofy as the two brothers it's named for, if not as innocent. Much of the action is dictated by Dr. Venture, a cynical man and a sorry excuse for a father. He is addicted to "diet pills" and regularly thinks about himself above all others—that is, when he isn't having visions of his late father.
The best of the three episodes up for review is "Dia de los Dangerous!", which offers a good introduction to the characters and the world they live in. The Monarch, a character who was raised in the wild by monarch butterflies, is a terrific first villain to pit against the Venture gang. We get a good sense of each character, except for the twins. Hank and Dean are indistinguishable. Together they make one good character.
There are no real negatives to report. The animation is well done, the characters are unique, and despite the occasional good laugh, the series mostly fits in the fairly amusing category. With familiarity, The Venture Brothers will most likely become funnier. And if not, Patrick Warburton and Brock are well worth a few moments spent to check out this new series.
