The Brak Show
Volume-One DVD

Space Ghost's sidekick goes out on his own as your average adolescent, suburban, ex-pirate space cat

	The Brak Show Volume-One DVD
	Voiced by Andy Merrill, Marsha Crenshaw, C. Martin Croker and George Lowe
	Written by Jim Fortier, Andy Merrill and Pete Smith
	Warner Home Video
	Two-disc set
	MSRP: $29.98

By Paul Di Filippo

n a typical suburban block lives a young being known as Brak. With his humanoid body and stylized masked tiger's head, Brak would stand out in any crowd. But his uniquely strangulated, see-sawing voice ensures that he will leap to prominence anytime he speaks. Or sings. And Brak loves to sing, doing so frequently. Absurd odes and ditties prompted by almost any circumstance.

Being immature, Brak of course lives with his mom and dad. Mom resembles Brak, save for lacking fangs. Dad is a shrunken adult who appears to have wandered over from the Mark Trail comic strip, and who speaks in a Latin lover-boy accent. And then, of course, there's the neighbor, Thundercleese, a kind of Transformers-style killing robot. Last but certainly not negligible, especially in his own opinion, is Zorak, the evil praying-mantis alien familiar as Space Ghost's musical bandleader. Brak, too, was a frequent visitor to Space Ghost's own show before receiving this vehicle of his own, in which his adventures parody standard sitcom fare.

In "Goldfish," Brak is assigned the task of caring for Mr. Tickles, Thundercleese's finny pal. But an unfortunate overdose of ham omelette results in the tragic death of Mr. Tickles. Zorak coughs up a literal entity from his throat in "War Next Door," acquires a beautiful singing voice, and goes on to a brilliant career—until his thieving manager makes off with all the dough. "Time Machine" postulates that the easiest solution to undone homework is to rearrange the past. But what if this results in the inadvertent cancellation of Brak's favorite restaurant, Fishpockets? And in "Hippo" Brak must give up childish ways and cease being a "doll-talker" if he wants to retain Zorak's friendship.

The school sports mascot known as "Bawkbagawk" lends his name to the episode in which Brak learns the folly of trying to appear cool by stealing. Brak's mom becomes the center of attention from a suave alien named Mobab in the episode named after that Lothario, eventually deserting her family and launching Brak on a rescue mission. Poor Thundercleese! When "Expiration Day" hits, all his firepower is deactivated—and just when a killer asteroid is on an intersection course with Earth! Brak's favorite TV show, "Señor Science," is in deep trouble, and only by mounting a charity show can Brak save the day, according to the plot of "Psychoklahoma."

Brak's Dad prides himself on his ability to outstare any opponent. He certainly humbles his son, in a rather mean fashion. Zorak fares no better. But then arrives the character known only as "The Eye." Brak had a grandfather? Who knew? The dead old man makes an appearance in "Poppy," just in time to teach his grandson all about courting the fair sex. Zorak has a great business going in "Bully," enforcing beatings on a rigid schedule. But when new kid Butchy Tuffington comes to town, only Brak's mom can save Zorak's miserable hide.

Brak does not wish to dissect his pet clam Luther in "Mother, Did You Move My Chair?" Luckily, any bloodshed is avoided. Reformed planet-eating alien Galrog is running roughshod over the suburb as president of the neighborhood association. Perhaps "President Dad" can stage a coup. Lastly, Zorak falls for a visiting alien known only as "Pepper," but is spurned in the end—just as well, for Pepper was a guy!

A theme song to remember forever

As a spinoff from the Space Ghost franchise, this series might have played it safe and replicated some version of the original show, casting Brak perhaps as some kind of talk show host or other media figure. Certainly, whatever starring role the producers (Keith Crofford and Mike Lazzo) settled on, they would, one assumes, have left Brak as an adult. But instead, the creators exhibited a bucketful of ingenuity and wit by repositioning Brak as a juvenile, making Zorak his equally adolescent friend, and creating the parental figures as foils. This smart reconfiguring of what was already an appealingly off-kilter character opens up an infinite assortment of narrative scenarios.

You can see the incipient traits of early Brak that must have inspired the creators, by viewing the "Extras" segments on disc two that showcase Brak playing off Space Ghost and also acting as anchor-cat on "Adult Swim News." Brak's simple-minded joie de vivre, his delight in carrying a tune, his penchant for kindergarten humor—these Pee-Wee Herman traits are all a little puzzling in an adult. And, in fact, one old segment attempts to explain Brak's reduced mentality by reference to a space accident that left him brain-damaged. But all these characteristics seem more natural to, say, a 12-year-old, and casting Brak in that role makes everything else flow more naturally.

Now we can see Brak as Dennis the Menace (Thundercleese being Mr. Wilson) or "the Beav" (Zorak being Eddie Haskell, always hitting on Brak's mom). As such, his clumsiness, innocence and primal emotions ring truer. These qualities are bolstered by the show's taut, fast writing and quirky twists on standard sitcom plots. While nothing ever gets as far out as Sealab or ATHF, the laughs flow pretty plentifully.

The voice work is exemplary as well. Merrill produces a grating yet pitiful Jerry Lewis squawk for Brak; Lowe is pure Ricardo Montalban as Dad; Crenshaw makes Mom half sexy, half dictatorial; and Croker continues his rancid, raunchy, raging ways as Zorak. The ensemble plays well together, especially Zorak and Brak.

Special credit must go to musical director Eddie Horst, who assembles a wide range of musical styles—Broadway show tunes, C&W, rap, funk, bossa nova, Disney ballads—that carries the show along on a blithe current of whimsy.