So did I, and I arrived at the same conclusion. It was a strange feeling to have something that was once burned into my brain sent back through it after so long. In a way, it felt like flipping through an old photo album from childhood. In terms of the episodes that explored the setting a bit more, yes, the show definitely had the potential to become something greater than it was. It has been suggested it was gradually heading in that direction pre-cancellation, but the almost entirely comedic tone of the comics lines up with Jhonen's well-known distaste for taking anything seriously.
>Jhonen Vasquez and his consequences have been a disaster for the human race
Seriously, I love Invader Zim and would have loved to have more of it, but this fricking show spawned Big Viv and all the autistic fanmade projects continuing the story.
What the frick was up with Mortos der Soulstealer? It was like it reached an ending (where Dib has his soul stolen) but then they realized the cartoon was several minutes too short and so they just backpeddled on everything.
With most toons, I can at least see WHY the fanbase acts the way it does just based on the content.
Steven Universe, Owl House, Nu-Ra, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss etc all have fanbases that are fairly predictable in terms of what the actual show has to offer.
With Zim though there's nothing, no real 2edgy4u, no queerbaiting, no idpol pandering, nothing. So to answer your question OP, I have no fricking idea.
homie there were girls who got wet in the pants when they found out there was an ep supposed to feature baby eating. Every alt white and Hispanic girl in middle school had something zim related and often tried to larp as Gaz. It didnt have all that fluff shit like now, but it probably would have if made in the modern age. You'd get some shit how Zim speaks like a male but is technically genderless or that the Tallest are actually just gruff sounding women.
>homie there were girls who got wet in the pants when they found out there was an ep supposed to feature baby eating.
That's true, I guess for me personally, the edgy stuff in Invader Zim was so cartoony and over-the-top played that it never stuck to me as something to be taken aback by, in say, the same way South Park or Courage the Cowardly Dog do edge.
Maybe not edgy, but there are definitely more memorable horror/fricked up moments from it.
I can still recall that "return the slab" scene in my mind perfectly to this day, despite the fact that I haven't watched the show in over a decade.
Ok yeah ill give you that. Courage had more shock value moments, but imo Zim had a more edgier vibe to it. Courage seemed like for ppl who was into legit horror and not larping for a school image like invader zim created.
Jhonen Vasquez creates content which appeals to who he was as a teenager. If you've seen any of his work from that time period you know what I mean: it's that sort of random lol XD, edgy, early 2000s internet humor that exists perpetually on Tumblr.
That isn't to say that the content he creates which appeals to that sensibility is bad, far from it, the way he does it is generally quite funny, and his style and general way of doing things is very unique, but the faux psychotic over the top energy can become very grating.
That said, the faux psychotic energy is generally what appeals to young people, especially to young artists, who are well known for being the largest subset of the population to actively create cringe. Jhonen Vasquez grew up and learned to turn the cringe he made as a teen into something presentable, and now he's known for creating bizarre shit that appeals to pickme alt girls.
Rebecca Sugar wrote a foreword about it creating a home for quirky, different people like herself in the artbook. It was fricking weird and crazy and dark and got greenlit for fricking Nickelodeon, so an entire generation of young women saw it and turned it into their personality for at least a few years.
Edgy teenagers loved it
I loved it.
It had some cringy parts that tweens focused on to the exclusion of everything else.
GIR isn't actually in it all that much.
because it was cringe
frickin shrill edgy garbage
It's a good show that spazzy teenagers latched onto.
Dumb frogposter
I recently re-watched it for the first time in many years. I think I like the sci-fi adventure episodes better than the comedy ones.
So did I, and I arrived at the same conclusion. It was a strange feeling to have something that was once burned into my brain sent back through it after so long. In a way, it felt like flipping through an old photo album from childhood. In terms of the episodes that explored the setting a bit more, yes, the show definitely had the potential to become something greater than it was. It has been suggested it was gradually heading in that direction pre-cancellation, but the almost entirely comedic tone of the comics lines up with Jhonen's well-known distaste for taking anything seriously.
>Jhonen Vasquez and his consequences have been a disaster for the human race
Seriously, I love Invader Zim and would have loved to have more of it, but this fricking show spawned Big Viv and all the autistic fanmade projects continuing the story.
Reminds me of Scott pilgrim (the comic and movie)
In terms of its affect on pop culture
Ccuuttee stuff
Because le quirky and le different.
I wish I could meet these "other girls" 90% of women speak of
Do you meet any girls or just strawmans of them on the internet?
What the frick was up with Mortos der Soulstealer? It was like it reached an ending (where Dib has his soul stolen) but then they realized the cartoon was several minutes too short and so they just backpeddled on everything.
Teens are cringe no matter what. Whatever they like, they cringeify. It's the way of life.
Everything popular produces cringe.
With most toons, I can at least see WHY the fanbase acts the way it does just based on the content.
Steven Universe, Owl House, Nu-Ra, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss etc all have fanbases that are fairly predictable in terms of what the actual show has to offer.
With Zim though there's nothing, no real 2edgy4u, no queerbaiting, no idpol pandering, nothing. So to answer your question OP, I have no fricking idea.
>With Zim though there's nothing, no real 2edgy4u
homie there were girls who got wet in the pants when they found out there was an ep supposed to feature baby eating. Every alt white and Hispanic girl in middle school had something zim related and often tried to larp as Gaz. It didnt have all that fluff shit like now, but it probably would have if made in the modern age. You'd get some shit how Zim speaks like a male but is technically genderless or that the Tallest are actually just gruff sounding women.
>homie there were girls who got wet in the pants when they found out there was an ep supposed to feature baby eating.
That's true, I guess for me personally, the edgy stuff in Invader Zim was so cartoony and over-the-top played that it never stuck to me as something to be taken aback by, in say, the same way South Park or Courage the Cowardly Dog do edge.
>Courage more edgy than Zim
Thats a bold take Cotton.
Maybe not edgy, but there are definitely more memorable horror/fricked up moments from it.
I can still recall that "return the slab" scene in my mind perfectly to this day, despite the fact that I haven't watched the show in over a decade.
Ok yeah ill give you that. Courage had more shock value moments, but imo Zim had a more edgier vibe to it. Courage seemed like for ppl who was into legit horror and not larping for a school image like invader zim created.
It came out in peak edgelord time. It was a cash cow for alt stores like Hot Topic and Spencers.
Jhonen Vasquez creates content which appeals to who he was as a teenager. If you've seen any of his work from that time period you know what I mean: it's that sort of random lol XD, edgy, early 2000s internet humor that exists perpetually on Tumblr.
That isn't to say that the content he creates which appeals to that sensibility is bad, far from it, the way he does it is generally quite funny, and his style and general way of doing things is very unique, but the faux psychotic over the top energy can become very grating.
That said, the faux psychotic energy is generally what appeals to young people, especially to young artists, who are well known for being the largest subset of the population to actively create cringe. Jhonen Vasquez grew up and learned to turn the cringe he made as a teen into something presentable, and now he's known for creating bizarre shit that appeals to pickme alt girls.
Rebecca Sugar wrote a foreword about it creating a home for quirky, different people like herself in the artbook. It was fricking weird and crazy and dark and got greenlit for fricking Nickelodeon, so an entire generation of young women saw it and turned it into their personality for at least a few years.
It was the early 2000's anon everything was frickin cringe.
WAFFLES!