I first encounteredRoger Ramjeton a Chicago public access station in 1983.
It was part of an early morning show apparently aimed at stoner insomniacs.
Always did love thatLancelot Link.
ButRoger Ramjetwas, well, lets just say it was a revelation.
to preserve the American Way of Life.
After catching one or two episodes, I forgot all aboutLancelot Link.
Along with the lo-fi stylistics, the humor was clearly aimed at an adult audience while pretending otherwise.
Or Ill see to it that all you little rascals are drafted.).
Bullwinkleaired from 59 to 64.Roger Ramjetcame along a year later and Jay Wards influence is undeniable.
Brassbottom, a no nonsense military man who hadnt had an original idea since he was a civilian.
Thats one little detail more than a few casual viewers have taken umbrage with.
(the National Association of Spies, Traitors, and Yahoos).
Then there are the adventures themselves.
Some seem standard superhero fare, but only to a point.
Earth is besieged by flying saucer attacks (sort of).
Rogers hometown is terrorized by a werewolf (sort of).
After Brassbottom shows Roger a few examples (the issues include Superman Gets Beat Up by a Chicken!
and Ratman Stubs His Toe!)
Thirty years on and that still sticks with me.
In the end, though, the characters and storylines are secondary at best inRoger Ramjet.
), that absurd as it all is, repeated viewings are a necessity to catch everything.
Its a bit like having the complete contents of an issue ofMAD Magazinejammed onto a single page.
It can make your head hurt after a while, but its worth it.
Lots of bright colors, though.
In 1965 there was nothing new about making cartoons with adult sensibilities in mind.
Betty Boop and Bugs Bunny were made to be shown as short subjects to largely adult audiences.
This article first ran on February 18, 2015.
