For nerds of a certain age, the character of Space Ghost is cemented into our pop culture consciousness thanks to Cartoon Network’s hilariously off-beat – but fantastic – Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, which ran for over 100 episodes in the 90s.

(It’s worth noting that that show is currently streaming on HBO Max.)

But long before he hosted his own late-night talk show, Space Ghost was a legitimate – though perhaps overly serious – superhero with invisibility power and an amazing rogue’s gallery of villains.

Premiering in 1966, designed by the legendary Alex Toth, and voiced by the incomparable Gary Owens, Space Ghost fought intergalactic villains while partnered with (the questionably helpful) teenage twins Jan and Jace and… a monkey named Blip.

The original show, Space Ghost & Dino Boy, had half-hour episodes composed of three shorts. For the most part, these included two Space Ghost segments and one of Dino Boy in the Lost Valley (each about 6 or 7 minutes long). All told, there were 42 Space Ghost and 18 Dino Boy episodes that would enjoy syndication and reruns through the 1970s.

The new Blu-ray release from Warner Archive (a reissue of their 2007 DVD set) brings the entire series home in gorgeous 1080 HD quality.

If you’re familiar with the irreverent Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, then you’re already familiar with the villains Brak and Zorak. However, whereas Coast to Coast used them mostly as comedy relief, they were originally straight-up baddies. And though they were recurring villains, they were far from Space Ghost’s only foils.

Space Ghost – and Dino Boy, for that matter, which was also created by Alex Toth – features some absolutely incredible character designs. Truly, Hanna-Barbera in the late 60s and early 70s was working some kind of magic in that regard. Between this and shows such as Super Friends, Jonny Quest, and Wacky Races, Hanna-Barbera was in a golden age.

Voicewise, both shows are a goldmine. On top of Gary Owens, the cast features Ginny Tyler as Jan (Tyler was named a Disney Legend in 2006 for her role as one of the Disneyland Storytellers on countless story records); Tim Matheson as Jace (also the voice of Jonny Quest); Don Messick in various roles, including Zorak (Messick was the original Scooby-Doo, Astro, Muttley, Dr. Quest, Papa Smurf, and so many more); Ted Cassidy (Lurch on The Addams Family); Paul Frees (the original Boris Badenov and the one and only Ghost Host from Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction), and Keye Luke (one of the few Chinese Americans working in the industry at the time).

Storywise, the show holds up about as well as any other Hanna-Barbera show from the era. It lays the cheese on thick, and – with episodes only about 6 minutes long – conflicts are resolved really quickly. Episodes also tend to follow a similar format: Jan and Jace land in trouble or Blip follows his little mischievous heart and lands them all in trouble… and Space Ghost does the hero bit to save the day. In other words, don’t take it too seriously.

For its part, Dino Boy feels akin to Jonny Quest, which is A-OK in my book. In place of Race Bannon and Bandit, though, are Ugh the cave man and Bronty (a small Brontosaurus). Episodes are usually a fish-out-of-water tale about modern-day Todd/Dino Boy getting into trouble with some kind of prehistoric creature and Ugh saving him.

Nevertheless, both shows are fun artifacts of 60s animation. Space Ghost, especially, is interesting for the fact that the character practically disappeared for decades before coming back in an entirely different form.

The new two-disc Blu-ray release from Warner Archive includes all 20 episodes (60 segments) and the feature-length documentary Simplicity: The Life and Art of Alex Toth (which originally appeared on the 2007 DVD release).