Color me impressed. By the time the animated sci-fi Western, “Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers” made its debut in America’s syndicated markets in 1986, yours truly was a senior in high school who only allowed himself one specific cartoon vice: shows based on Marvel and DC properties. As such, this series totally and utterly passed me by during its initial run, and it stayed off my radar for the subsequent 22 years. Now that Koch Vision has taken it upon themselves to begin a DVD reissue of the show, I’ve been given the opportunity to investigate that which I missed the first time around, and…wow. With a Japanimation style immediately reminiscent of other classic ’80s series like “Battle of the Planets” and “Star Blazers” (to use my own personal frames of reference), “Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers” features the late, great Jerry Orbach as the voice of Zachary Foxx, captain of the so-called “series 5 Rangers,” leading a team on behalf of the Bureau for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs as they defend humanity’s new space outposts from the less savory aliens of the galaxy. This is not one of those cheap, “design the toy first, figure out the cartoon later” shows; it’s a full-fledged sci-fi epic, with gorgeous designs and intricate story arcs, presented here in the order that they were intended. In other words, it’s not designed for stupid kids (although, granted, there’s some silly stuff), but it will prove fascinating to those who enjoy both quality sci-fi and quality animation. There are a bunch of special features, including the original pilot / demo reel, interviews and commentary with creator Robert Mandell, and more. The best part, though? This is only Volume 1. (Vol. 2 is due out in August.)
Click to buy “Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: The Collection, Vol. 1”
