Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by comic book writer and cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the titular character (voiced by Richard Horvitz), an extraterrestrial from the planet Irk. His mission is to conquer Earth and enslave the human race along with his malfunctioning robot servant GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons). However, Zim is antagonized by Dib Membrane (Andy Berman), a young paranormal investigator who is determined to stop Zim from succeeding. Nickelodeon contacted Vasquez about pitching ideas for an animated series for their older demographic, and Invader Zim was the first thing he pitched. In Vasquez's words, "it went from pitch to series without hardly any waiting". As the series went on, ratings declined and budgetary issues became more frequent. Before the second season was completed, Nickelodeon canceled the series, leaving several episodes unfinished. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2001 to 2002, with six of the completed second-season episodes initially going unreleased. These episodes were first released on DVD in 2004 and later debuted on the Nicktoons Network in 2006. Invader Zim received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with praise primarily directed at its humor, writing, animation, art style, and the way it pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on children's television. In the years since its cancellation, Invader Zim has often been listed among Nickelodeon's best shows. The series won an Annie Award, an Emmy Award and a World Animation Celebration Award, as well as receiving nominations for seven additional Annie Awards and a pair of Golden Reel Awards. Invader Zim has spawned its own fan convention called InvaderCON and a plethora of official merchandise, including video games, toys, clothing and accessories, among many other products. Despite its early cancelation and short run, due to increasing popularity and above-average merchandise sales it has been widely regarded as a cult classic. A monthly comic book series of the same name was released on July 8, 2015, as a continuation of the television series and published by Oni Press until August 4, 2021. A film based on the television and comic series, titled Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, premiered on Netflix on August 16, 2019.
Plot The series centers on Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz), a member of the extraterrestrial Irken species and the Irken Empire from the planet Irk. The empire's goal is universal conquest, and its social hierarchy is based solely on physical height. The empire's leader is called The Almighty Tallest, though throughout the series the position is jointly held by a pair of equally tall individuals, one color-coded red (Wally Wingert) and the other purple (Kevin McDonald). Though he serves the empire faithfully, Zim is, in fact, an oblivious outcast due to his delusions, short stature, overzealousness, egocentrism, and megalomania. An absent-minded Zim nearly destroyed Irk and the Irkens during the empire's first invasion, Operation Impending Doom I, prior to the beginning of the series. He was exiled to the Irken food court planet, Foodcourtia, although he failed to recognize the reason for his banishment. After learning that Operation Impending Doom II was being planned, Zim unilaterally "quits being banished" to attend the Great Assigning on the convention center planet Conventia. At the Great Assigning, the Tallest appoint Irkens as Invaders, advance scouts tasked with infiltrating and preparing target planets for conquest by the Irken Armada. Zim successfully pleads to be made an Invader and receives a "secret mission" intended to prevent interference with the invasion; the target "mystery planet" lies on the outskirts of the known universe and has not been confirmed to exist. He is issued GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons), an ineffective, malfunctioning, and erratic Standard Issue Information Retrieval (SIR) unit hastily made from spare parts found in a trash can.
After a six-month journey across the universe, Zim arrives at the "mystery planet", which turns out to be a dark, dystopian and satirical version of Earth with rampant mindless consumerism. A delighted Zim quickly goes to work and sets up his base in a random suburb; The Tallest are dismayed by his success. The short-statured Zim disguises himself as a human child with a green complexion (which he claims is caused by a "skin condition"). The show follows his attempts to conduct espionage by attending a local school (spelled "Skool") and planning to conquer and enslave the world at his base. Opposing Zim is his classmate Dib Membrane (Andy Berman), a paranoid young paranormal investigator who is obsessed with the paranormal and supernatural and the only human (besides his sister) who sees through Zim's disguise. Dib is determined to expose and thwart Zim, despite the hostility and mockery he receives from his oblivious peers for doing so. Supporting characters include Dib's cynical and apathetic sister, Gaz (Melissa Fahn); Zim and Dib's demonic teacher, Ms. Bitters (Lucille Bliss); and Dib and Gaz's famous, but neglectful, father, Professor Membrane (Rodger Bumpass). Later in the series, other alien characters begin to appear, including Tak (Olivia d'Abo), a fellow Irken seeking revenge against Zim; Lard Nar (Fred Tatasciore), the leader of a resistance group called The Resisty who wants to overthrow the Irken Empire; and Sizz-Lorr (Jim Wise), Zim's former employer from Foodcourtia who attempts to recapture him.
Characters
Main characters
Zim Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz, Billy West in the pilot and Melissa Fahn as a newborn in his flashback of "Parent-Teacher Night") is an incompetent Irken who dreams of regaining his leaders' trust by taking part in Operation Impending Doom II. Zim is assigned as an "invader" to Earth, a planet which the Almighty Tallest believe has little to no chance of existing. Against all odds, Zim makes it to Earth and establishes a base on a fake conquest mission. Zim disguises himself as a human using a toupée to cover his antennae and contact lenses to make his eyes look normal. Zim is equipped with a PAK, a cybernetic backpack-like device with life support and (among other gadgets) retractable appendages resembling legs that enable him to move about quickly and climb almost any obstacle.
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