A darkly comedic sci-fi satire that plunges a megalomaniacal yet inept alien into the grotesque machinery of a dystopian human society, sparking a chaotic, neon-drenched fever dream.
Invader ZIM
"Bow down and prepare for DOOM!"
Cast:
Richard Steven Horvitz, Andy Berman, Rosearik Rikki Simons, Melissa Fahn, Lucille Bliss
Animation
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Comedy
Kids
Invader ZIM - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
In many episodes, characters from Jhonen Vasquez's other comics appear. Dib wears a shirt with the face from "Squee!", and characters resembling Johnny from "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" can be spotted in crowd scenes.
These are nods to Vasquez's darker, pre-Zim work, which was the reason Nickelodeon approached him in the first place. They serve as inside jokes for fans of his comics.
Jhonen Vasquez and other crew members, like director Steve Ressel, make animated cameo appearances as background characters throughout the series.
A common practice for animation crews, these cameos are fun details for sharp-eyed fans to spot. Vasquez can be seen as one of the potential human disguises Zim rejects as "too ugly" in the first episode.
In the episode "Gaz, Taster of Pork," Gaz tells the Shadowhog the famous Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start) to get unlimited lives in a video game.
This is a classic reference to old-school video game culture, fitting for Gaz's character as an obsessive gamer.
In the episode "The Wettening," a background character can be seen wearing a shirt that says "Z?", which was a recurring symbol in Vasquez's comic "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac."
Another direct reference to Vasquez's earlier comics, connecting the universes of his creations for longtime fans.
A vial of human sewage in the episode "GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff" is labeled "WARNING: DOOKIE," which are the titles of two albums by the band Green Day.
This is a subtle pop culture reference likely included by the artists and writers.