'Worst Cartoons Ever!' A chat with Jerry Beck

I've always wanted to go to Comic-Con and just hit the joke and bogus panels -- and there are plenty -- but I'm usually working.

Not that I haven't surfed in and out of a few ridiculous sessions. Some might even say that I moderated one of 'em last year. But if I may recommend just one annual favorite Comic-Con joke panel, it is Jerry Beck's "Worst Cartoons Ever!" session on Friday evening at 9:15PM to 10:15PM.

Among other amazing finds, this year Beck plans to show another installment of Spunky & Tadpole, about a boy and his brain-damaged bear.

Beck and I traded a few e-mails this weekend. Not only is he an animation historian, cartoon producer and ASIFA-Hollywood board member, but he also co-edits CartoonBrew, one of most superlative 'toon blogs in town. Here's what he had to say about his dream Comic-Con threads, his curatorial decision-making process when it comes to "truly worst ever!" and the rest of the ASIFA-Hollywood programming on tap this year.

Comic-Con Watch Overlord: Jerry, if you were going to wear a costume to the convention this year, who would you be?

Image: "Clutch Cargo," courtesy Jerry Beck/ASIFA-Hollywood.

Jerry Beck: I'd go as Col. Bleep, an obscure TV cartoon character from 1957.

Comic-Con Watch Overlord: Tell us a little about the history of "Worst Cartoons Ever!"

Beck: We've done the "Worst Cartoons Ever!" screening for the past five years. Our regulars include "Mighty Mr. Titan," a physical fitness superhero; "Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero," one of the first American anime hybrid cartoons, and "Rocket Robin Hood," an inept Canadian cartoon about swashbucklers in space ... with a little too much "swash."

Comic-Con Watch Overlord: What exactly qualifies a cartoon as "worst ever"?

Beck: Something that is both horribly executed but unintentionally funny from today's point of view. "Super President" is a good example. Here's a character who can't exactly hide his secret identity.

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Beck and ASIFA-Hollywood President Antran Manoogian are producing eight panels this year in addition to hosting Animation Jam.

Comic-Con Watch Overlord: Antran, why is Comic-Con so important to your organization that you felt the need to organize eight panels?

Manoogian: As an event that attracts many people from the animation community as well as fans of the art form, ASIFA-Hollywood's presence at Comic-Con is a perfect opportunity for the organization to promote its many activities as well as attract new members to our association.

Here's a PDF of ASIFA-Hollywood's 2007 panels, and a quick guide:

* Thursday, July 26, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.: ANIMATION ON A SHOE-STRING, Creating a Low Cost Animation Studio with Your Home Computer (Room 30CDE)
* Thursday, July 26, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: MAVERICKS, MAGIC AND MAGOO (Room 3)
* Thursday, July 26, 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.: THE PIXAR STORY: TO INFINITY AND BEYOND (Room 6CDEF)
* Friday, July 27, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: TREASURES FROM THE ASIFA VAULT (Room 3)
* Friday, July 27, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: THE CHIODO BROS.: STOP MOTION ANIMATION IN THE COMPUTER AGE (Room 5AB)
* Friday, July 27, 9:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m.: WORST CARTOONS EVER! (Room 6CDEF)
* Saturday, July 28, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.: STATE OF THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY (Room 8)
* Saturday, July 28, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: DRAWING THE LINE: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson (Room 4)

And here's the extended excerpt on "Worst Cartoons Ever!"

Animation historian Jerry Beck (CartoonBrew) is back with another hilarious program of the worst cartoons ever made. And he should know, he's seen ’em all! The program consists of rare, lost animated shows — most produced for TV in the 1960s — that are not on video, not on YouTube, not shown anywhere, and now you'll know why. New episodes of audience favorites Mighty Mr. Titan (the physical fitness superhero), Rocket Robin Hood (a spandex-clad space cadet), and Super President (a nuclear-powered weapon of mass destruction) are joined by debut showings of Moon Mullins (a desecration of a classic comic strip), Sinbad Jr. (a sea sick superman), and another chapter of Spunky & Tadpole (a boy and his brain-damaged bear). It's crap-tastic! Friday 9:15-10:15 Room 6CDEF

-- Sheigh Crabtree