Kids' WB! on the CW Talkback: "World of Quest" - Season One (SPOILERS)

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Based on Komikwerks graphic novel series by Jason Kruse, "World of Quest" is a comedic action series that follows the adventures of the very spoiled Prince Nestor, his pumped-up protector Quest, and their rag-tag friends who are endeavoring to save the Prince's father and mother and rescue their kingdom. This is the official talkback for "World of Quest" Season One on Kids' WB! on the CW.​

Premieres at 10:30AM EST
1) The Quest Begins/Not So Great Escape - March 15, 2008
2) Between a Rock and a Hard Place/Bottoms Up - March 22, 2008
3) The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Anna Maht/Where - March 29, 2008
4) Croca-Doodle-Doo/Tournament Of Punishment - April 5, 2008
5) No Prophet, No Gain/The Trial of Anna Maht- April 19, 2008
6) Death By Mockery/Lanze The Boil- April 26, 2008
7) Rolling Nestor/Mini-Quest- May 3, 2008
8) In Search Of The Royal Family/As The Super Worm Turns- May 10, 2008
9) Fall of Odyssia (Parts 1 and 2)- May 17, 2008
10) Rash to Judgement/Harvest Day- May 24, 2008
11) Left Holding The Bag/War Of The Griffins- May, 31 2008
12) Night Of The Hunter/World Of Carney- June 7, 2008
13) Search Of The Power (Parts 1 and 2)- June 14, 2008​

All information from Zap2it, ICv2, and Cookie Jar News.​
 
Patrick Warburton just steals every show he's in, and this one is no exception. He fits the disgruntled character of Quest to a T.

The show had some funny moments, to be sure, but I don't think I'll be making it a regular watch.
 
I'm not absolutely certain that is Warbuton. He sounds like Warburton at times but unless Warburton suddenly learned how to sound a bit different than usual (which he well... never does) then that might not actually be Warburton.
 
"I hate theme songs." :lol:

It wasn't great, but it wasn't too bad, either. Both the art style and humor reminded me of Johnny Test, but that's not too surprising, since both shows are done by Cookie Jar. It's also interesting how the show is divided into two 11-minute shorts, but appears to have strong continuity...
 
It's DEFINATELY not Warburton. It doesn't sound a thing like him, for one. I wish the credits weren't a 2" rectangle on the TV screen so I could figure out who voiced him, but Warburton it wasn't. Trust me.

Anyway, I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I thought. I thought it would be just plain innocuous laughs that would help relax you into waking up, and to provide a relief of the more dramatic shows. Sort of like Johnny Test. But it was much more than that. Clealry it had that pilot feel to it, where they randomly forgot something until it happened and then explain it (to establish the plot), but that was the only gonk.

I especially liked the Cliff Clavin-esque flying beast (I forgot his name) who randomly quoted facts loosely related to things, all the while staying jovial. But make no mistake, the real star is Quest, a brilliant parody of the ultra tough guy hero (like Wolverine for example) who's constantly in a mood for no good reason.

And the effeminant villain brings quite a bit to the series. I love villains who are never meant to pose a dark, brooding threat. It seems like the character really wants to be the ultimate evil. he's capable of nasty, immoral things, but his demeanor comes in. He's just a nasty little snot, not a Darth Vader-esque absolute evil. My favorite kind of villain, to boot.

I will indefinately catch this series whenever I'm able.
 
The show was a good watch. Plenty of funny moments that outweigh the clunkers. The animation's well done, and the voice cast is great.

B+ for me.
 
Let's see:

*Negative, non-dimensional character stereotypes - strike one
*Unnecessary self-referential 4th wall breaking ("I hate theme songs") - strike two
*Sarcasm throughout - strike two and a half
*"Deus ex machina"-type plot device to get the "quest" started (i.e., if Quest [the character] didn't join them we, wouldn't have a show) - strike three

Put these all together, and you have an unfunny, non-dimensional, and dark parody of serialized adventure stories in which nothing will ever change. See, character development is a key component of most (if not all) serialized adventure stories. However this is a comedy, nothing more. Quest literally didn't want anything to do with it (or the royal family who banished him), and was dead set on NOT going, but if he didn't join the group, we wouldn't have a series, which is exactly the problem. That whole "allegiance spell" nonsense was just a deus ex machina in order for the series to "happen". Also, even if the "party" were to find what it is they're looking for, there will be some other deus ex machina in order to keep the show going. Even if this show were to run 5, maybe 7 years or more, they (the characters) would still be no different then they are now. For these reasons (among others), not only is this a parody series, it's also another generic "sitcom" style series. Most of all, it's also a show that claims to be one thing, but is actually something else.

The worst part however, is that the title "World of Quest" is one of those "symbolic" titles that has "multiple" meanings (plus it's intentionally "cheesy" adding to the parody explanation). You see, "Quest" thinks that the "World" was made for him, and as a result exhibits many (if not all, but it's enough) of the negative personality stereotypes of the "adventure hero", hence "World of Quest".

I guess the CW figures they have nothing to lose since this is their final season of programming the block themselves. However, all I can do nonethless is wish them luck (in terms of ratings...), Canadian import or not.

Incidentally, I read the first chapter of the original graphic novel online (through an official source). I kind of knew it was coming, but I decided to get a second opinion by watching the show. Turns out my first opinion was correct, thus everything above.
 
Just wanted to answer this one. (Well, okay, I would kind of like to answer more, but I'd rather not get in over my head.)

It's traditional to have a lot more leeway in the first episode as to what you can to do get the story rolling. If x hadn't done y in the first episode (or whatever kicked the story off, if it wasn't shown at first), plenty of series would never have happened.
Okay, had to ask this one. Most of what you say hinges on this point. Why are you so sure that nothing will ever change?
Er. I'm just confused here. A title with multiple meanings is a bad thing? The worst I can get out of that is "not as clever as they might think."
 
A title with multiple meanings can be a good thing sometimes, yes, but not in this case. This title refers to the character's personality, which is non-existant because it's a parody series which features negative character stereotypes, like I said. "Quest" is a selfish, uncaring, "bodybuilder" type character who thinks the "World" was made for him. The joke here is that no "true" adventure hero ("bodybuilder" appearance or not) would ever be this way, and Quest is a non-dimensional stereotype that will never be any different even 25 or 51 (or more) episodes from now.

That said, when I said that nothing will ever change, I was referring to character development, which as I said previously is a key component in a serialized adventure story. However, because this show is a non-dimensional parody series, that means there will be no character development, and the characters will be no different then they are now (i.e., as I said before, Quest will STILL be a selfish, uncaring, bodybuilder type character, etc).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this show fails in both the short term AND the long term. They say first impressions aren't always correct, yet it's that first impression that often determines whether or not the viewers will actually want to watch the show. In this case, I personally need to assume that the first impression of this show is correct, and that's the way the show will be no matter how many episodes there are.

You also said that "it's traditional to have a lot more leeway in the first episode as to what you can to do get the story rolling." Unfortunately, it's not always that simple. In some cases, the events as shown were "destined" to happen. In this case, this show is so uncreative and non-dimensional, that the story never should have happened, and with the kind of person Quest is, it actually, literally would have never happened. As I also said, that whole "allegiance spell" thing was just a deus ex machina (it's not like Popeye eating spinach or anything like that). It was stupid, uncreative, and unnecessary, and before you say it, I know it's "just a cartoon". However, while the show is as unrealistic as it can get, that's not the point. The point is you can't force someone to help you in whatever endeavor you have, and no amount of magic is going to help. However, this show parodies that with the "allegiance spell" thing thus forcing Quest to join them, and 10, 20, maybe 30 episodes or more from now Quest will STILL be an unwilling part of it (which is what I meant when I said nothing will ever change). He didn't join them on his own, it literally was an allegiance spell; that's all part of the gag. Without the allegiance spell, it literally never would have happened otherwise because of the way Quest is (which itself is part of the joke).
 
Sorry to cut you off, but... again, a lot of what you say is based on this, yet I don't think this is grounds for such an assumption. You keep saying "non-dimensional" - I don't think I've ever heard that word before, but I'm guessing you mean the show has no depth; therefore, it never will. That, however, is based on the first episode alone, which you admit isn't the greatest of barometers, but you can also safely assume that it won't get any better... because it won't develop because it's "non-dimensional." You've got your assumptions working off of each other, and that sounds a bit too much like circular reasoning to me.

I think Quest's got plenty of room for development. Being dragged along on an adventure or what have you, only to grow into it, is a classic formula, parody or not.
 
That's just it. Quest will never "grow into it" even if (in a later episode) it appears to be the contrary (it would just be another part of the gag); he literally doesn't WANT to "grow into it"; he doesn't want ANY part of it..at all. It's part of the joke, plus everything else I said earlier. He's "been there" and "done that", and after being banished, he does not want to do it again...ever. Like I said, this show not only fails in the short term, but the long term as well.
 
Okay, good point - he's not likely to start liking it. However, the fact that the main character isn't likely (I'm not ruling out anything yet - like you said, just going by the first episode doesn't make for very solid evidence) to like what he's doing... that's one avenue of character development for one character closed off.

Frankly, that's not much of a criterion for "this show fails."
 
I agree with Mandouga.

This was a very unfunny and, more importantly, unenjoyable show.:(

I shudder to think what the female sidekick is gonna be like.:(
 
I've seen two episodes of this, and I like it. It's a nice surprise - it's got some real laughs and some pretty cool characters. Nice character design, and some really decent, if Flash-based, animation. The most enjoyable part is how the other characters react to the main character, a spoiled prince - they treat him like one (i.e. a spoiled prince), and he gets away with nothing. But they're pretty supportive of each other, so it never gets too painful. There's some clever writing and good voice work too. Overall I plan to watch this regularly. It's a decent alternative to some of the louder, dumber shows on right now...
 
Um, comedy is hard, dude. If this show succeeds at that, that's plenty IMO. Yes, this show's a parody, and all too often, shows that parody medieval or superhero properties are lame to an extreme. Quest, however, is a cut above IMO. Not a masterpiece, but far from a failure. As for Quest himself, he's a no-nonsense warrior who's not an idiot. He's capable and fearless without being a jerk. What a freaking relief when compared to other hero-guy parodies (like Danny Phantom's insufferable father, or the stunt guy dad on The Replacements). I'm liking this show so far. We'll see how it goes...
 
I've watched every episode since the first one up through "Crock-a-doodle". I was attracted to the show by the previews but so far, I have been disappointed. I mean, I like the artwork and character designs, especially Quest, and the theme song is catchy. But I was expecting a few laughs from the story, too. Sorry, but the humor is weak and the action is usually even weaker.

I've never really understood the idea of these toons, an odd combination of action and humor but I've seen better examples than "World of Quest". The latest episode, especially the "Crock" segment, was almost unbearable. I really wanted to like this show but I just don't.

One of the things in the promo that got my attention was that I thought Quest was voiced by Patrick Warburton. But it's not him; as best as I could make out from the squashed credits, Quest (and Greer) are voiced by somebody named Pardo. Not that it's bad, though, this guy sounds good and could probably stand-in for Warburton.

I guess the Quest character is the only thing I really like about the show. Maybe if they could put him up against some real competition, I might be more interested. The only other character that I remotely like is Ana Maht; not a bad character but her role has been too small outside of her first episode.
 
I taped onto a DVD-R the episode with some princess who joins the World of Quest characters aired on Kids WB March 29, 2008. The princess is voiced by Canadian Melissa Altro, who voices Muffy Crosswire on the Arthur cartoon series.
 
Do they sell the graphic novel anywhere? Are they going to re-print it for some sort of tie in with the TV show? Seems like the actual source material may be much more interresting. I do really like this show, though. It's not great, and it reminds me of an idea I was toying with, but I still think that this series and Spider-man and Tom and Jerry are the only things left on Kid's WB worth watching. Seriously, how is this show any worse than Skunk Fu? I know I've been ragging on that one a lot lately, but it's just a terrible, terrible cliched cartoon series. Nothing more than a routine show.

I don't agree that this show is bad by any means, and it could benefit from stronger writing.
 
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