Venture Brothers creators accept cult following - Comic-Con Report
The Venture Brothers have all the trappings of a major, cross-media animated comedy phenomena -- except the popularity and notoriety that comes with it.Written on the same brilliant scale as The Simpsons or South Park and drenched in hip pop culture references, Venture Brothers remains a show with a devoted cult following that stays just off the mass media's radar. And series creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer aren't sure why.
"We didn't even get nominated for an Annie (animation) Award," Hammer told me. "Never mind an Emmy. We thought we could at least get an Annie. We can't explain it. You probably have a better idea of why that is than we do."
You wouldn't know by the attendance at Saturday's evening Venture Brothers panel. Fans lined the halls and packed the large conference room to see Publick and Hammer preview the Adult Swim show's fourth season (coming in November).
But, if you watched the event unfold, you can see one of the reasons Venture Brothers is not as hyped as other adult animated comedies. Its creators aren't as well known as Trey Parker, Matt Stone or Matt Groening. In fact, Publick and Hammer walk by and through the long lines waiting for their panel without a single fan recognizing them.
Publick thinks those devoted, if optically-challenged fans are one reason the show thrives on the Cartoon Network, but not across the media as a whole.
"I think we're like a rock band that fans love, but want to keep to themselves," Publick said. "I don't think our fans spread the word about the show because they like to keep it to themselves. It's their thing."
And, the Venture team is happy with that way as their fourth season completes production. Fans at the panel were eager to find out how the show solves season three cliffhangers, including the loss of two major characters.
"We move on," Hammer said. "Everyone moves on. They deal with it."
Publick added, "We're adding some new characters and have some cool guest stars coming in."
"In fact, that's one sign the show is starting to get some traction after three seasons -- cool people want to be involved with it."

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