The Mantis-Eye Experiment

If yesterday's collection of holiday joy wasn't enough, Jackson has a meatier update up on his LiveJournal which includes even more never-before-seen screen grabs but also a nice chunk of info on the (lack of) Christmas song, when the new season starts, how progress on is going on season 5 and just what Jackson thinks of all the episodes (hint: it's awesome).

Since we're idiots who decided to write and produce our hour-long premiere episode last, we can't start airing until the last episode is finished. I don't currently know exactly when our premiere date is. I've heard it could be as soon as mid-March or as late as early May, but we're racing to get that premiere special done in time for March.

And now that I've seen all of the episodes in one form or another, I can truthfully say it's going to be a great season. The crew in every department of the production really stepped up their game (and new crew members brought new game)--the show's never looked or sounded better. And as writers, Doc and I hit a really great, confident stride that, I think, combines some of the best qualities of seasons past with a uniquely season 5 freshness. A good mix of new characters and old (some of which haven't been seen in quite a while), high adventure in exotic locations and internal strife on the home front. You will like it!

So head on over to read the whole thing and continue your anticipation.

Sadly it's not a new Christmas tune but it is a couple of images from season 5 of Venture Bros.! Head over to Jackson's Tumblr to check them out. Let the speculating begin!

Also for those of you hoping for a Christmas song, I hate to be the bringer of bad news but there won't be one this year. Too many things to do at the end of the year and not enough free time. Jackson did say they hope to revive the tradition next year but for now you'll have to settle for the promise of new episodes instead. Happy New Year!

In what is sure to be a massive hit, this year's Mantis-Eye Holiday-themed Giveaway is now live! For those of you who remember the previous holiday giveaways, they're always accompanied by some sort of game that makes it either fun or excruciating to participate, depending on your perspective. This year is no different as I am pleased to present The Mantis-Eye Holiday Stock Market Giveaway! In this game you buy shares of each of the five prizes and attempt to get the most shares of your favorite prizes. The more shares you have, the better your chances of winning that prize are. The page explains it in greater detail, but the main thing you need to know is I guess that greed is good? Does that sound right? It's one notion we want to promote during the holidays, for sure. Anyway, head over to the contest page for more info and to enter yourself. And have a great holiday of choice! Or none at all, I don't even care! Either way, good luck!

For those of you who may enjoy a video game or two, Team Fortress 2 is one you can play free of charge but supported by in-game transactions. The game's maker, Valve Software, and Adult Swim have announced Adult Swim gear for TF2 which includes not one but two Venture Bros. themed items. Check out the preview page for a closer look, but the items will be Brock's hair for the Heavy and a Monarch Henchman getup for the Scout. For now it's the closest we'll get to a Venture Bros. video game.

I'm super tardy on the gift guide this year, but the real fact of the matter is that new Venture Bros. stuff has been hard to come by the last year. Adult Swim closed their shop so there's no really weird, fun stuff. It was also an off-season year for the show, so no new DVDs or anything. The BifBangPow! 3 3/4" Brock figure did come out, and they released a sweet travel mug as well, so of course those are on it. If you're still looking to buy something for that Venture fan in your life, and somehow they don't already own all this stuff, check out Mantis-Eye 2012 Holiday Gift Guide!

If you're super into BifBangPow!'s Venture Bros. Mego-style figures then you'll be pleased to know there's another set for you to throw money at. Everyone's favorite on-again-off-again couple, Shoreleave and The Alchemist! As usual it's $37.99 for the two figures and they're projected to ship in May, though that date often gets pushed back. Not necessarily something you want to get someone for this upcoming Christmas (or your own holiday of preference) since it'll be five months late, but maybe a nice little gift for yourself this spring, because you're worth it. You know you have to spoil yourself once in a while.

Yesterday BifBangPow! announced some new stuff in anticipation of black Friday. Among them is an Entertainment Earth exclusive Venture Bros. travel mug! It's BifBangPow!'s first non-toy Venture merchandise, which is exciting. So if you need to keep your favorite beverage warm (or cold) and also want to proclaim your love of Venture Bros. to those around you then you should probably order one. It's $12.99 and holds 14 ounces.

Friend of the site and friend of Venture Bros., Adult Swim Central has an interview with Jackson and Doc conducted back during NYCC. Doc accurately predicts the interview will show up after the Halloween special airs, but it still contains valuable info about the upcoming season, future specials and Jackson and Doc's input on some of the Venture Bros. merchandise. At around six minutes it's a quick watch, so go take a look!

If you still haven't seen it, "A Very Venture Halloween" is pretty good! And as luck would have it there are a bunch of ways to check it out for only a couple of bucks:

• If you have one of the applicable TV services you can watch it for free, any time on Adult Swim Gold
  
  
• If you've cut your cord, as they say, you can purchase it on iTunes to watch on your iPhone, iPad or computer. The SD version is $1.99 and the the HD version is $2.99.
  
  
• If you're not a fan of iTunes, Amazon Instant Video has the episode as well. Same prices as iTunes, so you can grab the SD version for $1.99 or the HD version for $2.99.
  
  
• Finally, you can purchase the video on YouTube. This ons is a little pricier, but it's $2.99 for the SD version and, $4.99 for HD.
  
  

If you're into that sort of thing the complete capsule and notes for "A Very Venture Halloween" are up. As always if you have any additions or corrections you can leave a comment here or if you're shy you can always contact me by other means.