As always, Zim’s chaotic sci-fi plots harken back to any number of film, TV, and comic book references, but its brilliant animation, acerbic wit, and a total lack of willingness to put a positive spin on literally anything are what makes the humor land time and time again.
Invader Zim remains one of the sci-fi genre’s most delightfully weird cartoons, and though the original TV series suffered an early cancellation in 2002, its cult status allowed for an animated film in 2019. Here, Zim’s lengthy absence from our screens is explained as being simply a clever waiting game on his part as he hoped to eliminate his main nemesis Dib simply by allowing him to age into obsolescence. This temporarily allows Zim to announce his victory to his overlords, the Tallest, but then realizes that he has no idea what his next steps should be. As always, Zim’s chaotic sci-fi plots harken back to any number of film, TV, and comic book references, but its brilliant animation, acerbic wit, and a total lack of willingness to put a positive spin on literally anything are what makes the humor land time and time again.