Thompson Colton: Agent of MI3
From Jalassociatecomics
Imaginary warning: Though it seems that this article is describing a work of fiction, the work of fiction itself is fictional. Do not be fooled.
| Crew | |
|---|---|
| Creator | Robert Markham |
| Producer | Golden Fox Studios |
| Director | Smith Alansson |
| Writer | David Agnew |
| Cast | |
| Thompson Colton | Walter Spelvin |
| Marianne Suzette St. Evremonde | Audrey Tautou |
| "C" | Michael Kitchen |
| Sykes Fairbanks | Jeffrey Wright |
| James Bond | Clive Owen |
| Series info | |
| Genre | Animated action-drama |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Series run | 2003 - 2006 |
| Theme song(s) |
|
Thomspon Colton: Agent of MI3 is an animated series produced by Golden Fox Studios from 2003 through 2006. Its producers and creators, David Agnew, Smith Alansson, and Robert Markham have stated that: "...it [the series] is a postmodern look back at action, adventure, and all that is Bond - James Bond."
Alansson said in a 2002 interview with TV Today, "We are treading new ground, and are explaining to everyone that this is not a cartoon, but an animated series. What is the difference? Thompson Colton is not something you'll watch on a Saturday morning - although that is up to BTVC."
The show was orignally panned by critics for its ultra-simplified art style, which at times was even more abstract than some Saturday morning cartoons, but showed its seriousness thorugh deliberate use of diminished, desaturated colours and "dark Deco" seen in Batman: The Animated series, and significant lack of slapstick, often opting for "higher ground", as director Smith Alansson put it in a 2005 interview.
The show also used professional film actors such as Clive Owen and Audrey Tautou and seasoned voice actors such as Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown to voice their characters, although the title character's was a relative unknown, Walter Spelvin. Sound effects in the show also appear to have been voiced over by a voice actor, giving an illusion of onomatopoeia. As for the dominant sound, creators used actual gun-firing sounds recorded on a sound stange, or sourced from other companies, such as Valve (producers of Counter-Strike), in order to mantain realism.
The theme song, based upon John Barry's original James bond theme, is lauded by critics for its level of sophistication, blending modern and classic themes smoothly. While the tune remains essentially the same, SoundKritics Ltd. announced: "There's a level of modern age edginess, almost subliminal at times, but in the middle - BANG! - it jumps up at you." The composer, William Silvesmann claims that "You will discover something different to the tune every time one hears it."
The name of the show, in order to simplify listings, is often shortened to Thompson Colton: 0011 or simply Thompson Colton. The series has spawned three short animated films, two of which went straight to video. series intros and outros (see below) notwithstanding: The Vindicators, Destination Piz Gloria and His Last Bow: Destination Singapore. The films were generally lauded by critics, and differ from the series itself in the slightly more detailed and smooth animation.
A 23-minute pilot, On Steel Wings, was produced in late 2002 to be pitched to the BTVC (British TeleVision Corporation) and after several rewrites, was eventually shown on Janurary Monday the 13th. The show enjoyed decent ratings during its 3-year Monday and Friday run. The show was also screened in fifteen countries, and continues to rerun. After a sucessful fourth season, David Agnew announced Thompson Colton's end.
Contents |
Overview
The plot of Thompson Colton: Agent of MI3 centers around Thompson Colton, Agent 0011 of MI3, a thought-defunct branch of the British Intelligence Service, and his adventures. Primary foes include Johann Van Bushkov, an extremist and later rouge member of the Russian top brass, The Trenchcoat, leader of a "small cartel in Vienna" that is later revealed to be S.C.E.P.T.E.R., a global terrorist organization, and Free Radical, a failed government project turned anarchist.
He works for the head of MI3, who goes by the codename "C". He is often paired up with Agent 117 (Double-One Seven, 11 status being the female equivalent of 00 status), Marianne Suzette St. Evremonde, whom he has an affair with. At times he requires the help of United States OSS (Office of Special Services) agent Sykes Fairbanks.
Thompson Colton is frequently sent on missions to prevent the spread of evil and corruptance, such as retrieving missing weapons systems and foiling gold raids in third-world nations. At other times, he is directly tied to national security, such as preventing assassinations, solving high-profile murders, and uprooting local cartels. He is sometimes sent to foreign nations in order to settle affairs, often when "...MI5 and MI6 are fully booked", in the words of "C".
Often, the episodes pastiche or reference common conventions of action-adventure and drama, giving a more "postmodern" feel to the show, as previously mentioned.
Format
Each episode of Thompson Colton lasted roughly half an hour, incding advertisement breaks. Most episode were in two parts, with the exception of the pilot "On Steel Wings", and its follow-ups in the next three seasons, named in numeric order. The end of Season III also saw the one-shot "A Night on the Town/Thompson Colton in London".
Beginning with the finale of the first season, the first and last three episodes of each season were related to the plots of the first few James Bond films. They would be diffrentiated from regular episodes by the word "Destination" in front of the location. These were "Destination Crab Key", "Destination Istanbul", "Destination Fort Knox", "Destination Disco Volante", "Destination Kobe", and "Destination Montenegro".
"Destination Montenegro" was a tie-in to the 2006 film Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig, who voiced 007 in place of Clive Owen for that film only. These, along with the film-specific foes, are considered "specials", and the villans related to these are referred to as "Special-related villains".
The "middle" of each season also featured a mystery story, including the Season 3 Batman crossover "Holiday Returns", starring Kevin Conroy as the Dark Knight. The culprits of these crimes are treated as the "Mystery" villains in Thompson Colton's rogues gallery.
Characters
Thompson Colton has a wide variety of characters, with a small though versatile rouges gallery. As said above, they include the treacherous Lt. Col Bushkov, the mysterious Trenchcoat and his SCEPTER, the deadly Free Radical, and a mysterious opponent introduced in season 3. His allies include the stoic "C", the alluring Marianne Suzette, the American Fairbanks, and the "sexist, misogynist dinosaur" James Bond.
Voice actors
| Heroes and supporting characters | |
|---|---|
| Role | Actor |
| Thompson Colton | Walter Spelvin |
| Marianne Suzette | Audrey Tautou |
| "C"/Colonel Crepus Qular Dusk | Michael Kitchen |
| Sykes Fairbanks | Jeffrey Wright |
| James Bond | Clive Owen/Daniel Craig |
| Villains | |
|---|---|
| Role | Actor |
| Dingaan Ngadla | Mos Def |
| Agent John André | Tobias Menzies |
| Johann van Bushkov | Gottfried John |
| The Trenchcoat/"Number Zero" | Kevin Conroy |
| Dr. Eubuleus Aides | Ray Buktenica |
| Free Radical | Guido Fauks |
| Unknown Enemy/Marga Zelle | Dana Delany |
| Special-related villains | |
|---|---|
| Role | Actor |
| Dr. Ang Si Ti/Yi Mou | Clancy Brown |
| Gharib Ekaitz | Peter Dineley |
| Edward Pierce | William Agar |
| Peter Franks | Jean l'Nevison |
| Comte du Bleuchamp (i.e. Blofeld / The Trenchcoat) | Kevin Conroy |
| Alexei Gèbre | Bruno Ganz |
| Retz de Rais | Vincent Cassel |
Spoiler warning: The names of the malevolent mooks who commited the dastardly deeds are UNCENSORED as of below.
| Mystery villains | |
|---|---|
| Role | Actor |
| Jacob Stapleton | Richard E. Grant |
| Willis Todd | Levi Valencia |
| Oberst Hendrik Metzger | Robert Carlyle |
| Jane Edgware | Kimberly Brooks |
End of spoilers.
Episodes
There are in total 80 episodes of Thompson Colton. For a comprehensive list, see List of Thompson Colton episodes. Notable episodes include the pilot "On Steel Wings", and the episodes "Enter the Trenchcoat", "Free Radical Strikes" and "A New Opponent" which introduced three out of four of the primary foes of Thompson Colton. "Colton Now and Forever" preented an interesting look at military history, while "The Langley Deception", about a traitor within the ranks of the CIA has often been compared to the modern thriller. Many express that the Season 4 pre-finale "A Time of Reflection/A Time for Fear" provided an adequate finish to the show.
