Thompson Colton: Agent of MI3

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Revision as of 13:21, 20 December 2006

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 James Bond."

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 actors to voice their actors, 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. Otherwise, creators used actual gun-firing sounds, or sourced from other companies, such as Valve in order to mantain realism.

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, series intros and outros (frequently tied in with the films) notwithstanding: The Vindicators, Destination Piz Gloria and His Last Bow: Destination Singapore.

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. After a sucessful fourth season, David Agnew announced Thompson Colton's end.

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 equilavent 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.

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