Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. Based on the comic book characters of the same name, created by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow. Geof is one of my most favourite comic book artists ever, and while an animated series could never (in my lifetime) capture the intense, detailed look of Geof's work, this one at least captures the kick-ass and humorous spirit of the comic. It's great! You should watch it.

THE THEME: America's defender is a robot designated BGY-11. What the public does not know, however, is that Big Guy is actually just a man in a suit. So when science finally creates Rusty, a real combat robot with artificial intelligence, the BGY-11 is decommissioned. On Rusty's first mission it becomes painfully apparent that he is woefully inexperienced. The Big Guy team quickly reassembles the fighting the BGY-11, who then comes to the rescue of the boy robot.

VOICES:
Jonathan Cook as the Big Guy
Pam Siegal as Rusty (you'll remember her as the voice of Bobby on King of the Hill)
Jim Hanks as Duane Hunter
Clancy Brown (Buckaroo Banzai, Highlander the movie) as the Legion Ex Machina

THE EPISODES. Taped in SP from FOX. I have the complete series which comes to 6 tapes in SP.

CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL The Big Guy is decommissioned in favour of Quark Industries' newest creation, Rusty the Boy Robot. But when an alien Annihilator threatens to destroy New Tronic City, it's clear that Rusty is not quite ready for prime time. The Big Guy is reassembled and joins the fight, with Rusty at his side. When the monster is defeated, General Thorton orders that the temporary alliance to become a permanent partnership. SP

OUT OF WHACK The Big Guy and Rusty face off against the Legion Ex Machina's evil creation: A.R.G. -12, a.k.a. Argo. When a Nucleo-Protonic blast from Argo triggers a malfunction in Rusty's power core, the boy robot runs away, fearing he'll be disassembled by Donovan for being "out of whack." SP

THE INSIDE SCOOP A telepathy experiment goes awry and a Quark Scientist, Dr. Neugog, is transformed into a giant brain on spidery legs. Neugog uses his telepathic powers to drain the minds of the world's greatest scientists. Meanwhile, Dr. Slate accidentally uncovers the Big Guy's secret: There's a man inside the suit. SP

BIRTHDAY BASH Rusty tags along with Dwayne to his nephew's birthday party. Rusty's present is a piece of stolen alien technology, known as a Dimetrium Agglomerator. When Emek and Naard, the aliens who own the Agglomerator, come to claim it, the party turns into a war zone. SP

THE RELUCTANT ASSASSIN Dr. Gilder, the Legion Ex Machina's mole within Quark, has developed a personal grudge against Donovan, takes control of a prototype and tries to assassinate him. Donovan is taken to a secret location (the S.S. Dark Horse) for his own safety. Gilder then hacks into Rusty, gives him a "big gun", and sets out to destroy Donovan. SP

REALLY BIG GUY Dr. Slate, Big Guy and Rusty uncover the Legion Ex Machina's latest fiendish plot: a mysterious "final assembly" taking place in a network of underground tunnels. When Big Guy and Rusty find the tunnels, they derail a robotic train. Inside the massive train's cargo hold is a gigantic hand, that boasts a built-in high-tech cannon. With their plan uncovered, the Legion Ex Machina members decide to activate their latest creation ahead of schedule and missing a hand. EP

SIBLING MINE When Quark's Dr. Kirby disappears from his experimental Quantum Machine, a hostile monster emerges goes on a rampage, apparently having destroyed the doctor. Back at Quark, Rusty discovers a precious "boy robot" prototype. Hoping for a new friend, Rusty reassembles the robot, who he names "Earl." But Earl's relentlessly aggressive programming turns him against the heroes.

THE INSIDE OUT Donovan unveils Quark's latest prototype: Nurds, tiny liquid metal robots that repair and even upgrade any technology they come in contact with. When Big Guy becomes infested by the Nurds, they repair Big Guy's original artificial intelligence circuitry, making Big Guy a fully functioning robot, and kicking Dwayne out of the pilot's seat. But shortly after the robot Big Guy successfully completes his first mission, things go awry. SP

MOON MADNESS On Quark Industries' recently christened space station, the computer, known as Edie, has gone mad. Threatening to destroy the moon, Edie demands delivery of the Ubik Chip, which would allow Edie to gain control of all computers on Earth. 

WAGES OF FIRE A small volcano erupts in New Tronic City. When Big Guy and Rusty journey to the heart of the volcano and deliver a Cobalt Thorium-G Bomb they are attacked by magma creatures, who turn out to be the ones engineering the volcano in an attempt to take over the surface world.

THE BIG BOY Rusty's frustrated. He's been powered up for six months and he hadn't grown an inch: he'll never "grow up" to be like Big Guy at this rate. Taking matters into his own hands, Rusty puts his robot head on the powerful robot body of Quark's T-7000 prototype. But he learns there's more to crime-fighting than just being big when a gang of exosuit-wearing chopshoppers (Gage, Big Rig, and Cargo) lure him into an ambush. 

LITTLE BOY ROBOT LOST. The Legion Ex Machina download Rusty's programming in an effort to learn his secrets. Rusty, Big Guy and the evil #4 end up duking it out in cyberspace. SP

BICAMERAL MIND. While trying to keep the Legion Ex Machina's newest robot from absconding with Quarks' new anti-neutrinos, Rusty plugs into the bot's software to learn the Legion's secrets. #4 counters Rusty's hack by engaging in a mental tug of war. A power surge switches personality traits between the two robots. Rusty starts building a doomsday machine while #4 plays video games. SP

WORLD OF PAIN A family of aliens, made of organic metal, come to earth seeking refuge from their pursuers, evil insect-like robots.

BLOB, THY NAME IS ENVY Quark develops "Squeaky Gleem", a protoplasmic, semi-intelligent blob that doubles as a cleaning agent. 

DONOVAN'S BRAINIAC Donovan's nephew, Pierre, is working on a robot for the school science fair. He uses the brain of the Legion Ex Machina's Number Five, who was recently captured by Quark. When it's activated, trouble ensues.

PATRIOT GAMES Big Guy and Rusty go back in time to the civil war.

HARDDRIVE A former military comrade of Duane's gets hired at Quark. He quit the military because he thought the pursuit of a robot without a human was wrong. Now he has created his own version of Big Guy, "Hard Drive", and with it plans to destroy what he thinks is a pure robot. 

5000 FINGERS OF RUSTY Quark releases an alkaline-powered, non-flying version of Rusty for consumers. However, the Legion Ex Machina manages to gain radio control of the Rusty knock-offs, and attempt to use them to destroy New Tronic City.

THE CHAMP An intergalactic thrill-seeker named Po the Obliterator comes to challenge Earth's greatest champion.

THE SICKOUT A virus-carrying alien threatens the world, and Dr. Slate must take the helm of Big Guy.

NEPHEW OF NEUGOG Pierre tampers with Dr. Neugog's telepathy helmet and becomes a brain-sucking monster. Quark uses the fiendish Neugog to track him down, a la Silence of the Lambs. 

THE LOWER DEPTHS On the new Quark research center at the ocean floor, horrible jellyfish things create duplicates of the crew.

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE Giant jungle animals wreak terror in the congo. 

DOUBLE TIME PART 1 The Legion Ex Machina creates a Big Guy duplicate.

DOUBLE TIME PART 2 Big Guy and Rusty find the Legion's headquarters and rescue the creator of the Big Guy armor, who Rusty refers to as Big Guy's dad. 

THE LINKS Visit the official site: http://www.bigguyandrusty.com

Geof Darrow worked on all the best parts of The Matrix. Click on the picture below to see more

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