Tagging along, either to figure out the mystery or get abducted by bad guys, are Dr. Quest’s 11-year old son, Jonny (Tim Matheson) and his companion Hadji (Danny Bravo), who met them in Calcutta and then tagged along for no logical reason except that he rather liked Jonny.
Dr. Quest and Race Bannon were quite obviously gay partners, as modern "parodies" on the Cartoon Network have recognized. Neither displayed the slightest interest in women.
Race was often drawn in a swimsuit so his massive muscles were visible. Here he stains himself with purple berry juice to convince the savage Po-Po Indians that he is a god.
But I was more interested in Jonny and Hadji. Jonny, blond in a tough guy’s black turtleneck, rushes double-fisted into danger, while Hadji, slim and brown with petite hands, wearing a turban with a ruby in it all the time (even when swimming), is skittish and emotional, shouting “Be careful!” from the sidelines as he waits for an opportunity to assist with his mystical arts.
Hadji, by the way, was just one in a line of South Asian boy-adventurers such as Sabu, Kim in the Corentin series, Gunga Andy's Gang, and Raji on Maya .We see in him the feminization of the Colonial Other as dark, mysterious, intuitive, and sensual, and a none-too-subtle masculine-feminine dynamic in his interaction with Jonny. The intensity, physicality, and sheer heat of their interactions make them seem more lovers than foster brothers. At playtime nobody wanted to be Hadji, but everyone wanted to rescue him from bad guys and carry him off in their arms.
The comic book series wasn't successful, but there were novelizations, toys, and games, including a record, a version of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
In 1996, a new series appeared, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Jonny and Hadji were now teenagers, considerably more buffed than in the original series. Unfortunately, to address the strong homoerotic subtext of the original, they were heterosexualized. Dr. Quest got a wife. Race Bannon got a daughter, Jessie, who became Jonny's girlfriend.
No word on whether Hadji resented being replaced.
See also: The Venture Brothers.
Race was often drawn in a swimsuit so his massive muscles were visible. Here he stains himself with purple berry juice to convince the savage Po-Po Indians that he is a god.
But I was more interested in Jonny and Hadji. Jonny, blond in a tough guy’s black turtleneck, rushes double-fisted into danger, while Hadji, slim and brown with petite hands, wearing a turban with a ruby in it all the time (even when swimming), is skittish and emotional, shouting “Be careful!” from the sidelines as he waits for an opportunity to assist with his mystical arts.
Hadji, by the way, was just one in a line of South Asian boy-adventurers such as Sabu, Kim in the Corentin series, Gunga Andy's Gang, and Raji on Maya .We see in him the feminization of the Colonial Other as dark, mysterious, intuitive, and sensual, and a none-too-subtle masculine-feminine dynamic in his interaction with Jonny. The intensity, physicality, and sheer heat of their interactions make them seem more lovers than foster brothers. At playtime nobody wanted to be Hadji, but everyone wanted to rescue him from bad guys and carry him off in their arms.
In 1996, a new series appeared, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Jonny and Hadji were now teenagers, considerably more buffed than in the original series. Unfortunately, to address the strong homoerotic subtext of the original, they were heterosexualized. Dr. Quest got a wife. Race Bannon got a daughter, Jessie, who became Jonny's girlfriend.
No word on whether Hadji resented being replaced.
See also: The Venture Brothers.