Pale Force

Drawn and directed by New Yorker cartoonist Paul Noth and co-written and performed by comedian Jim Gaffigan, this Webby-nominated Internet cartoon series was one of the funniest and most popular recurring features on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The “force” consists of Pale Man and his sidekick, Conan (Gaffigan voices both characters), who use their pale skin as a superpower weapon against crime. The animated Conan is scrawny and effeminate (in one episode, he's mistaken for Molly Ringwald), speaks in a high-pitched whine, and tends to wet himself in the face of danger. In fact, even the tap of a beach ball is enough to put him in a coma (“I've never seen a recovery from a coma patient who's this weak and this untalented,” the doctor gravely states). Pale Man, on the other hand, is a muscle-bound hunk, with star power and sex appeal to burn, an actor of such prodigious gifts that, in one segment, a jealous Philip Seymour Hoffman (sneeringly voiced by Gaffigan) plots to discredit him. This DVD compiles the entire series—all 21 episodes from 2005-08—as well as Gaffigan's hilarious appearances with O'Brien to preview the latest installment, much to the latter's mock dismay. Although the joke gets a little stale when the episodes and Late Night guest appearances are seen back to back, one after another, this is recommended, overall. (D. Liebenson)