Martin Mystery is an animated television series by Marathon Production. It is loosely based on the Italian comic

Italian comics

Italian comics are comics made in Italy. They are locally known as fumetto – plural form fumetti – although this latter term is often used in English to describe a specific comic genre . The most popular Italian comics have been translated into many languages...

, Martin Mystère

Martin Mystère

Martin Mystère is an Italian comic book. Created by writer Alfredo Castelli and drawn by Giancarlo Alessandrini, it was first published in Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1982....

.

Plot

The series jeimagines the title character Martin Mystery and his stepsister Diana Lombard (after Martin's mother's death, Martin's father married Diana's mom) as 16-year-olds attending Torrington Academy, a high school in Sherbrooke, Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

. They work for the covert organization "The Center", which secretly protects the people of Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats. Like all secret organizations, they must keep their work secret, thus anyone who comes too close to their missions, i.e. seeing a monster, will have their memories of the event erased. Not everyone who works for the organization is human. The short and green-skinned alien, Billy, is one of Martin's best friends. Java works as a lunch server of Diana and Martin's school and is a caveman from 200,000 years ago; he also aids Martin and Diana on their missions. As far as "The Center" is concerned, Martin's vast knowledge of the supernatural and his remarkable intuition compensate for his poor personal hygiene and huge ego. Diana resents these qualities at times, as Martin often does not seem to understand the seriousness of his missions, but generally loves him like any real brother. Diana and Martin are lovers, then married, in the original comics version, and not step-siblings.

Characters

Martin Mystery

Martin is just like any other 16-year-old, and has a wild passion for the paranormal, but after unwillingly solving an "amazing out-of-this-world mystery," he finds himself working as a paranormal investigator for "The Center." Whether at school or on a mission, he always remains the same outrageous immature teen, constantly bursting with energy. He seldom thinks before he leaps into danger, often to help someone in peril. He is an underachiever at school, once getting 106 out of 902 in his report card results. Martin has a peculiar love for everything slimy, sloppy and gooey - things that make Diana gag. Martin loves to play pranks and creep out his stepsister, who often retaliates with physical abuse. He is also seen in Totally Spies saying that Sam is just like his sister which makes her mad. As the leader of the trio, Martin is also the only one who wears a U-Watch. Martin's favorite hobby is teasing Diana. A running gag

Running gag

A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....

 in the series is Martin falling in love with every good-looking girl he meets, who usually reject him by using verbal or (in Jenni's case) physical abuse. Voiced by Sam Vincent

Samuel Vincent

Samuel Vincent is a Canadian voice actor who works with the Ocean Productions based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:...

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Diana Lombard

Diana is a 16-year-old student with nothing in common with her step-brother. As an agent at "The Center," she strives to bring more seriousness into Martin's life, and is Martin's female counterpart during investigations. Diana is at times quite jumpy and squeamish on missions, but shows great courage when called on. Not sharing Martin's love of the paranormal, she often tries to explain something with logic before it becomes apparently paranormal. Diana has the hardest time keeping her cool with her irresponsible step-brother, and will generally slap, kick, beat or scream at him quite often. Regardless of Martin's quirky behavior, she loves him like her own real brother. She is usually seen with her two signature hair clips and her small purple shoulder bag. She also seems to be the bait on the majority of the missions and the "damsel in distress

Damsel in distress

The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction,...

". Her best friend is Jenni Anderson. Diana usually loses bets to Martin. She is probably the second or first victim in the episodes including being cocooned by an acid spewing insect queen, turned into a frog by a warlock Martin unleashed, and being possessed by a vengeful spirit at a mountain lodge. When Martin is transformed by the monster, Diana uses her own skills to save him. In few episodes Diana wears Martin's U-Watch and uses it when he loses it while being transformed. Voiced by Kelly Sheridan

Kelly Sheridan

Kelly Sheridan is a Canadian voice actress based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Biography:Sheridan has voiced various roles in anime and other animated cartoons, such as Barbie in the computer generated Barbie film series since 2001...

.

Java The Caveman

Java

Java (Martin Mystère)

Java is a fictional character featured in the Martin Mystère comics.-Fictional character biography:Java is a Neanderthal Man discovered by Martin Mystère in the hidden "City of Lucid Shadows" while on an expedition to Mongolia....

 is the 200,000 year-old caveman, a friend and aide-de-camp

Aide-de-camp

An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...

to Martin and Diana who works at Torrington as a cook and a janitor. He assists them in their investigations, with his brute strength being useful when battling monstrous foes or breaking through barriers, and also serves as the team's tracker. A lover of lizards and spiders, Java nevertheless has fears of cats, heights, and technology (his fear of technology being a major joke in the show). Also the member in the trio who speaks the least, his English is spoken on a fairly simplistic level (i.e. "What that?", "Diana bald", and "Java no like this place"). Also, Java has a knack of thinking outside the box which greatly helped in the team's adventures. Java is, however, a significant source of comedy in the show through his reactions to various scenarios, and various situations related to his poor hygiene as a caveman (i.e. his offensive foot odor, stinky armpits and filthy breath). Diana once had to give Java foot massage after losing a bet to Martin. Java is sometimes the victim of being transformed into a monster, such as inhaling the Chaos Beast in its gas form, broken into pieces by the Djini (because he wanted to fit in better with the modern world) and brainwashed by a pirate controlled Martin. Voiced by Dale Wilson.

M.O.M.

As the multi-tasking director of "The Center", she oversees the investigation of paranormal activities throughout the world. Martin's amazing capabilities make him one of M.O.M.'s favorite agents - i.e. if "favorite" is meant by the agent that she least likes to have appear in her office. Her real name is unknown, though she has used the alias Ms. Olivia Mandell in episode "Web Of The Spider Creature," which is derived from her initials of M.O.M. Before working at the center, she used to drive an ice cream truck. Serious uncompromising and an expert at hand to hand combat, she has to deal with Martin blowing up just about every piece of gadgetry she is working on whenever he appears for a debriefing in her office which was a running gag until season 3. Despite her typically dry sense of humor, she is actually quite- as Billy says- "a real party animal"- which is seen in some pictures Billy shows Martin that M.O.M. parties like the drunk chick at the party. When she was an agent, her first ever creature captured was Gastromo, a parasitic, iron eating monster who infects and controls those he touches. In the crossover episode of Totally Spies! titled "Totally Mystery Much?", M.O.M. is shown to have a history with the spies' boss Jerry that appears to have romantic overturns much to the spies and Martin's displeasure as she and Jerry spy-flirt in front of Alex and Martin. The initials M.O.M. are said to stand for "Mystery Organization Manager" as explained by Martin in "Totally Mystery Much?". M.O.M. is voiced by Teryl Rothery

Teryl Rothery

Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate SG-1.-Life and career:Rothery was born in Vancouver, British Columbia...

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Billy

A tiny green alien who works for "The Center" as M.O.M.'s personal secretary, often seen flying on his mini hovercraft. He is a powerful idolizer of Martin and in one episode, it was revealed that in his room, he even had a picture of Martin, making him the "crazed fan of the show" type character. His role is generally a supportive one; he pops up anytime during a mission to give Martin, Diana and Java valuable information, usually startling them in the process and he does analysis on slime or fabric samples sent by Martin- but when he is at the mission. He won't help Martin and the gang on a mission directly unless forced. In the second season, Billy was revealed to have once been a great alien warrior, known as Ganthar, on another planet, but gave up violence for good- when Martin asked why a planet on Billy's list of hologram worlds was blue, it was said by M.O.M. that that was the world which changed Ganthar into Billy, which is the reason he doesn't go on missions with the other three agents. He arrived on Earth in the Roswell UFO Incident

Roswell UFO incident

The Roswell UFO Incident was the recovery of an object that crashed in the general vicinity of Roswell, New Mexico, in June or July 1947, allegedly an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and of...

 in 1947. Billy recently adopted a human disguise—the "B.S. 1000"— to be with Martin and Diana at their school. A few episodes in season 3 hinted that he liked Diana, such as in one of the Christmas episodes he invited her under the mistletoe and actually went on a friendly date with her. It is revealed in season one episode "Revenge of the Doppelganger" that Billy was once a super model on his home planet. This might be true, since he was a powerful, fearsome and might have been popular with his people. Voiced by Samuel Vincent

Samuel Vincent

Samuel Vincent is a Canadian voice actor who works with the Ocean Productions based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:...

.

Jenni Anderson

Jenni is Martin's constant—and rather unrequited—love interest. Her view of Martin is generally not very flattering: this includes "immature", "freak", or "loser". Jenni is also one of the prettiest and most popular girls attending Torrington, her appearance being that of blue eyes, flared auburn-colored hair, black blouse and skirt, and knee-high boots. She is also Diana's best friend. Though Jenni usually sees Martin as a "brat", there have been times where she is actually interested pursuing a relationship in him- when Martin acts like a gentleman. Unfortunately for Martin, though, it never lasts, because her mind is erased of what ever happened, or Martin does something stupid, or Jenni moves for a semester, or some other similar incident occurs. Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain

Tabitha St. Germain

Tabitha St. Germain is a Canadian stage actress. She has made the transition from stage work to voice work, and has since become one of the core female voice actresses working with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Anime :* .hack//Roots - Asta, Nazo Grunty* Black Lagoon -...

Marvin

Marvin is Martin's rival, and evidently one who does extreme things (such as "snowboarding down K-2

K2

K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...

"). He does virtually everything that Martin himself can do (better, of course), and even dresses in a style similar to him. Marvin's similarity-yet-dissimilarity to Martin may be a nod to Bizarro's resemblance to yet difference from nemesis Superman. His father is a pilot, allowing Marvin to travel around the world on a frequent basis. Marvin first appeared in "Attack of the Mothman" where he shows off his skateboarding skills and his very own comic book. His talents make Martin jealous as Diana, Java, Jenni, and even Billy fawn over him. He reappears in "The Amazon Vapor" where he discovers Martin and Diana's secret and helps them on their mission. In "The Third Eye", he works for the Center and has acquired his own U-Watch much to Martin's dismay and Diana's delight. Unfortunately for him, after the mission, he ends up being deported to the Center's South Pole facility and blames his unfortunate circumstances on Martin. He continues to hold a grudge against Martin (and Martin still stands strong at his hatred of Marvin) throughout "Body-Swappers" until Martin gives him the majority of the credit for getting rid of the parasite and M.O.M. decided to relocate him to Hawaii- much to Martin's dismay and much to Marvin's elation. In a subsequent episode, "Rage of the Leprechaun", Marvin contacts Martin and Diana for help after he was being stalked by a leprechaun that wanted to get back the magical four leaf clover that made anyone who held it incredible lucky that Marvin had taken from him. Which makes Marvin unlucky because he took it rather than received it, which makes a person lucky. After the incident, Marvin is chewed out by M.O.M. for keeping the clover instead of getting rid of it. What happens to him after that is unknown, even at the end of the series. Voiced by Matt Hill

Matt Hill

Matthew "Matt" Hill is a Canadian voice actor. He is known for several roles, including Kevin Keene/Captain N in Captain N: The Game Master, Kira Yamato in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, Ed in Ed, Edd n Eddy, Raphael in Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Ryo Sanada in Ronin Warriors and Artha...

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Gerard Mystery

Gerard Mystery is Martin's father and Diana's step-father. He married Diana's mother when Martin and Diana were very young. Unlike his immature son, Gerard is a very rational, logic-minded person like Diana and considers anything related to the paranormal to be "balderdash". As a scientist, he spends much of his time in the forest doing field work. In the third season, he finds out about "The Center" and that Diana and Martin work for it. Voiced by Michael Donovan

Michael Donovan

Michael David Donovan is a voice actor for many TV shows and anime. He is most known for his voice on the series ReBoot for his voices of Phong, Mike the TV, Cecil, and Al. He has also provided the voice of Sabretooth for X-Men: Evolution and Carnage for Spider-Man Unlimited. He played the lead...

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Broadcast

Martin Mystery had been aired in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 on YTV and Discovery Kids in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and on VRAK.TV

VRAK.TV

VRAK.TV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media.-History:...

 in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 since 2003. In May 2005, Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon (TV channel)

Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

 and Nicktoons Network

NickToons Network

Nicktoons is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom. It is a sister service of the Nickelodeon cable channel...

 began to air Martin Mystery as well, Nickelodeon removed Martin Mystery from their line up in August 2005. It is also seen on MBC 3 & ART Teenz channels nowadays but in Arabic (with the voice talents of "Mariam El Khesht" as "Diana Lombard" & "Mo'awad Ismail" as "Martin"). Martin Mystery began airing on Disney Channel on 2004 on its weekday afternoon line up. It was temporarily replaced by Sabrina, the Animated Series and was returned on the line up. Its airing schedule was changed from Monday to Friday to Thursday and Friday as The Emperor's New School

The Emperor's New School

The Emperor's New School is an American animated television series that airs on Disney Channel, ABC Kids, and Disney XD and is produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The show is based on the characters from The Emperor's New Groove and its direct-to-video sequel Kronk's New Groove...

 airs from Monday to Wednesday. It currently airs on Disney Channel Asia every weekend mornings and now also weekday aftertoons right after "Totally Spies!".

The show is produced by Marathon Production (a French television production company based in Paris), which also produces Totally Spies and Team Galaxy

Team Galaxy (TV series)

Team Galaxy, le Collège de l'Espace or Galaxie Académie is a French and Canadian animated series made by Marathon Production...

. Like Totally Spies, Martin Mystery takes on a style reminiscent of Japanese anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

, although it is produced in Europe. Boys resembling Martin and rival Marvin, and Diana have appeared as cameos in Totally Spies in its episode "Super Agent Much?" and many others. Martin guest starred in the 2007 "Totally Spies" episode "Totally Mystery Much?" which had him team up with the spies to investigate Yeti sightings. The only other Martin Mystery character to appear in this "Totally Spies" episode was M.O.M.