u/Snailfish-70

First off, let me say I agree it was a dick move for Boom Studios to not contact JV about this. He should still get credit for it and know what hands his creation is in. On the other hand I feel it's too early to assume this is going to be soulless corporate garbage and a new writing team isn't inherently bad. Zub seems passionate about this and for all we know he'll do some great stories. It wouldn't be fair to disregard a creator's efforts just because the company did something scummy.

And while some of you may replace my organs with soda cans Dark Harvest style for saying this, the Oni comic run had its flaws too, even the Jhonen involved ones. A lot of issues felt formulaic and characters flanderized. Dib in particular was a full on punching bag at times when in the show he was at least competent enough to get some victories and an arrogant dick so you don't feel too bad when he loses He was nicer in the comics but that makes it more unpleasant because his torment doesn't feel deserved.

Not to mention they just had no interest in following any plot threads from the show. Hopefully this new series has more ambition in that regard.

(I originally was gonna post this on the Oban subreddit, but that's restricted for some reason. If there are any Oban watchers here, please speak up)

Canaletto the Timeless One

I don't know what it is that made me gravitate to him. Maybe it's his badass design. Or his spine tingling voice. Or the fact that when he shows up, things are gonna get dark, and calamity will follow. But more precisely I think it's how he was able to accomplish so much with relatively little screentime. The most important part of his plan he did years ago by killing Maya, and then he just had to sit back for the most part while things played out. To think such an otherworldly cosmic being could have such a personal connection to young Eva.

I also like how he was so irredeemably evil, yet they somehow avoided making him a generic "power for powers sake" villain. Canaletto doesn't want to be Avatar just for the hell of it, he does because to him, the universe is flawed. Tying into the central theme of the show, Canaletto cannot accept that the world isn't perfect. Like Eva, Don, and everyone at the Great Race, he wants to use the power of the Avatar to make things right, no matter the costs. And to him, that starts with wiping out the world and building anew. Canaletto isn't entirely talking out of his ass either. The universe of Oban Star Racers is not a kind place. Alien races violently hate each other, sentient creatures are hunted like common beasts, the President of Earth is a paranoid jingoist, and many of the racers are there because they've suffered their own horrible tragedy, and hope the Avatar can end that pain. But for all their power, the Avatar isn't omnipotent. War and devastation still plague the galaxy, and only one pilot will be lucky enough to have the Avatar's "Ultimate Prize". And has Canaletto shows, the morals of the new Avatar don't matter. The system is horribly flawed.

And Canaletto wants to tear down that system, albeit through means that are just as abominable, and create a new world without pain. Also for the monstrous way he destroyed Eva's life, he actually seems to hold genuine pride in her for coming this far, the way a proud parent is of their child. It sort of parallels Eva's actual father Don, a flawed yet well-meaning man who abandoned her, while Canaletto is an absolute monster who (in a warped way) watched over and guided her. It makes me wonder if for all his ego, Canaletto actually desired companionship on some level. The Avatar is around for 10 thousand years before the new one is appointed, so it makes sense to feel the isolation. And in the end, Jordan's sacrifice destroys the Timeless One before his true victory, a poetic end to a being that coveted the Avatar title: wiped out by the new Avatar, who'll continue the cycle as the universe ages around him.

I also could call this guy a pioneer of sorts in a certain villain archetype. The ancient, all-powerful abomination straight out of Lovecraft,(often with huge horns and robes) who darkens the mood of a lighthearted fantasy cartoon, and pulls the strings of the narrative and protagonists. We see it in Adventure Time's the Lich, Over The Garden Wall's the Beast, Centaurworld's the Nowhere King, The Owl House's Emperor Belos, Amphibia's the Core, even My Adventures With Superman's Brainiac. Notice these guys all share certain design elements?

Lich

The Beast (Unshadowed)

The Nowhere King

Belos (Transformed)

The Core and its host Marcy

Brainiac

With a sequel to Oban in development, I definitely wonder who will fill Canaletto's role as main antagonist. Canaletto wasn't in the show all that much, but the impact of his actions haunts the narrative from start to end, and in my opinion he's definitely underappreciated in the annals of animated evil.