Birdman

Up until a few weeks ago - I had never, ever heard of such cartoon superheroes as Birdman and The Galaxy Trio (featuring Vapor Man, Meteor Man, and Gravity Girl) even though their actual incarnation goes all the way back to 1967.

I guess my unfamiliarity with these particular crime-fighting crusaders has to do with the fact that they are not a part of the snobbishly elite "Marvel Comics" set and, so, they have not been given their due attention and much-deserved respect.

Anyway - Birdman and his fellow superheroes were originally created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (who are also credited for the creation of The Flintstones and The Jetsons).

Now, I would never say that these Birdman cartoons were fantastic - But - IMO - (Considering that they are now 50+ years old) - These pre-CG, animated shorts are just as entertaining and exciting as are any Marvel cartoons that were being aired back in those days. Yep. They sure are.

I never saw The Galaxy Trio before but I saw Birdman on Cartoon Network a lot as a kid and it seemed a lot better then.Birdman lives in a volcano surrounded by other volcanoes and they imply this is in America. Mentok even knew where Birdman lived and it doesn't affect the show at all. There's a shocking amount of times that he is almost squashed by a shrinking room but even more times where he conveniently has a cage to hold the criminals. That is when he doesn't just murder them or when they get away. Even though Birdman and Galaxy Trio seemingly have nothing in common, the shows have lots of similarities. Neither of them have a back story and both of them start every episode with a video call setting up the story. And there's lots of times when the bad guys get away on both shows and they always say something like " I feel we will meet again.". The name Galaxy Trio doesn't make any sense and their powers don't make any sense. They tend to over explain everything too. The only reason to watch this is to make fun of it.

Now, I would never say that "Birdman and the Galaxy Trio" (from 1967) came anywhere near to being a great superhero cartoon - But, at least I can honestly tell you that it was pretty much on par with any other animated crime-fighting series (of the same genre) that existed back then at the time.

There are many great action and comedy animated shows that were produced for television by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Birdman is my favorite among the superhero shows they produced. Along with Space Ghost, Thundarr The Barbarian, and The Herculoids, these shows were less about funny antics and more about action and fast paced stories. Space Ghost and Birdman are without a doubt the most iconic of these shows, however, if you love great Hanna-Barbera action then I'd highly recommend checking out The Herculoids and Thundarr. Anything produced by those two men are worth a watch in my opinion. I'm sure at least one or two shows or characters were apart of someone's childhood.

I remember this show vividity as a teenager during the late 1970's as part of Hanna-Barbera's FANTASTIC WORLD OF ADVENTURE! But as for the Birdman bit,it was hokey,but sometimes stupid in some parts. Birdman and Avenger(his pet eagle with superpowers) would take on evil doers and monsters,and when our hero was in a situation he would go right up into the sun to recharge his energy and then comes back with his sun shield in hand ready for action!!!!!

But it wasn't always the case................. One episode in particular was with Birdman taking on his arch nemesis THE SCORPION leaving him in situation where he cannot get out to the sun to restore his powers leaving him and Avenger in a dangerous situation...... This was a three parter episode,where Birdman and Avenger fights to save the world from nuclear destruction(with special guest Hanna Barbera superhero of all people!) which left viewers to tuned in next week for the continuation of our story.

As far as THE GALAXY TRIO are concerned,I never like them since they ruined the effect of the show...................

HB's WORLD OF ADVENTURE was a full hour of non-stop animated action and breathtaking suspense all in one cartoon show!!! It came on every afternoon which featured Space Ghost,The Herculoids,Birdman,Mighthor, Buzz Conroy and Frankenstein Jr.,and Super Samson(which featured a teen that transforms into a ancient superhero,and has pet lion with laser eyes!..only in a cartoon).