Tuesday Two-fer: "Duel at Dawn" and "The Vampire King" by Fallberg (?) and Arens(?)

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Today just happens to be the 50th anniversary of the debut of Batman on ABC-TV! It's Li'l Groove's love of that show that grew into the all-out fanatic that blogs for you five days a week as Ol' Groove, so I hadda do something to celebrate! Of course, being who I is, of course we're not gonna celebrate in a way that you'd expect.

Of course I MUST share a cool Adam-West-as-Batman pic!

Nope, to celebrate the impact Adam West and company made on moi, I'll use this time to show just how quickly the love of Batman grew into a love for comicbooks, cartoons, and superheroes. Y'see, as much as Li'l Groove loved Batman, when he learned that there were other superheroes (most of the following wouldn't have existed had it not been for Batman), he went a little bit bonkers. Absorbed everything from Archie's Mighty Comics line to shows like Captain Nice to (of course) Marvel Comics (and their cartoons) to (of course, again) Hanna-Barbera's line of cartoon superheroes, which included such luminaries as Space Ghost, Atom Ant, the Herculoids, Frankenstein Jr., the Impossibles, Young Samson, and today's focuses (foci?), Birdman and Mighty Mightor!

Both of these tales first appeared in Gold Key's Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes #1 (January 1968), and one (or both) were written and/or drawn by Carl Fallberg and Mike Arens (even the magnificent Grand Comics Database doesn't know for sure).

First up, here's Birdman in "Duel at Dawn"!

And here's Mighty Mightor battling "The Vampire King"!

Those Groovy Saturday Mornings: More Mighty Mightor and Birdman

More far-out fun from Hanna-Barbera TV Super-Heroes #5 (January 1969), Groove-ophiles! Check out the action with Mighty Mightor and Birdman. Don't touch that dial!

Those Groovy Saturday Mornings: Birdman and the Galaxy Trio

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Break out the Sir Grapefellow! It's time for a titanic team-up between two of Hanna-Barbera's finest--Birdman and the Galaxy Trio! From the sensational second issue of Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes, prepare to face "The Noxious Oxoids!"

Those Groovy Saturday Mornings: The Return of Birdman and Young Samson

More Saturday morning magnificence from Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes #3 (cover dated October 1968). Get down with Birdman in "The Solar Scorpions" and Young Samson and Goliath in "The Cosmic Werewolf"! (Hey, where's my Quake cereal?)

Those Groovy Saturday Mornings: Birdman and Mighty Mightor

Saturday mornings used to be so great! Remember fighting with your siblings over which show to watch? Three networks? No cable? If you do, then you're gonna love these comics, originally published in Gold Key's Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes #1 (April, 1968) with art by Disney legend Mike Arens!

First up, here's Birdman in "Duel at Dawn"...


Now, check out the Mighty Mightor as he "Battles the Vampire King"!