Birdman

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.

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.

Ever notice that the least-fit people to do a job, are many times the ones in charge? I would sooner trust Charles Manson to produce a cartoon for kids, than the people responsible for this train wreck. Retro-fanatics delude themselves. There are no excuses for something like this. Budget or technology limitations never stopped many endeavors which had thought behind these. Birdman and The Galaxy Trio is a tragedy. It's as if the most mentally void people in the world came together to make an action cartoon, or a bunch of criminal-geniuses went to great lengthes to make the WORST CARTOONS EVER. I pray for the latter. I have learned through experience that it takes a lot of work and thought to make something intentionally HORRIBLE. One has to think of every mistake, and every flaw that would annoy viewers. Birdman and the Galaxy Trio is so chock full of 'plot' holes (the plots of each episode could be summarized in about 4 words) and oversights. The animation was terrible, even compared to Space Ghost or The Herculoids. There were too many cheap liberties taken because of poor planning and writing. Unlike Super Globetrotters, The Gary Coleman Show, or Mr. T, this stupid animated series has no redeeming value. While the above are funny to watch because of it's campiness, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio should be avoided like the plague. Never have I seen an animated series that could make so many people LITERALLY ANGRY at how poor it is.

Hanna-Barbera (HB)were on a roll in the 1960s. The laser was invented in the early 1960s, thus HB seized on it with characters with laser powers.

Great music and sound effects. I was only 5 in 1970 when it went started syndication. In 1978, when our family vacationed in LA, the first call I made from our hotel room was the HB studios and asked if they gave tours; of which they politely said no,

It a shame that the late Keith Andes (voice of Birdman) completed suicide in 2005 (see Wiki). Too bad it didn't last another season.