Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series
BY Ryan LaMarca / 2008-02-09
In September of 1967, Hanna-Barbera premiered Birdman and the Galaxy Trio on NBC, while at the same time the studio's Space Ghost and Dino Boy and Frankenstein, Jr. and the Impossibles were airing on rival network CBS. Each half-hour episode was comprised of two Birdman segments with one Galaxy Trio episode sandwiched in between. The series was designed by legendary comic book artist Alex Toth and was produced and directed by none other than William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. However, just as in Hanna-Barbera's other action cartoons with two title characters, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio never actually met in any episode. Birdman was played by Keith Andes, while his superior Falcon 7 was voiced by Hanna-Barbera legend Don Messick. For the Galaxy Trio, Ted Cassidy (Lurch from The Addams Family) assumes the role of Meteor Man, with Don Messick as Vapor Man, and Virginia Eiler as Gravity Girl. Several decades after the series' cancellation, Birdman would return to star in a comedy spoof Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
In actuality, Birdman is Ray Randall, an ordinary man who was given sun-based superpowers by the Egyptian sun god Ra. Now, Birdman, along with his trusted eagle Avenger, works for a secret government agency headed by the mysterious one-eyed Falcon 7. He recieves messages from Falcon 7 in his Bird Lair, a high-tech lab with several computers and video monitors with a control panel, which is hidden inside of a volcano. Throughout the progression of the series, Birdman is joined by various other similar superheroes, like Birdboy or Birdgirl. Birdboy was a young boy whom Birdman discovered shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. In order to save the boy's life, Birdman used his energy powers to strengthen the boy back to health. Now with the aid of metal wings, Birdboy has the same basic powers as Birdman and assists him in fighting crime while continuing to search for his missing father. Birdgirl, on the other hand, started out as a villain, a young girl brainwashed by Dr. Mentaur to kill Birdman. However, Birdman helped her to her senses and she turned away from evil and helped stop Mentaur.
Fans of Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law will not be disappointed to see some of their favorite prosecutor villains in action with serious characterizations and motives. Fans will be especially happy to see series regular X the Eliminator still on his quest to retrieve the crest of Birdman for the villainous terrorist agency FEAR. Other memorable Birdman villains include Reducto, Vulturo, Shado, Spyro, Hannibal, Mentok, and Dr. Millennium. All of them have various diabolical and nefarious plans in which they try to kill Birdman. The main nemesis of Birdman is undoubtedly the organization known as FEAR. Headed by Number 1, FEAR is a terrorist group who will stop at nothing to take over the world, killing whoever gets in their way, including Birdman. FEAR often hires many of Birdman's rogues to do the job for them, but end up always failing.
In between the two Birdman cartoons is an episode of the Galaxy Trio. Comprised of Meteor Man, Vapor Man, and Gravity Girl, the Galaxy Trio are an intergalactic police force who answer distress calls from planets and people in need and come to the rescue. They have a myriad of special powers that aid them in their duties. Meteor Man can enlarge or reduce any part of his body at will, growing into a giant or becoming extremely tiny. Vapor Man can turn his body into any vapor or gas known to man and can also project the vapor into the air. And finally, Gravity Girl can, well, control gravity, making people float or weighing them down, or enabling herself to fly. The Galaxy Trio travel around in their spaceship Condor I and are always ready to lend a hand. As opposed to the Dino Boy shorts from Space Ghost and Dino Boy, the Galaxy Trio cartoons are very enjoyable and entertaining. They offer some great science fiction and fantasy stories that are almost always worthwhile.
The lone special feature on this two-disc set is a retrospective featurette titled "Birdman: The Forgotten Hero" and runs for around ten minutes. Most of the talking on this featurette is done by Michael Ouwleen, the co-creator of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, and he definitely seems to be a big fan of Birdman, as well as designer Alex Toth. Also present are William Hutten, a Birdman animator, and Don Watson, a background artist for Birdman. They discuss everything there is to know about Birdman, from his powers to his supporting characters to his conception and design. Ouwleen also brings out some original Alex Toth model sheets that he has in his possession and discusses his thoughts on Toth. While not as comprehensive and extensive as the Toth biography present on the Space Ghost and Dino Boy set, this is a perfect little featurette for those who may be unfamiliar to the true classic character.
As with all of the recent classic cartoon releases from Warner Brothers, the two discs come in one small, slim tray packed on top of each other. Both discs are flippers, so extra caution is needed when taking the discs out. There is a significant amount of new artwork, however. And while the Galaxy Trio are completely absent from the front cover, they are present on the back cover and the inside art. The menus are very simple and static with the Birdman theme song looped in the background. And once again, there are no chapter stops in the episodes that would allow you to easily navigate to a particular cartoon. You either have to fast forward to it or wait and watch the previous cartoons to get to the second or third part of the episode. And as usual, the video is nothing spectacular. A fair amount of remastering and restoration has been applied, but the usual grain, dirt, and scratches are present. The colors are vivid and vibrant, though, and the video overall looks all right.
As with Space Ghost and Dino Boy, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio comes highly recommended from me. You can't go wrong with something as classic as this, coming as one of Hanna-Barbera's best superhero cartoons from the 1960s. I commend Warner Brothers for taking the time and money to release these classic Hanna-Barbera titles which so many people remember and enjoy and hopefully can introduce to a new, younger generation of viewers. Whether you grew up with the show either when it first aired or in reruns, like I did, or are a fan of Harvey Birdman, I really think you'll enjoy Birdman and the Galaxy Trio.
Post Your Comment
Avatar
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel