Space Ghost, Birdman, and Hero High DVDs

[Michel Weisnor]

Space Ghost & Dino Boy Complete Series
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7066

Birdman & the Galaxy Trio Complete Series
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7065

Hero High: the Complete Series
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7100

When I was younger, I watched Coast to Coast and really enjoyed the comedy stylings of Space Ghost. Later, when Harvey Birdman aired, I chuckled a little, too mean spirited. I always wondered about the source material, Space Ghost & Dino Boy and Birdman & the Galaxy Trio. I've only viewed original Space Ghost on the internet, same goes for Birdman. So, I am really looking forward to these upcoming DVD releases. Here's hoping current Boomerang favorites Young Samson and Herculoids also see future DVD installments.   

Hero High, I never heard of until today. From the info, Hero High appears to be an addition to a live action Kid Superpower Hour with SHAZAM! Was this show any good?

[Gangbuster]

I won't buy those, but maybe some clips will surface on YouTube or something.

I, for one, am enjoying my Brak Show DVDs right now 

[Super Monkey]

I would buy Herculoids!!! But not these.

[TELLE]

The original Space Ghost, with designs by Alex Toth, was a staple of my 70s childhood.  Very distinctive visuals, sound and voice acting, lacklustre plots.  On viewing as an adult, and I haven't for some years now, I found the shows much diminished, although relatively fast-paced for their age.  Such is life.  Perhaps Jonny Quest, now fodder for the Venture Bros, holds up best of the H-B adventure shows from the 60s.

Herculoids (also with Toth designs) and Space Ghost were my favourites.  I only caught up with Birdman as an adult, but I can attest that all 3 shows had a huge influence on a generation of superhero fans and artists (Steve Rude most prominently --check out the Rude/Evanier Space Ghost one-shot from the 80s and the Space Ghost stylings of Nexus).  The Herculoids is perhaps my fave show of the bunch --a great superhero family team along the lines of Fantastic Four (I'd hate to see a comedy version, although I have enjoyed parts of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.  SG Coast to Coast and its spin-offs leaves me mostly cold). 

Hero High is like the Archies but with superheroes.  Lots of dated "teen" humour including a character named "Punk Rock" and a surfer hero who is big an dumb like Josie's Alan M. and an evil magic Veronica-type girl.  I hated it as a kid (I think I was around 10 or 12 when it was on and wanted superheroes to be serious --I also hated the Shazam show it ran with but now I love Captain Marvel and his family).

Another humourous hero show form the 70s --Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon annoyed me as well.  Why did that dopey robotic dog Dynomutt keep getting in the way of the straight superheroics of BF???

[MatterEaterLad]

I tend to agree with Telle, the Herculoids was my favorite as a kid but Johnny Quest probably holds up best as individual stories.

Dino Boy was not good, and I actually didn't like Space Ghost even as a kid, though the power gauntlets made a cool sound.

[Uncle Mxy]

Another humourous hero show form the 70s --Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon annoyed me as well.  Why did that dopey robotic dog Dynomutt keep getting in the way of the straight superheroics of BF???

You'll be happy to know that the Harvey Birdman episode featuring the dog is titled Deadomutt.    Of course, Blue Falcone in Harvey Birdman is a very different character, but aren't they all?

[dto]

As a kid, I liked the "Herculoids" but sometimes found Gloop and Gleep somewhat gimmicky and "Deus ex machina" -- it's hard to maintain an atmosphere of danger when those two globs could morph into precisely the ideal solution to the problem at hand. 

I was always impressed by Hanna-Barbera's art style for "Jonny Quest".  With its thick brushstroked outlines, the cartoon looked like an animated comic book, so the limited animation actually helped the overall effect.  And people DIED in this cartoon, sometimes even "on camera".  Considering the relatively "realistic" artwork, this had far more emotional impact than seeing Wile E. Coyote fall into (yet another) ravine.

As for "Space Ghost", I hated Blip but I found Jan and Jace far more tolerable than sidekicks Wendy and Marvin or the Wonder Twins.  At least Jan and Jace seemed to be more competent and credible cadets.  Wendy was OK, but I simply could not abide comic relief Marvin, Wonderdog and Gleek the Space Monkey (hmm... was he related to Blip?).  And I disliked the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna for much the same reasons cited above for Gloop and Gleep -- you always KNEW that somehow a water transformer and an animal shapechanger were EXACTLY the heroes necessary to help "save the day" -- regardles of all the OTHER "Super Friends".   

[TELLE]

I can't imagine the comic relief characters on most animated adventure shows ever were amusing to anyone except the VERY young (ie, 2 years old?).

I enjoyed the Dynomutt/Harvey Birdman ep but my fave so far is the one featuring Apache Chief and his viagara-related difficulties.

Jonny Quest, the second prime-time evening cartoon series by H-B (after Flintstones) and the first dramatic series, had great designs by comic book veteran Doug Wildley.  All aspects of the production were top-notch for the time period (although they couldn't hold a candle to the traditional "full" animation of Disney and the other studios who produced theatrical cartoons).  Quest was very atmospheric but still managed to squeeze in the obligatory comic relief in the form of the more cartoon-y dog, "Bandit".