Review: Harvey Birdman Volume 1 & Space Ghost Volume 3 DVD Sets
Reviewed by Craig Byrne
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When my cable company in Annapolis, Maryland finally got the Cartoon Network, the only true highlights for me were the repeats of The Centurions at mid-day and a programming block they called "Super Adventures" featuring cartoons such as the Fantastic Four in the evenings. ("Super Adventures" may have been the predecessor for what eventually became Toonami) The Adult Swim row of programming that eventually would include such greats as Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and several anime series that may be too mature for a younger audience, did not yet exist.

For me, there are two series that stand out in Adult Swim history, both of which recently had new volumes out on DVD.

The first is Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, a "talk show" hosted by, well, a cartoon character. It was the Cartoon Network's first major foray into original programming if I remember correctly, and the series obtained a cult following. Space Ghost, of course, was the hero of a 1960's Hanna-Barbera cartoon who also was recently the focus of a great DC Comics mini-series in the past few months.

But, for whatever reason unknown to me, as I know and respect the show has a huge following... for the most part, I just don't get it. Zorak and his Beavis-like voice amuse me, though, especially in an episode on the DVD that includes Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butt-Head.

The DVD for Season 3, just released on April 12, I'm sure would be fun for an afficionado for the show who likes and gets that kind of humor. I mean, with guests like Pat Boone (the only person my mom ever skipped school for), Charlton Heston, Andy Dick, Mike Judge, and more, the interview stuff can at times be witty, especially when you realize how surreal it is that they're being interviewed by a *cartoon character.* Look for one of Michael Rosenbaum's Sorority Boys co-stars to be interviewed on these discs too.

The DVD does, however, come with some nifty extras, including a pre-show interview with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, both very funny guys, and David Cross, you may know as "Tobias" on Arrested Development. But I'll admit - the humor is lost on me. If you're a Space Ghost: Coast to Coast fan already, I highly recommend it; but if you're a newbie, you might be very, very lost. Maybe if I had started with the first season....

The other series that helped define Adult Swim for me also happens to be my favorite, and that one also just came out on DVD, and that would be Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. I admit it. I always had a soft spot for Birdman and how silly he was, even before this when TNT would show Birdman and the Galaxy Trio on weekday mornings when I was in my teens. I mean, the guy would bellow "BIRRRRRRRRRRRDMAN!" as he flew by, and his sidekicks of the week, Birdboy (now affectionately known as "Peanut") and Birdgirl would scream their names too. Really funny, good stuff, that I hope makes it to DVD someday along with the original Space Ghost. But anyway. Harvey Birdman.

First I should mention that Gary Cole in the lead voice is a riot. Mike Brady, Lumbergh... Gary Cole has done such a great job in so many roles, and he's consistently funny. The character of Phil Ken Sebben, Birdman's boss, is a hoot, with his bad depth perception and "ha-HA!" laugh. But the best part of Harvey Birdman is, by far, the appearances by other characters from Hanna-Barbera animated history.

This is a world where Fred Flintstone is implicated as a mob boss, with an episode with opening titles eerily like those of The Sopranos. In one episode, Shaggy and the Scooby gang get arrested udner suspicion of illegal drugs. Blue Falcon is the new lawyer in the office, Galaxy Girl of the Galaxy Trio is a bit easy, and Harvey Birdman defends a one-inch dick. (Inch-High Private Eye... .what did you think we were talking about?) The highlight episode for fans of comic books, and probably of KryptonSite, would be an episode where Apache Chief of the Superfriends can no longer perform. Black Vulcan (no, not Tuvok) also appears in the episode.

The DVD packaging for Harvey Birdman, looking like a legal brief, is clever, and is one of the most unique and original I've seen yet. The Adult Swim DVD folks generally do a fun job on things like these, with the second Sealab 2021 set's design being my favorite so far.

There are commentaries on episodes on either set, but for me, Harvey Birdman is choice. Maybe it's just more up my alley with my sense of humor, but either way, it's already one of my favorites in my collection. A for Birdman. At such a low price for so many episodes, it's the perfect way to spend a weekend, or to have on at a party.

Because Space Ghost is something so broad that I'm sure I need to see a lot more to get into it, it would be unfair for me to label it with a grade at this time.

Click here for Harvey Birdman and here for Space Ghost to order these DVDs and support this site, or click on the link below to check out the official site for Adult Swim!

Note: The views of Craig Byrne don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.

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