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| Playing Mantis Captain Action, with professionally produced, shrink-wrapped replica of original box |
Apparently, CAPTAIN ACTION creator STAN WESTON was one of a trio responsible for G.I. JOE - which is interesting (to me) because, in Great Britain, G.I. Joe was rechristened ACTION MAN. As a lad in the '60s, I don't recall seeing Captain Action (or Captain Magic, as he was originally going to be named) on sale in this country, but I knew about the character through the adverts in comics issued by NATIONAL PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS Inc. (DC COMICS), such as SUPERMAN and BATMAN, etc. I instantly coveted this wondrous item, but it wasn't until toy company PLAYING MANTIS re-released IDEAL's iconic action-figure in 1998 that I finally managed to acquire one.
DC Comics published a title based on the character in the latter half of the 1960s, but its brief five issue run indicates that it wasn't quite as popular as anticipated. Featuring artwork by WALLY WOOD and GIL KANE, and written first by JIM SHOOTER and then by Kane himself, the comics boasted some spectacular cover art, which I now unselfishly share with you here. They're scanned from my very own copies which I obtained many years ago, but should still be relatively easy to obtain from back issue specialists in comicbook stores and on eBay.
The ad below (drawn by KURT SCHAFFENBERGER) comes from DETECTIVE COMICS #359 ("The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!"), but the previous owner has defaced The PHANTOM figure by drawing stripes on his costume. Tsk, tsk! Some people, eh?
I'd be interested in the reminiscences of American readers who had this toy when they were kids, and whether any Brits actually managed to get their hands on one back in the '60s.
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And, if you're lucky, you may still be able to get this great book (below) all about Captain Action from your local comicbook store. This is the original printing, but I believe a revised and updated edition was made available a year or two back.
I don't have any particularly interesting reminiscences about it. My friends and I played with them sometimes. There was Captain Action, Action Boy (the mandatory kid sidekick), and the villain, Dr. Evil (so help me, that was the character's name. Other costumes were sold separately so you could change Captain Action into Superman, Captain America, Flash Gordon, the Lone Ranger, and those other heroes. There may have been costumes for Action Boy as Robin, Superboy, and maybe Aqualad. I wonder if it was complicated for the toy company to get agreements with all those different companies (DC, Marvel, King Features, et. al.) to use their characters. I don't recall the toy or the comic book being especially popular. As I recall, when G.I. Joe first came on the market, every self-respecting seven-year old boy just had to have one. I don't remember a similar demand for Captain Action. Maybe by 1967-68, the super hero fad (largely generated by the Batman TV show) was starting to pass. As for the DC comic, I had the first two issues. The main thing I remember from his origin story was that his powers came from magic coins left on Earth by aliens. They had visited Earth B.C.E. and myths about gods and heroes were based on them. An example of the "ancient astronauts" idea in science fiction and comics before von Daniken popularized it.
ReplyDeleteI suppose kids just bought their favourite hero's costume and put it on a G.I. Joe. I've got the re-released Dr. Evil and Action Boy, although he's been renamed Kid Action to avoid copyright problems with Hasbro.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to answer.
As a kid I had issues 2 and 4 of Captain Action (by Shooter and Kane, IIRC. Issue 4 is a pretty macabre material for a toy tie-in as Dr. Evil uses an image of his dead daughter- wife and mother to Capt. A and AB- against the heroes. Morbid stuff; the themes of evolution and world destruction appear later in Kane's Warlock work.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the most unsettling aspect of CA 4 is that I was given it to read while my dad was receiving radiation treatment for cancer at Glasgow's long-gone Belvidere Hospital!
I suppose #4 doesn't exactly bring happy memories with it then, Dougie, eh? Or are we able to look past the circumstances behind some things as kids? It's a tough one. Captain Action never quite seemed to take off - either as a toy, comicbook, or model kit.
ReplyDeleteNever seen any of these before, and I'm just wondering if you can confirm for me that the cover for No.1 is by Irv Novick. I was always impressed by his stuff before he fell completely under the influence of Neal Adams in the early 70's, and that looks like one of his.
ReplyDeleteYup, that was Irv. Always liked his Batman stuff, I have to admit.
ReplyDeleteActually, I never realised my Dad was getting cobalt treatment in those days, Kid. I was more unsettled by Kane's weeping heroes and their flaring nostrils. Nor could I understand- at that time-why Captain Action wasn't in the JLA since he was so powerful.
ReplyDeleteWasn't powerful enough to sustain his comicbook, sadly - or his time in the toyshops. Has made about three comebacks since 'though.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a lot of NEW Captain Action stuff going on - in toys, comics and more. Check it all out at www.CaptainAction.com
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