Super Powers minicomics

[samurainoir]

That fourth wave did have some really interesting choices digging down into the C and D LIst characters.

Obsidian! Atomic Knight, and Black Racer!

Vigilante, Manhunter and Deathstroke actually make sense to me given the fact that GI Joe RAH was king of that era, Ninjas were popular and the Rambo mentality was running rampant through comics. Would WildDog have eventually been considered?

Interesting to note how Kenner was attempting to racially diversify the line as well. Three other potential African American characters in addition to the previous wave's Cyborg, joining politically correct Superfriends Samurai, as well as the proposed El Dorado. One has to wonder why Apache Chief was left out of the mix.

I always wondered why they needed to make up characters like Golden Pharoah or that four-arm guy. The DCU has so manner characters already to choose from. Howitzer could actually be a modified Lightray perhaps?

[samurainoir]

Anyone read the final Super Powers miniseries?

Who's this character Janus?

[Earth 2 Chris]

23 Year Old Spoiler Alert!!!





Janus is actually Darkseid in disguise.

The third mini was kind of...blah. Didn't have the fun punch of the others.

Infantino phoned the art in too. Some of his weakest stuff.

Chris

[jds1911a1]

That fourth wave did have some really interesting choices digging down into the C and D LIst characters.

Obsidian! Atomic Knight, and Black Racer!

Vigilante, Manhunter and Deathstroke actually make sense to me given the fact that GI Joe RAH was king of that era, Ninjas were popular and the Rambo mentality was running rampant through comics. Would WildDog have eventually been considered?

Interesting to note how Kenner was attempting to racially diversify the line as well. Three other potential African American characters in addition to the previous wave's Cyborg, joining politically correct Superfriends Samurai, as well as the proposed El Dorado. One has to wonder why Apache Chief was left out of the mix.

I always wondered why they needed to make up characters like Golden Pharoah or that four-arm guy. The DCU has so manner characters already to choose from. Howitzer could actually be a modified Lightray perhaps?

Well Black lighting had been prominent in superfreinds, in the comics Sterwart had taken over for Jordon formally so it isn't a big stretch. Vigilatne was a very successfull book in 84 (prestige format on baxter paper for the then exhorbitant 1.25 an issue) Obsidian was prominent in Infinity inc another well selling pretige format book so wasn manhunter so for the time all these choices make sense.

[The Toyroom]

23 Year Old Spoiler Alert!!!





Janus is actually Darkseid in disguise.

The third mini was kind of...blah. Didn't have the fun punch of the others.

Infantino phoned the art in too. Some of his weakest stuff.

Chris

I bought all of the Super Powers minis at the time but by that last one I had really lost interest....the new made up characters, the writing, the art....none of it was floatin' my boat....

[ctc]

>Obsidian! Atomic Knight, and Black Racer!

The Atomic Knight kinda makes me laugh. From what I remember of the time, and something mentioned on that SuperPowers site I'm betting he was added at the behest of an exec. The Atomic Knight saw a bit of a resurgence as a bit player during that time, but he was used very prominantly in the initial ads for DC's "Who's Who." Mostly 'cos he was pretty much unknown. (I refer to the "Do you know me?" ads.) I could see someone unfamiliar with the comics but in charge of selections seeing those ads and thinking he was someone important.

>Would WildDog have eventually been considered?

Hmmmm.... I could see it, especially considering they'd planned on adding the Vigilante. But I don't think the book was that big a seller for DC, and it didn't get a lot of press.

Don C.

[samurainoir]

23 Year Old Spoiler Alert!!!





Janus is actually Darkseid in disguise.

The third mini was kind of...blah. Didn't have the fun punch of the others.

Infantino phoned the art in too. Some of his weakest stuff.

Chris

Given the fact that all the other cover bar floating heads were action figures, I wonder if there was a Janus action figure in the planning stages at some point before they cancelled the line. There doesn't seem to be a Janus in the 4th year presentation.

I had forgotten... was Super Powers essentially Kirby's final major comic book work?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I think you're right on Kirby. He wrote the first mini (and drew the last issue and all covers) and drew the entire 2nd mini, which I think, was his last series work.

Not sure on Janus. His design was pretty bland, and honestly evoked Orion's classic comic design, so I'm not sure if anyone at Kenner had anything to do with him.

By the way, several blogs (including some belonging to Mego Museum members) have Super Powers features today, celebrating the line's 25th anniversary. 25 years...YIKES!!!

Here's a link to Rob and Tom's awesome blogs:

The Aquaman Shrine
BAT - BLOG : BATMAN TOYS and COLLECTIBLES

Chris

[The Toyroom]

I had forgotten... was Super Powers essentially Kirby's final major comic book work?

Not sure if I'd call it "major" but he may have had current input on the "Kirbyverse" stuff done by Topps Comics....but by that point in his career it may have been all derived from his concept sketches and notes. I don't recall. That stuff came out like a year or so before he died.

[samurainoir]

Check out Zan and Jayna!
Power Plus Jayna
Power Plus Zan

I'm hugely disappointed that this Plastic Man car never saw the light of day.
Plastic Man Car

Brainiac's ship!
Brainiac's Brain Ship

[filmation batman fan]

If I could find all the mini comics, I'd buy them. I hate not being able to find them. In terms of recollecting them, all I've got so far are Batman and Robin. And it's also too bad that we never got mini comics with the third wave. I would have given anything to have a mini comic of Samaraui, Cyborg, Plastic Man, and Captain Marvel.

It's also a crying shame that we never got to see the Wonder Twins, El Dorado, and Black Vulcan not get made into figures and it does surprise me that Apache Chief was not even discussed.

Cheers.

[BlackKnight]

and it does surprise me that Apache Chief was not even discussed.

Cheers.

???
What Do you Mean ?
Over El Dorado ???

What Are you ? Chiefing ??? ...

Come On Bro,.. All El Dorado ever flipp'in Did was Transport some place with his Freak'in Cape,.. & The Guy Still Got Captured ! What kinda Lameness Does that Rate for a Figure of a Character Who Can Grow as Tall as a SkyScraper in the Hearts & Minds of Kids Everywhere.

No Contest.
Apache Chief sooooooo Deserved a Figure over the Mexican Teleporter that Still Got caught all the Time.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Plus Apache Chief had that stilted dialog! They could have put a voice chip in him, and with the crappy technology of the time, he would have sounded JUST like the character on Super Friends. I especially liked it when the Chief was in a scene with Green Lantern. Since the same actor voiced both, Apache Chief's dialog would become even MORE stilted and slow!

E-neck-chak! (or however you spell that)

Chris

[ScottA]

I have the whole set of mini comics. Well, almost. I believe there is a Plastic Man mini comic in one of the foreign issue figures I don't have. Other than that one I have all the US releases. They are all pretty cool.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I think the only mini-comic I never had was Steppenwolf (I never had the figure as a kid), and most of my mini-comics have survived somehow. They are a nice little time capsule of the way I remember the heroes, before everyone decided to go "high literature" and deconstruct the fun right out of them.

Chris